New Linocut and Autumn

Doesn't this paella look so yummy!I saw it at the St Gely market on Saturday.

Olive trees- still looking at how I might make an olive tree quilt- i love the shapes of the branches

The last of the grapes of the season- most of them have been harvested.

Yes that is my trusty friend the dog, on our daily walk this morning- she sat to wait for my whilst i took yet another photo  of Pic St Loup.

And last but not least- I have made a coqueclicot linocut- still playing with that idea, but it's getting there .

I have some  new books available of 72 More Ways- the french and coloured version- the cost is 30 euros inclusive of postage. I you are interested email me and I will sign your copy.

Ta Dum- 1000th Blog Post!

I can scarcely believe that i have done a 1000  blogposts! This is what i wrote on my very first blogpost:

I have finally taken the plunge to start a blog. It will be peripatetic as my life is. I travel, to teach and curate exhibitions of contemporary quilts which I occasionally take to Europe. I spend chunks of my life travelling with exhibitions loaded into my suitcase and two sets of clothes- can't fit more than that!When I come home again I need to regroup, so I often start by making things which are manageable in a day- hence the bookcovers, and I trawl through the books that offer inspiration- to get going again- and as I have a family I need to do some cooking too! 


In a sense little seems to have changed, my life is still peripatetic, I still curate exhibitions that travel in my suitcase, my wardrobe has not increased a great deal ( though I have promised myself to make some more clothes from the fabric I make, i still buy too many books- for example last night we visited Art Nimes and who could leave behind this hand printed treasure by Veronique Agostini??

it so makes me want to make hand printed books!!

But much has changed; I no longer have a home as such, though I have many places to stay. I am no longer married,at the moment my children are not living with me, though that will change when i return to Australia. I have written three more books, and am working on another book proposal, I am still trying to hang in there is a textile artist, but there are times when I am wondering why on earth I do this. I am still writing my blog after nearly 6 years, and many of you have travelled the highs and lows with me and have sent me messages of encouragement.For that I am so very grateful- they have been like rays of sunshine in what seemed at times to be a situation without resolution or answer.

But..... I am still making textiles and quilts and can't really imagine doing anything else.

People asked what the African painting technique- it is like yes the technique  is indeed like making paste papers except you do it with base extender and textile inks. I have been making a few  for use in the future.

And my favourite motif is still the pomegranate. This one fell off the tree in the heavy thunderstorm we had here last night. But now it is apero time with good friends and by that i include all of you too- sante! There is much to look forward to!

Back from Carrefour and Fabric Painting

Phew! Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork was hectic- fortunately I did get some help  from my friend Margo from Teinture Textile. Saw lots of people i knew and met some new ones. Delivered my Gypsy Blanket to Aurifil.

Now it is down to very hard work- working on my Syria book, a book proposal and an exhibition here in le Triadou at the end of October just before I return home. It will be our first exhibition as Atelier Printemps Sacre ( sorry can't find the accent thingie). I want to make a  lot of new quilts all inspired by being here this year! I kind of feel fueled up and ready to go!

Today I have been African painting fabrics to use in  work later on. It takes quite some time to paint these so i tend to spend a whole day or two making the fabric. Tomorrow i will do some dyeing.

And the pomegranate tree in the garden is spawning fantastic looking pomegranates! My favourite fruit and motif.

Help Needed at Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork

I will be  at Carrefour Europeen du patchwork next week with an exhibition entitled My PLace- It will be shown in  Eglise St Nicholas- number 13 on the route in Ste Croix aux Mines.


I had hoped one of my friends was coming over from England and that she could help me a few hours a day to mind the exhibition- as I have to give a lecture on the Saturday and  I will be book signing on the Editions de Saxe stand for my new book and demonstrating Pique Libre with a Bernina. However my friend is not attending.

Question

Is there someone there who could help me a few hours on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday? I have a name badge for another person which entitles you to free entry and also a meal. If you are able to help please email me.

Back in le Triadou

I have been back in le Traidou since late Monday night- those long haul flights certainly  take some energy. However the dog who lives here knows nothing of these things and she was ready for her morning walk regardless of the fact that it was hard to drag myself out of bed! Maybe it was a good thing because she and i do so enjoy those morning walks!

This morning Pic st Loup was looking rather sultry...

And the air has a freshness in it  that probably means summer is gone. The grapes on the  vines are ripening and taste deliciously sweet. This morning on my walk I breakfasted on a ripe fig, a small bunch of grapes, and some almonds and a hand full of blackberries. Strangely the dog likes blackberries too.

We are preparing for a wedding here this weekend- my friend with whom I am staying is getting married!

I did some linocutting when I was in Australia- I am adding some extra exercises to my on-line linocutting course. The first one I call wobbling the lines .

I used this  photo to create this linocut.

When you work form a photo the inclination is to make the  linocut look like the photo. There is so much detail in the photo that you would really need to make a very big linocut to do it justice. So i decided to select an element that pleased my eye and decided to wobble the lines to add character.This wobbling of the lines was inspired by the work of Rosario Morra. and also seemed to suit the gothic qualities of the building.

The second  image is about incorporating text and  pattern- it was inspired by the door on the cathedral Familia Sagrada and is just another example of the thoroughness of Gaudi's designs

I made this linocut from the image above:

I normally print on fabric but printed these on paper as i had no  textile ink/paint to print with. I can see myself doing a lot more printing on paper.

Heading Back to France Tonight

I don't know where that month went but it is time to head back to France. I seem to have done a lot of running around and feel like I haven't achieved much at all and I have to hop straight back into work when I get back to le Triadou.

To show I haven't been idle i did  dye some fabric...... to sell at Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork

I have also done some linocuts but I will show them another time when I get the chance to print them on fabric.

This koala was encountered on the road at night near Gellibrand. You rarely see them and this little chap sat and posed and then ambled off into the trees.

This little blue wren decided to use my car mirror as his special grooming aide the other day. The blue of his coat is actually a much deeper colour than in the photo- it's a very beautiful blue colour ( eat your heart out Yves Klein). This is the male of the blue wrens, the ladies are much plainer- it is said that 90% of the progeny that is produced in his little troupe of women are actually by males outside the troupe.....so all that grooming has little effect ....

And last but not least- gorgeous magnolia's in my mothers' garden.