Exploring texture and pattern course

Starting the ‘Exploring texture and pattern course’

I really want to do a Masters course like this fine art one at University of the creative arts, but at £9000 over three years – I just can’t afford to do it.

I really want to take my textile work to the next level and to develop my own style and a more creative approach. Learning and practising stitches is easy enough with the help of a good book, websites and videos made my people from all over the world, but what I need is something to make me think more about mark making and developing a personal visual vocabulary.

So I have joined a short online course run by Sue Stone and her sons called Exploring texture and pattern which I found on https://www.textileartist.org/

If you haven’t seen the website have a look because it often includes inspiring work.

The course starts on Monday 5th Feb 2018 and I am looking forward to being given some constraints to work within and also hoping to be inspired. I will be recording my process, practice and sharing my outputs here on this blog, which will help me stick with it and allow me to reflect on the things I am learning.

Current work in progress

Over Christmas I had a bit of a block but since mid January I have become more productive again. I am very excited to be working on a medieval inspired project which continues work begun on my partner Tim’s Mordred paintings. I did an initial work for his Christmas present in 2016 and am now going to do a series of embroideries translating his paintings into embroidered work using medieval stitches such as Bayeux stitch, split stitch, stem stitch and also trying out some goldwork.

I have become besotted with bayeux stitch – it creates such texture and captures the light so cleverly.  I have been looking really closely at the Bayeux Tapestry but also now been looking at opus anglicum which is English medieval embroidery. The new course will make me focus on simpler stitches like running stitch and backstitch – so it will be a challenge because I really enjoy intricate slow stitching.

I’ve also been working on my freedom is fragile project and will be posting an update on that work soon.