'The past is a foreign country.'

I have been rooting around in the attic........................I can hardly believe that this little watercolour of cream cakes is nearly 30 years old!!!!  It was part of my major project at Leeds Polytechnic School of Art and Design (now Leeds Met.) back in 1983.  I made a series of prints and drawings all to do with the sensuality of food.   Leeds indoor market played a big part in my research............ sensuality...........Leeds indoor market!!???  Anyway back to the cream cakes, I think that there is something very 'drawing for textile design' about them and it reminds me of how it was that I first began to feel that textile design was what I should be doing......and 23 years later I started at CCAD !!

More dye!

Koda-traces at the ready......................................................................................

..........................and more dye, pigment this time.  I'm getting closer to production!

Hannah Waldron and Paul Catherall

I bought this card last Sunday at Paperchase.  It's produced by Urban Graphic www.urbangraphic.co.uk the design is by illustrator Hannah Waldron www.hannahwaldron.co.uk  I really like her stuff.  It has a graphic, stylised feel to it.  I love the images of the 'Berlin Rooftops' (its title).  The undulating, sometimes sharp shapes of the roof tops and textural mark making sit together well and make a great pattern.

Also whilst I am admiring other people's work.... here is Battersea Power Station as a lino print by Paul Catherall  www.paulcatherall.com  I love this, its minimalism, the artists ability to 'get to the point', to see what needs to be said / visualised in very simple, dramatic terms.

I've got some Kemtex dyes!

I am gradually pulling together the items I need in order to be able to print my designs in my studio at home.  So far I have got; a print table, an exposure unit, screens, squeegees, a coating trough, dyes and auxiliaries.  There are a couple more items to purchase and then hopefully I'll be away!

Passion flower revisited

Rightly or wrongly I have decided to shelve the project that I started for the Bradford Textiles Society Competition. I don't have quite enough confidence in the concept, haven't got anything like enough drawing and I know that there is no way that I will have even one printed sample by the 16th March. Instead I have gone back to a previous design which you can see a couple of flashes of above. I have started by improving the repeat layout. The next step is colour separation onto Koda-trace. If  I can get a wriggle on I might manage a couple of printed samples in time.....we'll see. It's an exercise and an experience whatever.

Bradford Textiles Society Competition

Here is a flash of 2 drawing sheets which are the beginnings of a new project.  My concept initially started off looking at straight and curved things as found in Georgian artefacts and architecture, juxtaposed with lace or lace like structures.  The inspiration for this idea has come from Mix Magazine's 'Tender' trend.  I need to source more visual research material  before I continue.  I have a disjointed week ahead so I have decided to put the drawing board away and spend some time clarifying and formulating my concept.  I will put my concept board up once I have referenced the images that appear on it.

Atmospheric Sunday Morning Walk