Monoprint and Colour

Monoprint and colour ... something I've never tried before ... and it's so much fun! I loved playing with layers of colour, and the freedom that you don't usually get in printing, to play quickly and spontaneously. These images were loosely taken from sketches I made around Quilotoa, in Ecuador.

Sculpted Landscapes

Half Term last week, and building on the current 'landscapes' exhibition in the main gallery, I worked with the 6-9 year olds to create 'Sculpted Landscapes'.

I must say that, the main achievement was a calm, productive day with 30 children using mod roc, plasticine, drawing, painting, wire and tissue paper from 10am - 3pm, and only myself and an assistant. Often we are blessed with a team of amazing volunteers, but sickness and other projects took them elsewhere, and it was a good challenge to confirm that we are not utterly dependent on our volunteers!

Exploring Monoprint

I took a couple of days to experiment with the effects of monoprint ... having used it a lot in workshops it was good to take the time simply to play with it for my own sake. Here are my dabblings with black ink and an assortment of techniques ...

Sophie's Markmaking

Sophie, a member of the Octagon club, has a distinctive drawing style. Her marks have, to my mind an incredible focus and determination, and I particularly liked the way in these pictures, that she took the designs into account and developed her marks around them.

Box of Woven Masters

For two years now, I have hoarded the remaining segments of the Urban Craft Club's 'Winter Tapestry' - these were the sections that weren't picked up, or involved a few rows from many people. Finally, I have stitched these incredible panels together and lined them with hardboard and fabric to make a top notch storage box for my merino wool!

Complex Concertinas

I have taken my teenagers through the incredible drill of book creation. I was bowled over by how they coped with the precision and perseverence required to fold, measure and cut a multitude of cardboard pieces, and they were rather proud of their outcomes!As with my younger Art Club, this group began by exploring their dreams and aspirations in a range of black and white mixed media, and then used these and a selection of their photocopied work to create these flippy flappy books. These books are by Leonie (above) and Oliver (below)

Grayson Perry and Alan Measles

I took myself on a date last week. A date with Grayson Perry and Alan Measles, at the British Museum. Lovely to finally meet them both! It's inspiring to visit an exhibition where the curating is as intriguing as the pieces on display, and it suits me perfectly to visit British Museum objects through the eyes of an artist. I don't think I learnt an atom of history, but I thought a lot about the significance and meaning of things, whether they centred on the idolatry of Alan Measles, Grayson's teddy bear, or the illustrated stories of ancient cultures.

One of the main observations I left with, was the realisation that so few of Grayson's works are crafted by himself, causing me to question whether he is really the craftsman? But at least he raised the question, by naming the steelcasters and weaving workshops who created his pieces. I think this was his point exactly. Nobody knows who made the British Museum objects - they are the works of 'The Unknown Craftsman'.

Torres going Public

My print of the Torres del Paine is in the new exhibition at Orleans House: Fields of Vision - Landscapes past and present, until 25 March - a good opportunity to visit!