Past and Present

So its christmas eve. It is already stressful here with far to many relatives under one roof. Dad has spent more time on steaming and simmering the ham than talking to his mother. Anyways got me thinking about places i have been in the past two weeks, i suppose a reflection period you can call it.

I have just moved to Maidenhead and so far am enjoying exploring and finding out where is good to go for a day out .This seems to be second nature to me due to the fact my family moves a lot . So its an exciting time more like a busy time i guess. Anyways one of my favorite places near by is Marlow. A sweet little town with a random bundle of shops and cafes. One in perticular i have been to a few times now is the Bakery. Yes because i have a sweet tooth but it sits in a really ideal place which is right opposite the park. So you can enjoy a coffee, a slice of cake and watch the dogs and their walkers pass. It is a good people watching place  which sounds bizzare. I use to take a sketchbook to locations and draw people walking by or sitting on benches just for practice. I like how drawing fast captures someone in a moment. The quality of line is interesting and often if you draw looking at your object not looking at the paper it turns into something special, sort of creates a new style. Also its intriguing to see what it looks like at the end as it is a unconscious way of drawing. This way of drawing allows you to be very free and fluidity is key. It means you can take much more information about the proportions and surroundings at the time in which you see it which is an different way of looking at proportion.


 I find the pace in which i draw effects the mind, if i draw quickly i think less and do, create. But if i draw slowly i start to analyze and think about it more logically. As the subjects are on the move it is harder but i like how after it creates a unique style. It is also fun to see what you have drawn after they are too far away for you to see anymore detail.

Marlow is very much like  Marlborough which is special to me as i have lived in Wiltshire a few times  and my mother loves the place. My parents want to retire around that area also. So thats probably another reason why i like it in Marlow so much. If your looking for a slice of cake in Marlborough,(i'm only referring to cake because i was just nattering about a bakery )go to Polly's tea rooms.

 I remember i used to have a sugar mouse there when i was younger. I think on one occasion my mother dragged me out, i was having a trantrum because she wouldnt let me have anymore cake(i was four ). So the cake must have been good and i'm sure it  still good, so go fot it.

Earlier this week i took a trip to Stroud in Gloucestershire to stay with a friend. It started off with an interesting journey as we always seem to have when we are together. As another friend said to us," you guys are the most dyslexic two i've ever met". Regardless no mistakes were made, we planned our route. It was just the whole way we seemed to attract the screaming children. It started in Yatton in a pub. We decided to go in as it was freezing and we had a hour to kill. We Ordered some red wine and ate fun gums. There was a disturbed boy racing up and down with a snooker stick. He kept smacking it on the table and kept looking over for approval. I couldn't really care less but still he felt he the need to turn it up a notch. So he decided it  was best to belly surf on his large toy car and there were many falls which looked painful. At this point i just wanted to get on the train as it had been a long day. In the end he snapped the snooker stick in half and by then it  was time to go, god knows what he did next. 

Not even 100 meter's away there where two girls under the age of 6 in distress. Clearly had been left with there father for a day and were acting up.  They were on the platform waiting for a train, screaming covered in mud. He really looked helpless it did provide entertainment, he was completely out of control, poor chap. The younger one was running around with her tights around her knees while the other one was ruining her white coat lying on the wet platform. When we finally got on the train i offered a chocolate minstrel to the demon child. Firstly i felt sorry for their father, secondly for everyone elses ears on the train. I though chocolate might shut her up for a while.  He kept repeating " what is your mother going to think , you are a mess. She will kill me." 

We got off that train and ran to the next one, felt rather pleased with ourselves that we have made the earlier train and from then on the journey was fine. When we finally got home we then watched a film called Requien of a Dream, never ever watch it. Most revolting and screwed up film. So didnt sleep great. Cheers Ellie Wright.

The next day we went into Stroud and found a really cute cafe called Mills. We sat and had a coffee, the atmosphere was really nice. It was burrowed away down an ally just off the main street. Stroud was an interesting place, quite an arty, hippish vibe. There were tones of really good vintage shops and lots of good book shops too. My friend left her scarf in the vintage shop. We went back and it had gone, they had probably sold it, so wasnt a entirely good day, but close enough! 

Hello Henderson

It has been a while since my last blog because i have been on the move this past week, anyway i came across various different things that have captured my attention.
Last night i did some last minute christmas shopping. I have found that being at university you realize that its all about need these days. I am not really use to having a large sum of money in one go. So planning is key or it won't last. This  allowed me to think about the times before being a struggling student, it was bliss really. I have learnt what is value for money and this has changed the way i look at high street shops.

 I have always shopped in charity shops and if you go to the right ones you can find a great deal of bargains but some are dreadful. Going shopping with my mum made me realize how expensive things are. I didn't bring my sewing machine home obviously because i couldn't take it on the plane, but i bought a dress that i could have made in about 15 minutes for less . Nevertheless i am not a top tailor and there are some things that need to be,"bought with thought" for example jeans and suits.

We went to the House of Fraser and there was a gallery with various artist's showing their work. I had a wonder around and came across a new inspiration. His name is Henderson Cisz. He always has enjoyed painting before turning it into a career, he was previously a banker. Now he can sell his paintings for a higher figure due to the interest in his work. The prizes have risen for his paintings by a  large amount over the past few years as his work becomes more known.

This inspired me to paint and create alongside my degree in Textiles for interior art and Fashion. I am going to try and move my watercolor postcards i did in Italy this summer onto canvas. I want to increase the size and also start working with acrylic more. Here are some examples of Henderson's work below:

Henderson City Art:

With these city location paintings he really captures the mood and vibe beautifully. The way he creates the depth to his paintings are truly of a master. The use of color is extremely interesting instead of black he uses deep purples and blues. He seems to avoid black. Just above the way the purple and orange contrast are similar to the way black and white are with each other. I think he is brilliant ! :) 

I will add my own watercolor location landscape paintings at a later date as i have left them in my bedroom at university .

Printmaking-"Journey"

Manchester Gallery Visit - above sketches from gallery

-Inspiration for Screen Printing

Clare Curneen

St Sebastian

Made in 2004                                                                                    

Hand modelled porcelain; partly glazed and gilded.

Her work is concerned with the body
and the exploration of powerful human emotions
such as alienation, melancholy and religious

She was born in Ireland and studied in Belfast where she did an MA in Ceramics’ at the same time. Her interest in working with her hands came from helping her farther in his workshop, who was an electronic engineer. Her work is very much influenced by her Irish catholic heritage. Her sculptures have an air of menology and vulnerability and are nor dead or alive but lie in the place in between mortal and immortal. She was inspired by the early renaissance period such as the painting of the “Birth of Christ” by Leonardo ad Vinci.

I found the sculpture in the contemporary section in the Manchester art gallery and was drawn towards it, it had a charged presence. The first word I wrote down was ‘alien’. It provoked an awkward silence but like most of her sculptures then always embody hope. The figure I saw was Saint Sebastian, the sculpture is built up of clay pinches and applied in patches revealing a sense of hand building yet suggesting soft vulnerability of the skin and flesh.

I choose journey as my theme for print and the drawing I did of this sculpture featured in my final interior square. Seeing this sculpture has inspired me to think outside the box and make my work more personal. After all art is self expression. They way you feel and think effects your work in a way making it a part of you biography and enables you to grow as a person and an artist. Making my work more personal I tend to be interested in it and therefore I want to research in depth and I don’t get bored.

I feel that when the people of the 21^st century look at art in galleries they are wanting and looking for more in art not only it just looking nice. They want to come away with a new view sometimes even on life and something to inspire them in their own.

             Above and below experimental prints using Clare Curneen drawing and Helmut Newton drawing                            from Germany Visit in 2009. 

                                                   Above section of my final Interior square.

Keep Warm ;)

This term i have been looking at knitwear. I researched firstly,i looked on Vogue.com, the fashion shows are all shown with a click of a button, i find this really useful. So check it out! I found all the collections i was inspired by were using transparent materials allowing areas of the body to be shown. I feel this looks sophisticated such as Valentino's Summer collection, where he used lots of sheen and silk fabrics. I wanted to convey this into my knitwear, i have used nylon in areas which creates a transparent look although it can be extremly temperamental and it often snapped if the tention wasn't correct.

For my final piece i had to design and make a jumper. In some areas of  the jumper you can see skin in the background. This also allows under tops of any colour to be added and makes the jumper more versatile. Due to the recession this is one of its selling points. Therefore people can match it with whatever they are wearing. This idea allows it to be a day and night jumper. For example its cold outside at the moment and i don't do the bare leg thing, i prefer to wrap up .Being able to have a jumper on and a nice top underneath to show through i found an exciting concept. With this idea in mind you could add a sparkle layer underneath (which is all the rage at the moment)and it will be seen. So don't worry about shivering you can be warm and sparkle, what more do u want?;)

Samples Above

Jumper above 

Knit Sketchbook -Inspiration

Christmas Time:

As Christmas is luring around the corner, presents from friends are been given as unfortunately we have to spend Christmas Day with the Family,(which i find a painful experience due to lack of personal space). Christmas for me is never on steroids and decorating must be minimal and tasteful. I despise seeing Santa hanging of houses and the overdose of Christmas lights, i feel sorry for the epileptics. For many the electricity bills after Christmas must be painful. This year but i thought id get in the mood a little more and post a few gifts from friends i have received along with a few wish list ideas to give .





Top Ten to give and Receive 




1.Chocolate 
Hotel Chocolat:
Christmas special includes Christmas Mess, Chocolate Mousse,Gingerbread Truffle, House Praline.


















2.Thoughts

SMYTHSON -The notebook for those with an optimistic outlook for the New Year. £65












3.Music
Personally like Buble to listen to than the cringe christmas tunes.
















4.For the People Who Plan: 
Vogue 2012 Vintage Calendar







5.To add some Sparkle:
Topshop Brogues Konfetti Glitter Lace up Shoes, £60.

           

6.For the Coffee Lovers:

 
 Take a friend for a coffee Vouchers in the Telegraph from Monday the 21st to Saturday the 26th November.


Or for the Coffee Lovers, flavored Syrup to turn a coffee into something special whilst at home ;

7. Christmas Stocking  Underwear 
;) House of Holland Fun Underwear:

           

or.....something special
Christmas with Victoria Secret....

8. Jewelry 

 Sakdidet Road Tooth Necklace,£35 at Harvey Nichols.

9.Mulled wines, Ciders for the drinkers:

10. Cant Have Christmas without a pair of new socks:


Miu Miu embellished knee socks,was £245 now £171 on sale at Net-A-Porter :                







           or....  




White Company Cashmere socks,£25 per pair

Welcome ;)

This is my first post so i thought it would be a good idea to add some of my work.This is primarily why i made this blog for. Also to share  interesting inspirations, places and thoughts on topics.Sort of an online scrap book