Glimmer.....the beginnings

Finding glimmers of gold in the rich soil and glimmers of hope in dark times

Part of my historical practice, I am inspired to make work about a place and or social history. Using eco printing as a base, using leaves from the actual place that has inspired by, it’s good to go for a walk to see the landscape. Using oak gall ink, natural dyes and iron modifiers to create pattern and detail in the work, finishing with hand or free motion embroidery. I am often trying to tell a story, hidden history in unexpected places, imagining people from the past, what would they be doing, where would they be going? The oak gall ink and natural dyes continues the aged look of my work, taking inspiration from landscape. Thinking about the people, history and invention has changed massively in the last millennium, but we still look at the same trees and landscape, the same sky and the same sun. I will research different illustration styles from history and stitch those into my own pieces.

Challenging my creative practice has always been important and I have been focussing on more natural dyes and eco textile techniques since 2019. Although I am not adverse to putting some batik work into the mix with procion dyes if the theme requires it. Adding a layer of stitch gives me time to slow down, process the work and potentially create another layer of detail and meaning. I then embellish the eco prints with hand or machine embroidery.

My plan had been to explore and represent the three excavation sites and artifacts in an interesting textile way. If a site visit was not possible due to accessibility I would find as much information online to base my artwork on.

Looking at both the aspect of the sites and the treasures hiding beneath the soil. Finding interesting ways to represent the site of the 3 sites and the artifacts with both fabric and paper-based artworks, creating little folded books to explore 3d hidden objects. Using a mixture of modern interpretations of natural dyeing, working with oak gall ink. Being a textile artist myself, some small studies in Bayeux stitch  and potentially some Gold Work would be appropriate.

That was the plan……

The week before the residency started, my husband died unexpectedly while we were away for his 62^ndbirthday in Wales.

The residency was put on hold but I knew I wanted to continue, it was the most important commission that happened to me and it was too precious to give up or postpone. The Muir Trust and the Discover Bucks Museum were very understanding and supportive. The two month studio time at the museum and exhibition were re scheduled into around 6 weeks of working studio space, with an exhibition emerging slowly and then a public workshop and talk at the end.

The irony of the theme of the residency did not go unnoticed, while all this was going on I was coming to terms with his passing, supporting our children and planning my husbands funeral. The residency gabe me a focus, away from home, doing what I like best, creating textiles and mixed media and slow stitching, the perfect therapy I encourage in others, was now for my self.

I had visited the museum archive in Halton at the beginning of March and been so inspired the treasures I was show, incredible craftsmanship, no longer known as the 'dark ages' we are now looking at Early Middle age treasures...

Images of Anglo Saxon golden treasures from Buckinghamshire digs.

I started simply, developing ideas for the soil studies. Working with oak gall ink I had made and then using an iron water modifyer to add detail. Laying the threads ontop of these ink studies was very theraputic and I loved couching the threads down while they found their place on the page. The marks I made were inspired by the twisting layers of gold wire, then playing with the vintage threads I had collected, enjoying how they twisted around the page, couching as I went, spontaneous lines evolved.

Images of my own oak gall ink drawings and studies, with hand embroidery details.

It was then that I started thinking about finding the 'glimmers' of gold under my soil samples and thinking about cutting away windows of the main paper to reveal some of the gold work samples I had begun to make. I had bought a goldwork kit from the Golden Hinde, never having done this detailed stitching before I had no idea what I was doing. The star kit gave me lots of experience in different techniques and I learnt alot. I was then able to apply those thoughts to little motifs and then one of the final Oak Gall ink soil studies with gold work behind.

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So this was the beginning of my time spent at Discover Bucks museum, lovely slow drawings and slow stitching, just the distraction I needed from my daily challenges.