Cover to Cover a sketchbook project

As a participant in Cover to Cover I spent Monday last at Winton Windmill, sketching.

A good reason to leave The Shed on a beautiful bright, but cold, day.

Cover to Cover is an Open Studios project that will explore the creativity and inspiration of artists taking part in Newbury Open Studios 2014. Painters, jewellers, textile artists, potters, sculptors, video or cake artists come together and show how work develops from our sketch books or doodles into a finished piece.

Going up stairs. Narrow and very steep, like a ships ladder. Working in this environment must have had its interesting moments . . .

As someone sketches the view I sketch the window.

We're in amongst the display,

and I have this delightful fella looking over my shoulder . . .

Surrounded by text . . .

information for visitors (of course) but it creates a shadow narrative of the space, and it's enabled me to build various scenarios for book works.

Bearing in mind that this is still a working mill, the sack hoist is a tad wormy considering the weight of a full sack.

Going down . . .

A few facts about Wilton Windmill

built . . . 1821

number of years in operation . . . approx. 100

number of years unused and derelict . . . approx. 50

start of renovations . . . 1971

first milling after renovations . . . 1976

Talking teacups . . .

When working on a project I like to spend quite a bit of time chewing over ideas and making exploratory works. 

Last week was spent cutting a selection of 'cups'.

And not just cutting. 

In looking for 50's, 60's and 70's pattern and colour schemes, I've acquired one or two new specimens to draw from. This little beauty from the local 'junk' shop, a steal at £2.50 per cup and saucer.

Also, photographing likely looking subjects. This 70's vision in mustard was on the table at the Richard Jefferies House & Museum, Coate Water when I attended a BlueGate Poetry workshop with Carrie Etter

Starting to play with shape and colour . . .

Adding mono-print to linocut,

and keeping colour notes as I work - otherwise I would have no chance of remembering how I mixed my colour of choice.

Left with little parcels of ink at the end of a printmaking session.

Rowboat

One of the blogs that I love to follow is barleybooks and I have to thank Ama for this particular posting, as it inspired me to try out the same format.

On a weekday I usually walk alone with my dog, but just recently Mr B has accompanied Rufus and me and today, like Ama, I took my cue from Dave Bonta's 3verses to write about it.


I'm flirting around your edges
not quite daring to recognise,
this uncharted you.

We talk of security,
of course, there are no guarantees
but let's trust to the universe.

Sitting in a little rowboat,
with knotted hankies on our heads,
planning where to go.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Paul Klee at Tate Modern

Crossing the Millennium bridge to get to the Tate is always a joy, great views of the river, St Paul's and Tate Modern. 

On the bridge these little pieces caught my eye. . . everyone was looking out for them.

Graffiti art in miniature! 

. . . the artist at work.

He's actually painting onto chewing gum and therefore not painting the bridge - neat way to go - and I'd say definitely not vandalism but an improvement.

Not the most prepossessing of entrances but Tate Modern is a fantastic space for exhibitions, we're here to see the Klee. 

It's a comprehensive exhibition, and as well as the usual suspects there is a large selection of less familiar works - it's just tremendous and I'd highly recommend a visit, but there isn't long. Sunday 9th March is the last day.

Lyrical mark making and deftness of touch . . . my most favourite piece in the show. 

View from our lunch table

. . . lunch (ah-hem not exactly healthy eating)

Back home and perusing my stash of goodies, the compulsory book and postcards.

The exhibition called this technique oil-transfer drawing. 

I'm more familiar with it as a mono-print process and one I'm pursuing just now for my Storm in a Teacup series.

Initial stages, and next week I'll work further into these two.

Not the first time I've allowed myself to be influenced by Klee's work.

I made a series of water colour mono-prints using Paul Klee's The Goldfish, as my reference source in the early 90's