It’s September 2021

I’ve had a productive chilled out summer, going away camping, spending time with my family, visiting York, I also finished setting up my studio space in the house.  I now have a desk, storage etc I just need to complete a materials exploration to sort out what I’m using and what I’m not!

I find it a very difficult task, when I start, I get carried away with the materials that I find, therefore, I am going to have to be brutal.  My aim is to apply the method:- Will I use it Now, Will I use it in the Future, or Will I never use it again? The problem is that in the past I have struggled to purchase materials due to lack of funds and therefore everything had a future use. I am clearer now on what my artistic aims are therefore anything that does not fit int this aim can be donated to my friend’s shop.

Characters, stories, experimenting with some animation, using my skills with wire sculpture, fabric manipulation and hand stitching.

This summer I also took part in The Pale Rook’s  Doll Making Course, an online email course that was over a 5 week period, (see separate post). There were two lessons and one review each week, Monday’s and Thursday’s. I enjoyed the structure of the course, it enabled me to focus on one project, using the skills I already have, but also looking at new ways of approaching a subject that I am passionate about. I feel that I have gained a huge amount from the course.

Images below are practice pieces exploring fluid forms. It was really good to push myself away from my usual way of making and I had some real resistance to this new method, my perseverance paid off, I felt that I had, a breakthrough. I will be exploring the new methods I have gained from this course going forward making new work, using my own way of working but incorporating what I have learnt.

The sample below is work in progress and is yet to be resolved.