Three weeks since my last post!

 The date is 21/9/21, three weeks since my last post. Where does the time go??? 

Maybe it is a good thing that time seems to have lost meaning, given that we seem to be going to be in lockdown for another 5 weeks, at least. 

But I am tired!! 

However, I have been doing an online course with Cas Holmes, through Fibre Arts Take Two. It is set up in the same way as the Tara Axford one I did last year. And I seem to be having the same problem I had last year - moving from the initial modules where you look closely at something, to painting papers (and fabrics this time) to making collages. 

I have done daily drawings, using the continuous line technique, as a preparation for using the sewing machine to do continuous line drawing. I will have to admit that I do mostly daily drawings. I managed to make some collaged images last year, all using paper. I was moderately happy with some of them. But I didn't take the next few modules and move on to inks and water paints. 

This year, I have done the initial module of looking closely at my surrounds - which is mostly the backyard, given the 5km limit of movement (it is now a whole 10km!). Then I did a bit of fabric marking, mostly with the gelli plate and fabric paint. I didn't do much paper as I have so much left over from last year. 

Now I am stuck at the making a background stage. Other people doing the course have moved from the daily drawing to the collaged backgrounds to putting an image on the backgrounds. 

My backgrounds tend to be started with an image in mind, which influences how I put the fabrics and papers. Then I don't like them much, or the sewing doesn't work. 

These two were inspired by the fact that I had some bits and pieces that I collected when people doing a Bojagi workshop were throwing out. I had to rescue them. I had no idea what I would sew, which is fortunate, as it has turned out rather weird, a scene coupled with an in door scene with a tree growing inside. Ah well, it got me using the sewing machine again. 

I have managed a few that are ok, but my latest ones are not much chop. I have resorted to doing some hand sewing to see if I can make the lines of the collaged materials less obvious. 

All this might sound negative but it has been keeping my mind active (on occasion) and I have spent some time thinking, planning and doing. And the course doesn't have a particular time-line, so I can revisit or just abandon this part and move on. Or I could go back to last year's course, it is still available to me. Both courses should be available for years! 

 

looks like the pandemic is going to affect our lives for a few years yet, that could be very beneficial.