TAKING REFUGE - NATURE ON SHOW IN SOMERTON!

Angela Morley, horticulturist, designer and artist has a solo exhibition at ACE Arts in Somerton until the 10th March.  It is a celebration of willow and woodland materials and as Angela says,"'For me this exhibition is about showing people the close-up details of the wonders of nature. I’ve used lots of different materials such as fine grass heads and downy thistles, lots of different textures and buds and even peacock feathers. All my work is about opening people’s eyes to the beauty of nature and I hope that if people can see how beautiful it is they will be able to respect it more."

I visited the show with my friend Joanne, pictured above right.  The floor of the beautiful exhibition space was filled with five large wigwam-like willow forms which provided exciting enclosed spaces for 'taking refuge'.  They had a metal frame for stability and people were invited to try one of them out - see above left pic.  It was an exhibition of lovely organic shapes, natural textures and exquisite forms.  Well worth a visit!

LATEST WINDOW IN THE GALLERY FEATURES BUGS!

The latest window dressing in the One Craft Gallery features bugs!  About 10 years ago I made them for an installation entitled 'Swarm'.  I collaborated with a fellow artist in the South West Textile Group.  It was for an exhibition at the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust in Gloucestershire.  We hung loads of our insects - her's were a different, but similar design using wire and plastics as the main materials.  We hung them with fishing line from a grid attached to the ceiling.

My bugs were made from foam, polystyrene balls, pipe cleaners, straws, raffia, muslin, plastic and wire.  As they were languishing in my attic, I brought them out to use and sell! I did make quite a quantity, so I have packaged bugs which can be sold and not disturb our window design.  One sold to a young boy the day after the window was done.  He wanted to decorate his bedroom with a creepy bug!

DAWN'S DREAM

It has always been my friend Dawn's dream to have a teashop and art gallery and now she has it next door of the One Craft Gallery in Shepton!  It is still work in progress, as it has a downstairs which needs to have pictures hung and more work displayed, but she is open for business and enjoying it!

Here are a few interior photos.  The writing in the middle is the outside of the toilet door!  Dawn has a way with words and often incorporates them in her mixed media work. For her shop she has employed a sign writer to illustrate them. She has hand painted and decoupaged a lot of the furniture herself, making the place quirky and fun. The two bird sculptures decorating the windows are mine.  I made them for a textile exhibition on gloves.  If you look carefully you can see that the feathers and feet of the birds are all gloves!

DRIFTWOOD CREATURES

Take a piece of driftwood that looks like a head and bit of body shape, find a base, sandwich fabric and other bits of driftwood in between, paint on an eye, and voila - a driftwood creature with a character!

For those who would like a few technical details, I used muslin dipped in paverpol, a textile hardening medium in liquid form that becomes rock hard when fully dried.  I put plastic ties around the driftwood pieces with the fabric in between so that they were held together while the medium hardened. The material was then coloured with diluted raw umber acrylic and the eyes painted in acrylic paints and the whole creation finished off with a light coat of matt UV varnish.

I would like to make some more, but you need a lot of driftwood to choose bits from, so I need to go and collect some more!  Next time I will try for a whiter driftwood 'look' using lime wax, gesso or diluted emulsion paint.