"UNDERWATER MOSAIC" Part 1 ...

Today saw the launch of an exciting new community project based at Brading Roman Villa. The aim of the project is to reproduce an enlarged version of a sea painting by Island artist Pat Clarke in as many different media as possible….

"Underwater Mosaic" is an amazing fantasy picture painted by Pat about 4 years ago.  It's full of imagery, movement and extraordinary detail and for this project has been divided into 9 sections, three times making 27 panels in all, each approx 15.5" x 10" (40 x 25 cm).

Participants will each take a section to reproduce in any craft or medium, any way they choose - from oils, watercolour, pastels or felt tip pens to textiles, ceramics, mosaics, or collage... Then the finished panels will be returned to the Villa in January 2013 to be reassembled into the completed pictures, which will be on permanent display.

I'm delighted to be taking part and I've been given a central piece, with some lovely colour and interesting detail. I've already started planning...

I shall make a series of pre-felts to block out the main shapes, felt these together and then needle felt the pattern and fine details, possibly adding some stitch and beading? It will be important to keep all the shapes and colour as accurate and close to the original as possible as they will need to match up with the surrounding panels when they're all put back together.

I have known Pat and her artwork for a while now but I didn't realise her background was with the National Trust, specialising in Japanese & Chinese restoration work. This explains her attention to detail and her love of colour, especially gold! She is a member of the 'Society for Art of the Imagination" and regularly exhibits amongst fellow artists of international acclaim.

"Underwater Mosaic" is perfect for this project! There's plenty of interest & detail in every corner and the entire surface of the painting is linked with swirls of colour and texture. Having divided it up into the 27 panels it’s going to be really interesting to see how the new "mosaic" all fits back together again in the New Year…

If you would like any more information about how you can take part in the project please get in touch with Joy at Brading Roman Villa by email bradingeducation@hotmail.co.uk or ring 01983 406223

And more SCARVES...

The enthusiasm and energy generated at the recent Scarf Workshops was very contagious! It spurred me into action over the weekend - helped by a delivery of some wonderful fibres from Woolyknit…

I just love the subtle blends of colour in these mixtures. All the colour choices are already made, so there's no wasting time deliberating over what goes with which - you can just get straight into the laying out with no excuse for any procrastination!

Scarves do take time to lay out. As with all felting, that time taken in the laying will always reflect in the finished piece. It's really important to aim for consistency and evenness, blending in the colours along the whole length. I personally prefer the subtlety of these blends as for me they make the scarves much more wearable.

They also need quite a pounding in the final stages and at this point I usually hand them over to KC - being stronger and taller really helps. Throwing the scarves onto a hard surface really shocks the fibres and achieves the tight 'ruched' effect which sometimes causes the fabric to almost disappear.

As for fabrics I use any type of sheer scarf as a base, with a colour that works with the fibres or an interesting pattern. They're not always silk, some polyester chiffons work just fine as long as they are sheer and not too slippery. Most of my fabrics are recycled or charity shop finds! 

  

We are holding another Scarf Workshop at Oliven the Patchwork Café in Newport on Wed 24th October and there are still places available. I will be showing how to make nuno scarves like these, plus how to lay out the lattice scarves.  More details about the workshop here and to make a booking contact Wendy on 01983 554 934...  

And all the scarves featured here will be available for sale at the Christmas Shows coming up fast...

September SCARVES...

I seem to have missed out a month this year! I'm afraid September came and went without any posts. It's not that there wasn't anything to write about - quite the opposite - I just simply ran out of days!

Last Saturday saw another wonderful Scarf Workshop at Oliven in Newport! The great thing about making scarves is that they can be felted, finished and wearable in a day BUT they do take a lot of effort.  This class is for all abilities and there were some great results, with everyone experimenting with different textures and fabrics as you can see from this small selection of photos of work in progress...

We have another Scarf Workshop planned at Oliven for the end of October and there are more details here.

As well as the usual programmes of workshops at Newport & Brading we are holding a couple of workshops with a distinctly Halloween theme at the Alpaca Farm on the 31st October. It's also half term so these workshops are aimed at young felt makers. We have  morning and afternoon sessions making 'Felt Pictures' and 'Felt Jewellery' and there are more details and booking information here...

With Halloween in mind here is an appropriate picture to finish… 

Dorothy's Wolf is felted entirely from Alpaca fibres!