Royal Dublin Society

Poplar will be on show at the National Crafts Competition at the RDS in Dublin from August 5 - 13.

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My camera has died so I'm showing you a multi tapestry I made a few years ago. Including the one in progress I have made four like this. Am just about to warp up the next piece for 'trace' and listen to the Archers omnibus!

I try to stick to talking about tapestry on this blog and avoid 'hellobirdshellotreeshellosky' syndrome. It's hard though when summer is as glorious as it is in this part of the world and most of your food is coming from the veg patch and kids are on holidays and doing the rounds of all the various pools, rivers and water butts (really) at their disposal.... there - I've had my 'hello birds' moment. I'll stop now!

Ian Warburton

Warb is having an online sale of some small paintings. See them here.

trace

The first two tapestries for another 9 part piece provisionally entitled trace or perhaps traces. I like these 'multi' tapestries. Small parts of a whole. It seems much more like how I actually experience things - small snapshots, fleeting images, random thoughts.

galerie la tour montsalès

This is a photo of our village taken from a farm across the valley. There was a chateau here once but all that remains are some ramparts, the tower on the left of the photo and local lore has it that what is now the church was once the orangerie. The tower was built in the 14th century as a lookout point over the valley below (specifically to look out for the English during the Hundred Years War ).

The tower has been deteriorating quietly over the centuries but earlier this month 5 years of hard work - physical (40 skip loads of rubble was removed from the upper floor and a new roof put on) organisational and fundraising came to fruition with the opening of Galerie la Tour Montsales.




This is the president of the association Colette Bessac Lefranc introducing our first exhibitor, graphic novelist Jean Pierre Gibrat.






No event in the Aveyron is complete without sustenance of some kind so after the inauguration of the tower and the private view there was supper for all in the village hall!



This is the first floor which is reached by a metal grille stairs. To reach the second and third floors you have a vertiginous climb up 14th century stones steps (with very high risers) not intended for 21st century accessiblity! Yesterday Warb had to escort a man having an attack of vertigo back down...





This in the underside of the steps.



Bearing in mind that there will be people who aren't able to make the climb there is a slideshow of the exhibition playing on the ground floor. The next exhibition, Charles de Rodat starts this Saturday - private view at 6.30pm - all welcome!

poplar

Poplar - finished at last and sent off for the second round of judging of the RDS Crafts Competition in Dublin. Lots to tell - back soon!

mobile/minimal studio

I well remember the first time I gave thanks for the lightness and portability of the materials and equipment I use. It was the day Lud and I moved from one third floor flat in Edinburgh across town to another third floor flat. Did I mention that he worked mostly with lead at the time?!

The hen shed is still a hen shed albeit minus hens. Sadly it will be a while before we can make it into the cosy studio with the wood burner in the corner. In the mean time I'm still in the house. I don't take up much space though. Everything I need fits into the following...


When I was an artist in residence in a Telford school the kids were given a D+T project to make a useful container for a staff member. Naomi chose me and made this lovely box which I have used ever since (10/12 years?) There are spikes to put my threads on and they are just the right length so that nothing moves in transit. There is a little side section for skeins of thread, scissors etc. She hand painted the box and finished it with brass furniture. Naomi was an exceptional girl/student. We still know her. I taught her to weave or rather just pointed her in the right general direction and let her get on with it. She wove a tapestry that took about 100 hours when she was 14/15. I have some of her work and should show it...



The ubiquitous Ikea drawers - all my sewing threads fit in here.


Two Olympus plastic film boxes (at least I think that's what they are). Skeins of DMC thread live in here.



I'd still really like my hen shed though. I'm sure I could fill it!