Diversion

Trip to Birmingham


I have been to Birmingham for the weekend . Birmingham was in its Christmas dress, complete with Frankfurt market in New Street.












The many impressive Victorian buildings in Birmingham have mostly been refurbished. Everywhere there are traces of the past in old warehouses and factories, now changed in use to offices, bars, clubs or workshops. It is an energetic city, as it always must have been.


Life in Slovakia
In my hostel in the Jewellery Quarter I talked to a Slovakian woman who travels all over England looking after people with spinal injuries. She has no base here but lives where she works, and then when she can, she returns to Slovakia to see her Hungarian husband in Budapest, and her mother in Slovakia. She sends money to her mother all the time to help, particularly now that Slovakia has the euro and prices have gone up.

The Main Event

Pat Parelli and the young horse

My reason for the trip was to act as one of volunteer team in the Pat Parelli natural horsemanship event at the National Exhibition Centre. There were about 50 volunteers, plus a professional team from USA and UK and Europe. It was hard work! Ouch. I had to get up at 5 am on Saturday in order to get the 6.10 train from New street for arrival NEC 6.30 am.

However we got to see most of the events. I was so impressed by Parelli working with a young racehorse, no tearaway but with a quiet mind of his own, which was creating problems for his trainer and ultimately for his own future. Pat showed how the horse was pushing into everything. In Pat's words, he was using his nose and his shoulders to get his way, but was not moving his feet. Pat got him to think down to his feet and transformed this horse. So simple, but so effective.

All of us team were pretty tired by the Sunday evening, but also satisfied that we had supported this approach to horses as best we could. I met lots of old friends and made some new ones, too.It was very energizing to work in a group of people under quite a bit of pressure.

Still on the equestrian theme, last night I saw "Horse Boy", a moving film about an autistic boy in the United States who was only able to relate to horses. His parents took him to Mongolia in the hope that the shamanistic culture and the deep understanding of animals and nature would help him.

Back to work

Now it is time to focus on my work again. Did I say that my prints were accepted for the Edinburgh exhibition? I am glad to have had this weekend break in such a different world. It helps to clear the head.

An exhibition

I saw an interesting exhibition at The Waterhall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Taking time: Craft and the Slow Revolution "considers how contemporary craft making practices embrace similar values and philosophies to those supported by the Slow Movement " (introduction to catalogue). I WILL WRITE MORE ABOUT THIS WHEN I HAVE HAD TIME TO READ THE CATALOGUE.

City life

Today I have been to Glasgow to return library books. One of them was an excellent account of contemporary print making (The Contemporary Print from pre-pop to postmodernism by Susan Tallman (Thames and Hudson, 2996)), and I renewed the loan. I also spotted a book about structuralism and post structuralism and decided to see if my understanding of these subjects had progressed since my degree!

I enjoyed being in Glasgow. The GSA library was displaying some great new titles, and I got freshly inspired about ideas and possibilities. Also noted the contemporary architecture lectures open to public on Friday afternoons. Sometimes I seem to spend all my time travelling between the cities.

I am definitely not complaining.

Reflections, actual and metaphorical

Reflections on work
I finally got to put the finishing touches to my wallhangings.I tidied them up and they began to look quite strong and effective.

Wall hangings - dye on wool






These pieces are part of on-going project to do with assymetrical buildings. The original inspiration is some photos I took when my new radiators were installed in 2003! There was something about the 3D triangular shape of the protective wrapping, the pressed card and the red colour that triggered associations with sculptural form, alternative architecture and a collapsed and threatened situation.

Photograph of radiator wrapping






I keep returning to this original idea, reinterpreting it in different media. I have been working on the litho stone in crayon, doing drawings from the photos and from my imagination, and then I extended the idea to working with dye on heavy watercolour paper.
Details of lithographs





I based the larger wall pieces (using dye on fine wool) on these watercolours. In the process I linked to recent ideas I have had about the ancient world, and in particular the port of Ostia, near to Rome. I suppose I am a romantic, but I get very moved by the melancholy of lost vitality in cities and other places. I believe that intense activity leaves its traces somehow, even they are invisible.
Dye on paper


Reflections on play
Balquidder glen

Since completing the textile work, I have been away for a week. I went on a group retreat in the Scottish Highlands. It was a pleasure for me to meet new people and hear about their experiences. I depend upon the media quite a bit to keep up with the world, but it is no substitute for the real thing! Particularly an interesting group such as this. So if any of you in the group get as far as this blog, well, you know who you are, and thanks for your company. PS It is interesting how much I enjoy pasting up photos of "nature" on this blog.

"Standing back"(lithograph)

Yesterday I took two framed prints into Edinburgh and left them for submission to the Christmas exhibition. Maybe one will be selected, maybe not, but it was a great thing to do. I wrote an up to date biography and statement to accompany the images. I had time to resume work on a litho stone - adding tone to a line drawing.

I was glad to get home and rest a bit after a long period of work.

Wool scarves in process

This week I completed an order for the woollen scarves and today I sent it off. Today another order came in. I am going to be busy again. I still have the wall hangings to complete.


To celebrate the end of a long period of work I today renewed a lapsed subscription to The List magazine, so that I know better what is going on in the cities.

Today I was in Edinburgh again. I bought a new box of watercolours from the Greyfriars Art Shop in Dundas Street. It is always interesting walking down that street because of the all the galleries there. I hankered after a new i-Pod Shuffle in HMV, Princes Street. Mine got damaged several weeks ago when a water bottle in my bag leaked. But I resisted the temptation.

This weekend I am going for a retreat in nearby centre in the mountains. I hope to get time to do some drawing and painting - hence purchase of new paints - as well as improve my tai chi skills. It feels odd to be taking time out at this time of the year, but that is just how it worked out.

Where else I work

Arriving in the city
- a different planet





This week I have been working hard to make five wall hangings for a gallery in Northern England. Now it is nearly completed - just have to sew and finish them. I have been working on another order too. Quite a few woollen scarves for a gallery in the West Midlands.

I found time to go into the city to visit the print workshop and collect some prints. I have selected a couple of these for submission to the Christmas exhibition. I am a novice printmaker, so do not necessarily expect to be selected!

The print workshop - lithography press