Pat Archibald
Textile Artist and Teacher.
Autumn/Winter
News
The 'Colours
of Hong Kong' Exhibition held at the Dundas Street Gallery in October
was a great success. An exotic but whirlwind trip to Hong Kong to
dip into the colours and culture of the Far East led to new bodies
of work for myself and Lesley Anne Derks, a painter. Although we only
had a few days in Hong Kong we felt that we had achieved what we had
set out to do and that was to see and feel colour in a completely
new way set against stunning, modern architecture in a city very far
removed from our own Edinburgh with its mediaeval skyline. The exhibition
was a culmination of a year's work exploring new directions in our
creativity. You can see images of the exhibition and individual pieces
on the Gallery page. You can also see more of Lesley
Anne's work by visiting www.laderks.co.uk.
Classes
at St Brides Centre in Edinburgh started in September and will continue
throughout 2008. This is a weekly class on a Thursday morning and
in the weeks running up to Christmas it had a festive focus. The 16
students taking part were a hive of industry taking on board all the
ideas and producing multiples for christmas presents. The students
are now working on small quilts using a Sew-a-Row technique to explore
new, quick and easy patchwork technques. The class continues after
Easter and students can enrol directly with St Brides (0131 346 1405).
Check Classes and Workshops page for dates.
Early
in 2007 a group of my students embarked on designs for a body of textile
work about 'snowdrops'. I added a couple of extra challenges into
the designwork in that digital imagery had to be used as part of their
creative journey and text had to appear in the smaller pieces of finished
work. You can see the work of this group by visiting the Snowdrop
Spectacular at Cambo House, Kingsbarns. visit the Studio
Events page for more information.
I have
updated the Diary page so do check if I am in your
area.
Looking
toAutumn 2008 I will be teaching at a new venue called Studio
Patchwork near Toulouse in France. The course is called Traveller's
Tales and you will be encouraged to turn your photos and memories
of a favourite place into an 'art quilt'. So join me from 5 - 11 October
2008 in a wonderful part of France for a relaxing week of creativity
and fun.
Spring/Summer
News
The wet
summer has had some compensation in that when I would normally have
been working in the garden I have been busy in the studio.
The spring has been a very busy time for exhibitions. Having deadlines
is a great way of making sure that quilts are finished. One quilt
that has been
‘work in progress’ for twelve years finally got quilted
and bound ready to go on show at the St Bride’s Centre in Edinburgh.
This was a lovely venue for an exhibition as there was plenty of wall
space and high rafters that large quilts could be hung from. As St
Bride’s is a venue for many stage and musical events visitors
to the centre were able to see quilts for the first time out with
a domestic context. Patchwork and quilting classes start at St Bride’s
in October and there are still a few spaces available. Visit the Classes
and Workshop page for dates and times. .
Classes are about to start up in the studio in August. The Creative
Journey classes are becoming increasingly popular. This session the
two half-day classes will be working from still life studies that
they have created themselves, each study being unique to the maker.
The students will photograph their still life study and from there
we will explore different methods of creating designs and marking
the cloth and paper to make some very individual pieces of work.
The All-Day Creative Journey class will study a couple of paragraphs
of very descriptive prose and will then use the images conjured up
in their mind as a starting point for exploration. As everyone sees
things differently there should again be some very unique interpretations
of the words.
I will be adding some new patterns to the Design Kits
page. You will find that the new additions have an oriental influence
which ties in nicely with the ‘Colours of Hong Kong’ exhibition
that I am having later in the year. More details about that are on
the Studio Events page.
As ever I am busy teaching around the UK and you can check out if
I will be in your area by visiting the Diary page.
Extra
Winter News
At the
end of my last newsletter I mentioned that I was on the move to Edinburgh.
The move is now complete and a new workroom is up and running. The
challenge will be whether I can remember where I have 'filed' everything.
Classes start at the beginning of February; initially in my house
until dedicated studio space is available. Details of classes can
be found as usual on the Classes and Workshop page.
New classes are being added so do keep checking - a monthly Monday
evening class and a Friday afternoon class are new additions to the
programme. With
Spring around the corner one of projects to start the classes off
is a lovely daffodil block which was inspired by a beautiful Victorian
tile. I plan to add other flower blocks each month.
Looking
towards the summer I will be teaching at Maison du Patchwork again
(22 -27 July) so if you feel like a relaxing but creative week come
and join me under the lime trees on the terrace at Isabel's beautiful
house in Chateauponsac. Visit her website at www.lamaisondupatchwork.com.
for more details.
Later in
the year (September) I will be teaching weekly classes on a Thursday
morning at St Brides Community Centre, Orwell Terrace in the Gorgie/Dalry
area of Ediinburgh. St Brides is a wonderful centre with many activities
going on from belly dancing to singing and art classes. The room that
I will be using is light, bright and spacious and fitted with plenty
tables, chairs and some sewing machines. Other enticements are an
in-house cafe and a lovely exhibtion area. From 30 May to 29 June
I will be exhibiting there so do come along and see the venue for
yourselves. if you are interested in these patchwork and quilting
classes at St Brides then do email me through the Contact
page.
Winter
News
In my last
newsletter I talked about a wonderful collection of quilts, ‘A
Calendar of Kings’, designed and made by students in one of
my ‘Creative Journey’ classes. These quilts will be touring
the country with Grosvenor Exhibitions at the beginning of 2007 starting
in Ardingly 2 - 4th February, moving to Ingliston, Edinburgh 23 -
25 February, and then on to Exeter 9 - 11 March and finally to Chilford
16 - 18 March. You can read more about these quilts and the design
process that the students went through in the December edition of
the British Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.
There has
been a second collection of quilts made by another group of ‘Creative
Journey’ students again using one of George Mackay Brown’s
poems, ‘Winter, An Island Boy’. This is a beautiful nine
verse poem. Each student took a two-lined verse and interpreted the
words through colour, shape and from to produce nine emotive pieces
that move the viewer through the words of Mackay Brown. You will be
able to see these quilts at all the above venues. There are four other
pieces that will join the other collections. The makers of these four
pieces chose a piece of prose or poetry that had a meaning to them
and again explored the words in textiles. Do try and see these collections
and enjoy the words of George Mackay Brown and the interpretation
of them.
If you
can’t make to any of the exhibition venues then you can see
these quilts by going to the Gallery page and then click on Students
Gallery.
New Creative
Journey Courses start in February. Check the Classes
and Workshops page for dates.
I have
added new dates and venues to the Diary page
so again check if I am in your area and if you would like me to teach
a workshop or give a lecture then do contact me. Next year looks like
another busy year with my work taking me to many new venues including
an invitation to take part in Caithness Arts Festival.
I have
added some new kits to the Design Kits
page and these are proving to be very popular. All the projects contain
most things you need in order to complete the project and are small
and achievable in a weekend.
My other
news is that for the meantime I will be moving from my studio in Larbert.
My lease has come to an end and I will be relocating some of my classes
to Edinburgh. This will be a very positive move as it will give me
more time to work on pieces for an exhibition called ‘The Colours
of Hong Kong’ to be held in the Dundas Gallery in Edinburgh
from 13 – 21 October 2007. In July Lesley Anne Derks, one of
the artists at Delta Studio, and myself went to Hong Kong to gather
inspiration and images for new works. The colour, speed, vibrancy
and noise of the city were overwhelming at times but the peace and
tranquillity found in Lantau Island provided a wonderful counterbalance.
So whilst watching the sun set over Kowloon we decided to embark on
a joint exhibition – Lesley Anne’s cityscapes at night
and my quilts……I will keep you posted.
Happy Quilting.
Summer/Autumn News
I mentioned
in my last news update that some of my students had taking inspiration
from a poem by George Mackay Brown, ‘A Calendar of Kings’.
George Mackay Brown is one of Scotland’s best known poets, an
Orcadian who wrote about his life, his observations of town life and
the landscape around him and 2006 marks the tenth anniversary of his
death. Whilst designing the pieces we looked at colour, repeating
pattern, line and proportion, all the time thinking about the poem
within its orcadian context; the richness of the archaeology and the
Viking heritage. The continuity of the pieces was in the size –
24” x 40” and because the poem is about a journey through
the year the colours quite naturally moved between each piece with
out us even trying! By May each student had created a small piece
that was her unique, artistic interpretation of a verse of the poem.
In June the twelve pieces that made up this body of work travelled
north to Orkney to be exhibited at the Old Ferry Terminal in Stromness
to form a very special part of the St Magnus Festival.
Hanging
the quilts in the Old Ferry Terminal was a joy as they could have
been purpose made for the venue and looked fantastic against natural
stone walls. The exhibition opened with a preview on Thursday 15th
June. It was obvious from people’s reactions, the comments in
the visitors’ book and the return visits that the exhibition
had touched the hearts of many. Some of the visitors to the exhibition
had know George Mackay Brown personally and their comments, and I
think the highest accolade, was that ‘George would have loved
this’. The months of research and work on stitching the quilts
had paid off.
You can
see these quilts by going to the Gallery
page and then click on Students Gallery.
These quilts will be touring with Grosvenor Exhibitions next year.
New Creative
Journey Courses start in August and this time we will be working on
‘Visual Communication’ – how to compose a textile
piece that holds the viewer’s attention and creates visual impact.
I have recently been in Hong Kong studying the composition and symbolism
of traditional Chinese paintings and no doubt some of this influence
will find its way into the course. There are still some places on
the half day courses – check your dates as it would be lovely
to see you there.
Also on
the Gallery page you can see a new quilt
that I completed as part of the ‘Turning Point’ Exhibition
at Loch Lomond Quilt Show. This was inspired by the theme ‘Castings
and Turnings’ and my piece depicts the invention of the wheel
and as a result the early organisation of trade and industry in the
Bronze Age. On the left hand side of the panel you can see the copper
and tin being heated to form the alloy bronze which is then poured
and cast to turn into beautiful never ending Celtic designs.
Again the
Diary page has been updated so do check that
out and if I am in your area and you would like me to teach a workshop
or give a lecture then do contact me. I have a new lecture called
‘Meaningful Colour’ which takes a look at the personality
of colours, the history, tradition and culture of colour and how we
can use this information to add spark, atmosphere and energy into
our quiltmaking. I am thrilled to say that I have been asked again
to teach at Maison du Patchwork at Chateauponsac near Limoges in July
2007. I had a wonderful time their last year, a fantastic group of
students and wonderful results so do check the dates and come along
not just to sew but also to relax under the lime trees on the terrace
with a class on wine. I can’t recommend it enough!
Some new
classes and workshops have been
added to the programme. Kirsty, my daughter, is back teaching some
more of her card and collage workshops where she uses hand dyed papers
to create abstract and landscape pieces. Images of her classes' work
can be seen in the Student’s Gallery.
The Design
Kits are proving to be very popular. All the projects are small
and achievable in a weekend and not only make lovely gifts to treat
yourself with but are wonderful to give away to special friends.
Happy Quilting.
Winter/Spring
News
Since my
last newsletter I did manage to get down to some relaxed quiltmaking
and you can see the resulting quilt, called ‘Celtic Moon’
in the Gallery. This quilt came about partly
because I am intrigued with Celtic patterns and their never ending
entwining cords and also because of my links with the Outer Isles
(Harris in particular) and my concern over the demise of the Harris
Tweed industry. In this piece you can see a very bold silver Celtic
motif and surrounding stitched Celtic patterns linking with interwoven
fabric strips. My idea with this piece is to illustrate the link between
our Celtic heritage and the traditions of our native (Scottish) weaving
industry.
This quilt
sparked off some new ideas for kits which you can view on the Design
Kits page. You will find a small kit to make a Celtic style pincushion
and neck-purse in velvet. You will also find a new series of kits
called ‘The Seasons’. The first two, ‘Summer’
and ‘Autumn’, are available with ‘Winter’
and Spring’ to follow. All these kits are aimed at keen beginners
and come complete with full instructions.
I have
updated the Diary page and you will see that
I am out and about all over the UK and further afield. So check that
out and if I am in your area and you would like me to teach a workshop
or give a lecture then do contact me. I have a new lecture called
‘Meaningful Colour’ which takes a look at the personality
of colours, the history, tradition and culture of colour and how we
can use this information to add spark, atmosphere and energy into
our quiltmaking.
Classes
and Workshops are listed with some new day workshops planned for
later in the year. The classes that Kirsty, my daughter, teaches have
been very popular so she will be coming back to teach some more of
her collage workshops where she uses hand dyed papers to create abstract
and landscape pieces. Images of her classes work can be seen in the
Student’s Gallery.
The new series of Creative
Journey Classes have been a success and you should be able to see
some of the resulting quilts exhibited in the Tourism Centre at Loch
Lomond Shores throughout the Loch Lomond Quilt Show May 18 –
21.
One of
the Creative Journey Classes has been taking inspiration from a poem
by George Mackay Brown, ‘A Calendar of Kings’. Each student
is creating a small piece that is her unique, artistic interpretation
of a verse of the poem. The twelve pieces that will make up this body
of work will travel north to Orkney to be exhibited at the ferry terminal
in Stromness as part of the St Magnus Festival. George Mackay Brown
was a native of Orkney and 2006 marks the tenth anniversary of his
death so these quilts will form a very special part of the celebrations.
Several
textile artists from all over the UK took part in a design project,
inspired by the Falkirk Wheel, at Delta Studios some months ago and
their resulting small, A4 sized pieces of work have now been put together
to form an unusual wall piece. Instead of conventional fabric sashing
I have used steel rods and chains to link the pieces. The final piece
is now on display in the Visitor Centre at the Falkirk Wheel and the
feedback from the staff and the public visiting the Wheel has been
very positive. You can see an image of it in situ in the Students
Gallery.
Happy Quilting.
Autumn
News 2005
At
last I have time to sit down and reflect on the last few months which
have been a whirl of workshops, lectures, demonstrations and some
quiltmaking and also time to open the book that one of my students
has just lent me called 'In Praise of Slow' by Carl Honore, take on
board some of his ideas and make more time for some enjoyable, unhurried
and relaxing quiltmaking.
As
I mentioned in my last newsletter I am a member of 'Turning Point',
a Scottish exhibiting group. Without this group I doubt if I would
have made another piece this year (and I think this is true of some
of the other members of the group) but spurred on by each other and
the challenge of producing a piece in time for Scottish Quilt Championships
we produced quilts that together formed a spectrum of colour. Our
individual colours were drawn in a lucky dip and my colour was yellow-green.
My colour trail took me to Skane in Southern Sweden where the patchwork
of the countryside and the windmills that cast ever lengthening shadows
in their daily cycle of work inspired the piece 'Sunshine and Shadow
Days' which you can see in the Gallery. This piece (15" x 60")
is a whole cloth quilt that has been stencilled with overlapping windmill
sails and then densely quilted and couched with decorative threads.
I
had another very unexpected trip back to Aberdeen last month for the
official opening of the Royal Aberdeen Childrens' Hospital by the
Queen. The four artists that had been involved in the decoration of
the chapel (Jennifer Jane Bayliss - stained glass, Alan Fyfe - hardwood
furniture, Jean Burnett - calligrapher and myself) were introduced
to the Queen and chatted about our work. The hospital was buzzing
with excitement and you couldn't fail to get caught up in the party
atmosphere. After lunch the four of us were given a tour of the new
hospital to see the other commissioned works that have recently been
installed. Grampion Health Board has a very generous allocation of
money to procure/commission art for the hospitals in the area and
this contributes to a better environment for staff and patients alike.
A
new venture for me next year will be to teach City and Guilds at Perth
College. We will be starting off with C&G Course 7702, 'First
Steps in Patchwork and Quilting' in January. I am looking forward
to this very much indeed and hope that we have enough students enrolling
to make the course viable. Anyone interested in taking part in this
course should contact the Faculty of Arts at Perth College (www.perth.ac.uk).
I
have updated the Diary page on the website so check that out and if
I am in your area and you would like me to teach a workshop or give
a lecture then do contact me.
New
Classes and Workshops are listed and you will see that Kirsty, my
daughter will be coming to teach some of her popular classes where
she uses hand dyed papers to create abstract and landscape collages.
I have expanded the number of 'Creative Journey' classes that I teach
to include an all-day class once a month for five sessions.
I
hope that this finds you well and I look forward to hearing from you
and meeting you at the shows over the next few months.
Happy
Quilting.
Summer
News 2005
The last
few months has flown past. The ‘Creative Journey’ classes
have been going exceptionally well with eleven students completing
wonderful pieces which they entered in the Loch Lomond Quilt Show
in the themed competition ‘Banks and Braes’. Marjory McKinven
won First Prize in the beginners’ section with Sheila Dalgleish,
Carol Jamieson and Moira Dow being awarded ‘Highly Commended’
certificates. You can view the stunning pieces created by all the
students in the Gallery.
The Loch Lomond Quilt Show was a wonderful event to be involved in
as a teacher. I had enthusiastic students from all over the UK and
one lovely lady from Italy who was able to take back a finished piece
from her class inspired by the landscape around Loch Lomond. As an
exhibitor I had a new piece in the ‘Turning Point’ exhibit
called ‘African Enigma’, (again you can see this in the
Gallery). ‘Turning Point’ is
a newly formed exhibiting group of ten Scottish quilt artists and
at this, our inaugural exhibition we all worked to our own personal
interpretation of the words ‘turning point’.
Fourteen members of Contemporary Quilt group had completed small textile
pieces earlier in the year that were to become component parts of
a larger structure. I had the job of putting the pieces together and
rather than using conventional sashing I decided to link the pieces
with steel rods and chains in time for the piece to be exhibited at
Loch Lomond. You can view this piece in the Gallery. I am hoping that
it will find a permanent home at the Falkirk Wheel.
Congratulations to Ruth, Patricia and Isabel for being so courageous
in organising such a marvellous quilting event – we are looking
forward to next year’s show!
My commissioned
piece for the chapel in Aberdeen Royal Children’s Hospital is
now complete and has now been installed. You will be able to view
this piece in the Gallery. My inspiration
for this piece is ‘new pathways and directions’. Four
pathways representing Earth, Air, Fire and Water lead to a vanishing
point on a low horizon. Four more pathways are superimposed on top
leading to a second vanishing point on the higher horizon. The pathways
intermingle and produce interesting colourations which can be seen
as lochs, fields or mountains depending on your viewpoint. The piece
is called ‘Aig Astar’ (Journeying).
In April
I had my first venture south of the border to be a demonstrator at
‘Needlefest’ at the Royal Yorkshire Showground at Harrogate.
I was clearly unprepared for such a large event and ran out of supplies
on the Saturday afternoon but looking on the bright side I had a lighter
car to drive back home and very little to unload into the studio at
the other end. I’ll be back there in September for the Great
Northern Quilt Show better prepared with more kits and classes to
inspire. Check the Diary page for more venues
that I will be visiting.
You will
find a new button at the top of the page – the ‘Design
Kits’ button. Three ranges of kits are now available, ‘Banks
and Braes’, Windows on the World’ and ‘Gilded Velvets
and Sheers’. These kits also form the basis of some of my classes
and during the teaching I can introduce the students to many variations
and adaptations of the kits so that each student will go home with
a unique piece of work.
New Classes
and Workshops are listed for August - December. The ‘Traditions
with a Twist’ classes have a festive flavour to them in that
the projects have a Christmas theme or can be used as special gifts.
The ‘Sew-a-Row’ class focuses on traditional patchwork
whilst the ‘Creative Journey’ offers an opportunity to
develop more innovative skills. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Happy Quilting
Spring
News 2005
The studio year started
with groups of enthusiastic students attending the various workshops
and course on offer.
Of particular interest
have been the ‘creative journey’ courses of which I now
have three separate groups pushing back their creative boundaries
each month – two established groups and one group of twelve
who are beginning their ‘creative journey’. These classes
enable students to look at the various elements of good design (colour,
shape, line proportion etc) and relate them in an energetic and positive
way to their own work. The students work on a small scale (usually
A3/A4) so that projects are manageable and achievable. Too often people
start with enormous projects in mind only to falter at the first steps
and loose enthusiasm quickly because the quilt is just too big a metaphorical
mountain to climb.
My own
personal work has been going well. Region 16 (Scotland) of the Quilters’
Guild of the British Isles commissioned me last year to do a piece
for the ‘25 for 25’ collection. You can view the finished
piece entitled ‘Moving On’ on
the gallery page. The idea behind the piece is that as one door closes
another door opens and the inspiration for the format (two separate
quilted panels joined at the top) came from Japanese door curtains.
The stormy left panel of the quilt is the past which moves into a
tranquil new dawn on the right. The making of the quilt was a time
for reflection on personal and world changes.
A new commission is underway
for the chapel in the recently opened Aberdeen Royal Children’s
hospital. This is a large piece that will complement wonderful stained
glass panels that have already been installed. The subject matter
of this new abstract piece will be ‘pathways and direction’.
It is an honour to be doing such a piece and I get a thrill everyday
that I work on it.
I do like
feedback on classes, workshops, the website so do let me know your
thoughts.
In the
meantime happy quilting.
Winter
2004
The ‘Off
the Wall’ textile art exhibition opened to the public
on Saturday 6 November 2004 in the gallery at Delta Studios. The large,
airy exhibition space was filled with 150 beautiful pieces of textile
art; the majority of pieces coming from within the UK but some pieces
coming from France, South Africa, and New Zealand. A selection of
pieces on display can be seen on the Off
The Wall Gallery page.
Careful
thought had been put into the hanging of the exhibition to ensure
that each piece was shown to advantage either on the walls or suspended
from the ceiling. The three dimensional objects were grouped on low
tables within the centre of the gallery. The quilts suspended from
the ceiling formed intriguing visual pathways throughout the gallery
that enabled the pieces to be viewed from different standpoints. The
textiles were individually lit allowing each piece to bask in its
own glory.
A catalogue
has been produced to commemorate a wonderful exhibition. It includes
19 A5 postcards with images of all the exhibits printed in colour
along with additional information about the exhibition and ongoing
teaching programme at the gallery. The catalogue retails at £7.50
plus £1.50 P&P.
This year’s
annual Open Studio will take place on Sunday 20 February
from 1pm – 4pm. Come and join me for a glass of wine that day
and find out about forthcoming classes in the studio.
On the
Workshops and Classes page you will find a full list of classes for
the next few months. I am delighted that my daughter, Kirsty, will
be joining me to teach some classes. She graduated from Manchester
Metropolitan University in 2003 with an honours degree in Embroidery
and a Masters degree in Art Gallery and Museum Studies. Kirsty works
on a small scale and has a particular interest in making artist’s
books. She will be passing on her skills in the three workshops listed
in the programme.
The Diary
page has been updated and you will see that I am out and about a great
deal in 2005. If I am in your area and would like me to teach another
workshop then do contact me.
My own
Gallery has just been updated with some
of my recent work. I hope you enjoy these pieces.
All good
wishes for 2005.
Autumn
2004 News
The
‘Off the Wall’ exhibition is the major event of the
autumn. The textile pieces have all been selected, the gallery staff
are about to move into action at the beginning of the November to
hang the exhibition and the catalogue is about to go to press as I
write this. After months of preparation it will be wonderful to see
the textiles ‘in the fabric’ so to speak rather than as
digital images. Some of the transatlantic quilts have started to arrive
and it is so exciting to unpack the boxes and unfold the pieces so
that they have a chance to breathe before they are hung.
The supporting
workshop programme for ‘Off the Wall’ has been well
received – just a few places left on some of the classes. So
don’t hesitate to take the plunge and try a workshop or two.
They promise to be great fun and will give you the opportunity to
dabble with techniques that don’t require the precision of traditional
patchwork.
My own
workshop programme has been
updated with new classes from November through to June next year.
I am delighted to say that my daughter Kirsty will be joining me to
teach some workshops in the studio. She studied at Manchester Metropolitan
University and graduated with a BA Hons in Embroidery. She then went
on to get a Masters degree in ‘Museum and Gallery Studies’.
Her ‘Creative Card’
classes are always popular and you will go away from the day with
a multitude of new ideas and techniques to employ in your card making.
As you will see from the 2005 programme we have ‘themed’
the weekends so you can come to either or both of the days in order
to experiment with different media but using the same source material.
So don’t forget to
take some time out to visit the exhibition at Delta Studios and be
visually excited and inspired by the textiles on display. I look forward
to meeting you there.
Pat
June/July
2004 News
Preparations
for ‘0ff the Wall’, the exhibition of
contemporary textile art to be hosted at Delta Studios, Larbert are
well under way. From several hundred submissions, 140 pieces have
been selected for display in November. The exhibition promises to
be an exciting show of innovative, thought provoking and imaginative
pieces.
To support the exhibition there is an exciting workshop programme
which is designed to tempt people to try out techniques and processes
that are not only fun but will lead to a greater awareness of the
creative process. So click on the ‘Off
the Wall’ button and find out more.
Over the two weekends of the exhibition (6,7 and 13,14 November) Studio
One will be open to the public. Some of the other resident artists
will also have their studios open and will be delighted to welcome
visitors and show their work.
Students
in the ‘Creative Journey’ class have
been using ‘Structures’ as their theme for the last few
months. Each time the class has met we have highlighted a technique
(stencilling, transfer painting and 3D appliqué) which has
linked into each individual’s interpretation of the theme. You
will be able to see examples of their work by clicking on the
Gallery button and then go to the
Students Gallery. If you visit the
‘Off the Wall’ exhibition on 6,7 and 13,14 November you
will be able to see more of their work on display in Studio One.
Check out
the Studio Programme for new classes
added to the ‘Traditions with a Twist’
classes which take place on the first Saturday of each month. I have
been experimenting with organzas and velvets and have devised a class
which incorporates a number of techniques into a small finished project
which would make a lovely gift.
Meanwhile
I am busy teaching both at the studio and at various venues around
the UK and finding time to have a few creative moments as well. I
have just finished a large commission called ‘ ‘ (White
Days) which is about childhood memories on the island of Lewis. The
owners have been kind enough to allow me to exhibit it at Festival
of Quilts in the ‘Northern Exposure’ gallery and also
at Ingliston in October. I will be at Ingliston myself,
demonstrating various techniques on 1,2 3 October
so do stop by, or come to the demonstrations – I will look forward
to having a chat with you. Check out the Diary
and if you find I am in your area and would like me to visit your
group to give a workshop then do not hesitate to contact me.
Happy Quilting
Pat
May
2004 News
Battling with the ‘monster suitcase’
was a feature of this month as I travelled from one end of the UK
to the other to teach. Quilters just don’t travel light. I will
either have to reduce the clothes allowance even more or switch to
miniature patchwork.
An invitation
to attend the Quilters’ Guild AGM at Eastbourne
as a teacher and speaker was a wonderful opportunity to meet many
enthusiastic quilters and exchange ideas and information. A highlight
of the weekend was hearing Gloria Loughman talk about her life and
her inspiration for her quiltmaking. Her backdrop of beautiful quilts
provided a visual treat as she gave her talk.
So from
Eastbourne it was a quick stopover in Edinburgh before travelling
to the north east of Scotland to teach in Fochabers.
I know from previous experience that a get together of quilters in
this part of the world is a wonderful community event. The day starts
with coffee and a slice of legendary tea bread followed a couple of
hours later by a buffet lunch. The energy expended on the quilting
project made it a very well deserved meal. And after an action filled
afternoon many of the quilt tops were nearing completion.
In the
Workshop Programme
you will find some additional dates for some workshops that have proved
to be very popular so do check these out and email me if you are interested.
The first Wednesday of each month is now a
relaxing but creative day at the Studio for quilters who want to work
on their own projects but need some guidance and tuition. We take
a break at midday to visit Torwood Garden Centre for lunch (highly
recommended) before returning to finish the work in hand. There are
still some places on these Wednesdays so again do email me if you
would like more information.
Many of
my recent quilts incorporate foiling techniques (See the Workshop
Programme for details of a forthcoming workshop in ‘Learning
to Work with Metallic Foils and Threads’). The special glue
required to adhere the foil to fabric and a selection of different
foils are available from the Studio. Book in to the workshop for an
inspirational day or email me for more information about the foils.
Happy Quilting,
Pat
April
2004 News
March was
an extremely busy month with a full class schedule and busy weekend
programmes out and about in Scotland.
The students who are taking part in the ‘Creative Journey’
course have been having a wonderful time experimenting on calico with
stencils and car spray paints. The paint effects are magical and when
quilted and embellished the pieces become art forms in their own right!
Some of these mini works of art will be appearing in the Students’
Gallery at a later date so keep checking!
The ‘Design-a-Quilt Class’ is also becoming
very exciting. The students were all given a blueprint of a quilt
at the start of the course – only lines and empty spaces to
be filled with pattern and colour! Quite daunting but they all took
up the challenge with enthusiasm. The planning of the quilt starts
from the middle with a centre medallion to be designed and sewn. All
the clues for successive blocks and borders are in the medallion.
Month by month we will be looking for the clues and designing the
rest of the quilt – the aim being that each quilt will be absolutely
unique. Another aspect of this quilt is that we will be quilting-as-we-go
so that with a bit of luck the quilts will be in use by Christmas!
One of my trips away was to Prestwick in Ayrshire to teach a wonderful
group of ladies tips and techniques for producing square Mariner’s
Compasses. Everyone achieved a beautiful compass by the end of the
day and I am looking forward to hearing from the group how the blocks
have been used.
The planning of the exhibition, Off
The Wall, is going well with many fabulous submissions
from all over the UK and further afield. It looks as if this is going
to be one of the most exciting shows of textile art to be hosted in
a private gallery of this size. I am also planning a full supporting
programme of events with some of the exhibiting artists leading the
workshops. This will be posted on my website shortly. So do mark the
dates in your diary (6-14 November) and organise
a visit to Delta Studios and book in for a workshop.
I am starting to plan Autumn and Christmas classes for later in the
year so do keep checking the website for information about these and
other exciting events that are in the pipeline.
Happy Quilting
Pat
March 2004 News
Dear Friends,
What a busy month we have had at Delta Studios! The current exhibition,
‘Toast – winter kindling for the soul,’
has been a huge success with hundreds of people discovering Delta
Studios for the first time. Our guests found their visit intriguing,
exciting and energising, not only in terms of fabulous artworks on
display in the upstairs gallery, but also in the unexpected bonus
of being able to see the resident artists at work in their own studios
and being able to chat to them first hand about their techniques and
inspiration. The occasional melodic playing of arpeggios and scales
from Frank Campbell’s studio always provides a ‘high note’
to any visit as he meticulously works at repairing woodwind and brass
instruments.
Plans for
‘Off the Wall,’
our contemporary textile art exhibition in November, are well underway
and entries are starting to come in. So don’t hold back –
download the entry form on the website
and get your work on display in Scotland’s largest private exhibition
space!
I am delighted and very privileged to have
been selected to undertake the Scottish commission for the ’25
for 25’ collection for the Quilters’ Guild of the British
Isles. I am very excited at the prospect of embarking on this piece
and honoured that it will become part of a national collection.
In response
to the overwhelming demand to the first Studio
Programme you will find some duplicate and some new workshops
added. Do check them out.
Some more
venues have been added to my diary page
so if you are looking at it and find that I am going to be in your
area and would like me to visit your group then do email me.
Return to top of page
February
News
The Studio
has been open for a month now and despite a heavy snow fall I had
many visitors to the first ‘Open Studio’. It was lovely
to see so many familiar faces but also to meet some new ones as well.
You will see on the Studio
Events page that a second ‘Open Studio’
is planned for Sunday 15 February to coincide with
the last day of the current art exhibition ‘toast’ in
the upstairs gallery. This has been described as ‘winter kindling
for the soul’ – very apt at this time of year!
Also on
the Studio Events page you will find
information about ‘Off the Wall’, a contemporary
quilt and textile art exhibition that is planned for November
this year. This promises to be a very exciting event and certainly
dates to put in your diary.
As for
my own work, I am finding the studio a delight to work in, not only
from the point of view of the space but also from meeting with artists
working in different media and the ensuing cross fertilisation of
ideas.
If you
are planning to be in the area then do contact me by email and I would
be delighted to meet you.
