Minories "Quilt Fragment"

Minories "Mother"

Minories "Perception" Wall hanging

Images From My Exhibition...corners of the lovely Georgian Garden Room

All Set Up & Ready To Go

Setting up could not have gone any better...lovely technicians, wonderful friends to transport everything and a beautiful room, it has been stress free and a pleasure.The room still has the original Georgian fireplace and white painted wood panelling and two huge sash windows with folding shutters which overlook the garden.
The building is actually Tudor in origin but was "modernised" in the 18th century so is typically Georgian in appearance.
A friend is going to borrow a "special lense" with which he will be able to capture the whole room apparantly...but I shall take simple photos myself too, and put them up on the blog very soon.

Going Well!!

Set up for the exhibition is going so well...the technicians are lovely and I couldn't have hoped for better.
The wall hangings and framed works are now all up with the technical issues all easily overcome, and the dresses are on their stands.
Tomorrow I shall be installing the three pieces of furniture...small country antique table, chair and a wonderful 18th century wooden rocking cradle I found at an auction last week....these, together with some simple scraps of fabric and needle and thread should help to create the atmosphere I am looking for.....one where it feels as if the maker from the past has only just absented herself from the room.
There are still lots of small jobs waiting to be done like writing, emails and all the odds and ends, so it will probably take the week, but now it is starting to feel exciting....I'll put pictures up before too long now.

Getting ready to exhibit

I'm almost ready....just the second dress to finish and all those last minute fiddly bits, but thankfully all of the making is done...apart from a new piece that I started tonight, but I think I will just include it as a "work in progress" as there will be no time for framing or hanging....also, I'm not sure at this stage what I want to turn it into, so I can relax about it.
I nearly didn't get my cards printed in time as of course the photography had to come first, and before I could do ,that the work had to be finished....I have started to have some weird stress dreams, but the cards arrived today after paying an exorbitant extra charge for speed printing and posting ...another lesson learned!
There are 6 different images I think, but I do like the partial shots...especially these two from the camisole and collar hangings:

Nearly There and Bird Song

I have been doing the boring and painful job of hand sewing bits of Velcro to the tabs of the wall hangings.
My own fault, in complicating things, as they are all to be hung from unconventional pieces of wood, so I had to be inventive!....I now have very sore fingers!
I've also altered one of the smaller pieces that has troubled me for ages....funny how one can know something is wrong, but not see what it is... sometimes for ages...here is a detail from "Bird Song":

Glimpses Again

Two more....I'm looking forward to sharing all of the complete works soon.

Glimpses

Absent from my blog, and working hard to prepare for my exhibition...just one more week to go before installation...and it will be an installation, the first I have made.
I have a beautiful Georgian room, and with the help of my tattered period armchair and some simple props, aim to create an atmosphere in which the maker ( from a previous century) is expected back in the room at any time!
Thre are 11 new works, and all the normal concerns over how they will technically be hung, as some are very heavy, and others are on unusual mounts, etc. but I'm not allowing myself to get stressed, as I know it will all work out in the end.
Just one more dress to make, and I'll be there.
Here are some more glimpses.

Family Sample

Here is a little sample worked as inspiration for the front of the "Mother" dress....loose threads showing that no matter how hard a mother tries, the family can still uravell...but even in the unravelling, love can hold relationships together.
This will go in the glass case along with my sketchbook and some wonderful small artifacts...one is a length of finely knitted Victorian lace which is still attached to the knitting needles.
Things are very busy now as I am setting up work in Slack Space Gallery, Colchester this week, and there are now less than three weeks to my solo exhibition...so much to do...it always feels like it will never get done....here's hoping and praying!

The combination of such ancient wood and antique lace seems just such simple beauty....although the lace, being Victorian, is nearly 300 years younger than the panel.

A Lovely Mother's Day At Cressing Temple

It was so peaceful to walk, sit and meditate in the walled garden at Cressing Temple Barns, with my daughter in law on Mother's day...just the little break needed in the hight of all that has to be done towards the exhibition.
I love walled gardens, and now have the inspiration I needed to change mine.Now I know how to replace most of the lawn...I shall make a small version of a knot garden and fill it with lavender and bee plants...it will take time,but then anything worth doing takes time...one day at a time is the way to tackle anything when the task seems too great to begin.

Detail from the new "Quilt Fragment"

A detail from the "new" Quilt Fragment".

Work In Progress

After the sale of the "Quilt Fragment" last year, I have always intended to make another...certainly not the same, as I don't do that, but one that also told another story.Here is an image of the work in progress...It is now finished, but I won't be able to put final images up untill the photography has been done, and I may leave it untill the exhibition opens. The panel with the glove is NFS, so it is ok to be up here.

Getting Ready For My Exhibition

In contrast to the intensive stitching and layering on much of my work,I am enjoying telling some simpler stories...this is a 17th century oak panel with an antique handmade glove.It was inspired by the glove which used to hang on the back of my studio door....and has now found a new home.I love old wood, and this new part of my journey seeks to combine it with the textiles.

Yay.....Well At Last !!

Just to let you all know that I am well at last....Flu & Bronchitis laid me low for nearly 6 weeks...but here I am at last....and working frantically to get ready for my exhibition at the Minories in Colchester.
Just 5 weeks to get several pieces made...plus all the other things to be done....and older work going into another show at Slack Space in Colchester, so it's late nights and waking up early with a "busy head"....images of some of the new work soon....xxxx

Absent for a while

For the first time in years I have been...am still very ill...a chest infection on top of Flu has laid me out for two weeks and it doesn't want to go away!
Hoping to be back here soon...am missing my studio, but have to patient and just rest....too many headaches to stay on the pc.

Fresh Inspiration

My lovely old body form has stood naked since her collar was sold in October....
I have experimented with many pieces on her since, but nothing sat worthily....untill now.
I have had this beautiful shattered Victorian fragment from the neck of a blouse or dress for a long time; it has inspired several progects, but it may now be time for it to become one in itself.....I have a vision of a wonderful neckpiece which will incorporate...sensitively, this fragment, but....how could it then be separated from the body it had grown on? Could I bear to part with both...as one artwork...this is a day for visions, thoughts and dreams.

The lovely detail at the foot of the frame.
Wonderful Lion masks....I am wondering if the textile work could somehow be put onto the mirror...it seems a shame to take the bevelled glass away completely...something to ponder.

A Wonderful Find

This had been thrown away by another artist, it is in need of repair but will be such a beautiful frame for a piece of very simple....but deep textile artwork.
I usually prefer plain rustic wood for frames, but this is crying out to be used and needs a work that is both the opposite of what the frame stands for and yet blends beautifully in context...
Once again I see my favourite words of "the unlike being joined"...I believe this contrast will always be important to me.

Perfect Simplicity: The unlike are joined, resulting in the most perfect harmony.

The lovely 18th century sleeve fragment and the Dove deserve a picture all to themselves.
Today has a been a good studio day, with the five 2D works all finished and mounted....I had forgotten to take my camera, so that will have to wait untill next week....now I can concentrate on the dresses.

Waiting.....beautiful things waiting

Just a few pieces of beautiful antique lace, an old brass and paste 1920s bag embelishment, and a vintage mother of pearl Dove on the Wing....which would have been hand carved in Bethlehem...all waiting their turn to be used....I could play at arranging all day...but only had a minute today after a busy but good day in the studio.
However, as soon as the light gets better I shall be doing a lot more arranging and photographing for my proposed book....a book of the "Exquisite Poverty:Fragments"
story....it is something I have wanted to do for a long time.

Song of the Shirt: Chemise Vests

Here is a beautiful fragment of a late 19th century camisole or corset cover...the broderie anglaise around the neckline has all be worked by hand, as has the tiny insert at the centre...it was just a fragment, with mends and tatters I wanted to show the beauty of it...display it as a precious fragment of someone else's life, long before mine began;it would probably have been worn by a lady of means.
My intention.....on adding my own embroidery, lace and mother of pearl ornamentation,is to draw attention to the piece, hoping that all the work will blend together as one. Also, the amount of time that I have spent on the stitching I feel honours the amount of time already spent on it so long ago.
It seemed right to mount it on a wonderfully soft piece of the vintage shirting from the quilt, a shirt and then quilt which undoubtedly came from a poorer home...the contrasting lives of several people joined together and celebrated in a new object of beauty, but also one that I hope will "speak" and provoke thought.

Song of the Shirt: Woman's Song

Here is another work,the same size as the birds....vintage blanket and unworked printed embroidery linen from 1925 join with Victorian silk, my own embroidery and mother of pearl artifacts to make my own "Woman's Song":
O man with sisters dear,
O men with mothers and wives,
It is not linens you're wearing out
But human creatures lives.
Stitch, stitch, stitch...
in poverty hunger and dirt,
Sewing at once with a double thread
A shroud as well as a shirt. ( from "Song of the Shirt",Thomas Hood)

Song of the Shirt: Bird Song

Using fragments of 19th century fine cotton lawn and pieces from the shirt quilt, this 41x41cm hand stitched work shows mother and her two baby birds lifting their voices in song....The Song of the Shirt (by Thomas Hood):
With fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat in unwomanly rags
Plying her needle and thread

Exciting News! I'm now a member of E.A.S.T

I'm really pleased to say that I have been offered membership of this brilliant group of artists who work mainly within the medium of textiles....do visit the group at:www.easttextile.co.uk
It will be great to be part of a group of like-minded artists who work towards joint exhibitions.
Prior ro my interview I was working on some new 2D work which is now finished...and I can at last add some images to the blog.

Good News!

Song of the Sea

This was my first 2d experiment using a little of the vintage shirting from the tattered quilt...I just wanted to have fun with it, and also use up some of the crochet domes I had a passion for making several years ago....they always reminded me of Sea Urchins; so I let the imagination run free, adding hand felted balls, faux pearls, embroidery and the remains of an antique shell and bead belt to birth an underwater sanctuary.
The oak box frame was beautifully made for me, but was damaged in the post so the work will have to be reframed...I just wanted to see how it would look once mounted.
I've called it "Song of the Sea", because the new progect is comming from my research of the 19th century seamstresses, working on shirts in appaling conditions; at the time it sparked huge media interest: the poem by Thomas Hood: "Song of the Shirt" was written, and many artists produced images of the subject.....I will write a lot more about it as the work progresses....this though is a lighter hearted piece of work, but the four I have made since, have a real, more serious narrative.

Up to date at last

So I think I am up to date now, and have just been enjoying Christmas with my family. I've had two days off from the studio but have been completing some new 2D textile pieces at home, ready to take to an interview/presentation with the EAST textile group on the 8th January.
I bought a very tattered vintage quilt made from pieces of mens blue striped shirting, and it is this that I am using at the moment to continue the theme of my work....the weather has been too dull for me to take any photographs yet, so I will just leave the 3D work in progress ones with you untill I have the others....these are just pieces of fabric pinned onto the stands at the moment, and will probably develop in a slightly different way, but they are starting already to tell a story and I am thinking of names.

The "Family Dress" went to a new home too

The organiser, and curator of the Sotheby's show is herself an art collector, so I was very happy for her to purchase the "Family Dress" from the collection.
This was the one with my name on the brooch, and my own story in the accompanying booklet.

The Quilt "Fragment" had also been bought....as a Christening present, which is a lovely thought....although I shall really miss having this piece myself...I had hung it on a 19th century wooden Yoke, brought back from South Africa, and had expected to take them both home with me...but it will be cherished, I know, and I'm touched that someone else loved it as much as I did....I am planning another one at the moment, different of course as I would never repeat something...each thing I make has its own little story.

Sold at Sotheby's

I hadn't expected to sell any work at the Sotheby's show, so it was a wonderful surprise to find that Tricia Guild of Designers Guild had bought two pieces: The Collar:
and also one of the paper mounted works "Collar Fragment"

The Exciting Exhibition at Sotheby's

During our graduate exhibition at the New Designers Show in Islington( see older blogs), in July, I was approached by an art curator and journalist who holds regular exhibitions at Sotherby's in London and invited to be part of her next show in October.This was such a surprise to me, as I hadn't expected anything on this scale, and the thought of it was also a little scary...from college to the "deep end", so to speak.
The show, "Small Show Huge Talent" was held in October, in New Bond Street and was managed so well....technicians in white gloves to do all the hanging, and everything displayed perfectly. I was given a whole wall, so everything could be shown well.It was quite a difficult area to take a photograph in, so the one image I have here is not very clear and a bit dark...the actual lighting was perfect in the area though, and the work from the other artits, including another textile artist Lindsey Taylor, was very diverse....it included a large model of the Tate Modern, made from sugar cubes! There was an article on Artsthread about the show in November, I'm not sure if it is still there. as I havn't looked for a while.

First Open Studios Event, and thoughts:

The Open Studios event came hot on the heels of my seting up the studio, and I was slightly nervous, not knowing how my work would be received amongst the painters and sculpters and recognised artists.
It was, however, such a wonderful experience, and a great encouragement as I had people in the studio non stop all day...so much so that I couldn't leave it to visit the other artists! People were lovely, and I couldn't have wished for a better start to this step of the journey, and...best of all, new friends have been made.
I am in the Barn, so my room is lovely and old with thick white walls ( one very damp!!) and an old heavy black beam.....a perfect contrast to the Victorian lace and white fabrics which I love so much.With the fabrics I use, it is also all about the contrast...the rich and the poor...I am still following on with the "Exquisite Poverty" theme of my degree collection, as I want to go deeper into a subject which is still very relevant in todays world of mass textile and clothing production to the detriment of many of the makers.
The inside of my door is very old, and by itself, with just one glove, is to me an artwork in itself; Here it is:

New Work On The Way

It takes me an hour and a half to get to the studio...as I'm not a driver, I have to get two busses, and then there is a 3/4 mile walk each way, but when I get into my room, it is like entering another world...all my things are around me, and there is the space to play, think and create without the distractions I would have at home. I have now realised how impotant it is to be able to have all the things that inspire me, on show, and to be able to take time to start new work, and just leave it...in the early stages to see if it is right.
So at the moment I have the beginnings of a new body of work pinned on the dress stands, and laying on one of the tables...and filling my thoughts as usual:

Back At Last

It's hard to believe that eight weeks have passed since I promised to update my blog...I thought that once I had finished the degree, that I would have more time, but so much has been happening, that it has taken me up untill a Christmas break, to settle down to some writing and recording.
During September, I was busy setting up my new studio at Cuckoo Farm...furnishing it, and enlisting the help of friends and family to transport the bulk of my materials etc., it had to be ready for the Open Studios event, so there was no time to be lost.
Here are some early photos of the studio, but it is constantly changing, as new work appears.

Sorry......

I really will update this blog...any day now !!

yshlondon.com = textiles | interiors | fashion :: Karen Nicol August 10

yshlondon.com = textiles | interiors | fashion :: Karen Nicol August 10

Happenings

Just when I thought I would be able to spend more time on my blog....other things happen! good things, thankfully, although it means that I shan't be able to take a break yet as I have been given the Graduate Award of a studio for a year, free of charge at Cuckoo farm, Boxted, Essex.
I have spent the last two weeks gradually moving in, and it has started to feel a bit like home now.It's so excitiing having a real studio to work in, after taking up all the space in my 36ft caravan home, but with it comes the discipline to work; this I think is a good thing for me, otherwise I might just drift.
September is also the month for Open Studios, when the publice can come in and watch the artists working at the weekends....I have decided to continue with my graduation project of "Exquisite Poverty: Fragments" as I want to say more, in cloth and stitch.
As soon as the lighting allows ( go away rain), I will take some photographs of the studio, and also of the "new" materials I will be making the next dress from.
I have purchased a very old tattered patchwork quilt which is made from pieces of 1920s mens shirts, and also another antique mother of pearl name brooch..."Mother", which will be the theme of the dress.....I will try to get some images done as soon as possible for the blog, as it has been sorely neglected......I have also had some very interesting meetings with people like the head of design for Red Or Dead and Karen Millen, but enough writing for now...pictures next!