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!

Avard Winners - Event - GFW

Avard Winners - Event - GFW

The Two Shows

Of the two shows, New designers was definitely the most interesting for me, and the most rewarding with offers to buy garments from the collection from both private and industry related sources....it didn't take long to decide that the integrity of my work is the most important thing, and however tempting I have decided not to sell into the industry, but to persue the art side. I would be quite happy to do freelance design work for commercial purposes ( we have to eat!), but I really want to continue with the "Exquisite Poverty" project as I think it is more of a beginning now for me, rather than the end and I feel excited about the future and inspired to keep going.

Graduate Fashion Week News

Graduate Fashion Week was before the New Designers Show, and now seems so long ago....My garments are not aimed at the fashion market, as they are art based and tell stories in cloth and stitch; however they generated a lot of interest and some contacts.The highlight for me was in winning the Graduate Fashion Week "First Word" journalism award....this was unexpected as I had sent the article in at the very last minute after staying up all night to write it! The award was presented by Hillary Alexander, fashion journalist and Sarah Bailey, editor of Harper's Bazaar.I was determined not to cry, but was quite "stunned" by it all...a night to remember.

New Designers Show, Islington

An Amazing Time!

It is hard to believe that a month and three exhibitions has now passed: Graduate Fashion Week,Graduate Exhibition at Colchester Institute and New Designers,Islington.Thankfully I am still really busy following up contacts...especially from New Designers, where I was almost overwhelmed by the response to my work...it has been so encouraging.

More Appologies !!

Exhibiting this week at the New Designers Show, Islington has been both exhausting and exciting....I have realised that there has just been no time to write here in my blog, but tomorrow is the last day of the show...then it will be a priority as I have so much to share about this show and Graduate Fashion Week, plus lots of images of my work and ongoing news.

Appologies!

Really sorry for the huge gap between the last post and now...just been so busy finishing the work and setting up exhibitions....there will be a grand update this week.

PDP and thoughts

This has been a really worthwhile module, although it has often irritated me as it "stole" my stitching time, but it has been a great discipline enabling me to really focus on who I am and what I want to achive in the future, after graduation. Unlike the young ones, I shall not be looking for a work placement, as I want to establish myself in a studio as an independant artist, by focusing on the future and sourcing information on exhibition spaces, and I now have a much clearer idea of what I shall need to do. I have joined the Eastern Region Textiles Forum so will be able to get together with other artists for joint exhibitions, seminars, forums etc. At present some of the members are involved with a project for the Warner textile Archive; but for this evening, I will continue to check through all the work in my PDP file, to make sure it is all in order for tomorrow. Earlier on I uploaded my projects onto the Artsthread website, so gradually everything is being completed.I still have to do my own photoshoot and a collection of A2 samples so there is no time to spare, but all is going according to plan, albeit with yet another very late night!

Quilt Fragment...a work in progess

This is the start of my last piece for the collection. It was inspired by the quilt exhibition at the V&A, and is made from the 100 year old white embroidered fabric that I used for the "Woman" dress. I have been hand quilting it onto a piece of vintage white blanket and adding some antique lace.It is working really well, and I think it may be one of my favourite pieces from the collection. It will purposely look like an unfinished piece...a fragment, and at the bottom, a pair of vintage gloves will be sewn in honour of all the hands in the past that have quilted comfort for themselves and others. The mother of pearl crucifix will be added, and embroidered around with just a little old lace running down one side of the fabric. I want to get on with it, but PDP hand-in is on Friday, so stitching has had to wait.

Reflecting and Looking to the Future

This is a time of much thought. After almost five years the degree is almost finished...it seemed to go slowly, but the last year has really flown. It is an exciting time of change, and whilst I know I will miss the camerarderie and atmosphere of the art school environment, I am excited by the future. I now know why I like the things that I like, who I am and why I work in the ways that I do. My work must always have a deeper meaning, and I cannot just make something for the sake of it. My final project has also been theraputic in that it has enabled me to come to terms with a certain, extremely hard time in my life and draw from those experiences to create the work I am currently involved with....I feel as if I could not be in a better place artistically, mentally and spiritually as it is my faith in God that has seen me through all the different journeys in my life.
I hope so much to be able to secure a studio at Cuckoo Farm, so that I can carry the work forward in a professional and artistic environment,whilst being able to exhibit to the public, so I shall write my application letter this week...I just need a few more images of my work to send.
This is not the end...but very much the beginning of another journey...but in the meantime there is much work still to comlete for the degree, so this part of the journey is not quite finished yet.

The Contrast

There was an outcry against the poverty of working class women, working at home in the 19th century, and many artists used this subject matter in their work.In this image one can see the poor woman collapsed over her work, and whilst one of the young ladies shows some concern for the seamstress, the gaze of the other is clearly directed to the unfinished gown now laying in a heap on the floor.it is an image which well reflects the name of my project.

Presentation: Exquisite Poverty-Fragments

A page from my sketchbook: children from a wealthy family in contrast with those from a very poor family.

Presentation Day

This is a day when the air is alive with tension or hysterical laughter as we all await our turn to do our presentations. I am amazed at the diversity of the work and the time which has been put into everyone's collections....I am sure that this is one of the best group collections of fashion and textiles work that I have seen and I know it is going to be such an interesting one to visit, for those outside of the art school.
My own presentation was well received, and I have been told by friends that it went well...I hope so! There is always something you remember afterwards that you had meant to talk about, and only remember once it is over. Here are just a few of the slides:

48 Hours of First Time Journalism

Last Thursday, I agreed to enter the Graduate Fshion award for Journalism...I had left it rather late to make the descision, and the work had to be received by Monday 10th, this week. On agreeing, I had assumed that the finished writing would be sent by email, so it was a shock on realising that it was the actual wriiten work which had to be sent in.
The only way to do it was to work through the night, which I did...noting that Bird Song was at 4.27am, and that by that time I was feeling slightly sick! I am very glad that I finished it, as it was a real discipline; also, knowing now that I was able to actually produce 1500 words on a new subject overnight has shown me that I can write. However, I do not think it was the best work I could have done, as I was tired and limited for time, so I am not expecting to win an award, but several lessons have been learned by this experience, so it was well worth the "pain". This came in the form of a two day migraine afterwards! it is not necessarily about the imediate reward, but the journey involved...and I did enjoy the writing experience.

French knots on the silk, subtle embelishment that won't detract, and the lovely mother of pearl cross.

Antique Collar with Embroidery and Flowers

Here is the first of the A2 size mounted samples....collages really. I have had the collar for a long time; it is a damaged victorian silk and machine made lace piece in coffee and cream, to which I have added some stitching and french knots in aqua blue. The floral motifs are also Victorian, as is the mother-of-pearl crucifix. They both add to the aesthetics of the lovely collar piece without detracting from it. All have been hand stitched onto strong off-white good quality cartridge paper and would be suitable for framing. I have had a quote for a box frame for this piece, and it is £45, which I think is reasonable for the size.

Five Garments Complete

It is so encouraging now to see the dresses, bolero and cape collar lined up and ready to go. The two shawls which will make up the 6th outfit will need to be mounted on vintage hangers, for the Colchester exhibition, so that is still to be addressed.
I am also waiting for a day with good lighting so that I can do the photo shoot of the whole collection...as soon as I have this, they will appear,here, on the blog.
Now I have started work on a collection of A2 mounted samples for the large portfolio.It would be wonderful if I could make 10, but stitching the fabrics onto the thick paper is quite hard on my old arthritic hands (lol)...I may have to settle for 5 but I shall see what time and the hands allow...number one is on the way.

The "New Idea"

This came to me one night two weeks ago, and has changed a little...not in shape but in purpose. Inspired by the Quilt Exhibition at the V&A, it is almost like a quilt fragment.I am quilting the beautiful 100 year old hand embroidered cloth onto a fragment of white wool blanket...the stitching in navy and madder around the beautiful white embroidery on ancient cotton fabric...no images as yet, as no photographs taken, but that will happen this week, so it won't be long.This piece is a joy to work on and very personal...it will probably be displayed laid over something old...made of wood, rather than hung...it is not commercial, and I can hardly wait to work on it again, but this is for the evening only, as there is so much else to do in the daytime....I may be at uni. only twice a week, but am working at home for 6 days out of the seven.

Where does the time go

I can hardly believe that it's a fortnight since I wrote here...but then it is a manic time with so much to do. I feel a bit like a runaway train...running on pure adrenolin and cannot stop, but in a good way...I am not anxious or stressed, even though there is so much to do, as I am really enjoying my work. The collection is going just how I had wanted it to..even before I knew what form it would take; every piece reflects the meaning I had hoped for, and each piece relates to the other.