Workshop catch up

Before noting recent events I will just share with you the outcome from a workshop that I attended at the Winchester Discovery Centre. I was going to say new but realise it has been open for nearly a year now. One of the centre pieces of this revamped and "souped" up library (which is that and more - gallery space, performance space and so on) is a large embroidery hanging in the cafe by Alice Kettle. The workshop held at the centre was led by Alice herself - I leapt at the opportunity when C told me about it.

The day started off with us all introducing ourselves: we were a good mix of ex C&G, textile students and other enthusiasts. There was a lot to do in the hours we had. So we started with various drawing exercises. As I hadn't sketched for a while I was a little cautious and not overly enamoured of my results. This didn't matter however as we were then encouraged to tear, cut or manipulate our sketches in order to develop a collage:

We didn't have a huge amounts of time to develop the collage but limited time meant that I couldn't procrastinate (too much). We then looked at various hand stitched to consider trying out - prompted from our collages. It was a huge treat to look (and touch) some of the samples that Alice brought along. It was a further treat when we got to dig around in the fabrics and threads she brought along for us to develop our stitching.

From the collage that I created earlier I wanted to develop the wave and movement and chose to do this in a simple running stitch. My final stitching sample didn't bear much relation with my collage. My collage was a good jumping off point though.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day stitching with C and learning from Alice. Any more workshops would be well worth following up.

I succumbed

To the overlocker purchase. I have had it for a few weeks now and I love it:

My City and Guilds training kicked in and produced:
samples.

Whilst some people get straight down to it and produce cute dresses, or great sports tops - I had to do some sampling. The Sadist in me had to try the full 8-thread stitch option:
Eventually I knuckled down and produced this exciting project:

Hmmm I can tell you are a little underwhelmed. (its a pockety thingy for all the trimmings from my overlocker, if you were wondering).

Okay I admit it, its freakishly fast (even for this seasoned free machine embroiderer) not only has it got needles - its got blades (and I want to keep my fingers intact). I am sure I will produce something more exciting but I think I have a little catching up to do with my "Summer" sketchbook (read last minute October sketchbook).

Random thought/rant/cry: Why oh why oh why do I get so terrified of drawing and painting and generally doodling? It should be something pleasurable and almost second nature. There is a lot behind G's theory that every 8 year old child can draw.

Vienna Part 5: Monday Art Galleries

Final posting - (its been over 4 weeks since we went!)

It was much easier to get up on Monday morning - although a little sad as we had to pack our bags and check out from our lovely hotel. After checking out and stowing our luggage for later collection we headed out to the Museums Quartier once more to use the second half of our duo ticket to go to the Leopold Museum. M had entered into Art hell whilst I returned to Art Heaven.

Having learnt from our previous visit to the MOMUK gallery we took the lift to the top floor where we started with early 20th Century art. To be honest this is the only floor I actually remembered because there were more Klimts (including some of his very erotic sketches), poster designs from the Secession and Werner Werkstatte displays. This gallery also had the bulk of the work of Egon Scheile, whilst he was no doubt accomplished I found some of his potraiture quite grotesque and unappealing. It is debatable that more people would have known more about this artist if he hadn't died at the relatively young age of 28. He and his wife were victims of the 1918 influenza epidemic. In fact, 1918 was a dreadful year for the Austrian art world as four of their major artists died in that year: Egon Scheile, Koloman Moser, Otto Wagner and Scheile's mentor Gustav Klimt. We made out way further through the rooms and until we got to the lowest floor where there was an exhibition of art from the Faro Islands, this included pictures of Puffins in formal tie and suits. I think G liked it, I found it erm, forgetable.

M and I sought out a touch of lunch after this, and after a few crossed wires with G & Mr.T who were already on their way to another tourist visit, I managed to convince M that another art gallery visit could be squeezed in. The next excursion included a metro ride to the central station and then a 10 minute walk - making use of my excellent map reading skills. We were walking amongst some fairly unremarkable Viennesse streets in the outskirts when we came across our destination:

The Kunst Haus Wien, a building in the middle of a pedestrian street decorated in black and white squares. Our tickets weren't even the usual kind - I think if M and I went repeatedly (unlikely - his patience was tested enough) we could end up with a jigsaw puzzle. We didn't have a long time to look round the gallery featuring the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser but what we did see was very colourful. I am pretty sure this guy inspired the Teletubbies house. I did not have very much time in the shop either but came out with the regulation guide book and postcards. I also couldn't resist some Opal Hundertwasser sock yarn (in colour 676A) it screamed C's name (the turquoise and purple are her colours), I think socks are off the menu though (baby cardigan for BabyBel is). G - if only I had known you were going to become crochet obsessed 2 weeks later........

Vienna Part 4: Sunday Art Galleries

After an late breakfast (erm call it brunch), M and I found we had a little time to occupy before meeting up with G & Mr.T for further explorations of Vienna. By looking at my tourist map I saw that one of the art galleries on my wish list was sort of round the corner. This was the Secession Hall.

This hall had a number of contemporary exhibits in it including a red and white one which I didn't have the stomach to look at too closely - it had a certain amount of fur coats and fake blood. What I really went to look at (as well as the external architecture) was the Beethoven Frieze by Klimt. Apparently there was a reproduction of this in the Tate Liverpool but I got to see the original work. I don't know how it was displayed in Liverpool but here it is shown high up on the walls of a rectangular basement room with a blank space for where there would have been an archway showing a sculpture of Beethoven. Whilst the surroundings could be considered a little stark this in no way detracted from the frieze itself which included plenty of the gold leaf Klimt was known for, this frieze was produced in 1902 at the beginning of his gold phase.

After this we wandered back to our hotel and met up with G who had gone on a long ramble round the city and Mr.T who had a major lie-in. Whilst M and Mr.T decided to go off and play in the Volksprater, G and I departed on a tram for a more cultural afternoon - more art!

The Belverdere Palace was top of our list as I had expressed a preference for managing to see as much Klimt in Vienna as possible and this is after all, the gallery which has the largest collection in the world of Gustav Klimt's paintings.. Whilst I was worried that a lot of paintings may have been carted off due a "little art show" in Liverpool, I was not to be denied. There was plenty to see the only notable omission (due to its travels to the Tate Liverpool) was "Adam und Eve" which was my only disappointment.

The one work which C would have liked to have seen in Liverpool was also on display in the Upper Belverdere. The Kiss - said to be Gustav Klimt's most famous work was on display behind its (no doubt) alarmed glass. Unlike some of the famous art galleries in Paris, Florence and London it wasn't too busy and there was clear and easy access to look at this work close up alongside a number of his other works.

I was particularly taken with a smaller work in the same room "Judith I" which was smaller than I imagined but I loved the way the paint was applied for the choker the subject is wearing. I was reminded of this when we made our next visit to another gallery closer to the city centre. Our next visit was picked out by G and she couldn't have picked a better place - Vienna's answer to the V&A! - MAK. What made it even better was that the lady at the ticket desk was more interested in chatting on the phone than making us pay for entry. Amongst the many delights to see was the gorgeous and little known of Waerndorfer Frieze by Margaret Macdonald (wife of Rennie Mackintosh. This was a beautiful gesso frieze with wonderful texture in the Glasgow style and had embedded mother of pearl embellishments. It was hanging alongside 3 panels by Klimt the Stoclet Freize (panels 1, 2 & 3). The museum was thoughtfully organised and designed : the galleries of the permanent collections had been designed and arranged by contemporary artists. Parts of the study collection were also on display and of course I had to spend a lot of time looking at the textiles. The current arrangement was organised by the textile curator - picking some her favourite pieces as well those pieces which gave a representation of the variety of the collection there was an Opus Anglicanum chausable and it was quite interesting comparing it to a later European chuasable nearby - I can quite see why it had its reputation for being the finest of its time and for centuries after. My favourite piece though was a pink pleated Fortuny dress and accompanying evening jacket, which was in velvet - the edges of which were embossed and beaded.

A nice extra that was one of the current their exhibitions was a solo show by the Britart artist Julian Opie. Well known for the album cover for the pop band Blur, for which he transformed potraits of the band members into his distinctive style of reducing photographs into figurative reproductions. I found a while ago a mini tutorial on how to do this yourself in Photoshop and was inspired to have a go on photos of M & me.

Not bad, but I think the one of M is better (due to better lighting and not watching the TV at the same time). I don't think Mr.Opie is losing any sleep.

We then returned to the hotel where we found our boys after an afternoon kitsching it up at the funfair. We decided on a quiet (and much earlier night) so ate locally at the previously mentioned "brew house" (where, coincidently, the original photo for M's potrait was taken - I cut out the krügel of beer).

Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night! (Truman Burbank from the Truman Show)

Drizzle

Took my festive deocrations down last night. That also meant Teddy had a costume change out of the Santa outfit and into this very smart duffle coat and scarf that Mummy Bear Maker knitted for his birthday. Teddy wants to let Mummy Bear Maker know that he is very pleased with his duffle coat - it will keep him warm and dry in the all pervading British drizzly weather.