Unravelling the Manor, Preston Manor, Brighton, 1 May to 25 July 2010

An exciting new site-specific exhibition of twelve contemporary fine art and craft artists presented by Unravelled, a group of artists working with craft in alternative, innovative and conceptual ways. The exhibition is curated by Unravelled Directors Matt Smith, Polly Harknett and Caitlin Heffernan, and is the result of an 18 month collaboration between Unravelled and the Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, supported by Arts Council England.

Subverting the overlap between fine art and craft within the context of Preston Manor the exhibition aims to inspire novel ideas and ways of seeing the world. Using both traditional and non-traditional techniques, the pieces showing at Preston Manor incorporate a broad range of materials from stitch and clay, to blood, glass, video and paper.

Preston Manor is both the inspiration and the exhibition space.  The artists were commissioned to create new work specifically for this exhibition. The works have evolved in response to the house, its contents and the stories of the people who lived there and the staff that continue to work there. The pieces are designed to fit or juxtapose with their locations, encouraging the audience to look again and question what they see. 

 “By hitching up the Manor’s skirts and finding the stories hidden underneath, we’ve made this home a little less stately than it would like to believe itself to be.” Matt Smith, co-director of Unravelled and exhibiting Artist.

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A symposium entitled; Art Concepts in Historical Contexts has been developed as part of the exhibition and will be held on Wednesday 12 May 2010. The symposium aims to open up debate on contemporary crafts and how artists, makers and curators are approaching issues surrounding site and historical contexts.

Shelley will be running a new series of workshops in September and October, from her studio near Burton in Kendal.

for further details, contact her at shelley.rhodes@virgin.net

Please come and join Bobby and Ruth in beautiful Shropshire, on these challenging new courses designed to stimulate and challenge students through the application of drawing, colour and design in relation to textile practice. By offering a unique shared way of teaching students will benefit from the expert tuition from both tutors as students will switch tutors halfway through the course, but continue with the same body of work. Courses take place over three days, from 10.00am to 4.00pm

VENUE

Moor Hall Studio, Newcastle on Clun, SY7 8PH   (Moor Hall is two miles from Newcastle) 

COSTS          

£150.00 for each 3-day course

Costs include tuition, some materials and a light lunch of homemade soup and a fresh roll. Hot and cold drinks will be continually available throughout each day.

Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements

ACCOMODATION

Accommodation information can be found by visiting the following websites.

www.bobbybritnell.co.uk

www.bishopscastle.co.uk/tourism

www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/accommodation/

DATES and COURSE DETAILS

 ‘WORKING WITH FABRIC, MARK and COLOUR’

22^nd to 24^th September 2009 (repeated in May 2010)

 C1           Begin with Ruth by exploring imagery using colour, dye, print and stitch onto calico and cotton organdie. Then transform these coloured cloths into a series of 2D and 3D resolved works with Bobby.

 C2           Begin with Bobby by building up surface imagery and organic marks onto natural coloured fabric, using mixed media in whites, greys and black. Ruth will take these fabrics on a journey of discovery through to numerous different solutions, using colour dye and stitch.

‘DRAWING WITH and WITHOUT A PENCIL’

22^nd to 24^th March 2010

D1           Start with Ruth exploring alternative methods of ‘drawing’. Explore the possibilities of using liquid media to create imagery and to visualise your ideas. Bobby will then show how you can work directly with and onto these images to create depth and space, by using a pencil.

 D2           Spend time with Bobby learning how to create expressive marks and imagery, using just a soft pencil and rubber and then move to Ruth who will develop your drawn ideas using and exploring different papers, mixed media, print and resists.

‘FROM COLOUR TO TONE and TONE TO COLOUR’

7^th to 9^th May 2010

 B1           Begin exploring colour with Ruth and create powerful, subtle, & dynamic combinations using a variety of methods. These exciting results will be used to translate into large scale tonal drawings with Bobby.

B2            Spend the first half of the course with Bobby, exploring ways of creating tonal drawings using pencil and charcoal and then move on to Ruth to learn techniques in the use of bringing colour into these compositions, with both liquid and dry coloured media.

‘WORKING WITH FABRIC, MARK and COLOUR’

14^th to 16^th May 2010

SEE DETAILS ABOVE FOR C1 AND C2 COURSES

FILLING IN THE BOOKING FORM

If you do not mind whether you take part in either alternative i.e. a B1 or B2 course etc, please indicate by stated ‘Either’ on the booking form. Contact Ruth Issett as indicated below.

Lower Carwood, Horderley,Craven Arms

Shropshire, SY7 8HT

ruth.issett@btinternet.com

01588 672035

I am so pleased that you are reading this as it gives me the chance to introduce you to my latest courses which will be taking place in my new workshop in South Shropshire. I have had such a great year working with some fantastic students who have supported my teaching on a regular basis within a very ‘intimate’ studio space, but we are now looking forward to moving into the larger space and welcoming with us some new students.

 South Shropshire is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Moor Hall Farmhouse is a 400 hundred-year-old farmhouse of great historical interest, being the second hunting lodge from Clun Castle. It is an excellent area for walking and cycling, drawing and photography. Courses are mainly run by me, but I am now delighted to be offering courses by excellent tutors who are also practising artist within their own field. These include ‘Working Together’ courses with colleague and good friend Ruth Issett.

Please make contact with me:

• to discuss other courses you would like to attend.
• to recommend a special tutor.
• for courses especially designed for teachers.
• for challenging courses for private groups.
• or simply to share your ideas and thoughts.

  GIFT VOUCHERS FOR     £5 ~ £10 ~ £20 ~ £50

Why not buy a voucher for a member of your family or for a friend to spend on an inspirational course. Voucher are available for the following amounts or multiples of these amounts, should you want to buy a longer course. Vouchers can be purchased by entering the amount on the booking form or by phoning or emailing me.

 Further details and information on all courses are available on my website or by phoning or emailing for a course leaflet. I look forward to welcoming you into my studio.

Laminae (detail) photocredit Art Van Go

The Textile Study Group are delighted to announce that they have selected their first Textile Study Group Graduate of the Year, in association with the Embroiderers’ Guild.

Andrea Butler has been chosen from this year’s selection of students for the Embroiderer’s Guild Graduate Showcase.

Andrea says of her work “My current practice has evolved from a personal exploration into the transformative power of drawing. A drawing can become a meditative experience, releasing one’s spirit from the limits of the corporeal body and dissolving time and place.  My work considers the changes experienced by the body and the psyche as they move between these alternate states of being.

Intertwined with this notion of metamorphosis is a preoccupation with the theme of protection; more specifically how the corporeal body acts as a protective skin around an intrinsic, ethereal self.”

The selection team felt that Andrea’s work was “outstanding,showing extensive research and considerable attention to detail.”

Integument, photo credit Andrea Butler

Andrea is a graduate of the Julia Caprara School of Textile Arts and for the future also has an interest in teaching.

Andrea will be presented with her certificate at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, 8-11 october 2009, where she will be exhibiting her work as part of the Embroiderer’s Guild Graduate Showcase.

As part of her award Andrea will take up a place at the Textile Study Group Summer School workshops at Harper Adams next summer from 26 – 30 July, the tutors will be Jean Draper, Shelley Rhodes and Sarah Burgess.

The Textile Study Group gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Embroiderer’s Guild and is delighted to have made such a strong start in fulfilling it’s ambition to support new graduates and build connections within innovative stitched textiles. The group look forward to working with Andrea Butler during the coming year.

Andrea can be contacted at andreajbutler@btinternet.com

Sarah Burgess. Chair Textile Study Group

August 2009

My second book was published in June 2009 and is now available to order from my web site www.lizard-dance.com .

This book introduces original African sources using as starting points:

   ·        Material

   ·        Construction

   ·        Recycling

   ·        Decoration

   ·        Embroidery

These topics are the starting points for developing ideas. The focus is on innovation and imaginative use of materials. There are clear instructions with samples to explore:

·        Dyeing with woad

·        Print and text on fabric

·        Piecing & patching African style

·        Recycling found objects

·        Metal & patinating fluid

·        Bonding paper and fabric

·        Surface stitch

·        Edges and embellishments

There are over 120 new photographs which illustrate the text.

Copies can be obtained from Bailey at 7 Lancaster Terrace, Newent, Glos,
GL18 1EA. The book is £12.99 plus £1.50 post and packing.

This exciting book by Kay Greenlees explores different approaches to keeping sketchbooks. Through exploration of the purposes of a sketchbook and examples from leading textile artists and embroiderers’ it provides an inspirational platform from which to develop your own personal practice. There are over 90 fantastic colour illustrations providing fascinating glimpses into the personal sketchbook pages of a variety of practitioners. The different approaches include drawing and collage; fabric and thread; annotation and thumbnails; exploring concepts; working on location; museum study and many more.