Text and Lyrics ...

For the last couple of days there has been a song stuck in my head and almost on constant replay!

It’s a song from the movie ‘Babe’ … not sure if its the words or the melody that grabs me - it goes

“If I had the words to make a day for you, I’d sing you a morning golden and new”

I’ve also recently become aware that words and writing are more important to me than I had realised and are closely associated with the ‘why’ of my art and its content.

In a past life, writing reports, presentations and speeches was a big part of my job, but not so much in recent years … except for this journal which I started in March 2016 and which surprisingly includes 88 posts!

Words first started to appear in my art in 2019 when I stitched some haiku , written specially, as a quilting design on some works made with photographs on fabric ….

'Golden Days'

Golden Days (detail)

Transit of Autumn (detail)

With the move to collage and paint in 2021, the opportunities to incorporate words and writing into my art expanded.

It began with using text in the form of magazine and book pages as collage materials… my process is to build up the early layers with collage text, mark making and writing, building the story as I go.

The writing …. words, haiku, song lyrics …. hand written thoughts and feelings becomes the heart of the story, although mostly covered by paint or new collage layers some areas remain partly visible, not to be read but to create an energy and sometimes texture, that underlies the work.

Summer Breeze (detail1)

Summer Breeze (detail2)

'Summer Breeze'

Old paperback books and references like ‘Seasons of Content’ and Dictionary of Gardening and text from old copies of my favourite magazine Gardens Illustrated have all found a place in my ‘Songs from the Garden’ series. I’ve written quotes, lines of poetry and my own haiku occasionally too.

All these elements help me to give meaning to the work and to shape the final piece.

When it comes to the two canvasses I’m just starting to work on, the writing includes the songs lyrics that have been stuck in my head …..

Let’s see what evolves from here !

Thank you for reading, I appreciate your interest in my art. CC

Always

Symphony ......

Starting out on a new series with a mixture of paint and collage, I set some parameters for the series in terms of size, colour palette and mix of substrates etc.

And yet it felt a bit overwhelming with all I had learned in the change to working with paint and collage and the many ways of putting it all together!

While I was contemplating getting started and perhaps procrastinating a little bit! …… Daniel Pink’s book , ‘A Whole New Mind’ crossed my path. This is not a new book, it was published in 2008. It’s main premise is that the future belongs to right brain thinkers and outlines 6 fundamental elements that will be essential to professional success and personal fulfilment.

What was most interesting to me was the concept of ‘symphony’ . It is the idea of seeing the connections between diverse and seemingly separate elements and putting them together to create something new by working across boundaries, by inventing new combinations or by understanding one thing in terms of something else ie using metaphor. In other words the work of the artist!

Daniel Pink has lots of suggestions for developing this skill of symphony, for example:-

- listen to the great symphonies,

- follow the links ie “choose a topic you find interesting and type it into a search engine and follow one of the links. From this initial site select one of its links and venture on’

- keep a metaphor log writing down compelling and surprising metaphors you encounter.

He also suggested creating an inspiration or mood board “each time you see something that you find compelling - a photo, a piece of fabric, the page of a magazine - tack it to the board. Before long you will start to see connections between images that will enliven and expand your work”

So the mood board became a key resource and starting place for the new series and as it continues to develop and change so does the artwork!

Here is how the series is looking so far …

I am looking forward to seeing how it continues to develop and will definitely be building ‘symphony’ practice and mood/inspiration boards into my ongoing practice and art process.

Thanks for reading …. I appreciate your time and interest. CC

A Journey into Black and White

In Art2Life’s .Creative Visionary Program (CVP) the No 1 focus is on value and design, beginning with working in black and white …..

• to experience the true power of value;

• to explore the ‘Loud Conversation’ - areas of greatest value contrast;

The process starts with a play session ….. and I chose to work on three panels.

Black and white acrylic paint, a stencil, a leaf and an instruction to play.

Starting with white panels and no plans …. a landscape feel is starting to emerge.

Second pass. Added a black panel to the mix to see what difference it would make.

We are learning to ask … where is the loud conversation (areas of high contrast) and where does your eye travel? Are there barriers or a bullseye that limits movement? Are there differences/similarities that could be adjusted to improve the design?

The dark values in these panels seem to be mostly around the edges leading towards corridors?

The black panel was definitely more of a challenge to start with.

Third pass. Trying to address design issues and focus on differences.

Plenty of room to improve value and design …. especially with the benefit of a bit of distance (time and space)!

I will come back to these at a later date ….

Have enjoyed working in black and white …. maybe the beginnings of a new series?

Thank you for reading … I appreciate your time and interest ….CC

New Adventure!

After all the uncertainty and constraints of the last year or so with COVID, I’ve been looking for something that will ‘light me up’ and give me a new burst of energy!

Late last year I started to explore the world of collage and mixed media, not unrelated to the fused applique techniques of textile art. I moved from using just textiles to working with paint, paper and fabric. Here are a few of my explorations ….

What I’ve discovered is that there is a world of possibilities when paint is added to the mix and much for me to learn and explore!

So I’ve signed up for the Art2Life CVP 2021 course - 12 weeks of exploring the possibilities of acrylic paint and more!

I’m not sure where it will take me and where textiles will fit but I’m excited and looking forward to the journey.

The first couple of weeks have been focussed on what inspires us, what we want our art to be and the Art2Life process. Now we are about to get into the painting! Such fun!

Thank you for reading and taking an interest in my art. I’ll be back soon with and update on my progress!

CC

Looking Up ...

When I was a little girl (ooh … such a long time ago !) I used to love lying on the grass and watching the changing patterns of the clouds. These days I still get an opportunity to do just that when the weather is kind an my wonderful yoga teacher takes our Tuesday class down to the beach!

Where is all this going you may ask …. well I had the idea that in these unusual times it might help to look at the world from a different perspective … from the ground up!

I started taking some photo’s in my garden with my phone on the ground … capturing what was above and got some interesting results. I’d been doing some sketches of the Winter Iris in my garden for my drawing class and when I tried photographing from the ground below I also captured the branches of the Japanese Maple above and thought this might make and interesting work.

I’ve used a digital image of the maple for the background and overlaid the appliqued Winter Iris. The stitching is a traditional kaleidoscope design and I’ve added some areas of dyed silk organza to add some depth.

I’m pleased with the end result … but not sure what to call it ….. suggestions would be very welcome!

Thank you for your interest in my work and for taking the time to read this post. I hope you find an opportunity to look up next time you are outdoors …. and smile!

'Transit of Autumn'

It has been very cold the last couple of days … cold for this part of the world at least and I have been working on a new “Winter” sketchbook.

Seasonal changes have become a pervading theme in my recent art work and in my life! Last year I set out to record the flow of the seasons, photographing the Forest Pansy tree in our garden through Autumn until the last leaf had fallen.

The result is a large file of photographs stretching across three months, recording the tree from a range of angles, level of detail and weather conditions. Working with this resource I decided to try and capture the seasonal change in a work combining a set of the photos.

The result is ‘Transit of Autumn - Golden Days’ 94h x107w cms

The collage uses digital prints on a range of fabrics …. silks, cottons, linen, and organza with an overlay of batik, finished with a layer of machine stitch.

This work has been the starting point … and I have recently been working on a couple of smaller pieces that explore elements of the changing season ……

‘Autumn Light’ 56h x 72w cms

and currently on my design wall, the next work in progress is ….

‘Blue Sky Day’ 56h x 72w cms

I am excited about this new work and its ongoing evolution. I’m not sure were it will take me ….

Thank you for your interest in my art and taking the time to read this journal …..

’Those Golden Days

The Autumn leaves are falling

Gone, yet love remains’

Exhibition News

It’s exciting to have some work on exhibition again!

Now the dust is starting to settle and restrictions easing (at least in NSW) it’s time to get back to work!

A new group exhibition ‘Abstract’ was installed at Jing Jos in Kangaroo Valley this week and I am fortunate to have two pieces of work in the show ….

The first is a small piece “Meander” 30 x 30 cm which was inspired by my earlier Pathways series ( the work on the right)

Meander

Misty Morning

The second piece, the next work in the Interlaced Series “Winter” 107 x 99cm. It is made with hand dyed cotton and batik. I used a range of tones in the overlaid leaf structure.

Winter - Interlaced Series #2

CarolynCollinsArt 2019

109 x 99 cm Hand dyed cotton and batik

Winter - detail

CarolynCollinsArt 2019

The next in the Series is “Spring” ….. currently a work in progress.

Thank you for your interest in my art work and taking the time to read my journal.

Your comments are always welcome.

Autumn Day on Victoria Street

I just love Ozquilt Networks “personalised promos” for Art Quilt Australia 2019 …. these are prepared for each of the art quilts included in the exhibition - here is the one for Autumn Day ……

Thought I’d take this opportunity to tell you a little more about the work ….

The inspiration for this piece came from the amazing color of the autumn leaves on my persimmon tree in the late afternoon sun . I used the photo as the background for the label attached to the back of the quilt.

The collage background uses hand dyed cottons and silks and some natural (eco) prints from my stash. I often find that I need some additional colors or tones …. and this time I created some digital fabric prints to fill the gaps. I used a design based on an earlier art quilt design and modified in Photoshop Elements. This allows me to change the hue and saturation to fit the color combination I’m working with and has proved very useful technique.

With the background collage sorted, it was secured with a layer of stitching and then the overlay of grevillea leaves in batik were added. The applique leaf design is fused in place and a second layer of stitching follows, this time just at the edge of the applique. This helps to secure the applique and ensures the density of stitching is equally distributed across the work so it will hang flat against the wall. The final step is to add an acrylic finish to ensure the work is secure and protected.

Art Quilt Australia 2019 opens on 6 September at the National Wool Museum in Geelong and runs until 15 December. There are many amazing art works included in this exhibition …. if you are unable to see the 37 works that make up this exhibition in person you will be able to see a gallery of all the works at https://www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au/exhibitions/art-quilt-australia/ after the exhibition opening.

Thank you for reading and for your interest in my work CC

Art Quilt Australia 2019

I’m sorry to have been absent from my blog for so long … life has been tough the last few months with the loss of my much loved husband and soulmate earlier in the year. The support of family and friends has been amazing and I’m picking up the pieces and getting back to my art practice….

I had some good news recently, my work, “Autumn Day on Victoria Street” has been selected as part of Art Quilt Australia 2019 and will be on show at the National Wool Museum in Geelong, Victoria (go the Cats!) from 6 September to 15 December 2019 ….

'Autumn Day on Victoria Street'

'Autumn Day on Victoria Street' Detail

I also have a couple of new projects underway …..

The first is the outcome of a wonderful online workshop with Lisa Call …. “Finessing the 4th Dimension” . The workshop and the project both explore incorporating time in an artwork. This project is definitely pushing the boundaries for me in terms of the concept and the development of technique. The starting point was to photograph the changing patterns and colors of autumn in my garden as the season progressed. Here are some of the images I am working with ….

The second project involves developing my knowledge and experience with direct contact botanical prints (eco prints) with a specific focus on eucalyptus trees … I’m calling it the ‘BlueGum Project’ and I have had some pleasing results ….

There will be more to come shortly on both of these new projects.

Thanks for your patience and for your interest in my work ….CC

Yoga, Art and Other 'Delights'

I love my weekly yoga class with Samaya Studio Kiama … think I’m the oldest member of the class! The younger ones all wear very stylish leggings for class, so not to be left out I went looking for something I’d like to wear … but couldn’t find a thing! So a thought occurred to me …. ‘why not design my own’

I decided on joining Redbubble - a terrific Australian based site that makes it very easy to upload your own designs to a range of products and sell them.

I started with my first ‘Interlaced’ design on leggings and then moved on to play with a whole range of products … so much fun!

I ordered a pair of the leggings and a thow cushion with the Interlaced design, they took about a week to arrive and I was totally delighted with the quality of both the products.

Now I’ve been trying out some of my eco-prints and earlier grevillea and maple leaf designs to see how they work … using some digital design filters and trying different color combinations. I think this might get a little bit addictive!

I’ve ordered some more leggings … can’t have just one pair … and a tee shirt tonight !

Here’s the link to Redbubble and my products if you’d like to have a look …. https://www.redbubble.com/shop/Carolyn+Collins

Thank you for reading and your interest in my art ….CC

February Flowers

I’m making ‘February’ flowers with India Flint this month as part of her online workshop “A Clearing in the Woods”. The class is designed to bring some light and joy to February … whether its in the freezing Northern Hemisphere or sweltering heat of the South! You can checkout India’s online classes at her website https://www.indiaflint.com

I’m loving the making of each flower … one each day (in theory). Here are some of the ones I’ve made so far ….

It’s sometimes hard to know when a flower is finished, its tempting to keep adding more ……

Lot’s more flowers to make before the end of the month! Will show you the end result when its done!

Thanks for reading …… CC

Thread Stitch Cloth

Delighted that my entry to 'Thread Stitch Cloth' has been selected to be part of the exhibition. The Exhibition runs from 21 September to 6 November 2018 at the 76 Queen Street Galleries, Concord West.

My entry is titled 'Leaf Lace - Forest Pansy'  30x30cm and features machine free motion stitching and couching.  The background cloth is a nine patch block made up of natural print leaves on silk and silk/wool ....

Thread Stitch Cloth is part of the Festival of Contemporary Machine Stitch presented by the Embroiderers Guild of NSW.  In addition there is an extensive program of workshops and demonstrations including artists such as Meredith Woolnough, Cathy Jack Coupland and Alison Holt (UK).  You can find details of all that is on offer on the Embroiderers' Guild website at www.embroiderersguildnsw.org.au

Thread Stitch Cloth would be well worth a visit if you are in Sydney with a few hours to spare !

Thanks for reading  CC

SAQA Benefit Auction 2018

The 2018 SAQA Benefit Auction gets underway from 14 September  to 17 October this year. 

The 12" x 12" auction quilts are divided up into 3 sections and each week a different section will be available for bidding. The funds raised from the event go to support SAQA's exhibition and outreach program.   You can view all the works at  https://www.saqa.com/auction-quilts.php

Here is the piece that I submitted this year ....

I was delighted to receive an email from Martha Sielman, Executive Director of SAQA ... someone I hold in high regard for her terrific publications on Art Quilts... her message read....

"Thank you for your donation to SAQA’s 2018 Benefit Auction.  What a beautiful landscape!  I especially like how the road changes from a pieced start to a stitched version.  Your trees are a really interesting effect.  How did you print onto the piece fabric?"

.......  made my day!

In case you are interested ... the trees are one of my photos printed onto silk organza and fused to the background.

Thanks for reading ... CC 

Stiched Shibori ... Freeform

I've ventured down the Shibori path before ... I tried some Arashi Shibori (pole wrapping) a while back, loved the resulting fabric but found it very hard to incorporate into my work!

Recently I have been looking for ways to build different textures and variations into my surface design, especially when using natural dyes ...so I've been looking again at Shibori techniques and in particular stitched shibori.  I was delighted to find Jane Callender's book "Stitched Shibori - Techniques, Innovation,Pattern, Design" ... which provides a comprehensive reference to stitched shibori.  Jane describes stitched shibori in the following terms  ....

"Pulling up the threads of hand-sewn rows worked with small stitches creates tiny folds,  and as a row of stitching can follow a drawn line, specific shapes, motifs, patterns and designs can be composed."  

I've experimented with a range of traditional stitched shibori designs ...

and tried out a stitching technique on a wool scarf - for fun   .....  here are the stages in the stitched shibori process...

but it's the flexibility to stitch freeform designs that is exciting ....  I've been stitching my own designs using an oversewing technique called 'guntai shibori'  which creates a lovely effect.  

I can see lots of possibilities ...... Thanks for reading and for your interest in my work ...CC