1st November 2013

This year I have decided to investigate 'Rust and Texture' in Mixed Media Textiles.  I have been looking at man's mark on the environment in both modules and for our first assignment we were to combine our areas of interest. Having become rather obsessed with rusty objects over the summer I was keen to start and depict the varied oranges, yellows and reds of rust as a landscape, linking with a ploughed fields design.

Using Ashford Wool Dyes I dyed my own wool tops and t bags (for later use) and began felting cords and wisps of wool into my field shape. The cords became tighter than I would have liked but did give the effect of ridges. To accentuate the design I used hand stitching along the rows. 

I also needle punched many layers of different fabrics together for a dry felted field adding felt tops with a hand punch and sewing folds to create the rows.

Rust Dye on wool tops and T bags

Preparing the cords and wool tops for felting

My finished field of felt 

29th October 2013 

My First Blog

This is my first launch into an on line blog as part of my degree course at Bath Spa University and it is going to document my ideas, experiments and failures during my second year studying Contemporary Arts Practice. 

My first year was full of experimentation into oil painting,which I had not done before and various textile techniques. 

For two dimensional painting I finished the year making 25 one foot square canvases depicting in thick oil paint the beautiful abstract patterns of the American landscape which is extensively being  irrigated using huge pivot systems creating a carpet of circles and squares that extend for miles. 

This is an image celebrating hanging the 25 canvases in line and at the right height. It was quite a task I set for myself but I was really pleased with the result. No idea where I will hang them at home as the work covers five foot square !