The American Scene

We stumbled across a great exhibition at the Brighton Art Gallery on Saturday, "The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock" The American Scene" The exhibition "...features around 80 outstanding prints by 56 leading modern American artists, including George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock. The first half of the 20th century was a period of great change in America, and this exhibition examines American society and culture through the prints produced by some of the most important artists of the time."
It was a great exhibition with some really inspiring prints, and has made me doubly-sure that I really want to learn how to do printmaking. I had a look around the Brighton Independent Printmaking studios as part of the artist open houses during the Brighton festival, and they have a lino-cut/relief printing course that I may try in August. However, my real intrigue is with screen printing, and so I'm hoping that I can get onto the saturday course that the Uni of Brighton will be running in Autumn.
That said, before I get stuck into yet another creative medium (sewing, knitting, photography...) I really should start drawing again, so I have some ideas of what designs I want to print!

phone photos

I've been taking photos on my phone for ages, but only just got round to transferring them to my computer. I'm really pleased with how some of them have come out, considering there on a 2MP mobile phone camera.

1. retro wallpaper (detail), 2. Grandmother's oven glove, 3. The Book of Nonsense, 4. Tea at Otello's cafe, 5. ... judge a book by its cover, 6. (heart) don't break it, 7. loved the design in the balcony ballustrade, 8. loved this shade of green!

It's great to be able to snap things when I come across them, and makes me wish I could get back into photography. Back when I was a student I used to take photos ALL the time, but over the last couple of years I've been distracted by other things. It's such an immediate format, especially now it's a digital possibility, and I really should snap more. Maybe I should reintroduce photography walks into my routine?

The ugly skirt

Back in February, I had a fabulous non-birthday weekend when my old school mate Melissa came over to Brighton. Whilst we were mooching around The Lanes, we spotted a great fabric shop, where Mel fell for some "ugly" daisy fabric. She works for the Electoral Commission and so will get to be on tv when the count is done, so the dare was if I could overcome my fear of making clothes and make her a skirt, she'd wear it on tv!

It's unfortunately taken me ages to finish it, but as the european elections were this week it spurred me into action and so I finally got it done and in the post on Friday. Thankfully Mel really likes it! Now we'll just have to wait and see if she wears it (I want photographic evidence!)

Hurrah for making stuff!

Well, it's been ages since I've posted as work has been manic and I've not really been near a computer. But thankfully the business at work hasn't impeded my attempts at being crafty!
One of the things I'm really pleased with is a bag that I made, having been inspired by some patterns on the net.

I used some fabric that my Aunt very kindly bought me for my birthday, at the craft fair here in Brighton, and I used fabric from a retro duvet cover (charity-shop find) for the lining and applique Cedarlily bird. With some finishing button touches, it all came together and I love it!