It may not be that creative but it is satisfying.
And in beautiful Indian silk- I bought the silk because I loved the colours years ago [ I am not usually a buy for a stash person] then worried it might fade if I used it in exhibition work…now I have the perfect use for it.

We will have the flashest reception sign at the airport!

I have made a banner to make it easier to meet up with my tour participants at the New Delhi airport. Of the whole tour this is the part I worry about the most- as it so busy it is can be quite overwhelming.
Another thing to tick off my to do list and back to the studio…..

And here is a first attempt at some flowers- a friend's daughter is getting married at a time when there is not a lot of flowers around so we might felt and bead a bunch of these to decorate things with… [ I have known Skye since a very young girl and now she is getting married- boy does time fly…]

Welcome to my exhibition Indian Dreamings- it is only small- 12 pieces but has given my a lot of enjoyment [ once I started to relax and get on with it- rather than agonize over it!] and some valuable thinking space to build up some ideas for my next [ larger exhibition in Sydney ] later this year.

I had an interesting meeting in Sydney from a Japanese curator and a piece of my work will go into an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama [Tokyo].

The exhibition is Ecology Earth Art 21, and is associated with the Kids Earth Fund- a charity who support environmental and artist education for children, they use the artist endeavors to raise funds and awareness in the developed world to fund projects in the third world for kids who need a lot more than a day painting, such as orphanages and refuges and food and education. http://www.kidsearthfund.org/english/whats/index.html
great work they are doing.

prices/ Ganesh :remover of obstacles

This is 'Ganesh: Remover of Obstacles" one of thepieces I have started with the new sander method....

Prices…
I am getting work ready for an exhibition and trying to work out what prices to put on them.

By the time I pay the commission, the framer [ for those to be framed] and cover the materials, run an office with computers etc as a foundation of the business side of being an artist and then finally get to think of something for me to live on it really starts to add up. Oh well that is how it goes….

It is the same with the tours I lead to India.
India is not such an expensive place to visit [ even when you stay in some really nice places]….when pricing the trip I feel clients get good value for money -the one component that I find sticks in my craw is the cost of advertising…I am trying to keep it to a minimum but realizing I need to increase it to let people know about the tours… many expect a polished brochure…it adds a significant amount to the tour costs – I wish I could be using that money in India itself for the betterment of people rather than as a consumable to let people know ….. oh well that is the way of things

What a winge!
I am actually very happy today- the use of the electric sander on my surfaces of felt means I have a lot more control over the imagery and can expand the way I work that up… and the work can be finished off in a much lighter way will which will be good for transporting work to the UK for an exhibition later this year and the USA next year.
Transport another of those huge costs that really put the prices up- oh well be philosophical there girl!
Some pictures on the weekend when I hang the exhibition.

I like teaching- I get out and meet new people and I always come away learning as much as I hope the participants are feeling like they received.

Last week end was a non felt week end and yet I learnt so much from some of the ladies about felting.

They unraveled the mystreries for me of using the electric sander- scary but wonderful when you get going.

The result is a lot smoother than what I normally achieve so the method will have its place along side all the other ways I attack a felt[ attack sounds pretty rough- I don’t mean aggressive just boots and all]

There are a few snaps to compare the results of either approach….interesting one with purple centre was sanded , the other is my old machine technique- colour didn't come out as well in the snap- but what is important to me is that there is more texture in the surface.... more to drem images into as well....
And just in time to finish off the work for my next exhibition ‘Indian Dreamings’

I have been stuck again and it was feeling more like Indian Nightmare!
I started contemplating a fun piece centered on the God Ganesh- he is the elephant headed guy and known as the Remover of Obstacles and boy do I really appreciate his energy.

The piece is in the washing machine at the moment I will put up his happy snap when it is done….
Nameste and bye….

Oh boy, the last few days have been tough,

I am working on some pieces for an exhibition ‘Indian Dreamings’- fine
I am happy with some of my ideas, things were progressing nicely … then had a idea that arose from those- more an examination of elements of the pieces I was making…like a ‘logical’ progression of what had been happening.
Good, but instead of going with the flow I have been trying to stymie it and stick to where I was…and then got stuck on what I ‘should’ do rather than what feels right to do.

Last night I could have cried in frustration, such an unproductive day!
Finally the penny dropped in the night…[ yet another sleepless night I have set myself up for] if I get those new ideas off my chest I know the half finished work will resolve and almost finish itself off.

Great news this morning, friends of mine in England have got study leave and we are going to meet up next January in Udaipur, India to spend time as students in the workshop of a wonderful tie and dye and natural dyes expert.
It will be a wonderful fortnight! I am so excited.

But before then I have much in the studio to do first…

The first photo is of a piece that got me thinking- I like the patterning in the middle of this and started to work on some pieces to break that patterning into its individual components- it seemed like a metaphor for trying to understand this wonderful place I am drawn to India. in trying to understand somewhere new you need to first pick it apart , look at the individual bits and then you will start to gather some understanding of the whole [ or so I hope]

number 3 photo was a test sample to see how the different silks work and the 2 photo is part of a larger piece- didn't quite work yet but I can see where to go...