A few days in Kent

After my PRP, Jim and I decided to have a few days in Kent, using our National Trust tickets.  What was interesting was the differences between the larger properties, and the smaller ones.  We tried to visit places that had promoted themselves as following the NT Women & Power theme - with varying outcomes.   Additionally, I was looking for pattern and whether it could be attributed to have a meaning, either in its day, or decipherable now.

Larger properties were Ightam Mote, Knole, Bateman's (Kipling's home) and Petworth.

Grade 1 listed Victorian dog kennel at Ightam Mote
Cannot be removed as it was cemented to the wall of the  17th century building

This was a really imposing chair.
Did the sunflower symbol indicate Royalist leanings?
Was it meant to indicate the power of the head of household in his absence?

I liked her work for its concept and narrative, even if I find her style not to my taste

The black laundry maid, with her image positioned on the drain pipe
that would have gathered the water for her to conduct her duties.

Collars

Cuffs

And bonnets that she would have washed by hand

Smaller properties were Stoneacre, Smallhythe (actress Ellen Terry's home), Monks House (Virginia & Leonard Woolf's home)

Unsurprisingly different properties achieved different things.  I preferred the smaller properties for their intimate feel, but their management seemed to take different attitudes  to the Women and Power theme.  Smallhythe looks like it was set out about 20 years ago and has not been reworked since.  Lots of potential with lots of acting artefacts about a woman, but very little narrative.  Old dusty labels, no interpretation panels or voiceovers.  Could have been so much, but actually quite poor.

Monks House was great, with excellent staff who knew a lot about the Woolf's and added much narrative.  Talked about  Virginia's bipolar disorder, and reasons for her illness, and aggravating factors (being sexually abused by half-brothers), relationships with other women, Leonard's relationship with another woman after her death.  Plus a lovely garden.

Sampler at Stoneacre - unusual multiplication table - stitched by the cleverest daughter.

Sampler at Stoneacre

Kipling's house was very interesting and lovely.  He was portrayed as a man of empire whose views were inappropriate, but who ameliorated his wife's ill temper.  However, there was no consideration that he was of his time - brought up in India as part of the Raj, bi-lingual in the Indian language of his region and able to speak it as a native (taught by his Ayah), educated in England, and returned to India to work as a journalist (eyesight too poor for military) and accepted by indigenous and white communities because of his language skills.  His wife was portrayed as fierce, rude and very protective of him (many people turned up unannounced and uninvited - celebrity in their day appeared to have the same issues as today!).  They found it difficult to keep staff - allegedly because of Mrs Kipling and the remoteness of the house in the days before rural public transport, but no context was given of the nationwide difficulties of getting domestic staff post WW1.

Hand embroidered Kipling bedcover

Embroiders Guild sample for handling

Embroidered panel from ceiling of tester of 4 poster bed,
with initials of Rudyard and  Caroline Kipling

Embroidered bed curtain

Tassels falling off passementerie

Progress Review Panel at Coventry

I burned a lot of nervous energy for this PRP with Graham Chorlton and Sara Reed, largely because of my experience at London Met, when I ended up walking out of the Masters course.  As experiences go, this PRP could not have been more different!

I took the PRP seriously, and created the presentation as required, plus brought up multiple sketchbooks, other artworks and the samplers.  I did not want to damage the walls, so I hung one sampler on the back of the door (more robust surface, unlikely to be damaged), laid out two more samplers on the table, and put sketchbooks on a table.

I have to say, it was a lot more pleasant than I had expected.  I delivered my presentation, and found the questions, which were supposedly a preparation for next year's Viva, to be very gentle.  The panel actually appeared to be interested in my work!  Hurrah!  A very different experience to last year.  I was advised to restrict my range of interest - and when I said my interest was clearly focussing on  working class women - they said this was exactly how to do it.  I said the 5th sampler might be the end of the series.

I talked about some of the detail of what I had considered in creating the designs - my self portrait line drawing: being non-sexualised because it was a profile line drawing with no gaze, but showed a female form without using a toilet-style dress outline.  I talked about the phallic image on the large concertina sketchbook, and explained how Sarpong had had a man expose himself to her.  I explained the script at the top of the sampler was in Twi, and read out the English version of the four values that are key to these Ghanaian cleaners.  Graham was curious about the amount of effort put into all the different artworks, and how/why my work ended up as samplers.  I think he was surprised at the move from free artwork, to detailed, accurate stitch.  I did wonder whether he thought the artwork was better than the stitch.

Graham Chorlton asked what proportion of my assessment was art -v- writing.  I'm not sure, but the reading/writing is critical to make my work robust.  I think I said about 50/50, but it may be more art based.  Part of my assessment will be an exhibition, and Jill suggested I get some of my peers to assist, as they are good at setting up exhibitions.

It was very flattering when I received a text from Jill afterwards saying my performance was impressive.  Praise indeed!  But I did put the preparation into it.  So glad it was better than last time.

It took me a few hours to come down afterwards, with all the adrenalin!  Jim and I met Darren for a meal at the local Wetherspoons, and it was delightful to see Darren again.  Jim and Darren were able to talk a bit about South Africa, as they both have lived there.  A perfect end to a day that I had made stressful!

Studio Group at the Granary

Oh my word - Vanda's making us raise our game at The Granary!  Our classes have been restructured.  We're now doing two consecutive days per month, designed to get a more robust body of work from each two day class.

We started working to our individual interpretations of fragility and strength.  We were advised to start an artist research file.  I know I'm meant to keep one, but it's very intermittent.  I am much better at going to exhibitions and recording what I see, but generally browsing the internet, finding relevant artists, printing and filing it - does not fill me with joy!  However, Vanda provided examples which fitted the specific interests of everyone in our group.

This term's work for me, will be about the Ford Machinists.  I'm discovered that artwork using the tools and media of my subject can be jolly good fun.  Last term, I was working with identity cards and tampons as these were appropriate for toilet cleaners.  So over the summer, I've been thinking about machinists, sewing machines, car seat patterns, thread, oil etc.  I read one article where the machinists bitterly noted that a man, who supervised the computerised cutting machine (the cutters jobs had been computerised) and whose only responsibility was to put out a job when the computer failed - was still in the skilled C pay band, whereas they, who could use and maintain their machines and create idiosyncratic shaped forms,were in unskilled B pay band.  A quote was "he can't even thread a sewing machine".  So I started free machining with the sewing machine, working on pattern paper.

I've also been thinking about my friend Darren's Phd thesis, about the selfie - and he says the gesture of the selfie is important.  So I thought about the gesture of threading a sewing machine.  Vanda suggested I should find out how many machinists there were (160 or 134) and repeat this gesture drawing that many times.  With thread and without, different scales, different papers. Etc.  Maybe a little job to have completed by next class!  Vanda added that we were all expected to have a body of work to present back next month.  Hmmm!

I have to say, that I think the people in the Studio Group are a singularly talented bunch of people.  Each of us has a specific artistic field of interest.  I'm looking at narrative about specific women (at present, Ford Machinists).  So my work looks at repetition, using the objects used by this group, and materials and media appropriate to them.  Jane is working with highly coloured, heavily worked landscapes, often from spiritual places she has lived - Tibet - but also home, Maldon, focussing on horizons, on paper, using acrylic, and water soluble/oil pastels.  Karin also works landscape but explores space in a much more subdued palette, often using paper collage and acrylic on canvas; inspired by found objects from the natural landscape.  I can't remember much about what Sheila was working on - she's at the other end of the room to me - but it was considered, experimental and about landscape (I think! - I was focussing rather a lot on my own work!).  Donna is an amazing colourist, working freely, yet controlled,  in watercolour, simplifying from the natural landscape, and attracted to plants and animals.  Claire is a new member to this group, and her work really appealed to me.  She is working her way through family bereavement by investigating her family history.  Her MA work was pressing crochet made by female relatives into porcelain tiles (stunning) and she is now working with pit tokens from the Durham area.  She spent time drawing in monochrome.    I loved the narrative in her work.  And finally Lori is working with coloured abstract prints made with a gelli plate, which she then reassembled into collage to create wide shallow landscape.

I'm really looking forward to next class.

Actions:

Expand artist research folder - seek artists by considering those who use:

- Materials like textile, or which carry a resonance with the message
- Archives relevant to their narrative (Kaur, Fitzwilliam museum)
- Narrative about the types of women I am interested in

Get colour swatches from Ford cars/textile interiors in 1968 and 1984.

Get second hand Haynes manuals from 1968/84 for Ford cars.
Find vintage car societies to look at old Ford cars.

Create 160/134 gestural drawings.