Sunday 26 May 2013

Care taking






In a week where we spent hours Spring cleaning and taking care of what we have here - Mother nature took care  of us with wonderful moon rises and mesmerising loch waves.

Our visitors took care of us by enjoying the Shepherds Huts and the goodies inside.  So we are celebrating with a bank holiday give away !  Leave a comment on our blog or on either of the face book pages with a like and share and 5 folk chosen at random will receive a set of 5 art cards from Paul's photographic collection. The cards retail for £5 and are wonderful to keep or post on to a special friend.

 With 5 sets on offer the odds are in your favour and it is our small way of  taking care of loyal customers and followers. Draw will be on June 1st !
Here is the link to see the full range of cards on offer   http://www.studioinscape.com/studioinscape/Current_work/Pages/Paul_Acarnley.html#6

And a link to our face book pages

https://www.facebook.com/pages/STUDIO-INSCAPE/368646913154839?ref=tn_tnmn

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heronscroft/179379218771142?ref=hl

Saturday 18 May 2013

"The splendour falls on castle walls"

Alfred Lord Tennyson's Poem
The splendour falls on castle walls.....



The splendor falls on castle walls
    And snowy summits old in story;
The long light shakes across the lakes,
    And the wild cataract leaps in glory.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.

O, hark, O, hear! how thin and clear,
    And thinner, clearer, farther going!
O, sweet and far from cliff and scar
    The horns of Elfland faintly blowing!
Blow, let us hear the purple glens replying,
Blow, bugles; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.

O love, they die in yon rich sky,
    They faint on hill or field or river;
Our echoes roll from soul to soul,
    And grow forever and forever.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
And answer, echoes, answer, dying, dying, dying.




It is said that Tennyson conveys the conclusion that there is both a dying and an eternal life at work in both nature and in the life of human beings. We none of us know for certain about eternity  but what we do know, living here year on year, is that we walk and take photographs and observe the process of life, decay and life again. And on weeks like this we stop and listen to the sound of waterfalls as they journey to the sea  and we are glad to be alive at this moment and in this place.

Friday 17 May 2013

Liminality ! finished in oils

The acrylic sketch onto canvas was finally completed this week. I overpainted in oils to get the depth of colour and texture I was after.
The woven piece was cut off the loom last night. The darkest blue wool I had in stock  was not right in the end,  so it got cut off ! A smaller rug, but one that I love emerged. How strange that studies in paint and wool should make me feel so differently.I need to try a piece in machine stitch next to explore the dimension of movement.


Sunday 12 May 2013

hidden suprises

There is always something memorable from a walk in this amazing part of the world, the way the light falls on the mountains or the patterns on the loch, the skies that take your breath away. But there are those moments when it is the small hidden treasure that enchants and delights.
I almost stepped on a small clump of violets beside the path, almost hidden from view, they shone in the watery sunlight. I think the thrill of discovery keeps childhood joy alive. The nicest thing about living up a dead end road is when people discover our Shepherds Huts. The huts are are not overly advertised so when people discover them and then leave comments in the visitors book like "what a find - a gem of a place "  or " discovering you made our day" , we are really delighted.
Small but jewel like is the order of the day, so enjoy your own discoveries this weekend.

Saturday 11 May 2013

warped !!

painting of glimakra loom from their site
I love the smell of pure linen warp thread which fills the air as the warp is made and then slides through your hands as it is transferred to the loom The vocabulary of weaving is gorgeous in itself - warping, raddling, sleying the threads and then that exciting moment as the first shot of colour transforms the neutrality of the linen warp. The liminal 1 painting is being translated into a rug, it is a couple of years since I wove a large piece  so I am looking forward to losing myself amongst the warp threads. I will emerge at the other side not warped but hopefully with straight edges .....!

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Liminality

I am working on a new sketchbook and body of work around the concept of liminality.
"In anthropologyliminality (from the Latin word lÄ«men, meaning "a threshold"[1]) is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of rituals, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the ritual is complete. During a ritual's liminal stage, participants "stand at the threshold" between their previous way of structuring their identity, time, or community, and a new way, which the ritual establishes."

The idea was formed after my visit to the British Museum and drawing the ritual African shields used in rites of passage ceremonies for the young men of a tribe. Since then all sorts of imagery and ideas are forming and I am very excited about which textile mediums I will use to develop the theme. Here is an initial acrylic canvas painted yesterday and waiting to be translated into a woven piece.

Sunday 5 May 2013

cross that bridge when....

Bridges appear in the landscape and throughout our lives - to be crossed at the right moment - to get to the other side.........