A Field of Stitches
Join me for an exciting week in June out and about in the Assynt landscape, drawing, painting, stitching, gathering and writing, as you build the pages of a journal full of inspiration for the aspiring textile artist. There is no better month in the calendar to appreciate the wild flowers of the bog and the hillside.
Each day is a mixture of field work followed by development work back at the studio. Be inspired by the magnificent, wild land and enjoy the company of a small group of sisters who love the world of stitch.
To find out more, please look at A Field of Stitches.
Jan
Spring is Sprung
Dear All,
Well, what a change in the weather! I have even started hanging my washing outside again, hoping it has some chance of drying before the next wind grabs hold of it and wrestles it to the ground.
I love the ritual of hanging out the washing and pausing to look over to Cul Mor, Loch Veyatie and then across to that unmistakable lump of a dinosaur mountain, Suilven. And so the image of a washing line that appears in the rotating banner above is very close to the real view from my washing green. That panel was made around 10 years ago, but I had never got around to reproducing it. However, I am launching a new ‘Mountain Range’ of blank greetings cards, which can be bought online from the Card Shop, and the washing line is one of the four designs.
Spring also marks the time when my studio, which turns into a bit of a cave in the winter, gets a clean out in preparation for the beginning of Open Studio season. This year I will be open from 10 am until 4 pm, Friday – Monday, over the Easter Weekend, and then every Wednesday until the 2nd of October.
On another subject, there have been two unexpected cancellations for the up-coming ‘A Field of Stitches’ course in June of this year. Please do get in touch if you would like to come along to that.
Finally, when I sent out my last newsletter I featured a photograph of a framed textile piece called ‘Bird in a Boat’. It sold immediately, from my online Textile Shop. It seemed a bit too soon to say goodbye to that quirky idea, so I made another three versions of a bird in a boat and the originals are now for sale online. And I thought they made a charming group (see the composite image attached), so I have made them into a pack of greetings cards which can be bought through my online Card Shop too.
Well, that is all from me for now, apart from reminding you that you can buy a copy of my book here.
I hope you are enjoying the spring flowers and sunny showers.
Jan
Luna
The moon frequently makes an appearance in my work, which is a little puzzling, since I am early to bed and never have been a night owl. However, I often split my sleep in two, spending some time in the wee sma’ hoors just looking out the window. Then, I am mesmerised.
The moon has many guises, many moods and can be elusive. It is constantly on the move and is either framed by the landscape or basking in a huge starry sky. It has a powerful effect upon the earth and the beings who live here. There are many languages used in the attempt to understand and describe the nature and functions of the moon and I find interest in all of these, including astronomy, ecology and folk tales. But I find that once I allow myself to express a reverence towards the moon using my own mixture of visual and written imagery, the pulsating power of the moon shines through all that noisy discussion; it settles quietly upon my work and hangs forever in the night sky.
Open Studio 2024
Until Easter 2024, Jan's Studio in Elphin is only open to visitors by appointment.
Please email Jan or telephone 01854 666279 to arrange a time that suits you.
Open hours from Easter 2024 onwards are as follows:
Easter Weekend (Friday - Monday) 10 am until 4 pm
then
Wednesdays
10 am until 4 pm
3rd April until 2nd October.
NB There may be the odd occasion that Jan cannot open the studio on a Wednesday so if you are travelling a distance to visit, please check with Jan that the studio is definitely open.
See the Open Studio page for more details.
Earthworks Move into Print
At long last the book version of the Earthworks project is complete! And as I leaf through the pages of the book, I feel the warm glow of a job well done, thanks to the solid support of Chelsea Frew (designer) and Ricky Frew (photographer).
This beautiful, high-quality art book contains over a hundred pages of images and words celebrating the intricate workings of the earth, as experienced through the eyes - and hands - of textile and mixed media artist Jan Kilpatrick. Striking photography by Ricky Frew illustrates the landscape that both inspires Jan’s work and provides the materials from which the work is made. The nature-led processes involved in the making are also recorded through photography, along with a selection of the finished textile and poetry works that emerged from this immersive project. It is a visual feast.
Earthworks, the book, is a textile-covered, hardback volume, almost A4 in size. It is limited to an edition of 500 signed copies and was launched on the 28th of May 2023. It is only available through the artist’s website. To make an advance order, please click here.
March 2023
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