Tallscapes and Smallscapes

We have all had to embrace a different rhythm of life in the past few weeks. For me, this time of year is usually a flurry of preparations for up and coming courses. However, since it seems unlikely that any such intimate gatherings will be possible for the next wee while, I have, instead, been enjoying gardening, baking and walking or cycling in the mornings. In the afternoons, I have been rummaging through the piles of scrap collage materials stored in my studio, each one triggering a memory of its creative birth.

For quite some time, most of my work has been composed in a square format. So, to ring the changes and thereby create new narratives, I have decided to work long and narrow, combining these gems of old collage scraps from days gone by. I find that no sooner have I started to ‘resolve’ one, then the germ of an idea for another comes along. It is a rolling process, which means that there is a re-birth every day.

These tall and small ‘scapes’ are unframed and organic in shape, with the edges burned, fringed or left raw to the cut. They are backed with a piece of felt, with a hanging device already sewn in. I plan to post them fastened to hardboard, to keep them flat, and wrapped in bubblewrap, to keep them safe from damage. The first batch of finished works are now for sale on my re-vamped sales page and can be seen at Tallscapes and Smallscapes. I usually sell through galleries, but because that that is not possible this season, I intend to keep this sales gallery well-stocked, with new work uploaded every week. I do have several more works ‘on the boil’ already, so this is a challenge that I relish. And every dip of my hand into a bag or box of cloths, brings new possibilities: there is just no way that I can run out of possible combinations!

I hope this finds you safe and well and managing to stay positive during these strange times. And I hope you will be tempted to buy something from this selection, as a treat either to yourself or for a friend. Please look at the gallery regularly to see new work. For those of you who have attended my courses in the past, you might even spot a scrap of your own fabric, that you left behind unwanted, now sewn into a corner of one of these new creations.

All the best to you from a beautiful and sunny Elphin.

Jan

PS  Any new work will be added to the gallery on a Friday.

Hearth

Mairearad Green, renowned musician, composer, artist and long-time collaborator of mine, is about to release a series of limited edition vinyl records under the collective title of Hearth. They record and celebrate Mairearad’s forebears, the women of Coigach who have walked the same land she walks today.

Most of the lyrics were written by me in collaboration with Mairearad, or by me alone, so I am particularly excited to see this project come to fruition. Of course, the music is all Mairearad’s own, as are the sumptuously expressive paintings she has created for the vinyl sleeves.

Each record is individually numbered and is accompanied by a free booklet of lyrics and images. They are available to buy individually, or as a collection. Visually, the covers are rich and highly evocative of the Coigach landscape and the sound of each recording is ethereal and many-layered. What a privilege it has been for me to be involved, in a small way, in the making of such an immersive piece of art. To find out more, or to buy, please visit the shop page of Mairearad’s website.

 Open Studio 2020

Jan's Studio in Elphin is open to visitors between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm every day except Tuesdays between July 15th and October 21st.

To arrange a private viewing please email Jan or telephone 01854 666279 to arrange a time.

See the Open Studio page for more details.

New Card Designs

One by-product of making the work for my new on-line textile gallery, Tallscapes and Smallscapes, is that I am able to convert close-up photographs of some of the designs into greetings cards.  These little birds make for friendly designs that should cheer up anyone who receives one!

They are available to buy through my on-line card shop, at my studio during Open Studio days and at Ceard in Ullapool.  Why not nurture a love of nature by sending someone you love one of these distinctive cards?  Visit the Card Shop to see them for yourself.

Let Longing be a Store

the long bench

For the times ahead
when we will be

as if at either end
of the long bench

where distance kept
is love’s measure

and death dances
the space between

when words alone
are not enough

and queued memories
reach out to touch

let longing be a store
of nut and seed

that grows each day
in strange hibernation

readying for its end –
the sharing of the feast.                                    by   Jim Carruth

During this time of lockdown we will have to live off the harvest of memories and look forward to the time when we can, once again, meet and share in joyous spirit.  And so, although I am having to re-schedule some of the courses, I am content to bide my time until we are free to come together without fear or hindrance.

I am making work, though at a leisurely pace, since I am spending so much more time in the garden, just pottering around.  At some point, I will be putting a new textile gallery on the website, full of little landscapes made out of the scraps of cloth lying around my cutting table.  I think it will be called "Fragmentera", though I love getting out the Thesaurus, so the name may yet change.

At the risk of over-using Vera Lynn's words, I know we'll meet again some sunny day, so keep safe and I look forward seeing many of you later on this year.                                  

A Stitch Beyond

This winter has given me plenty of time to reflect on the direction of my teaching and so it seems that 2021 will be my year to offer something a little different alongside a shorter calendar of courses. I am running three sewing retreats – one in spring and two in autumn – each to be called “A Stitch Beyond”.

A number of you, I know, have stashes of material from previous courses, along with plans for exciting projects that never quite come to fruition. Time, space, inspiration, group support and gentle guidance from the tutor are all on offer at my studio during these two weeks. All the resources of the studio and garden will be available for use and there may even be one or two group activities, depending on the interests of the members.

But the focus will be on each of you developing your own direction as a textile artist and so, to make sure that I can support you in this, there will be a maximum of 6 participants, all of whom will be familiar with my methods through already having attended, ideally, at least two of my courses. Although there will be the opportunity to make work from scratch, you will come with aspirations, some materials and at least the germ of an idea.

A place on one or both of these retreats is by application only. I sent out this information via a newsletter in February and, within a couple of days, all the places were filled!  So, it looks like there is quite an appetite for this kind of event.

I am still taking names for a reserve list, so let me know if you are interested.  And then, I'm sure, there will be more retreats in 2022.

The Healing Garden

Exciting New Course for 2021

For my 2021 calendar of courses I have introduced something a little different: an intriguing range of ways to connect with the plants in your garden.

This week-long journey into the healing powers of plants will be led by qualified medical herbalist Jan Breckenridge, with additional support from me when it comes to the papermaking and print-making that will help you present your herbal recipes in a beautifully illustrated and hand-bound book.

To find out more, have a look at The Healing Garden page.

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