Category Archives: new embroideries

Preparations for an Exhibition

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Silk painted base ready to stitch

My next big event is an exhibition in Cheltenham in December. I am busy making new embroideries and I am excited to be showing a selection of my new work in such a super gallery.

Pastel drawing by Jaci Hogan

The exhibition is called CHANGING HORIZONS, and I am sharing the venue with pastel artist Jaci Hogan. We both work in a detailed way but in very different mediums. We will be showing a wide range of richly textured artwork of the natural world. This will include stunning animals, birds and landscapes by Jaci and my embroideries inspired by rock pools, coastal walks, woodlands and the English countryside.

Jaci’s method of using a combination of a soft pastel base with pastel pencil details allows her to encapsulate the different textures of each animal from the fur of a leopard to the feathers of a nuthatch. She feels each animal deserves it’s own treatment and she spends many hours building layers to achieve the beautiful finished artworks.

My aerial scene embroidery on painted silk

It is at the SIXTEEN GALLERY 16 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier Street, Cheltenham. Gloucestershire. GL50 1SW
We open on 15th December and it runs until 21st December 2022, open from 10am to 5pm each day except Sunday when we have something special happening!

We invite you to MEET THE ARTISTS on Sunday 18th December. Open from 11am to 4pm we will be stitching and drawing in the gallery! We will be sharing our creative process with you and talking about why we make art. There will be mulled wine and mince pies, as well as an array of items for sale from cards to stitched prints and original artworks. There is no charge for this event and all are welcome, I do hope you can come along.

This is a great opportunity for people to see the exhibition of two very interesting artists and buy Christmas gifts with a bit of individuality.

Rock Pools, new work for Sixteen Gallery

Variations on Aurifil Threads

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A flower based challenge from Aurifil for this month gave me the chance to try out their gorgeous variegated threads.

The completed embroidery with its silk painted base setting off the stitched flower and buds

I love to use these shaded threads as they have beautiful subtle colour and tone changes. It was certainly a challenge making sure the right colours sat in the right place on these rose petals with their gentle curves!

Source photo, silk painted base and Aurifil cotton threads numbers 3660, 4660 and 3840

As you can see by these step by step photographs these threads can work really well. To give more definition and increase the tonal range the final stitching was white thread. It really brings out the highlights and makes the image pop! As always I used a wide tonal range to give a 3 dimension effect.

4 stages showing the colours and details slowly building up

New Inspiration

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When flying I have always been fascinated by the aerial view of the landscape. It can be the first view of a new country or the last you see of somewhere that has stolen your heart. So often an emotional experience, I remember the excitement or the sadness that view creates.

I think it’s so interesting to see the landscape from that perspective. It’s broken down into shape, pattern, colour and my favourite…texture! Also a completely different colour palette to the UK so often new and beautiful colour combinations to get excited about. Over the years I have been fortunate to take trips in helicopters, sea planes and a hot air balloon. Often on the coast, sometimes over forests and woodlands and have never used these ideas for my embroideries until now.

A selection of aerial embroideries

For some of the pieces my process has remained the same, I paint my composition on silk and stitch the detail on top. Others have seen me experiment using black silk as my base. I am creating more texture than before, using a range of weights in my threads. Aurifil cotton in 28, 40 and my usual 50 weight helps me do this.

Work in progress showing the silk painted base.

I have now become hooked on this imagery! It forms part of a new body of work for a forthcoming exhibition called Textures in the Wild, for March 2022, it will be launched at the Willow Gallery, Oswestry

Created on black silk

Textures in the Wild is a collaboration with Jaci Hogan, a successful pastel artist who has recently turned her attention to wild animal portraits. Using a combination of pan pastels, soft pastel sticks and pastel pencils she achieves life like and tactile studies of some of the world’s most majestic wildlife. Check out her work on Instagram @animal.artistuk
This collaboration started as a conversation about each other’s techniques and processes which sparked the idea to create to create a body of work together which would celebrate the beauty we both find in the varying range of textures within the natural world.
During the planning we have encouraged and inspired each other to step out of our comfort zones and explore new ways of working.

4 stages in this embroidery showing the development from paint base to stitch detail

Aurifil Challenge: featuring 40 wt thread

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One of the many bonuses of being an Aurifil Artisan is the chance to try a new range of threads.This month we were asked to use 40 weight in cotton. I thought a seascape would show off the lovely colour range available so looked to some of the inspiration from my trip to Cornwall last month.

I painted a wash of blues and turquoise as a base for the sea and some fluffy clouds in a summer sky.

Starting with some small stitches to add texture to the distant trees, beach and water
1. Adding longer stitches in shades of blue
2. Filling in the spaces with the turquoise and green shades
3. The completed piece, it’s 3 x 5 inches

The boats were the final touch, adding perspective to the scene Tricky as they are only a few stitches each and the masts needed to be straight!

I often use 50 weight on my work so I was curious to try something a little thicker, it threads really easily and being a little stronger is perfect for beginners to freemotion embroidery. The verdict on the threads…fabulous of course!

New Work and Forthcoming Exhibitions

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Galleries are open, there is Spring in the air! There is a great feeling of optimism in this house! I am busy framing up new work ready for 3 exhibitions this month and next.

My first exhibition of this year is in North Wales in a beautiful little gallery, Oriel Ty Meirion, near Barmouth. The theme is RNLI Coastal and Maritime with 10% of sales donations to the RNLI. It is such a great cause.

RNLI Opening-26.jpg

Oriel Ty Meirion, near Barmouth

Thursday: 10AM – 4.30PM
(closed for lunch between 1.00pm – 1.30pm)
Friday: Click & Collect / Appointments Only
Saturday: 10AM – 4.30PM
(closed for lunch between 1.00pm – 1.30pm)
Sunday: 10AM – 2PM

“Crashing Ashore”

My second exhibition is the Ellesmere Art Exhibition. Due to Covid-19 restrictions this year it is a online exhibition over an 8 week period. I will put a link on my exhibition page when it’s live after May 31st. It runs until 11th July 2021. Lots of talented artists taking part and I am very proud to be in their company.

The third one is in my hometown Oswestry, Shropshire, its the Summer Open Exhibition : 19th June – 7th August at the WILLOW GALLERY, Willow Street, check their website for opening hours

I will have a large selection of my new work in this show. Including a series of 10 pieces inspired by a beautiful lake I visit regularly.

It is an intriguing place full of wildlife. The atmosphere changes as you walk around its edge.These embroideries are studies of the effect of the light on all the elements. I have explored reflections, movement on the lakes surface and in the swathe of reeds and trees that surround this body of water.

I am looking forward to seeing this series all hanging together in the gallery

BVA LIBRARY SHOW   JUNE 7 – JULY 5

Finally I will have some work in Oswestry Library in the summer. Some experimental stitched and embellished landscapes based on Shropshire walks. It’s a mixed show of work by the BVA, the group of artists that usually hold the Open Studio event in June each year.

New Work and Optimism for 2021

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I am sure many people like me are feeling more positive as we move forward with vaccinations and some dates to aim for with the easing of lockdown. I am looking forward to having students back in my studio here in Oswestry. I realise we may have to wait until July or August but it will happen! I will announce dates as soon as I can.

Sparkling Sea off the coast of Cornwall

In the meantime I am continuing with my own creative process and exploring new ideas and ways of working. I have been trying a looser style of working, linking the painting with the stitching more than before, not using resist and trying to capture just the essence of each scene: overall less stitching and making everyone count!

The early morning light on the snow

Early spring flowers in Cornwall

Through Instagram I joined a group of virtual en plain air painters and we have shared images of the Cornish coastline, Derbyshire snowscenes, seascapes. We all seem to share the love of trying to cpature the light in each one. During lockdown nobody can get out to sketch and paint so this was a way of supporting and inspiring each other. It’s been a lot of fun. Check out #l3paintin on Instagram to see all the work.

The texture and movement in the waves

I have continued with the #artistsupportpledge which offers work from all artists at a reduced cost, capped at £200, a real bargain! It’s been a successful venture for me and keeps me motivated. When I have sold 5 I have pledged to buy from another participating artist. So my art collection has continued to grow!

Exploring the light and movement of water

There are several of my new embroideries to choose from on my embroidery page if you want to take a look! https://www.alisonholt.com/ahthum.php

Creativity and Process

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For every picture I create being inspired is always the starting point. I always work from a photograph, usually my own but this piece is based on a photograph by Ashley Morris. He used to be be my next door neighbour, he now lives in France and takes beautiful photographs. I asked his permission to use this one as my starting point

It was the combination of colours and atmosphere in the scene that made me want to capture it in stitch.

As usual I started by make decisions about the size, format and composition and then the creative process can follow. I am quite organised in my studio (if a little messy at times) and for me that makes the creative process flow more smoothly.

Aurfils fantastic range of greens

I keep my threads organised together in colour ranges making it easy to select the ones I need for each project I use my source photo, often on my tablet, for reference

1. The drawing on the silk
2. The source photo
3. Testing my silk paint colours before I start
4. The completed base painting
5. Comparing the photo and the background painting
6. My selection of Aurifil 50 Mako
6 stages of stitching from background towards foreground layering the stitches as I progress.
Zigzag stitches form the silver birch tree trunks and straight stitch for the branches
The completed embroidery with yellow and orange zigzag for the leaves

Artist Support Pledge

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many artists like me have found themselves without art fairs, teaching and gallery work. Exhibitions and sales have disappeared. In an attempt to help alleviate some of this stress a UK artist Matthew Burrows instigated the ARTIST SUPPORT PLEDGE #artistsupportpledge

The concept is a simple one. Artists post images of their work on Instagram, which they are willing to sell for no more than £200 each. Anyone can buy the work. Every time an artist reaches £1000 of sales, they pledge to spend £200 on another artists work.

Matthew said. “I realised the work needed to be cheap enough to make selling it an act of generosity, but also I needed to make that infectious because generosity creates generosity.” Since Matthew posted his first image and wrote those fateful words ‘I pledge’ it has become a global movement towards a generous culture and economy in support of artists and makers.

The first 4 embroideries I created under the scheme inspired by my walks with my new dog in the glorious weather we are having here.

I thought this was such a great idea so I have joined in this initiative on my Instagram and Facebook pages. I have created new work especially for it priced at £200 or less. It has been successful and I have subsequently bought pieces of artwork from participants on the scheme! A painting of a seascape by an artist on the @scillyartist, a watercolour by @debourahgourley and a beautiful misty landscape in oils @davidsmithart

4 more embroideries based on the beautiful cherry blossom I saw in Japan

These £200 embroideries are also available on my website for people who don’t follow me on Instagram and Facebook. If you want to see the new ones as I post them you can follow me by clicking on the Instagram or Facebook logo on my home page. Thanks!

It feels good to produce new work, sell to all over the world and the best bit is having the perfect excuse to buy art, its addictive!

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Creating in lockdown

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It’s a strange time, I find myself creating art for exhibitions and events that have been cancelled or at least postponed. It makes me realise that deadlines and imagining my work in a space is quite an important part of the process. That has always helped to supply the drive. I have had to produce work with no aim other than for the love it! How wonderful you say, but it was a tricky transition at first!

Life doesn’t feel too different from normal on some days but lockdown can produce a level of anxiety, fear of the unknown and worst of all, separation from loved ones, we all know now how that feels. We are all trying to find the positives each day. For me this means long walks with my new dog Bobby, accompanied by my son or husband who share lockdown with me. Baking flapjacks and chocolate cake, cooking lovely food and gardening. Wine o’clock has crept a little earlier in the evening than usual and sometimes it’s a cheeky G&T to round off another day.

It’s been a pleasure to allow the good weather to distract me into my garden, which, like many is in shock due to the amount of attention its getting! Cooler days and inspiration gets me in the studio creating embroideries.

I have been working on pieces that were due to go in exhibitions as they were already in progress and I was keen to complete them. In addition I have been experimenting with my embellishing machine. I have tried to make images by felting layers together, learning which fabrics work, how to blend colours and finally add definition with stitch. It has been an interesting learning curve.

One of my embellished landscapes

I have experimented with filming myself stitching, thinking it would be of interest. It was a challenge, getting the right gadget to hold the phone, trying not to nudge the camera when I rethread the machine, getting the right camera angle and still be able to see to stitch! I got there eventually and posted the results on social media with a great response from followers, so it was worth the effort!

A new Aurifil Challenge

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It has been a while since I took part in an Aurifil challenge. Recently they have been geared towards hand stitching or quilting and although in these days of lockdown there is a thought that we are all supposed to be learning new skills, I passed up the chance in favour of this one! A project in our favourite weight of Aurifil thread. Mine is the cotton weight 50 and this embroidery shows off the fabulous range of colours on offer.

I have been revisiting images of fruit and vegetables recently and I was drawn to these bright red raspberries. I was intrigued by the subtle colour changes and the structure and form of the berries with their individual little spheres. A challenge!

I designed and painted a silk base of these sunlit raspberries with the intention of only stitching three berries and 2 leaves. I stretched it in a hoop ready to stitch and selected the range of Aurifil threads I would need. I love the range of tones available which help to give my work its 3 dimensional look.

This set of four images shows the progression of this piece. First of all I worked the stems in parallel rows of straight stitch in shades of green and yellow. The berries are worked with a curved line of zigzag in each colour, starting with the darkest tone and then overlapping each subsequent colour a little. As each colour has been added to the berries they became more realistic and 3 dimensional.

The final stage with the leaves stitched

This is now complete and needs stretching and framing to set it off to the best advantage. Thanks Aurifil, it was my pleasure!

Settling back at Home.

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I love the way I get to travel teaching and exhibiting but being away for 7 weeks means I have to come home and pick up the pieces of life and work. It always feels strange at first, I don’t know whether to take it slow after a few hectic weeks away or to dive into new work as the creative juices have been on the back burner.

Well it is a mixture of both, I try to be logical and do the practical Must Do list first. Unpacking, reframing, catching up on emails and post.

Then finally I can move on to new embroideries, like the December Aurifil challenge! It’s great to be back and to be able to create my own work again.

The brief was a seasonal project. So I opted for an image inspired by a frosty morning in Shropshire. I decided on 5 x 7 inches as the overall size.

Starting in the distance with the hedges and frosty grass in the field

First of all a painted background using Deka silk paints and then choosing some threads. Aurifil 50w cotton is my favourite for this way of working.

The distance fields and foreground details are complete.

It’s complete and all with just 2 types of stitches, straight stitch and zigzag. It is great to be home!

Aurifil Challenge #2!

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My trip to NZ is imminent and before I leave once again I am responding to the Aurifil challenge! This time, use more than 5 colours on a project.

Choosing the thread colours

I feel it was an obvious one for me to choose in one way as using more that 5 colours is really not unusual for me. I used the 50wt cotton, a fine thread that allows me to get lots of detail in a small area. Here is the silk painted base stretched in the hoop with some dark green stitching giving some texture and definition to the foliage.

Inspired by a photograph of my garden, it is an excuse to have an image of it highlighted in stitch while I travel to other side of the world. It will be a pleasant reminder of home while I am in NZ and Australia

This is the side entrance to our garden, looking its colourful best in May when all our rhododendrons are in full bloom.

I have used straight stitch for all this embroidery,  just varying the length of stitch and the textures for each area. The arch and fence was a test of a steady hand and good control of the hoop. I have used a very dark brown with pale grey highlights. 

When I took the photograph the gate was open, making it an invitation to come in and look around. I chose to embroider the fence and arch and actually left the gate out! Did you notice…of course you did. Artistic license!

It will be on display at Gallery76 which is the NSW Embroiderers Guild Headquarters, Queen St, Concord West Sydney Australia on 25th October 2019 for a week., while I am there teaching courses.

Aurifil Artisan Challenges

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I am prepping for various activities ahead. An exhibition in Napier, New Zealand, another in Sydney and a Quilt Symposium in Auckland to mention just few.

I also have an Aurifil challenge scheduled for this month and I have  been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my threads. The colour choice is just one of the things that Aurifil cotton 50wt does so well in my opinion, it is superb. Their beautiful colours in a wide range of tonal values enables me to paint with stitches and create my trademark 3 dimensional effect.

My embroideries begin as a simple photograph which I translate into a silk painting, so that when I start on the stitches the process becomes about making marks in thread.

Silk painted base

This is when the process becomes all about definition and texture. These marks create the artwork through pattern and colour.

Here is the sequence tracking my progress with this ” Patio Pots ” inspired embroidery. It includes a little reverse stitching (aka unpicking) having originally misjudged the amount of yellow flowers in the foreground.

 

That’s better! A minor adjustment but worth the effort. If it’s not right it has to come out. Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you Aurifil, awesome threads!

Home Again

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I am home after my week at Chelsea. The weather and sales were great. We saw friends and customers and had a busy but successful time.
It’s a great venue for meeting people from all around the world. 
I am now relaxing at home enjoying my garden which has bloomed, in my absence, into the most gorgeous colours. 
My next event is my Open Studios in the middle of June. So, tidy up the garden, hang up the pictures and look forward to welcoming all my visitors. 
Come and see me, I am open over 2 weekends in June, 8th 9th and 15th 16th 10am to 5pm each day.
A bit of news from before my trip to Chelsea….
With only a day to go until the deadline I chanced upon the opportunity to apply to be an Aurifil Artisan. I have been a huge fan of their threads for many years. They sponsored my Woodland book years ago and funded me exhibiting at the European Patchwork Meeting at Sainte Marie aux Mines. I was delighted to get this email and to be working with Aurifil and the team.
Hello Alison,
Congratulations on being selected as an Aurifil Artisan for 2019!! We were all so impressed with your application and are very excited about working together this year to promote you, your work, and Aurifil thread.
Today we are thrilled to welcome our 2019 Aurifil Artisan Team. We were incredibly humbled by the enormous response that we received to our call for applications. We had a very tough job in narrowing down over 250 applicants to a team of 50.

That time of year again!

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The main focus for me at the moment is creating new work. It’s the run up to the Chelsea Flower Show in London. Run is a good choice of word, it certainly is not a stroll. Lots to organise before the set up day. The most important element is the work of course.

I need to create a well designed exhibition space with its pots and planting looking the best I can manage but it is really the embroideries that need to be the star of the show. I try to be organised well ahead of time and not panic. It’s always the same date, third week in May, so I can’t claim it was sprung upon me! I think I actually like the adrenaline rush and trying to cram just one more embroidery into the collection. I am never short of ideas and inspiration just time!

This year my work includes coastal walks in Cornwall, days spent in the Lakes and further afield, the wild lupins in New Zealand.

Inspired by a visit to Langdale, Cumbria

Work in progress, Lake Tekapo and an abundance of wild lupins

I am also featuring fruit and vegetables alongside my more familiar landscapes and garden scenes. Broccoli, cabbages, blackberries and a cauliflower so far. They are small studies 5 x 5 inches (12 x 12cm). Packed full of details and a mixture of paint and stitch. I have enjoyed exploring the techniques to make this subject matter work, I am enjoying the results. I imagine stitching more of them right up to the night before the show!

There could be strawberries…raspberries…oh and artichokes, possibilities are endless!  

Work/life balance

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The year is racing by and this week the weather is fabulous, especially for February so a little time in the garden was in order.  We have had the snowdrops and now the hellebores, primulas and daffodils are making an appearance, it makes me eager for Spring.

I don’t want to wish away the weeks though as this is the time of year I am busy with new work for Chelsea Flower Show. There never seems to be long enough for all the ideas I have for new pieces. The show will be upon me before I know it!

New work in progress. Foreground to complete with fenceposts, wild flowers and grasses.

I am planning some embroideries based on the photographs of NZ and Australia from last year, also some cherry blossom from Japan which is nearly 12 months ago, where did that year go?

I am mixing in some teaching and a little more travel, but this time it was for a holiday not work. Although there is inspiration everywhere so I did take a lot of photographs!

My husband and I went to South Africa for 2 weeks, starting in Cape Town for a few days and then along the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth and finally a few days in a game reserve for the most amazing experience. And before anyone asks…I have no intentions of adding animals to my range of embroideries!

As usual this the time of year for planning my Australia/NZ trip. This year it’s a month earlier and I will start the trip in NZ at the Quilt Symposium and an exhibition at the Boyd Dunlop Gallery in Napier. I will then travel to Sydney to visit the NSW Embroiderers Guild Headquarters for a lecture, weekend course and a masterclass. The final part of the trip will be a visit to Perth and Margaret River for 3 courses.

New work for Chelsea

Meanwhile it’s time for me to concentrate on the Chelsea Flower Show and all those embroideries I want to make!

We are into April…finally Spring!

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Too busy to write a blog is a poor excuse but it has been a very full diary for me these past 2 months! I have had lots of studio time, teaching, planning and travelling.

I have my flights booked for Australia and New Zealand for this November, I am excited to be going again, this is my 6th year in a row! I will be in Sydney to teach, lecture and exhibit my embroideries at NSW Embroiderers Headquarters. Also  Melbourne and Hastings, NZ. teaching a range of courses. Full details on my courses/Australia page.

The big event recently was my 17 day trip to Japan. It was a holiday, not work, which made a change. I had time to soak up the culture ancient and modern

It was a terrific experience in a fascinating country. We stayed in 5 different locations and saw some wonderful sights. We coincided with the cherry blossom time which made the first week very special. Starting the trip with a few days in Tokyo visiting temples, shrines and so many beautiful gardens was a great introduction to Japan.

From there we took a day trip to see the Snow Monkeys in Nagano. They are wonderful to see in their family groups.

Our next destination was Hakone for some gorgeous scenery and an amazing sculpture park. Another train journey took us on to stay with a lovely Japanese family in Kyoto, a beautiful experience in a fascinating city and finally Osaka with its neon city lights and great street food.

We got to see Mount Fuji too!


I took many photographs on the trip and I am very excited to create some cherry blossom embroideries. If I hurry up I may have one in time for Chelsea.

The embroidery I submitted to the RA Summer Exhibition has got through to the next stage so it will be going down to London on May 10th to go in front of the Judges. A way to go yet but I have got further than last year. Wish me luck!

One of my embroideries (“Amongst the Linseed”, see previous blog post) has been bought by Diana Springall to be included in her extensive collection. http://www.dianaspringallcollection.co.uk/ Lovely to be in in such esteemed company.

Work continues at speed for Chelsea Flower Show with only 5 weeks to go, trying not to panic. A new colour scheme this year so the paint brushes will be out to give new life to my sale counter! I hope to see you there!

On into February

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The snowdrops have appeared outside my studio door, as reliable as ever, they signal to me, that the year is slowly moving on. The primulas and daffodils will be next and spring will really be here. Hooray!

Keeping warm, busy and being productive is my main goal at the moment. I have the Chelsea Flower Show to plan artwork for and my theme for this year is colourful landscapes and gardens. Seems obvious somehow but previous years my work has been more focused on trees, moss and earthy green landscapes so this will have another slant. For my 25th consecutive year there I hope the body of work will look refreshingly different while still looking like my work of course!

Rhododendrons in Full Bloom

Rhododendrons in Full Bloom

This is one of the large garden scenes I plan to have filling the main wall of my stand at Chelsea. I am aiming for 9 on the same theme displayed in a tight group but if I run out of time 6 will work too!

Amongst the Linseed

Amongst the Linseed on display in “Stitch”

An unexpected email has lead to my work being part of an exhibition this month in London called Stitch. It is at the Daniel Raphael Gallery and it runs from February 22nd to March 22nd. I will have eight pieces of my work included in the show.

It’s an intriguing collection of embroidered work by 7 textile artists, hand and machine embroiderers, all with interesting stories to tell and wide ranging imagery. “We are part of a new generation of artists that are enabling embroidery to transcend its domesticity into the fine arts”.

I am delighted to be part of the show and to have a second London gallery (the other being M1 Fine Art in Greenwich ) showcasing my embroidery.

The Moss Beneath my Feet

“The Moss Beneath my Feet” is on display in the “Stitch” exhibition

 

Fighting the January Blues

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Fighting the winter blues is always a bit of a challenge, but when it’s so cold, the daylight is grey, at best and I am recovering from flu it’s more difficult than usual.

Inspiration and preparation

Painted backgrounds and threads ready to start stitching

I decided the antidote to potential misery was colourful embroideries! I had a few pieces in progress and decided to look at the most sunny and colourful to work on and found these flower based ideas.

Embroidered Lavender

Close up studies of lavender

I happily stitched and completed each background, enjoying the process after my trip to Aus and NZ which always means an enforced break from my own work.

Welsh Poppies from my garden

Welsh Poppies from my garden

It seemed to work and feeling enthused I trawled through all my photos from my recent trip to Australia and NZ to revisit all those blue skies and summer colour. I found a series of images from a beautiful rhododendron garden we stumbled across in the Blue Mountains. 2 of them immediately attracted me and seemed obvious choices for new work.

Sunlit Rhododendrons

Completed embroidery on the “Sunlight and Shadows” theme

They were just what I needed, colourful and vibrant to lift my spirits. Painting with bright colours and selecting lovely pinks, reds and bright blue threads to work with was already firing up my enthusiasm. I thought a series would be a good idea, thinking about my display at Chelsea in May (planning ahead!) and I remembered had taken some photographs of my own garden when the rhododendrons and blue ceonothus was in flower. So then I had 3 images to play around with and I wanted them to work together. Looking at the compositions and overall size was a good starting point.

Photographs of my garden and silk painted background

Photographs of my garden and silk painted background

Sketches followed, lots of standing back, looking, thinking and drinking tea! Finally a commitment was made on each piece and I could draw each one on to the silk and paint the background colours.

Painted background of the rhododendrons

Painted background of the rhododendrons

As usual some pre arranged teaching popped up in my schedule and an enforced break from my own work came along. It’s never a bad thing, I like the space between the processes, it gives me thinking time, stops me rushing in, too eager to finish a piece without due consideration.

So at this stage I have 3 backgrounds ready to stitch when I can get back into my studio! In the meantime winter is slipping by and the snowdrops are looking pretty outside my window. Daffodils will be next, hurry up spring!

Chelsea Flower Show 2017

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My 24th year at Chelsea! I can’t believe it. Where did those years go? The weather was wonderful with 6 days of sunshine and only one short sharp shower on Saturday morning.

We spend Sunday setting up the stand with all my new artwork, with the focus on several large pieces especially for the show. We had new lights, pots and plants and got it all ready for the judges to view it on Monday. The big surprise for me on Tuesday morning was to be awarded The RHS 3 Star Award for my stand! Its only taken 24 years, best not to rush these things! I was thrilled, what a great start to the week. 

 

Monday is press day with lots of celebrities and publicity stunts. It is the fun day to be there to see all the TV crews and this year all the Radio 2 DJ’s. We have very special visitors on Monday afternoon before the show opens to the public. A selection of Royals get their preview of all the gardens. This year I was fortunate to see the Queen, she really is marvellous for 91 years of age.

The gardens at Chelsea were interesting as usual, some controversial but all showing horticultural of the highest standard. My favourite was the Japanese Artisan garden with its waterfall and beautiful cushions of moss.

I had a successful week with sales and commissions, meeting up with collectors of my work and making new connections and sales to South Africa, Australia, Ireland and USA.

 I came home to my garden overflowing with coIour….and weeds! I now have two weeks to rest, tidy up the garden and get organised for my Open Studios on June 10th, 11th and 17th, 18th. Hope to see in Oswestry then!

 

Starting the New Year

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It makes me very happy to hit the ground running in January! I do enjoy Christmas but crave getting back to my studio and creating new work. I had prepared so many painted silk pieces for my Australia trip last October that it seemed a good idea to lay them all out in my studio, and work towards the completion of each one. I use images that inspire me as examples for courses so the intention is always to complete them.

It was interesting looking at them all again, quite a range of subject matter, lots of flowers and some seascapes, also woodlands and dramatic skies. Hard to choose which one to work on first! A lot of the creative decisions have been made by the time I have a painted background, a commitment to colour, image size, shape and composition, so in most cases each painted background was ready for my stitching to add texture, depth and definition.

Working these prepared backgrounds is a great way to get me back into the creative zone. As with many things I do it’s become part of my annual routine. I always focus on producing new work for exhibitions in the first few months of the year. Then a week at Chelsea in May swiftly followed by my Open Studios in June, then the summer ( if we get one!) Finally in October my 6 week teaching trip to Australia…if I am in a rut, it’s a very happy rut! There is of course a liberal sprinkling of teaching throughout the whole year, with courses at my studio and around the UK.

I am always pleased to have a magazine article about my work, there were two last year and one in 2017 already. This time it’s in “Be Creative with Workbox, a four page spread of a snow scene which is the winter project out of my Woodlands book.

 

New work in the M1 Fine Art Gallery

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I have some new work in the M1 Fine Art gallery in Greenwich, London this week.
10 pieces in total, a range of colourful countryside scenes, including bluebells, daffodils and poppies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is the Summer Exhibition and I am deighted to have my embroideries included in this predigious show. The opening night is July 15th but the work will be on display throughout the whole summer. Please go along and take a look!

Juggling pictures and a magazine.

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With Chelsea Flower Show and my Open Studios event behind me I can now focus on producing some new work. I have a range of colourful landscapes for the Summer Exhibition at The M1 Gallery in Greenwich and also work in the Willow Gallery, Oswestry plus 4 pieces for an art exhibition in Bickerton, Cheshire. The studio is littered with work covered in colour coded post-it notes as I try and decide which pictures should go where! I try to give a mixture of price range and subject matter to each exhibition and just when I think I have worked it all out I realise I need to keep a certain picture with me as it illustrates a course I will be teaching soon!

Behind the scenes my website has had an overhaul,  it doesn’t look very different but it has some new buttons, sub menus and a general tidy up. Apparently a website is never finished it continues to evolve! I get a lot of positive feedback about mine, long may that continue, thank you Myk for all your hard work and technical knowhow.

My courses are filling rapidly for this year and next, always lovely to see students return for more and exciting to meet a few new ones too.

I am still optimistic we will get a summer but it needs to hurry up, I am seriously fed up with all this rain!

This month Border Welsh Life have written a great 3 page article about me being inspired by the local countryside. They have included lots of photographs of my work too. It is good to have some exposure in a local magazine.

Teaching and preparing for Chelsea

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The months are flying by as they usually do when there is lots going on. I am trying to get all my embroideries ready to exhibit them at Chelsea in May as well as fit in my teaching. Always a balancing act, but for someone who thrives on variety it’s all good!

I find it interesting that the demand for me to devise new courses leads me to produce work which illustrates and supports them. I taught ‘Up Close and Personal’ for the first this year and in preparation I looked at some of the roses in my garden for inspiration. This is the painting of a climbing white rose I produced to inspire my students. Quite a departure for me, but something I really enjoyed exploring.The course was a great success and I was very pleased with how everyone tackled the subject matter. Here are the students in my studio at the end of the course…still smiling! 

I also had a great weekend at Plas Tan Y Bwlch this month with the North Wales Embroiderers Guild, a lovely group of students at a super venue. The wonderful work both sets of students produced is on my website

My own embroideries continue to develop, especially with exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show as motivation to create a body of work. I have produced a new large landscape for centre stage as I sold the piece from last years show. I have aimed for variety in the work but flowers, gardens and woodlands feature heavily. Here are a couple, the rest of the new work can be seen on the embroideries page and of course at Chelsea. I hope to see you there!

The beginning of the year

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I do love the time over New Year, with new beginnings and a fresh start. After a busy year I look forward to the time off over Christmas and enjoy the family time enormously but my desire to get back to ‘normal’ leads me rapidly into the studio to get creative.

It’s a good time to plan new work, try out ideas that I have been mulling over for weeks. Time to experiment a little, take some risks, tackle a big project with no time restrictions. I wanted to make another sweeping vista style landscape and choosing the right image is so important. Last August, on my way from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to Manchester, driving along through the beautiful countryside of the Derbyshire Peak District, I took masses of photographs. I was captivated by the tracery of crumbling dry stone walls creating a network of fields, with distant sunlit hills covered in purple heather, visually stunning! I have often thought of that scene and was keen to make an embroidery that captured my feelings on that day. My aim was to find a composition that conveyed the enormous sense of scale and all the textures, details, colours.

A sketch of the composition on several sheets of A4 paper.

I based the composition on a series of photographs, I played around to get the perspective right, sketching out 2 or 3 versions until I was happy with it. I then draw it out on silk and paint a background wash adding extra detail to the sky.

I work within an 8 in embroidery hoop so I stitch one section at a time until its complete, moving the hoop as many as 8 or 9 times to access all the composition. I do like this way of working, I don’t get overwhelmed by the scale of the piece. It is 26 x 12 inches and focusing on one small area at a time seems to work well for me. Of course it could be because I have always done it this way. If it aint broke, don’t fix it!

There is a real momentum that builds on the success of each stage of the picture. As I progress from area to area working out the colours and stitch techniques I am spurred on to complete it. I call it being in the zone, it’s a great feeling!

Finally, the finished piece, and an enormous sense of achievement.

The first outing for my new work will be exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show in May, its a few months away but I have my centre piece ready!

The Willow Gallery, Oswestry

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I really appreciate the very good, long running relationship that I have with my local gallery in Oswestry. The Willow, is a wonderful space, cleverly converted from a former car show room, hence the large windows and fantastic light. Big comfortable sofas and a great coffee shop which serves really good food too.

I always have a selection of my work on display, often invited to put pieces in a current exhibition and my books, DVD and cards are always for sale in the shop.

For the Summer Exhibition I put in several large new pieces including ‘Under a Green Canopy’ which I am thrilled to say they have sold this week. There is something so satisfying to sell so close to home (5 minute walk). I sell my work all over the world but this felt really good!

Between Wisley and Chelsea

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The Wild Garden at Wisley

I have returned from my first show of the year at RHS Wisley, nr Guildford. It really was a top quality show in beautiful surroundings. We had 5 days to enjoy the gardens and meet new and valued customers, their response to my new embroideries was really wonderful. The event was also a great a practice run for Chelsea, after being in glorious isolation at home for months since my last exhibition it can be a shock to the system! I returned to see the progress on my new studio. Its a major project with a cloakroom, utility room and the studio room with its 2 sets of bi-fold glass doors. Its going to be ready for my Private View on June 12th…hopefully! I am thrilled with how it looks and can’t wait to get in there with my sewing machine and hang my embroideries on the walls.

Starting to lay the oak floorboards

Preparations for Chelsea are now high on my agenda, with a few more embroideries to frame and plants and pots to organise for the stand its a busy time. The mammoth task of fitting everything into the car is a challenge, we always manage somehow! There is so much to remember, hi-vis jackets, tickets, screwdriver, framing gun, clothes for all weather conditions, etc. etc. It is the major event of my year and demands my full attention before and during the week we are there. This will be my 22nd year as an exhibitor…I should know what I’m doing by now!

My centre piece for the stand at the Chelsea Flower Show ( 23 x 36 ins)

Juggling everything!

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Its an interesting time of year when the creative and the admin have to run parallel. There is little point in me creating new embroideries and courses if I don’t let people know about them and create opportunities to exhibit them!

So this month I have been getting my annual promotional postcard designed, (thank you Myk) printed and posted. It features 14 of my new embroideries. My printers have made it their postcard of the month on their website

I have also been busy filling in endless forms for this years exhibitions and shows, listing my new teaching venues and exhibitions on my website. I have designed a whole new set of greetings cards they will be available from my website and exhibitions. I have had 2 magazine articles to write too. One will be published in June in an Australian magazine, Textile Fibre Forum, the other is online on shopper lottie a new blog that has an interesting range of interviews.

I also had my new pieces professionally photographed (thank you Myk) and they are on the website gallery to view. Sourcing new picture molding and clarity glass (thank you Nel) was another job to tick off the list

I quite enjoy the range and variety of tasks but as shows and exhibitions appear to gallop towards me I feel I need to be in the studio making embroideries. There are not enough days in the week! Oh and booking flights and hotels too but who is going to complain about planning a trip to Australia or Prague…not me!

January’s racing by

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Approaching Candy Woods

Its been a busy month so far, with wet and windy weather and even a bit of snow the best place to be is a warm studio! I have been thoroughly immersed in some new embroideries. This is a piece “Approaching Candy Woods” which I have just completed. Inspired by a series of photographs I took last autumn walking the dog near home. Working on the piece was bitter sweet, bringing lovely memories of that day but sadness too because our dog, Toby is no longer with us. There he was in nearly every photograph, he is missed by the whole family.

I have enjoyed working on my 2 new Australian influenced embroideries. I had to complete and photograph them in time for the magazine deadline in February. I have written my 1000 words for the article, as my youngest son said ” Easy, that’s not many words”. There speaks a boy in his final year at University with research projects and dissertations to write. It was plenty thank you!

I have some interesting offers of teaching and exhibiting in 2016 and 2017. I can hardly bear to think that far ahead but have to! I do love the fact an email out of the blue can be an amazing opportunity. The wonders of the internet, social media but just as importantly the sales of my book world wide all helps to spread the word about what I do. Long may the exciting new ventures come my way. Otherwise there is nothing to write about in my blog!

Out with the old…in with the new

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This will be the last post of 2014, it has been a great year for me with lots of highlights. It is lovely to reflect on it all before moving forward to my plans for 2015. My forthcoming year has a familiar pattern to it, a creative time in my studio followed by lots of teaching, exhibition opportunities and another trip to Australia in the autumn. I will start the year with a commission, my client has waited patiently for several months. I am looking forward to working on it, always a pleasure to make an embroidery for someone. I have been approached by an Australian magazine Textile Fibre Forum, they are going to publish an article on me, featuring new embroideries inspired by my travels down under, it will be in the June issue. So I will be preparing some images and text in the next few weeks.

I have had confirmation of my main exhibiting opportunities. Starting in May, with the RHS, the first one at Wisley and later that month at the Chelsea Flower Show. So I will be planning new work with those shows in mind. I will open my studio in June for 2 weekends, I am looking forward to some warmer weather by then!

I am excited by the prospect of building a new studio here at Highfield. I have been in the attic for 14 years and have decided a larger ground floor space to work and teach in would be wonderful. I will post progress reports when the work starts.

Wishing everyone a Happy Creative New Year!

The Lake District embroidery is finished!

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I have finally finished this embroidery. Several weeks of work, a lot of moving the hoop from section to section and eventually it was complete. I am pleased with the end result and I plan to hide it away for a few weeks and then run a very critical eye over it before I stretch then frame it

I recorded each stage and I now have a page on my website where anyone interested in the whole process can see all the stages. The link is also on my home page.

Work in Progress

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I am in the middle…no, not quite,  I am a quarter of the way through a large landscape embroidery!
It is a scene in the Lake District based on sketches and photographs from a trip 3 years ago, so I have been thinking about it for some time
The silk painted background is clearly visible with the white lines left from the gutta I used when drawing out the composition. I have started the stitching at the most distant point and will increase the richness of colour and amount of texture as I work through to the foreground
I am photographing it at each stage to make it part of my slide show lecture, so this is a sneak preview. I will post the finished piece in a few days time…just kidding… a few weeks time when I have completed it

It measures approximately 24 x 14 inches and will be my largest embroidery so far (excluding my sci fi sweater!)

Preparing for Chelsea Flower Show

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On the telephone, framing pictures with one hand and ironing clothes with the another….not quite, but it feels that hectic in the lead up to Chelsea! The biggest and the best show of my year and only a couple of days to go. So much to think about in addition to all the embroideries, cards, books etc. I will be taking.

It will be an opportunity to show off some of my new work, such as the “As the Sun Goes Down” with its reflected autumn tints, inspired by my trip to Maine last year.

Today was the usual last minute panic buying of the ‘floral content’ for my exhibition stand. This year was supposed to be different but the bulbs my husband kindly planted with Chelsea in mind are long over their best due to the warm weather earlier in the year. The best laid plans…

I will be squashing it all into the car on Saturday and heading to London early Sunday morning. Its a wonderful feeling when I get to Sunday evening and everything is ready for the opening of the show. Then all we need is some sunshine!

My Postcard

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My annual promotional jumbo postcard is ready for printing.This always showcases a selection of my new work produced over the winter months. My logic is, if I am exhibiting my new embroideries it makes sense to tell people when and where I will be throughout the year! I will be posting about 600 of them out in the next few weeks. Despite the rising postal costs I still think a large colourful postcard has more impact than an email.

Its rather good to know that people collect them each year and put them on the fridge door or somewhere they can see them.

Creating the embroideries is only the beginning, so a huge thanks to Myk who photographs my work so well and is a whiz on Photoshop, he always does a great job for me on the postcard design, patience of a saint!

Plans for 2014

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I am working on new pieces and enjoying it enormously. I am revisiting an idea of using torn and layered paper collage then adding stitching for detail and definition. Its feels like an interesting diversion and I have an exhibition opportunity locally in Oswestry in mind for the work. I am also working on a series of embroideries based on my trip to Maine. The year is stretching out in front of me with exhibitions and teaching commitments to look forward to.

I will be at Chelsea Flower Show in May again this year and June will be Open Studios time at home in Oswestry but before then I am at a Craft in Focus show at RHS Wisley . So lots of my work needed to fill the walls. There is no better motivation!

I am busy planning another teaching trip to Australia in November. The dates and details are slowly coming together. So far it looks as if I will be starting in Perth and then moving on to Melbourne and Tasmania. I will put all the details on my courses page when the course content and dates are finalised

I do like this time of year (apart from cold, wet, windy weather!) with plenty of time in my studio to develop ideas and the prospect of lots of events and trips to look forward to

Back in my studio

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This week was all about getting back into the creative process. Its the longest break I can remember away from my studio. With preparations for Australia, the 5 week trip followed by Christmas its nearly 3 months since I worked on my own embroideries! Will I remember how to do it? How can I get back into the process ?

The studio was a mess with my teaching folders and samples, empty frames, fabric and paperwork on every surface including the floor. It was impossible to work in there so yesterday I started to tidy up, it was a gentle reaquaintance with everything and it was lovely to be back in my familiar space with time to think about what to do next.

I found half finished embroideries, photographs, silk paintings and sketches of foaming waves and rocks I had planned to work from. I also had new photographs from my holiday in Maine with fabulous woodlands in autumn colours. I had gone to Australia before I could consider embroideries based on those images. I had ferns, moss covered trees and fast flowing streams in Tassie and the inspiring scenery along the Great Ocean Road. Too much choice and I didn’t know where to start!

Tidying up soon morphed into a bit of sketching, with lots of photos spread out before me. The tree ferns were my first choice and then I realised stitching was what I had really been missing.

So I dived into a picture I had started as a demonstration on a ‘Etched in Frost’ course a few months ago. I stretched up the silk, selected the thread colours, filled some bobbins and I was back in the zone! Bliss!

It probably won’t be the best piece of work I produce in 2014 but its a start and its great to be back. I shall revisit and tweak it into shape later. I need to find my rhythm and the familiar process will follow. Onwards now to new silk paintings and more stitching.

 

Inspiring Vacation

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I am enjoying the delights of Boston and Maine. A well earned break between all the travelling, exhibiting and teaching this year. The scenery is inspiring. From the ocean outside the house to the autumn ( or should I say Fall ) colours up into the mountains. I am busy taking lots of photographs and can see what my winter projects will be based on!

Only 4 weeks until I set off for Australia. Still lots to organise but the intinary is set and the courses are full. I am looking forward to it all immensely

If at first…..

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I recently completed an embroidery, a sunlit mountain vista. During the process I had suspected the sky was too detailed and would fight with, not complement the landscape. When I had finished the stitching I realised I was right and something had to be done. So on a new piece of silk, I painted another sky and then took brave but necessary action! Here is the story…….

The landscape and the sky part company!

I hand stitched the embroidery to the new sky ( Yes, thats correct, me, hand stitching!)

Stretched in a hoop so I can freehand stitch the pieces together

The back of the work showing the lines of stitching blending in with the existing embroidery

Finished!

Its a view of Dinas Mawddwy, a beautiful part of Wales near Dolgellau.

Too Busy to Blog!

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I started this blog to keep people up to date with all my activities but the last 3 weeks have been so hectic I haven’t had time to write anything!
I have been teaching an Etched in Frost course in Dorset with Dennie Rose and then in Devon for the West Country Embroiderers where we did a 2 day Seascapes course. Then 2 days at home before off to France for the Quilt Expo en Beaujoais . This was an amazing 4 day Art Textiles show Nr Lyon with some very talented textile artists and quilters there who I really enjoyed meeting. I am home again now and preparing for the show in Kent which starts next week at Penshurst Place nr Tonbridge. This is one of the new pieces I will being taking with me

Hidden Depths

All Change at The Willow Gallery

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I have been to The Willow Gallery in Oswestry today to hang some of my recently completed embroideries. I always have some of my  work in the gallery and try to change the display every month. Currently showing 2 new pieces Ebb and Flow a study of the sea in Madeira and Rushing By inspired by a walk in the woods in North Devon last year. I hope you can get there to see them.

Rushing By a Machine Embroidery by Alison Holt – £595