CREATIVE LIFE MAGAZINE Issue 5 - 2015
Inspired reading for creative hands
IN THIS ISSUE
OUR SPECIAL GUESTS IN THIS ISSUE... BRITISH LAMPWORK ARTIST - GAY MASSENDER AUSTRALIAN FELT ARTISAN - WENDY BAILYE BRITISH TEXTILE ARTIST - LOUISE O’HARA 1
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EXCLUSIVE
ARTIST & DESIGNER DODO FLUGGE January 2015
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January 2015
JOAN GORDON EDITOR IN CHIEF
H
ello, Welcome to our first issue of Creative Life Magazine for 2015.
2014 was a tough year health wise for me, which caused several delays in getting our next issue up and running. As we launch into the New Year, may I thank you all for your support and I hope that 2015 sees me firing on all cylinders with renewed enthusiasm and energy. This magazine has been supported by many contributors who all took time out of their busy lives to write articles; ‘THANK YOU’, I and all our readers appreciate your input. My designer Caed Parker had to hit the ground running to take on this issue of CLM and produce it in such a short space of time, thanks Caed for being so patient and reliable! I am so lucky to have your expertise, which surely makes this magazine such a visual and pleasurable read. To our friends from Dremel, ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’ and a warm heartfelt, ‘Thank You’ for supporting us through 2014!
And, to you my wonderful readers, may the universe keep you warm, safe and in good spirits. I hope 2015 is a successful and creative one for us all. Warm Regards, Joan
DODO FLUGGE All website and magazine content is reserved: ©www.my-creativelifemagazine.co.uk ©www.creativelifemagazine.com. All articles and projects are for personal use only. Permission to reproduce or copy any of the contents for any other purposes must be obtained from the publisher. Articles are published in reliance upon the representations and warranties of the contributors and without our knowledge of any infringement of any third parties copyright.
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INTERVIEWS 8 Gay Massender 17 Wendy Bailey 22 Dodo Flugge
PROJECTS 70 Seasonal Lanterns 72 Restore A Small Cabinet 74 Decorative Wall Light 76 Chicken Curry 78 Ice Cream 80 Lemon Butter 82 Pumpkin Soup
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FEATURES 29 Louise O’Hara 34 Blog Spot 68 Dremel Competition
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS + EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES PAGE 8
GAY MASSENDER
GAY MASSENDER LAMPWORK ARTIST & JEWELLERY MAKER My recent work feature designs which have grown out of a desire to master hairline stringer (fine strands of glass, notoriously difficult to apply to beads).This has led to a number of character bead ranges including ‘Ladies what Lunch,’ ever so slightly stuck up but lovable characters who all seem to drink a little too much and enjoy partying.Then there are the ‘Crazy Cats’ who each have a different personality, which comes to life at the torch as I add facial detail! I am also working on a series called ‘Aphrodite Beads’, which are more organic but have fine stringer detail too.
CONTACT DETAILS
E: gaysiemay@live.co.uk W www.gaysiemay.etsy.com F: www.facebook.com/gaysiemay T: 07790 693 943 WENDY BAILYE
PAGE 17 WENDY BAILYE FELT ARTIST Wendy Bailye is a Brisbane – Australia based textile artist and feltmaker who is very involved in her local area.With a group of like-minded people, she has helped to create a volunteer group called ‘Creative Samford’ that is working to bring artists together for the common good of their creative community.
CONTACT DETAILS
W: www.creativesamford.com F: www.facebook.com/samfordartstrail F: www.facebook.com/CreativeSamford
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DODO FLUGGE
PAGE 22 DODO FLUGGE ARTIST & DESIGNER Having lived in Edinburgh for over 10 years now the city still never ceases to amaze me with it’s beauty.Although relatively small, there is still a huge percentage of seriously talented artists, designers and makers as well as independent shops. It is also possible to pretty much get anywhere in the city on foot.
CONTACT DETAILS
W:www.diedododa.com E: dodo@diedododa.com F: www.facebook.com/diedododa T: www.twitter.com/diedododa I: www.instagram.com/diedododa
PAGE 29 LOUISE O’HARA TEXTILE ARTIST I am a mixed media artist working under the name
of DrawntoStitch. I create work from my studio at home in the heart of Cheshire, England. My studio is filled to the rafters with items often discarded and overlooked in everyday life.
CONTACT DETAILS
W: www. drawntostitch.com F: facebook.com/DrawntoStitch 7
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LOUISE O’HARA January 2015
CRAZY CATS 8
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January 2015
INTERVIEW
LAMPWORK ARTIST GAY MASSENDER
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ere, in her interview with Joan, Gay chats about her current focus and where she gains inspiration for her lampwork designs. When did you first discover lampwork Gay? I have always loved glass and used to make mosaics and dabble with fusing but it was while learning about making jewellery that I discovered lampworking on the internet. That was back in 2008, I have never looked back! Do you work from home or do you have a designated studio? I work in a converted caravan, which I love. It has two torches set up and an area for making jewellery and storing all my beads. My Dad and myself did most of the work, with some help from my partner. I enjoyed the process of converting it as much as I enjoy working in it now!
Does music play a part in the inspiration process when you are working in the flame? If so, what are your favourite tracks that ignite your mojo when melting glass? Recently I have been listening to audio books while torching, which I have enjoyed, but I did realise that at some points during my time at the flame, I am so engrossed in what I am doing I switch off the outside world completely. This means I then have to rewind the book and listen again once a bead is complete! Where does the inspiration for your patterns and designs derive from? This is a really difficult question to answer. Sometimes the design may be technique driven, as with the ‘Ladies what Lunch’ beads. I knew I wanted to improve my fine stringer control but also wanted to create something unique that I hadn’t seen done before, and so they were developed from a series of doodles and sketches. At other times I may see something that may influence my choice of colour or
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PATINA BEADS 10
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INTERVIEW
design - I remember being particularly inspired by a TV presenters tie - I then promptly made a note of the colour combination, but as yet have not played with it! Over the years your work has developed and changed. What was the ‘Eureka’ moment, (the greatest breakthrough) in mastering a technique that you had struggled with? I think I have finally got to grips with stripe encasing, which for some time has been my nemesis! I think the key ‘Eureka’ moment came when watching Sharron Peters at the Flame Off a few years ago. In her demo she was making one of her sculptural creations and was aiming to make one thing, but it didn’t go quite as planned and she just brushed it off and turned it into something else, saying that sometimes you just had to go where the glass took you, I learned so much from this. I finally gave myself permission not to be so uptight and rigid before I got to the torch and so became a little more organic and relaxed while at the torch. I hardly ever put a bead in the water pot these days! Is there a specific technique or theme that is currently specific to your work? I suppose the character beads are becoming a signature bead, and I do see a lot of potential for further development within this area, but I am a fickle creature and am just as likely to spring off in another direction - after all, there is still so much more to explore! Will you be offering classes and workshops during 2015? I am always available to teach at my own studio, but can only accommodate two lampworkers at a time. I have in the past taught at Tuffnell Glass Studio and am quite willing to travel to other studios should anyone care to invite me, but as yet have no firm dates in the diary for 2015. 11
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INTERVIEW
Where are you currently exhibiting and selling your work? I sell my work online via my facebook page www.facebook.com/gaysiemay also via facebook acution sites and on Etsy www.gaysiemay.etsy. com I also have work in Coast Gallery, Carbis Arts and Crafts, Gallery 49, all of which are in the Scarborough and Bridlington area If you could share a torch with anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you discuss? There are so many wonderfully talented lampworkers to choose from, picking just one to learn from and chat with would be so very difficult and that is why I would choose my friend, Keren Panthaki. We met briefly on a course led by Astrid Riedel and then roomed together at the following years Flame Off, sadly we don’t live near each other, so we always jump at a chance to meet up and have a good catch up. Not only are her beads and jewellery exquisite and unique, but her company is an absolute tonic! Keren’s eye for colour and tone is intuitively honed and her ability to mix media within her pieces always mesmerises me! We would chat about everything and anything - we usually do! Once the kiln was full and the torches were off, no doubt we’d have a nice ‘lunch’ with a glass or two of red and continue to laugh and giggle into the wee small hours!
RED HEADS WITCHES AND CATS
CONTACT DETAILS W www.gaysiemay.etsy.com • E gaysiemay@live.co.uk F www.facebook.com/gaysiemay • T 07790 693 943 12
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January 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BEAD & WIRE FASHION JEWELRY A COLLECTION OF STUNNING STATEMENT PIECES TO MAKE
BY JESSICA ROSE Published by GMC, September 2014, RRP £14.99 Make your own designer jewellery using beads, wire and fashion pieces with the new book from award-winning founder of the London Jewellery School, Jessica Rose. Bead & Wire Fashion Jewelry is a fresh and modern take on the classic techniques of making beautiful jewellery. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, Jessica will guide you through the basic skills followed by 18 stunning statement pieces to make. Following the central ethos that ‘everyone can make jewellery’, the projects use easy to source materials, assume no prior knowledge and are designed for anyone to make their own professional quality jewellery from the kitchen table. Learn to combine mixed materials such as feathers, fabric, leather and buttons to create wonderful statement pieces of jewellery inspired by current fashion trends. The book showcases a simple but inspiring design process using mood boards, cutouts and collages and encourages you to consider the design of a piece in relation to an overall style, outfit or occasion as any fashion designer would. Written by a jewellery lover for jewellery lovers, Bead & Wire Fashion Jewelry is essential reading for anyone wanting to learn to make gorgeous, statement pieces at home. About the author Jessica Rose is the Founder of London Jewellery School, one of the world’s largest 13
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jewellery training centres where over 9,000 students have learnt to make jewellery. She is an experienced teacher having taught hundreds of jewellery-making classes and regularly contributes to a number of leading jewellery magazines, including Making Jewellery and Make and Sell Jewellery. Jessica recently wrote the ‘Set up your own Jewellery Business’ workbook and splits her time evenly between making, teaching, running the jewellery school and supporting budding jewellery designers. Notes for editors: Jessica is the founder and director of the London Jewellery School and Jewelry From Home, the online jewellery tuition site. Find out more at www.londonjewelleryschool.co.uk and www. jewelryfromhome.com. London Jewellery School are running the jewellery tent at Kirstie Allsopp’s The Handmade Fair (19th-21st September, Hampton Court) and Bead & Wire Fashion Jewelry will be available to buy from the GMC Stand (A29, East Tent). January 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BEADING ALL-STARS 20 JEWELRY PROJECTS FROM YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNERS
LARK CRAFTS
ISBN-13: 9781454708629 Price: £19.99 • 20 beautiful new beading projects for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, jewellery and other • Designed by 10 of the world’s finest bead artists and bestselling authors • Suitable for beginner and intermediate beaders For beading fans, this inspirational collection is an all-star feast! Every one of the ten bead artists showcased, including Jamie Cloud Eakin, Marcia DeCoster, Sherry Serafini, and Rachel Nelson-Smith, is a bestselling author and international celebrity in her own right. Together, they’ve contributed 20 new designs for intermediateto-advanced projects, including bead woven and bead-embroidered earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and other jewellery. A must-have book for all eager beaders. Author information: Contributing artists include Marcia DeCoster, Jamie Cloud Eakin, Mabeline Gidez, Melissa Grakowsky Shippee, Diane Hyde, Amy Katz, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Glenda Paunonen and Liisa Turunen (a mother/daughter team), Sherry Serafini and Anneta Valious-all bestselling authors and international celebrities in their own right.
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January 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SABINE LIPPERT’S BEADWORK EVOLUTION NEW TECHNIQUES USING PEYOTE STITCH AND RIGHT ANGLE WEAVE
ISBN-13: 9781454708247 Price: £19.99 • 25 gorgeous beaded jewellery projects • Includes brand new stiching variations • From internationally renowned beadwork designer Sibine Lippert Sabine Lippert’s unique, sophisticated jewellery designs have won her legions of fans worldwide. Now she has created a collection that not only includes 25 gorgeous projects, but also provides stunning variations on popular stitches to build beaders’ skills. From a Peyotestitched Crocodile Bracelet to right angle-woven Marrakech Earrings to the embellished shapes of a Helena Ring, Lippert’s savvy techniques take beading to a whole new level.
Author information: Sabine Lippert was a physician who transformed her passion for beading into a full-time profession as an internationally popular teacher and designer. She teaches workshops in Germany, England, and the United States, as well as at Creativa (a huge German trade show), and is a Swarovski Ambassador.
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BOOK REVIEW
SEED BEAD CHIC LARK JEWELRY & BEADING BEAD INSPIRATIONS 25 ELEGANT PROJECTS INSPIRED BY FINE JEWELRY ISBN-13: 9781454708179 Price: £19.99 • 25 beautiful seed bead jewellery designs • Achieves the sophistication of high-end jewellery on a homemade budget • Suitable for intermediate to advanced beaders, including a newly created stitch Elegant and chic: these 25 handcrafted projects look like the fine jewellery you’d find in high-end boutiques.But why splurge when all it takes to make them are some seed beads and intermediateto-advanced skills? Featuring a variety of stitches, including the author’s newly created right-angle ladder stitch, these stunning pieces cover everything from earrings to brooches. Gorgeous photographs, diagrams, and helpful tips make the beading process simple and pleasurable. Author information: Amy Katz has been beading for 20 years and teaches beading workshops and classes across the U.S. Her designs revolve around the “high-end” jewellery store look using quality seed beads, crystals, pearls, and more.
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January 2015
DEVELOPING A VIBRANT LOCAL ARTS COMMUNITY
Images by Dianne Hodge at Animating Spaces Dragon is by Upatree Arts from Mt Nebo 17
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January 2015
FEATURE
Samford Shorts Film Festival run by local young people at Celebrate Samford. A similar event will be held at the inaugural Arts trail in June 2015. PHOTO DIANNE HODGE
SNAKE SCULPTURE
BY NATUREWORKS PHOTO PETER STORER
PAOLO DENTI - PHOTO PETER STORER 18
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January 2015
HAY THAT’S COOL BY DAVID ATKINSON PHOTO PETER STORER
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Wendy Bailye is a Brisbane based textile artist and feltmaker who is very involved in her local area. With a group of like-minded people, she has helped to create a volunteer group called Creative Samford that is working to bring artists together for the common good of their creative community. Wendy is passionate about her local community “I have lived in this wonderful area for over 40 years and it is such a beautiful and creative place to live. Unfortunately this creativity is often hidden from view and many artists have been working in isolation. We hope to remedy this and provide support and encouragement for artists to work together and collaborate more in our local area”. The tasks this enthusiastic group have been working on have developed from a comprehensive community survey. From this, a list of priorities for the local arts community has been established. Working with a grass roots approach such as this means that the activities that develop are in keeping with what the community has identified and wants, and keeps plans in line with community wishes. Their aim is to make the arts visible and for their local township of Samford to become renowned as a creative place to visit, do business in and live. Samford is a small rural residential area 23 kms North West of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. Samford was originally occupied by indigenous people who named it Kupidabin, an Aboriginal word from the Waka language, meaning ‘place of possums’. It is surrounded by a unique natural environment,close to the villages of Mount Glorious and Mt Nebo, Dayboro and Mt Mee, very near the National Park, Brisbane Forest Park, rainforest and the Moreton Bay region waterways. It is a tourist area of great diversity and beauty, sections of which have views out to beautiful Stradbroke and Moreton Islands. Parts of the D’Aguilar Range, which includes nearby Camp Mountain, Mount Nebo, Mount Glorious and Mount Pleasant give January 2015
GALLERY NEWS rise to the valley in which Samford lies. Samford Village has a wonderful museum, a crystal shop and quite a few nice gift shops and nurseries, a great variety of eateries and cafes including some fabulous organic venues. Samford Commons, a new initiative for the area is in planning and will be a community run enterprise including community gardens and art spaces. Creative Samford has developed an artists’ register with over 250 local arts practitioners listed.They organise regular artists’ breakfasts and meetings, so that artists can meet each other and make valuable connections with each other. The register is invaluable as it means artists can be linked with other artists and also with people needing their services. One of their local artists specialises in creating sacred images and icons and one of the local churches has commissioned her to do some beautiful artworks for them. It is a wonderful thing to be able to facilitate these collaborations. Next year 2015 Creative Samford Inc.will launch the Samford and Surrounds Arts Trail and Open Studios. The trails will debut with a wonderful eclectic mix of artist’s; painters, woodworkers, sculptors, glass artists, ceramicists, textile artists, illustrators and poets and a hooked rug maker, to name a few. The working studios of approximately 30 artists will be open for the four weekends in June from 10am -3pm.Studios will have works for sale as well as demonstrations, artists’ talks and displays of interest. The artists will be in residence and able to answer questions about their work and artistic practice. The Village of Samford will be alive with artist displays in local shops, cafe’s and restaurants. We hope if you are nearby you will join them for this wonderful celebration of creativity and see what is happening in this beautiful part of the world so close to Brisbane.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit: www.samfordcommons.org.au and www.samfordfutures.org W: www.creativesamford.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ samfordartstrail Facebook: www.facebook.com/ creativesamford
DICHOTOMY SCULPTURE
BY JOHN SALMOND - PHOTO PETER STORER 20
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GALLERY NEWS
WOMBAT SCULPTURE BY COLIN CHANDLER - PHOTO PETER STORER
NAOMI TREE BY COLIN CHANDLER PHOTO PETER STORER
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SCULPTURE BY PAULO DENTI BOMBAY SAPPHIRE PHOTO PETER STORER
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January 2015
INTERVIEW
ARTIST AND DESIGNER DODO FLUGGE
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y name is Dodo Flugge. I am an artist and designer living in Edinburgh UK.
In her interview with Editor Joan Gordon Dodo discusses her passion for art and her creative career. What is unique about your work? What is probably most unique, is that I enjoy creating in a number of mediums - from large canvas paintings to extremely detailed ink drawings to painting furniture and designing jewellery. I am most happy when working on a number of projects at a time as well; finding inspiration in one project which leads into the next. In my work I try to convey layers of emotions, the focus always being on colour rather than what might be depicted (if the work is not abstract). I rarely approach a work with a clear concept of what I want to paint or depict - it usually starts with one element and goes from there. I enjoy painting most when it is very intuitive and unexpected.
for a relaxed atmosphere that invites people to approach work in progress and be inspired. My main creative focus is on the furniture and artwork with some jewellery on the side. Obviously that doesn’t fill a whole shop space cohesively which is why I also research and stock other designer’s work, handpicking home wares and lighting that fit in with my colourful and sometimes creepy aesthetic in furniture and art. The impression I wanted to create when all things come together is as if the visitor was walking into one of my paintings. Is there a theme or concept that runs through your work that translates through your media of choice? I started painting furniture because I always liked the idea of “usable” art and painting on unusual surfaces. My paintings have a common concept in the sense that I have a very clear idea of which colours I associate with certain emotions in my head and I implement them accordingly to create the desired layering and narrative in a painting.
Please share with us information about your shop, the paintings, home wares and upcycled furniture. My business partner and I opened the shop almost two years ago. We had run a business together and so we hatched a plan to turn my creative passion and his adventurous spirit into a business. My ideal scenario was to have a shop and artist’s workshop/studio/creative laboratory in one space. The location we are in used to be an old wine cellar, which is big enough to allow ample space for this. I have always liked the idea of spaces with multiple uses that convey a sense of bustling creative activity while also making 23
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INTERVIEW
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INTERVIEW
Do you exhibit your work in other galleries? If so please talk about what is currently on show and where. At the moment I am completely focussed on my own gallery, but a nearby bar has a few of my paintings featured, which means people who don’t normally visit galleries get to see them, and that has resulted in a couple of sales of my paintings. Where do you gain inspiration? My inspiration comes predominantly (surprise, surprise) from colours or colour combinations - be it in the detail of a chipped, layered paint on a door that I’m passing to foliage and flowers in nature or my random collection of pictures and objects on my studio wall. Anything can spark an emotion which in turn, leads to an idea. Are there any artists or designers that you truly admire? – If so, please say who they are and why you find them inspiring. There are so many inspiring creatives out there whose work I truly admire right now that this list would take forever. Ultimately, it was Kandinsky’s writings on art which had the biggest impact. His work made me first realise that abstract work had a much deeper impact than more classical art. What are your goals for the next 5 years? More than anything I aim to continue develop as an artist doing what I do now. I am also forward to collaborations with other creatives. Eventually I would love to develop my own range of home-wares and textiles.
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CONTACT DETAILS Dodo Flugge diedododa 5a East Preston Street EH8 9QQ - Edinburgh W:www.diedododa.com E: dodo@diedododa.com F: www.facebook.com/diedododa T: www.twitter.com/diedododa I: www.instagram.com/diedododa January 2015
NEW BOOK ON RESIN JEWELLERY BY CLARE JOHN
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January 2015
BOOK LAUNCH
The book is a comprehensive guide to using epoxy resin in jewellery and includes 16 step-by-step projects. There are plenty of gallery pages showing contemporary jewellery designs from around the world that use resin.
C
lare has been using resin since the 1970s and teaching resin workshops since 2004 and the book is filled with her knowledge and experience of this versatile material. ‘I have often been asked when I was going to write my own book’ says Clare ‘so I got on with it and did it. I wanted to have a book that was practical with lots of technical help and also full of design ideas. I decided to create projects that were inspired by jewellery and craft that I had seen in museums and books and I am very grateful for the help I had from the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ‘The layout and design was done by my very talented sister, Sarah John, who trained as an illustrator and designer. She has done a wonderful job and was very sensitive to my ideas whilst creating a strong look to the book.’ “It is clear that you are wildly enthusiastic about your topic and it’s hard to believe that any reader will not be quickly pulled into your slipstream. Even scanning the pages was enough to make me feel empowered.” Tim McCreight, Brynmorgen Press.
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Thank you Clare for writing such a beautiful and useful book full of great pictures, clear step by step instructions and exciting projects suitable for beginners or professionals alike. I love that Clare has drawn on designs from the history of art to inspire the projects and has given them a modern, if not timeless, twist. I also appreciate that there is an “alternative (easier) version” beside every project allowing everyone to give it a go. My favourite projects are the Cloisonné Pendant, the Art Nouveau Earrings, the Fabric and Resin Bangle, the Steampunk Necklace … Last but not least the “Gallery” sections with their gorgeous pictures of jewellery pieces from different artists are very inspirational. Alice Todd, Jewellery Maker, Kenilworth UK The book is clearly laid out, with a thorough introduction covering everything you need to know about working with resin. The individual resin projects are clearly written and beautifully illustrated, with an abundance of projects for all skills levels. …. The book provides comprehensive
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BOOK LAUNCH
tools and materials lists (also per project) and information on where to source them, as well as valuable metalsmithing tips and techniques. For me, as an ‘old-fashioned’ book lover, it has the additional appeal of having been published on beautiful paper, which adds to the overall professional result. Kim Allwright, Jewellery Maker, UK
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The book is available on Clare’s website www.resin8.co.uk and on Amazon at £16.99. ISBN 978-0992647308
January 2015
FEATURE
TEXTILE ARTIST LOUISE O’HARA
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January 2015
THE CHIMNEY SWEEP ALWAYS COMES IN AUTUMN
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January 2015
FEATURE
I
am a mixed media artist working under the name of DrawntoStitch. I create work from my studio at home in the heart of Cheshire, England. My studio is filled to the rafters with items often discarded and overlooked in everyday life. I always take the opportunity to visit second hand and antique shops whenever I can. I look for things that evoke memories within me and things that had a previous existence. I want to rejuvenate them and breathe new life into them so they can continue in a cycle—things like crocheted mats, throws, quilts—in fact, anything that is domestic, found in the home and made by hand. I love the fact that the items I collect offer a trace of the past and that they have a history of their own and stories to tell. I have jars of buttons, rusty items, threads, papers, fabrics...all waiting to start life again and be incorporated into a piece when the time is right. I don’t consider anything I use to be unusual, but there is such sentiment within the items I do use and those I surround myself with. My work: Within my work I use a combination of hand painted and dyed layered surfaces to create intricate collages, I like to combine rich layered surfaces of fabrics, paper, machine and hand stitch as well as vintage and discarded items which I combine to create complex and intricate mixed media pieces. I spend days gathering papers and fabrics and dying them with a combination of inks and paints in a combination of colour ways, these are then stored and ready to use when the time is right. When I start to build my mixed
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FEATURE media pieces, I often produce small collections in similar colour combinations, one week maybe spring and another week maybe the colours of autumn. I also undertake commissions where the buyer dictates the colour palette. I really enjoy the challenge of a commission piece. My influences: My work has been described as ‘quintessentially English, romantic and nostalgic’. My work explores the richness of light, the colour and the texture that I see around me. Often focusing on rugged northern landscapes with brooding skies and lighter coastal scenes that are based on the memory of a place or a childhood holiday. Each piece I produce is usually made from a collection of places I have visited both as a child and more recently as an adult. I don’t want the viewer to be anchored to one place but, instead, reminisce about many memories and experiences they have had themselves. My love of ‘Beauty in imperfection’: During My Masters Degree in Fashion and Textiles I discovered ‘wabi Sabi’ and the ethos of ‘beauty in imperfection’; this really captures my inspirations and the work which I produce, I am influenced by tactile aged surfaces like peeling paint on walls and fabrics which are threadbare but laden with memories and stories to tell. I like to photograph and record elements of trace, things that indicate a remnant or mark of something previous. I feel that these recordings come through in the tactile surfaces I create in my mixed media pieces. My favourite part of the creative process: I relish the time I have in my studio and I do try and have ‘play days’ where I experiment with media in different ways, I love to let the 32
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materials dictate the outcomes, this is often my favourite time in the studio. I also love it when people receive their work and take the time to get in touch to tell me how much they love the piece and how much better it looks in real life than the actual photographic image of the work. Creating gives me a strong sense of fulfilment and confidence, I just love to be able to create and spend hours working in my studio ‘playing’ with mixed media. I feel blessed and thankful everyday that I am able to do something that I enjoy so much and if creating is something that you are thinking of doing then I cannot encourage you enough to chase this dream.
CONTACT DETAILS W www. drawntostitch.com F facebook.com/DrawntoStitch PHOTO CREDIT - LOUISE O-HARA
January 2015
BLOG SPOT
SP OT LIG H T ON YO U In the following section of our magazine you’ll find blogs from people who live their life in a creative way. If you have a story you’d like to have published that is relevant to living life creatively, email the editor and if space is available we’ll print it in a future issue. Email: creativelifemagazine@gmail.com
IN THIS ISSUE JOAN GORDON – WRITER -TUTOR - MAKER When not working on my various commissions and projects, I like to travel and explore the world around me.Visiting new places and learning about the culture and historical background of the current inhabitants is inspirational. In this issue of CLM I blog about my recent visit to my home in Australia, I hope you enjoy it.
RICHARD WALSH –PHOTOGRAPHER
In this issue, Richard offers a series of articles to help those keen to photograph their work and contribute to magazines. On page 34 you’ll find some of his top tips for taking seaside photographs.
OLD MAC - TRAVELLER
From ‘Down Under’, our regular Aussie contributor Mac, blogs about his recent visit to an exciting rodeo in North Queensland. Read all about it his adventures on page 40.
THOMAS COOK - PHOTOGRAPHER
Turn to page 56 and feast your eyes on Tom’s beautiful photography. Here Tom shares with us his recent visit to America.
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BLOG SPOT
DIY PHOTOGRAPHIC
LIGHT BOX
Taking good photographs of your work is essential; using a simple light box will make taking good quality photos of your work possible. Feel free to contact me with any questions, I’m always happy to help. Cheers Richard
HOMEMADE LIGHTBOX
Some photographers who regularly submit images to magazines or websites use a lightbox to ensure consistent photography. These can be expensive but I am going to give you instructions on how to construct a DIY lightbox that will do a very similar job to a professional product.
THE BOX
The cheapest and easiest DIY photo light tent is made with a simple cardboard box. Create ‘windows’ in the box and cover them with white paper, cloth, or other light diffusing material. Choose a box large enough on the inside to fit products you’ll be photographing while leaving a bit of room for background space. The box opening will be the front of your light tent, where your camera will be positioned for shooting, so you just need to cut ‘windows’ into each of the two sides. Your cut-out spaces need to be almost as large as the entire side, but you’ll want to leave 1-2 inches of cardboard in place to act as a structural frame. Cutting a window out for the top of your light tent is optional, and it allows you to use additional lighting from a top-down direction. Diffuser material is what you use to diffuse or soften the light from lamps, studio lights and flash bulbs. With a cardboard-box light tent, standard printer paper is often used for the diffuser material.You simply 34
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January 2015
tape it on to the sides and top of your cardboard box frame in place of the cut-out sections. The end result will be a cardboard box frame with white-filled translucent ‘windows’.
TOP TIPS
Once you have made your light box the following tips will help you to achieve clear images of your work that may be used for sending to galleries, to make promotional brochures or to submit for publication. Use a tripod. No matter how still you think your hands are once on screen or in print, the image can be less than perfect in terms of sharpness. A tripod eliminates any shaking. Another tip is to use the 2 second timer, so your hands are off the camera when the shot is taken. Shoot digitally. Shooting digitally has an enormous advantage in that you can snap away capturing half a dozen shots from different angles and choose the best for your product. Don’t be afraid to take lots of shots and experiment with the light and angles. Technical Spec. When submitting images to be published save them as jpeg images of at least 1mb (1,000pixels) and 300dpi (dots per inch). Keep the backdrop uncluttered and use white background as a default, the uncluttered rule still should be followed regardless of stylistic content. 35
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BLOG SPOT SWITCH OFF TIME AND DATE FUNCTIONS
SUBMITTING PHOTOS
TO MAGAZINES Taking good photographs of your work is essential; saving and sending them to publishers in the right format and size is important. Richard Walsh SUBMITTING PHOTOS TO MAGAZINES
As photographers, we would all like to see our images in print, and the glossier the magazine the better we like it! However, magazine and news people are all very busy, so they certainly don’t want to be messing around with photographs sent in the wrong format or the wrong size. Submitting images to a magazine has become more straightforward over the years with the rise of digital cameras and the increasing quality of the DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) market. Not so long ago, submitting images was a lengthy and expensive thing to do, and only quality prints would stand a chance of publication. Although it may be easier now, there are still rules and specifications to follow and it’s always worth checking with the specific publication before you waste your time - and theirs. The requirements of publications can vary, but there is an industry standard which should work for most editors: Images should be at 300dpi: if images are for web-based viewing, smaller 72dpi sizes may be acceptable. Do make sure your images are to the correct pixel size.
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IMAGE WRONG DPI FOR PRINT
✓ Send images to an FTP site or Cloud
address if available ✓ Clearly name image files on any
CD-ROM you send ✓ Turn off camera time/date function as
they can be difficult to remove from the image ✓ Always supply the photo as an
attachment to an email
DON’T ✗ E-mail huge, unsolicited images ✗ Over-sharpen images ✗ Send hundreds of images;
choose the best ✗ Use cheap blank CD-ROMs,
paper or ink ✗ Send the camera’s expensive
storage media ✗ Embed your image into the email:
always supply as an attachment
SIZING PICTURES • Thumbnails for Web pages • Images for Web/Emails • Publication (quarter page) • Publication (half page) • Publication (full page)
120 X 90 640 X 480 1600 x 1200 2400 x 1800 3200 x 2400
DO... ✓ Save your picture in JPEG format ✓ E-mail small thumbnail images first,
.....along with a enquiry letter if you are sending speculative images
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Remember If in any doubt, you can usually rely on someone at the publication to help you provide the correct size and type of image for their use. Feel free to contact me with any questions. vI’m always happy to help. Cheers, Richard E: rjwphotography@aol.co.uk W: www.rjw-photography.com
January 2015
TA K I N G B E TT E R P H OTOS O F YO U R WO R K Richard Walsh Taking good photographs of your work is essential, it goes without saying really that the better they look the more chance you have of being selected for an exhibition or selling your work online or from a magazine. Feel free to contact me with any questions, I’m always happy to help. Cheers Richard In writing this short piece on photo tips for you I am making a couple of assumptions; you are using a non-DSLR camera like a digital point ‘n shoot model and also that you don’t have the software (or the inclination) to spend lots of time on post production through an image manipulation product like Photoshop. TURN YOUR FLASH OFF Always use natural sunlight either outside or by a good open lightsource inside, a skylight would be perfect to reduce shadow or patio doors. Direct sunlight is not good so try to take your shots on a bright but cloudy day. If you really can’t wait and you must use a flash don’t flash the product directly if possible or use some tissue over the flash or bounce the light off a piece of white card to reduce the impact. If your camera allows you to turn the flash power down then do that, harsh flash will do your photo more harm than good, my advice is to wait for outside opportunities. You can make a DIY lightbox which will help with lighting your photo. 38
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FILL THE WHOLE
PIC CREDIT MANDY NASH
January 2015
BLOG SPOT
SETTING THE STAGE How this is done can vary from individual to individual, but it is important to think about making your shot look attractive and in my opinion, useful. Personally, I prefer to see photos that show a product actually in use or at least in an appropriate and relevant situation. DRESSING THE SHOT
KEEP THE BACK GROUND UNCLUTTERED
Basically I am talking about setting your product in a set with appropriate accessories, it’s an easy way to bring your work to life.Warning though, don’t overdo the accessories and make it cluttered. The backdrop to your product is almost as important as the piece itself. Use sheets of paper or board (you can buy these in local stationers or art suppliers). White is the preferred backdrop for most things but always good to have a selection of colours like black or grey. For some designs a backdrop of a area like your garden is ideal, for example felt flowers look better and consistant with the setting. FILL THE WHOLE FRAME I would almost always use the macro setting (usually indicated with an icon of a tulip) on the camera to ensure I got a closeup shot of the work and it also fills the whole frame of the shot, it really does make your item look more interesting and professional. Please do experiment with this, getting up close and personal with your work will breathe new life into your photos and give your potential customers a new viewpoint of your work.
USE A TRIPOD FOR CLOSE UP
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CONTACT DETAILS W: www.rjw-photography.co.uk January 2015
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NEWS
FROM DOWN UNDER 41
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NEWS FROM DOWN UNDER In this issue of Creative Life Magazine, Old Mac sends us a blog from his recent adventures in Queensland Australia. The following is an extract from his journal after visiting the Mareeba Rodeo. Mareeba is a town on the Atherton Tableland in FNQ (Far North Queensland), Australia. The town is 417 metres (1,368 ft) above sea-level, on the confluence of the Barron River, Granite Creek and Emerald Creek. The town’s name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning meeting of the waters referring to the point at which the Barron River is joined by Granite Creek. At the 2006 census, Mareeba had a population of 6,806. From 1942 to 1945,up to 10,000Australian and US service personnel used Mareeba Airfield as a staging post for battles in New Guinea and The Pacific. The Americans referred to it as Hoevet Field in honour of Major Dean Carol “Pinky” Hoevet who was killed on 16 August 1942. The Mareeba Rodeo takes place over a weekend each July. The first rodeo was held in 1949 at Davies Park (which is now the home ground of the Gladiators Rugby League team). On the Friday night, there is a parade through the town, and the Rodeo Princess is crowned (the first Princess was crowned in 1959). Over the rest of the weekend the rodeo proper is held at Kerribee Park. People come from all over Australia for it. They come down from way up the Cape- Cape York, from Perth in West Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, and they come in from way out in western Queensland, where the hat brims are wide and the stockwhips crack. In 1955 the Australian Rodeo Championships were held at 42
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Mareeba for the first time. Sideshows and rides became an integral part of the entertainment, thanks mainly to the efforts of the legendary Jimmy Sharman. Jimmy Sharman was a Living Legend throughout the length and breadth of Australia for running the “Boxing Tent” at Shows right throughout the country.The author of this article recalls well as a youngster hearing the big drum that would be beating, hearing the chant “Here’s where they fight and here’s where they wrestle”, plus that famous call of “A round or two for a pound or two”! On the Saturday, heats are conducted. This is called “Running the Slack”. It is full on and goes all day. The events are Bare Back, Saddle Bronc, Calf Roping, Steer Wrestling and Bull Riding. And for the Ladies there is Barrel Racing. Sunday is known as “Finals Day”. This is the best day to be there. If ever you have to pick just one day to go, then be sure to pick “Finals Day”, as this is the day when the best riders are in action. There is normally a field of ten in each final event. The winner takes home a very handy sum of prize money. The last event in the day is Bull Riding, this is the one that the boys all want to win. It is very rough and tough and somewhat dangerous. To win the Bull Ride at Mareeba is considered to be rather prestigious. As you walk out through the car park at the end of the day you overhear comments on various riders as to how good they were, and always comments about coming back next year to Mareeba. If you are looking for an exciting Australian experience, I can certainly recommend visiting the Rodeo in 2015. Safe travels, Old Mac
January 2015
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1 7 T H E T N CON F E RE N CE M A KE A DAT E I N YO U R D I A RY: DUTCH TEXTILE ART, CRAFT & DESIGN FROM16 -17 MAY, 2015 IN LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS Now well on its way, this European Textile Network Conference, part of the Dutch “Textile Festival” organised by STIDOC, an association made up of seven Dutch textilerelated organisations, is promising a unique insight in the community of textile creators, educators and curators in the Netherlands. ETN is organising a two-days conference “DUTCH TEXTILE ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN” from 16 -17 May at the Museum voor Volkenkunde (the National Museum of Ethnography) in Leiden, furthermore textile tours to Tilburg, Amsterdam, Rijswijk, Zaandam & Marken, to Leuven & Antwerp and a Jacquard workshop at the Tilburg Textile Museum. (See www.etn-net. org/etn/211e.htm ) The STIDOC foundation, organiser of the Textile Festival is creating a Leiden Textile Route from 13th – 16th May ( http://www.textielfestival. nl/textielroute.php ) with over 45 textile exhibitions at 34 venues, dealing with textiles on all levels and from all working fields. Textile works like the results of a textile competition for everybody to textile art by professional artists will be on view. Further STIDOC also organises 17 one-day workshops four of which are held in English by ETN members (http://www. textielfestival.nl/workshops/dagworkshops.php) and an Arts & Craft market at the St Pieterskerk
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(a church), the main venue of the Festival. For the complete programme see www.textielfestival.nl/ More textile organisations have joined: The Dutch Textile Commission (textilecommissie. nl see: http://www.textielcommissie.nl/htmldocs/ uk-actueel.html) will hold its Spring-Symposium to the theme of “Biodesign in textile” on 18th May at the same venue as the ETN Conference, the Museum Voor Volkenkunde. The Foundation “Textiel Plus” is organising a major Farewell Event at the Scheltema -building, a former blanket factory, with two exhibitions and a Dolls Project. The Textile Research Centre in Leiden will have intensive courses on textiles and textile production (http://www.trc-leiden.nl/trc/). The speakers of the 17th ETN Conference for Saturday 16 May, 2015 are now confirmed: 1. Textiles in the context of the Stedelijk Museum and Dutch Design, Ingeborg de Roode. She is currently curator for industrial design in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. She will discuss the role of Dutch textiles within the collection and the criteria that apply to collecting textiles today. She will also talk about textiles in the context of Dutch Design and the part played by Dutch designers in the international design world. Ingeborg de Roode organised many temporary exhibitions of which the most recent one is ‘Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up at the Stedelijk. 25 Years of Design’. www.youtube.com/ watch?v=MWu_1TI95cc January 2015
BLOG SPOT 2. Readable structures, Joke Robaard. Since 2004 the Textile department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy is called TXT: Textile and Text, these both words derive from the latin verb tessere, which means to weave. From that moment the department has developed an ongoing investigation in combining material research to theoretical research. She is an artist/researcher and a theory tutor at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. She was the ´visionary`and coordinator of TXT (former textile department) www.jokerobaard.nl/ 3. The TextielLab, a laboratory for research and experiments at the TextielMuseum. Hebe Verstappen. The `beating heart`of the Dutch TextielMuseum is the TextielLab, a working place for research and experiments,in-between a specialised workshop and a laboratory for producing woven and knitted fabrics, prints, embroideries, tufted works and passementerie.Hebe Verstappen is the the Head of the TextielLab of the Tilburg TextielMuseum. She is responsible for the artistic, creative and educative aims of this working place, overlooking its vision and management and initiating & selecting new projects to support this vision. ( HYPERLINK “http://www. textiellab.nl/en/” http://www.textiellab.nl/en/). 4. Innovative Textiles, Lenneke Langenhuijsen of Buro BELÉN Lenneke langenhuijsen and Brecht Duijf. They graduated both cum laude from the Design Academy Eindhoven at the “Man & Well-being” Department.Last year BELÉN won the “young talent pin award” and for the Wooden Textiles they received the first prize at “Open Design Italy” www.burobelen.com 5. The Importance of craftsmanship in Barbara Broekman´s work, Barbara Broekman. This artist has a special relation with textile materials and manual skills. Educated at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, she followed the Master of Fine Arts programme at the California College of the 45
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Arts in Berkeley, USA. Broekman has completed many large-scale commissions, her work is a.o. in collections of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Tilburg Textile Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York. www. barbarabroekman.nl/” 6. Material Mentality?, Simone de Waart. The lecture will show examples of current Dutch textile designs and illustrate the sense of materials innovation for textiles. She initiated the company Material Sense, functioning as a network that connects design, research, education and industry to enhance materials innovation. Further she works as lecturer at the Technical University of Eindhoven. www.materialsense.com 7. 3D Printed Fashion: From the Computer to the Catwalk, company Materialise. Since Iris van Herpen’s first 3D printed piece took to the catwalk in 2011,a growing number of designers have started to embrace the technology. This presentation has the aim is to give you a look behind the curtain of 3D printed fashion and show how designs by the likes of Iris van Herpen, Anouk Wipprecht, threeASFOUR, Studio XO and more are “materialised”. www.materialise.com/press/smoke-dress-hitsthe-volkswagen-catwalk-in-frankfurt 8. Collecting and Structuring Marian Bijlenga. She will discuss how she came to be a collector and in what way the items in her collection influence her own work. The preference for structuring, arranging and connecting evident in her work is reflected in the way she handles her collection. Marian Bijlenga trained as a textile artist at the Rietveld Academy, her work is a.o. included in the collections of the Museum of Art & Design, New York; the Craft Museum Finland; The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; the TextielMuseum TilburgNL
January 2015
BLOG SPOT The speakers of the 17the ETN Conference for Sunday 17 May, 2015, (draft as not all speakers are confirmed).
aaamodelled after ETN 13. Shan Zeng/China: The Hangzhou Academy of Art as the Textile Biennial organizers
A : Dutch textiles 1. Loan Oei:“from Spider Web to World Wide Web” 2.“Textiles at the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde/Leiden (The National Museum of Ethnology)”, n.n. 3. Maria Friend/Australia: “The influence of Javanese batik in the Dutch art at the beginning of the 20th century”. 4. Jori Zijlmans: The History of “Leids Laken (woollen cloth)”. 5. Michaela Leeflang:”The secret of the Middle Ages in gold thread and silk”. 6. Nicole Roepers: “ The New Leids Laken (woollen cloth) Project. 7. Constance Willems “The North of Holland is Knitting - Knitting in Dutch Art & photography from Rembrandt up to 1969”.
The 17th ETN Conference Tours and trips
B: International textile projects 1. Ludmila Egorova & Andrew Schneider/ Ukraine: Scythia Project 2. Silvia Federova/Slovakia: Minitextile Exhibitions by the Slovak Textile Artists Association TXT 3. Virginija Vitkiene/ Lithuania: Kaunas Biennial since 1997 4. Paola Re/Italy: 25 Years organizing Miniartextil Como 5. Patricia Christy/UK: Celebrating 25 Years of TEXERE & ideas for the future 6. Nino Kipshidze /Georgia: Celebrating 23 Years of the Georgian Textile Group 7. Elisabeth Brenner/Sweden: Nordic Textile Art association 8. Joe Lewis/Canada: International Exhibitions hosted in Canada 9. Susan Taber Avila/USA: Playing nice with others - A practical perspective on the collaborative aaprocess 10. Keiko Kawashima/Japan: Kyoto International Textile Art Center 11. Chunghie Lee/Korea:The Korea Bojagi Forum 12. Paulina Ortiz/Costa Rica & Lala de Dios/ Spain: The Red Textil Iberoamericana, a network 46
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Visit to Tilburg on 13 May 2015: One-day trip by bus to the TextielMuseum Tilburg with an introduction to the exhibition “Minimalism” followed by a tour through the museum under the motto “Experiment and Inspiration” stressing the making of textiles and the special products made in the museum.The well-known Textile Lab (where textile artists/designers are able to experiment and produce with industrial machinery) and the “Minimalism” exhibition can be visited. Having a look at further museum premises is a further option. After the lunch in the museum cafe the trip will be continued with a visit to the Museum de Pont, a modern art museum in a former spinning mill or with a visit to a weaving mill producing innovative round-knitting. Visit to Amsterdam on 14 May: This oneday trip by bus starts with a visit to the newly re-opened Rijksmuseum with a general guided tour of about 1 hour, total time in this museum 2 ½ hour for further exploration. The group will walk to the former hospital “Wilhelmina Gasthuis” (WG), today an artists’ centre, where the ateliers can be visited. The well-known Dutch textile artist Marian Bijlenga, will appear as speaker at the ETN Conference. A special chartered boat at the “Leidsebosje” will take us on a 1 hour tour through Amsterdam. Afterwards there will be time to visit the “Nine little streets”, the famous “Kalverstraat”, the Almshouses courtyard at the Waalse Kerk, or the high-end “Bijenkorf ” store. The group will gather again at a central point and take the ferry from the Amsterdam Central Station to the new spectacular architecture of the film museum “Eye”. Visits at the Leiden Textiel Festival on 15 May: For the ETN Conference participants there are special guided tours of about 2 hours each, departure from the Pieterskerk, to some January 2015
BLOG SPOT venues of the Textile Festival. Visit the Rijswijk Museum: Rijswijk Textile Biennial on 15th May with an Indonesian “Rijsttafel” (rice table) buffet and a glass of wine. Departure 17.30 h by bus. Symposium “Biodesign in Textile” on Monday 18th May: A symposium in English organised by the Dutch Textile Commission. Costs are 60 €; about 40 places are reserved for ETN members at this event, book your space now! The flyer can be found here: www. etn-net.org/etn/BiodesignflyerUKlores.pdf and the programme draft:www.textielcommissie.nl/ htmldocs/uk-symposia.html Dutch Folklore Day on 18 May: One-day trip by bus to the Zaanse Schans (www.dezaanseschans. nl/en/). The traditional costume society “de Zaanse Kaper” will show us the costumes of that part of “Noordholland” (province). Further a visit to the “Verfmolen De Kat”, including a 10 minute walk, is planned where the miller Piet Kempenaar will tell us about natural pigments and dyestuffs (www.verfmolendekat.com). Pancake restaurant De Kraai is our place for lunch this day. We move on by bus to Volendam for a boat trip to the peninsula of Marken (http://en.wikivoyage.org / wiki/marken). Curator Neeltje van Altena of the Marken Museum will welcome us and organise our visit: One part of the group is visiting the museum with a special textile exhibition on traditional children’s costumes; the second part will have a guided tour of Marken. After 45 minutes the groups will be exchanged. Departure by boat and by bus to Leiden. Visit to Leuven and Antwerp on 19th May. Arrival at Leuven at 10:00 h to visit the company Materialise to be shown how 3D haute couture is created in this futuristic company. Then we travel to the Antwerp Fashion Museum (MoMu). Here we are welcomed by MoMu curator Frieda Sorber. Our group will be divided into 3 groups to view the current exhibition on Dries van Noten and also the depot plus archive. Return to Leiden around 20.00 h, depending on traffic. Our visit to the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam on 19th May, is an informal event at the Stedelijk 47
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Museum´s depot and textile collection. The group will be accompanied by ETN member Anne Mieke Kooper and will be guided by the Head of Design, Ingeborg de Roode (ETN Conference speaker). Meeting place is NOT the Stedelijk Museum but the Depot Stedelijk Museum, Gyroscoopweg 15, Amsterdam (train Leiden-Amsterdam, station Amsterdam Sloterdijk, a walk of approximately15 minutes; travel time about 50 minutes). The 17th ETN Conference Workshops Vibeke Vestby: Working with the TC2 Jacquard loom, Wednesday 13th to Thursday 14th May at the Tilburg Textile museum. This is the chance for all those who have wanted to try their hands on this electronic Jacquard handsample loom, connecting designers with industry and giving artists complete freedom of design! English language one-day workshops organised by the Textiel Festival on Thursday 14th May 2015: Beatriz Schaaf-Giesser/D “Felt Art or the Art of 3D Felting”; Jiyoung Chung/ Korea/USA “Joomchi”; on Friday 15th May 2015: Silvia Federova/SK “Bobbin Lace Jewelry” and Chunghie Lee/Korea/USA “Bogagi and Beyond” Felt art. Exact dates, venues and costs of these courses are published on the Textile festival website www.textielfestival.nl/workshops/workshops_ english.php Registration information For the 17th ETN Conference: The conference website www.etn-net.org/ etn/211e.htm is providing the application form: www.etn-net.org/etn/ConferenceApplicationLeiden. pdf For the Biodesign in Textile Symposium the Textielcommissie.nl should be contacted: http:// www.textielcommissie.nl/htmldocs/uk-actueel. html For the one-day workshops please contact the Textiel Festival organisers: www.textielfestival.nl/workshops/workshops_ english.php”
January 2015
BLOG SPOT
I L IV E I N T H E LA N D D OW N U N DE R
I
was visiting my home in Somerset Dam – Queensland, Australia, whilst putting together this issue of Creative Life Magazine. Over the past four months, I have experienced one of the hottest springs and summers ever! For several days, we hit 41C with humidity of 90%. To say the weather has been extreme is not an exaggeration. On arriving into Brisbane on the 1st of September, it was a shock to see how dry the countryside was. The grass burnt to a crisp in most areas was such a contrast to the ever green fields near to my home in Wales (UK). The drive north-west from the city to our rural district of Lake Somerset, was depressing to say the least. Paddocks were almost bare expanses of dirt. Cattle were straining their necks through barbwire fences to eat the grass struggling to grow on the verge. Kangaroos were abundant along the roadside, which may be exciting for tourists, but the reality of Roos on the road is a dangerous one. If you hit a kangaroo at speed, it can take out your radiator and cause considerable damage to your vehicle.The wildlife and cattle had very little feed to sustain them. In those first few weeks of September, I ventured up into the ranges north of Kilcoy to one of my favourite State Forests called Peach Trees. With my husband, Andrew, brother Tony and
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LOCAL WILDLIFE
two friends, we set out on a walk through the forest. The designated track takes you from gum tree shaded picnic areas into a dry literal rain forest, a plantation of hoop pine, then out into rough open scrubland. I like the variation of the walk, listening to the songs of a brilliant variety of birds, observing kangaroos and wallabies and occasionally catching sight of a koala. What I didn’t enjoy on this trip were the number of snakes that were on our path. Normally you expect one or two but this spring we seemed to have hit the day that the winter hibernation ended and snakes were on the move looking for food and a mate. In less than three hours, we saw seven snakes, five of which were deadly. It was a unanimous decision that we would leave bush walking until the early flush of spring had passed. As the heat intensified over the following weeks, an early swim at the dam was imperative. If you January 2015
BREAKFAST AT SOMERSET 41ºC
NOVEMBER FIRE SOMERSET DAM
RURAL FIRE RESCUE CHOPPER IN ACTION
wanted to go for a walk outdoors after 7.30am chances were you would fry. Residents and visitors are very spoilt here in Somerset with the beautiful expanses of water and wildlife. The barbeque facilities down at the picnic areas are superb. The ‘barbies’ are undercover, fuelled by gas, completely free to use and cleaned by a local ranger. There are also boat ramps for launching fishing and speedboats plus shaded playgrounds for children.What is not to love about that? Many a morning after a swim we enjoy our breakfast down at the lake, for us it is the perfect start to the day. Because Somerset is nestled between ranges, we attract thunder and lightning storms, in effect this area creates its own eco weather patterns. One such storm caused a lightning strike in the mountain behind our village.The fire smouldered for several days. After ten days of smoke and haze in the village, the rural fire helicopters came to 49
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our assistance. It was quite a dramatic 48hours. Fortunately, no homes were damaged but one wonders how well the animals fared. Despite the efforts of these talented pilots, who quite honestly take their lives in their own hands flying so low over power lines and trees, the fire sparked up again. After another attempt with hard wing aircraft dumping water, the ground rural fire team (all volunteers) came in and back burnt the mountain. At night you could see the trees ablaze, the mountain looked like a major firework display.The sound of a tree cracking and falling was eerie. After another four days, the fire finally burnt itself out, which was a relief. How lucky are we to have such brave and dedicated people keeping our homes safe? I love this part of Australia, my home, family, community and friends. It’s always hard to leave here, but such a wonderful place to return to. This is my ‘lucky country’. January 2015
2015 CONFERENCE IFA - AGM & CONFERENCE 2015
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January 2015
WHY FELTING MATTERS…. The Conference will be held at The Friars Conference Centre, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 7BX. Set in the heart of Kent, England, The Friars Aylesford Priory - is an ancient religious house of the Order of Carmelites dating back to the 13th Century. www.thefriars.org.uk. The Friars has a well-established conference centre hosting seminars and conferences for a wide selection of businesses and other bodies, including local government, health authorities, other charities and religious groups. Situated only an hour from Gatwick Airport, the medieval Priory houses an 80 bedroomed guesthouse set within acres of beautiful grounds.Welcoming individuals seeking peace and quiet and groups coming for retreats or conferences, the guesthouse can sleep up to 100 people and visitors are welcome to stay from one day up to two weeks and all guests are welcome to join the Carmelite Community at any of the daily services. The organising committee have put together an exciting schedule of varied workshops with both UK and international tutors and, in addition to this, 4 x 2 day pre-conference Masterclasses. Our impressive list of Tutors includes Judit Pocs, Evelyn Refsahl, Leiko Uchiyama, Ewa Kuniczak, Joke van Zinderen, Jenny Barnett, Tricia Warman and Kate Appleby. Judit, Evelyn, Leiko and Ewa will also be teaching 2 day pre-Conference Masterclasses on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th March. There follows here a very brief resume of all the classes, full details are available on the website: www.feltmakers.com. Don’t delay in booking as spaces are limited. CLASSES Ewa Kuniczak - Felt Reality In this workshop you will experience a method of creating accurate translations of your design 51
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SAMPLE & SCARF - LEIKO UCHIYAMA
ideas into felts of quality.The workshop will allow you to translate any intricate design to make your own felt panel, following the processes from start to finish, so that you may apply this method in future projects. (2 day workshop) Evelyn Refsahl – Hats Workshop 1 Hat with elements felted in or on the surface, Workshop 2 Hat with decorative elements coming out of the surface. (1 day workshop) Kate Appleby - Bits and Pieces: photographing felt in the digital age. A workshop on photographing felt pieces. It is intended for feltmakers to build on their existing knowledge of photography, explore ways of developing their photography. (1 day workshop). Tricia Warman - Creative Kantha with Wool, Texture, Colour and Imagery. Traditional Kantha cloth originated in Indian Bengal, born out of necessity in poor homes making a new cloth from scraps of old saris and dhotis. These cloths were then intensively stitched over the entire surface. We will use felt, dyed blanket, woollen cloth, tweed fabric scraps January 2015
layered onto a backing to create a small sample piece which will include running stitch, backstitch, embroidery and embellishment. It becomes compulsive, spontaneous and addictive, beware! (1 day workshop) Jenny Barnett - Needlefelted Creatures Using felting needles, wool fleece and some wire for the legs, create a fox or a chicken or two, and a clutch of eggs. Or, add some colourful tail feathers to turn your hen into a cockerel. No experience needed. (1 day workshop) Leiko Uchiyama - Pine Needles Scarf A very fine lacy felt inspired by pine needles laying on the snow. Day 1 is spent making samples to learn the basic technique, day 2 the scarf with your favourite technique(s). (2 day workshop – fully booked) Judit Pocs - Jewellery – Necklaces You will make a necklace on this workshop which can be done with or without a pocket. Using extra fine Australian merino wool for the objects, you might felt in some shiny textile pieces and some glass-drops or anything else into the objects. (1 day workshop – fully booked)
EVELYN REFSAHL HATS AND NECKWARMERS JOKE VAN ZINDEREN
Joke van Zinderen - Collars with Cords A “how to keep my shoulders warm collar”, using fine merino wool and using Joke’s no-rolling felting mat technique. Pre-Conference Masterclasses Hats with Judit Pocs, Neckwarmers with Evelyn Refsahl, Pine Needles Wrap with Leiko Uchiyama, Felt Selfies and other subjects with Ewa Kunizcak.
EWA KUNICZAK - SELFIES MIAOW
We have several other surprises and treats lined up for you over the weekend, a timetable and full details will be sent to you with your booking confirmation. I do hope you will join us for what promises to be an exciting and most enjoyable Conference. Jill Dention 52
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January 2015
IFA 2015 AGM & CONFERENCE BOOKING FORM
IFA Annual General Meeting & Conference 2015. The Friars, Aylesford, Kent, UK. ME20 7BX. Thursday 26th - Sunday 29th March.
International Feltmakers Association Promoting felt in all its’ forms.
ELAINE
Name
Address
Contact Tel.
www.feltmakers.com region1@feltmakers.com NEWMAN
IFA Membership No. Any special dietary needs Postcode Age
Country
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
Non-English speakers please indicate which languages you speak Please indicate any mobility issues (Eg. Ground floor bedroom) Transport - please indicate if you require transport from Ashford International Eurostar Station to and from the venue: Please note; there will be an extra cost for this service.
If paying for more than 1 person, please give their name(s). IFA Membership No.
Any special dietary needs Rate
Paypal
I wish to book
single occupancy places at the full conference rate.
£375
£395
I wish to book
shared room places at the full conference rate.
£345
£363
I wish to book
non-residential places. (All meals except breakfast).
£257
£271
I wish to book
places at the AGM on Saturday & evening meal.
£34
£36.55
I wish to book
places at the AGM only**.
£0
£0
* Number of single rooms is strictly limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. ** Advance notice of attendance is essential for venue security. *** All rates are per person.
Please indicate your 1st, 2nd & 3rd choice of workshop by entering the tutor’s name (e.g 1st Leiko Uchiyama, 2nd Evelyn Refsahl etc. and workshop no. e.g EW1, JP2, etc.) Places will be allocated on first come basis therefore we cannot guarantee you will get your 1st choice. Friday 1 Day Workshop
1st
2nd
3rd
Saturday 1 Day Workshop
1st
2nd
3rd
Friday & Saturday 2 Day Workshop
1st
2nd
3rd
Booking Information Postal Applications Print & complete this form and send, along with your payment to; Jill Denton, Flat 1, 1 Langleigh Terrace, Ilfracombe, EX34 8EB. Payment You may either pay by cheque, Paypal or by BACS. If paying by cheque, please enclose 2 cheques made out to ‘International Feltmakers Association’ for half the amount applicable to your booking, the first to be dated 15th October 2014 and the second 15th February 2015. Important Note If you wish to pay by BACS, please email region1@feltmakers.com for account details. Please clearly mark your payment with the reference
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AGM/ followed by your surname. (Eg: “AGM/Smith”) Cancellation Policy No refunds for cancelled bookings unless another delegate can be found to take up the cancelled place. Email Applications a) Complete form and then email it to region1@feltmakers.com b) visit the IFA shop at www.feltmakers.com/shopitems and purchase the appropriate AGM “items”. Please note that when paying by PayPal there is a small surcharge to cover PayPal handling fees. Bookings must be received by 15th October 2014. Places are limited, bookings will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
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Accomodation Accommodation is shared in rooms of 2, 3, or 4 persons. Please indicate if there is another delegate whose name is not on this form that you would like to share with. Please note: we cannot guarantee this will be possible and room allocations are at the discretion of the conference organisers. Please also indicate if you are an early riser/night owl as we will try to place you with appropriate roommates! Air Travel London Gatwick is the nearest Airport. Heathrow is approx. 75 minutes by coach to London Gatwick. If sufficient students are at London Gatwick by 2 pm on Thursday 26th transport can be arranged at an extra cost. Please email Joan Braganza nyasa@globalnet.com if you are interested in this service.
January 2015
BLOG SPOT
INTERIOR DESIGNER YVONNE SAMARANAYAKE
Working Mum Launches Beautiful Range of Bespoke Cushions with New Venture, Avalo Home A mumtrepreneur is giving up a high-flying City job to launch a stunning range of bespoke, Britishmade cushions, perfect for the home. Yvonne Samaranayake, 40, was working long hours in the IT department at a London investment bank, but her venture into interior design means she can spend time with two girls, as well as enjoying a fulfilling career as her own boss. Avalo Home was born after inspiration struck on a family holiday to Devon. Mum Yvonne had a ‘eureka moment’ leading her to quit her job and start a brand new adventure. Now her bespoke designs, in a whole variety of sizes, shapes, textures and colours, are transforming lifeless interiors into plush, comfortable havens. Yvonne says,“We rented a cottage in Devon just last year and there didn’t seem to be anywhere comfortable for my girls, Ava and Lois, to sit. Inspiration hit me, and I suddenly had an idea for a range of wonderful cushions that would be perfect in a family setting. One year later, and with a lot of hard work, we’ve created a line of beautiful, yet practical cushions in a range of colours, sizes and textures to suit all.” She adds, “Launching Avalo Home has not only 54
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given my career a new lease of life, it also means I have more time to spend with my girls.Working in the City was demanding, but managing my time and running my own business is challenging in a totally different way – and more rewarding than I’d ever imagined.” The creative vision of Avalo Home is unlike any other line of soft furnishings. The brand imagines cushions used in the home in the same way that furniture is – rather than simply dressing or decoration. They can become a fort in the corner for children to play in, a sun lounger in the garden on those scorching hot days, a plump resting place in the car, or a way to create dazzling floor seating in an outdoor barbecue area or patio. The design team at Avalo Home find their inspiration in everything from nature to technology – and it shows in the designs, which are classic and chic but also childfriendly and playful. Made using British materials, and manufactured on UK soil, the brand is a wonderful example of a home-grown business with a unique creative outlook and the means to truly transform homes and living spaces. For more information about Avalo Home, and to browse the website, visit: W: www.avalohome.com January 2015
HERE’S CHEERS TO THE NEW YEAR!
Happy New Year to Mandy, Tom and Phil, my best friends in Wales. May 2015 bring you good health, much laughter and exciting new adventures. From left to right: THOMAS COOK – PHOTOGRAPHER, PHIL AMOS – MUSICIAN & MANDY NASH – JEWELLERY - FELT MAKER. 55
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January 2015
BLOG SPOT
BLOG SPOT
THROUGH THE LENS PHOTOGRAPHER THOMAS COOK
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ollowing on from my July article, my bedsit shell is now complete and weatherproof. This allows us to take a break over the Christmas period and plan all the inside work which will be carried out over the next few months with an expected completion date of around early summer. During the build I have helped as much as I can but have managed to take my usual six week holiday with my son living in the USA and a short visit to my Nieces house in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. My builder friend and my son in the UK continued working on my bedsit.
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January 2015
BLOG SPOT I really have not spent a great deal of time in Wales. I took my holiday in New Jersey late this year to take advantage of the summer months in the UK for working on my bedsit. Having said that I find that early Fall in the USA is probably the best time to go there because the weather is perfect and not too hot. I go to the USA every year and always find new photographic opportunities and this year was no different as I went to my first Baseball game! The Game was at the Lakewood Stadium, New Jersey and it was exciting. Only the Americans can put on this type of show, especially the razzmatazz leading up to the actual game. None of the stop/go of the American Football, baseball is just fast nonstop action as I have illustrated with my pictures. The following Sunday I went to a great restaurant on the shores of the Atlantic ocean at Bayville. My granddaughter Kelly works there as an ‘outside area’ chef. After a lovely meal, I took some pictures of cormorants on the water’s edge and great egrets at the adjacent nature reserve. My next adventure was my ‘yearly day’ in New York, a city I know quite well. My son drops me off on his way to work at the Toms River bus station at about 5.45 am where I get a senior return ticket for about $18 and arrive in NY at about 7.15 am. On each trip the first thing I do is to find a diner that I’ve not visited before and have a typical NY breakfast, brittle bacon and all. On this trip I wanted to find the High Line, a disused city rail line which has been converted into a lovely pedestrian walkway. As I was walking, I got talking to a T shirt trader called Bill. I asked for directions to my next destination, Liberty Park, situated across the Hudson River on the New Jersey coast. Bill and I talked about photography 58
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and other things for about half an hour and soon became friends. We now keep in touch by internet and have agreed to meet up on my return next trip to NY. Isn’t life serendipitous? After lunch I took the long walk to the ferry terminal for my trip to Liberty Park. My two pictures show two different aspects of New York city. The first one (lead shot) has a somewhat surreal view of the Manhattan coastline whereas the second one (top left) shows a somewhat more realistic consequence of city life. As usual, whilst visiting my family, we had a BBQ at the home of my good friends Jim and Carol. They are wonderful people who offer warm hospitality and cheese cake to die for! Check out January 2015
Jim’s very clever bottle opener on the support of the outside patio cover.(lower right). Towards the end of my holiday we all decided to go to Asbury Park where the annual Zombie walk was taking place.This event is world famous and takes place to support `Grey Matters` a charity which raises awareness and money for people suffering from brain tumours. This year they raised $3000. I’ve included a few of the many pictures I took to emphasise the amount of effort the participants were prepared to make to raise money for the charity (centre). It was a fun event and I captured some amazing pictures. Sadly, the next day I was on my way home. On arriving back into the UK I spent a few days recovering at my son’s home near Oxford 59
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before returning home to Wales but it wasn`t long before I was off again travelling to my birthplace, Grimsby. It’s probably not common knowledge but there are a lot of working Windmills in Lincolnshire. I travelled to two of them and took pictures. These will have to wait for another longer visit as they are spread out all over the county. I finish my December blog with a picture of my niece’s talented daughter at her recent concert held in a church near to her home in Waltham, which is close to Grimsby. Lizy has a wonderful operatic voice and I am sure will do very well in her chosen career.(lower left corner). Till next issue, Cheers, Tom. January 2015
BLOG SPOT
THE BAUMAN’S KITCHEN -
I
n Somerset Dam there aren’t any shops, pubs, movie houses let alone restaurants or cafes. So, what do you do when you live in a rural village 140k from Brisbane and want to eat out? You hold dinner parties and share good food, wine and laughter with friends. By Joan Gordon. Barry and his wife Lorraine have been my closest friends in this village for as long as I have lived here, so that makes our friendship 18 years old. Their generosity holds no bounds. Since our one and only local shop shut down, if a tourist pulls into the street asking for directions to the nearest cafe Barry and Lorraine immediately switch on their Espresso machine and invite the folk to join them for a Barista style coffee on their front veranda overlooking a stunning gum tree setting. If your tap is leaking, car has broken down or the mower won’t start, Barry is always there to give you a hand. At least once, but usually twice a week, several of our friends get together for a meal. Barry is a brilliant chef and part of the entertainment of the evening is sharing the cooking. Lorraine is the perfect hostess. The table is always set with a cloth, napkins and smart crockery, she never complains when there are more people than she is expecting and she always makes you feel welcome. I hate to think how many dishes she has quietly washed and cleaned up without ever a complaint. Whist we all take turns to host a meal,
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January 2015
BLOG SPOT
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BARRY BAUMAN COOKING IN THE KITCHEN January 2015
BLOG SPOT more often than not, Barry and Lorraine carry the ‘Loin’s Share’. When we share a meal, some folk make starters, others bring a main and those who enjoy puddings spoil us with desserts. Our BYO gatherings are a win, win occasion. By that I mean, you can enjoy good beer, wine or non-alcoholic drinks with no expensive wallet crunching bills. Another advantage is that we can all walk home avoiding drink driving issues! As Lorraine said recently at one of our dinners, “where in the world could you enjoy such beautiful food”? Whilst at times we grumble about the inconvenience of not having shops and restaurants in our local, the camaraderie and delicious food that we share, is hard to beat. At sundown, Barry and Lorrain’s balcony is the perfect place for a ‘Sundowner’. When I am in OZ, at around 6pm I open a bottle, pour myself a cold drink and walk up to their home to catch up on the happenings of the day. Sometimes the ‘Happy Hour’ extends into ‘Happy Hours’ but more often it’s just a drink and a chat, easy and relaxed; sometimes it’s just me, sometimes my husband is home and he joins us, other times there may be ten people chatting and sharing their news and views. This is real community living. At a recent get together, a small group of us cooked with Barry in his kitchen. It was great fun. Sheryl made a delicious chicken curry, Barry cooked a Vietnamese curry, Hyon whipped up her famous Korean fried rice, I produced a Thai curry and Milton’s contribution was a stunning strawberry meringue roulade. Before too long, as the house filled with our partners and friends, laughter floated from the veranda into the warm evening air and dinner was served ‘Somerset Style’ on the front veranda.
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VIETNAMESE CHICKEN CURRY
I was born into a large, happy family. I have six brothers and sisters, so I love these shared meals with my friends. When I was a kid our sharing time was always centred in the kitchen. Mum would be cooking, Dad would lean against the kitchen bench sneaking a taste of our dessert, whilst the seven of us children chatted, laughed and talked about our day’s activities. Mmmm, I love kitchens, the aromas, food, activity, laughter and memories. I don’t know what recipe Barry used for his curry but is was sensational! I am sending this article to the Bauman’s for Lorraine’s birthday. This is my way of expressing how much I appreciate their friendship. ‘Barry and Lorraine, thanks so much for everything you do for us. I wish everyone could be so fortunate as to have a Bauman house to visit’! Happy New Year and Birthday! Love Joan xx January 2015
ADVERTORIAL
CONTEMPORARY BLINDS STAY COSY THIS WINTER KEEP YOUR CONSERVATORY WARM WITH LIFESTYLE BLINDS
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January 2015
ADVERTORIAL
W
ith Christmas not far away, the winter winds are harshest on some of the nation’s most prized ground floor rooms. With over 200,000 Brits applying for extensions for conservatories annually, keeping the freeze at bay is paramount on the minds of many. Experts at Lifestyle Blinds are ideally placed to ensure that conservatories up and down the country are kept cosy this winter. With a plethora of thermal blinds available, Lifestyle Blinds is guaranteed to wage the war for warmth by taking a twopronged approach to generate and store heat. To combat conservatory chill, homeowners can utilise a range of practical, affordable, easy to install thermal blinds. All available in a multitude of patterns, textures, colours and fabrics, buyers looking to re-vamp their conservatory this winter can opt for thermal roller blinds or thermal vertical blinds. The thermal roller blind comes in a selection of textured and woven fabrics, including blackout designs with a stunning array of colour combinations available. Blackout thermal blinds kill two birds with one stone, whilst keeping snug against the cold with the blind’s reflective energy saving lining. Skylight blinds are useful for overhead conservatory windows and help to tackle harsh weather conditions with their 100% waterproof consistency. Backed with an effective white thermal backing, precious heat is stored in the room rather than escaping outdoors. Buyers can also select thermal replacement vertical blind slats ideal for conservatories, which has a heat reflective coating helping homeowners reduce heat loss by 78%. As well
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as keeping energy bills low, the blinds help adorn conservatories with aesthetically pleasing allure. Those with a preference for Roman blind styles can include an optional thermal interlining to prepare them for purpose. Naomi Showman, Interior Design Consultant at Lifestyle Blinds said, “Conservatories are particularly vulnerable to the cold. We so often use them as sun traps in the summer so when winter sets in we are unprepared for how to keep them cosy and comfy. A lot of heat is lost through windows and the floor, so thermal blinds work to both generate heat and keep it contained. With an endless array of colours, patterns and styles to choose between, blinds don’t just solve a practical purpose but also serve as decoration in the depths of winter.” All blinds include a three year guarantee and are produced by expert crafters with a focus on child safety. Due to the abundance of available options, clients are advised to try out a selection of samples with no limit on how many they can order for free. Naomi added, “Our thermal blinds are great for conservatories but can also be used in any other room prone to chill. They are so versatile and cost-effective, that they can be made use of by anyone, anywhere. That’s why we call them Lifestyle blinds; they fit in with all lifestyles.” To find out more about Lifestyle Blind’s thermal blinds ideal for conservatories visit: W: www. lifestyleblinds.com About Lifestyle Blinds: Lifestyle Blinds specialise in a range of beautiful blinds designed for every room of the house. Embracing popular and traditional styles including roller, cordless, skylight, replacement vertical blind slats, vertical, venetian, roman and wooden, home-owners can opt for bespoke made to measure blinds that reflect their lifestyles.
January 2015
CREATIVE MAKES
DIY PROJECTS TAKE TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO ENJOY MAKING SOMETHING FOR YOUR HOME OR TRY A NEW RECIPE AND SHARE GOOD FOOD WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
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MAKE SEASONAL LANTERNS
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RESTORE A SMALL CABINET
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TINGLE YOUR TASTE BUDS
NAUGHTY BUT NICE
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DECORATIVE WALL LIGHT
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PANTRY STAPLE
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January 2015
BEAT WOVEN LUXURY WOVEN COLLECTION
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January 2015
ADVERTORIAL
BEATWOVEN ® LAUNCHES A BESPOKE LUXURY WOVEN COLLECTION FOR HARRODS, TRANSLATED FROM CLASSIC BRITISH POP Introducing BeatWoven® – a multi-awardwinning label which is striking a unique chord in the prestige interior design market. The pioneering range of woven luxe fabric uses technology to visualise intangible audio patterns created by popular music, fusing them with traditional woven patterns. The first collection, DreaMelody: Patterns in Play is now available at the iconic Harrods, and each exquisitely crafted piece is set to create an impact this festive season as cultured fashionistas search for the perfect magical gift.
To create the fabrics, songs are played through the bespoke BeatWoven technology in order to translate the audio into digital patterns. The design team study and edit the pattern to ensure its artistic integrity. Some of the patterns are left completely untouched, while some have their most aesthetically pleasing elements carved out then repeated, flipped, looped or mixed to create a sublime graphic tribute to a much-loved piece of music. Woven on a silk warp at the last remaining English silk weaving mill, each fabric features an abundance of luxury pure silver metallised yarns, and is finished with a cashmere treatment to give them an extra special handle.
The DreaMelody collection is a quintessential British range, capturing the essence of magic and fantasy through the use of classic pop songs by the UK’s finest musicians. From ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ by The Beatles to ‘A Kinda Magic’ by rockers Queen, the beautiful range sees these timeless songs transposed into four luxurious textile pieces and art cushions.
Designer and creator Nadia hopes that the pioneering collection will show that weaving is not a lost art, and can used to create cutting-edge pieces. Nadia says, “I want to show that weaving can be fun, sassy and sexy – it’s not all about tartan mustard tweeds. Weaving is a timeless craft with an abundance of heritage and skill, and BeatWoven fuses it with modern technology to create a truly unique story that places weaving on the frontline of forward-thinking design.” She adds, “Using classic British songs about magic and fantasy, BeatWoven aims to create mystical, dreamy textiles that are perfect for the home, and would make wonderful gifts for music or art lovers this Christmas season.”
BeatWoven® was born in 2008, when founder Nadia-Anne Ricketts began to explore the link between the language of woven textiles and sound. The result was its Fabrics of Sound range, which through innovative technology reveals patterns rooted in music. Designed by Nadia-Anne Ricketts, her approach blurred the boundaries between aesthetics and audio, opening a whole new dimension in music.
The collection offers fabric by the metre, so the creatively inclined can work their own magic on the textiles; whether they wish to upholster furniture or make wall panels, the DreaMelody collection makes for a wonderful piece of conversational art. The cushions are available in a variety of colours and sizes so that it’s easy to choose the piece that will work in perfect harmony with an existing interior.
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January 2015
COMPETITION
WIN DREMEL TOOLS! TOOL UP FOR 2015 WITH DREMEL Whether you’re after a gift for someone who likes to repair their home or improve its decorative look, there’s a Dremel kit for you to buy them and we have one of each to give away! The Dremel Home Décor Kit The Dremel Home Décor Kit contains both the Dremel 930 dual-temperature Glue Gun and the Dremel 290 Engraver, carbide engraving bits, engraving templates, multipurpose glue sticks and glitter sticks. There is also an inspirational Home Décor Project Booklet so the kit can be used immediately. £39.99 SSP. The Dremel Home Repair Project Kit The Dremel Home Repair Project Kit contains the popular Dremel 3000 Multitool, three useful attachments - the Shaping Platform Attachment 576 for precision sanding, Cutting Guide Attachment 565, Flex Shaft Attachment 225 - plus, 105 high quality genuine Dremel accessories, including EZ SpeedClic accessories which allow for quick and easy accessory changes. The Dremel Home Repair Kit also includes an inspirational Home Repair Project Booklet so, whoever you buy this gift for, they can begin
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using the kit immediately. Comes packed into a soft bag. £79.99 SSP. Available from dremel-direct.com, Tool-Shop.co.uk and DIY shops. TO ENTER, SIMPLY ANSWER THIS QUESTION: Christmas comes: Once a year, Twice a year, Three times a year EMAIL YOUR ANSWER TO: CREATIVELIFEMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM
GOOD LUCK! January 2015
The Dremel Home Repair Project Kit
The Dremel Home Repair Project Kit 69
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The Dremel Home DĂŠcor Kit January 2015
PROJECT
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January 2015
FOOD
VIETNAMESE CHICKEN CURRY Whilst this won’t be anywhere near as near as delicious as one of Barry Bauman’s curries this is a warming tasty meal. Omit the chicken if you are a vegetarian and add silken tofu as a protein alternative. TO MAKE THE CURRY INGREDIENTS
3 large potatoes, pealed and chopped 2 tablespoons peanut oil or 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 large carrots, skinned and chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, minced 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 can coconut milk 1 litre chicken stock 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon salt, to taste 2 tablespoons good quality curry powder
METHOD OF WORK
• • • • • • • •
Heat oil in large pot and fry onions and garlic for 1 minute. Add the chicken and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Add all the spices. Stir everything together for a few minutes. Let cook until chicken is tender. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Garnish with coriander before serving in bowls
ENJOY!
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January 2015
FOOD
ICE CREAM!
With the current trend for all things vintage and nostalgic still leading the way in both UK and international markets, the Retro Treats range will certainly appeal to your sweet tooth! This pretty range encompasses everything you need to enjoy all your favourite treats! You will easily believe you are in a 1950’s American diner, sipping a soda and enjoying an ice cream sundae whilst Elvis Presley plays on the jukebox! The classic designs throughout this range will brighten up any table and will make the entire family want to skip the main course entirely to get the dessert quicker! Retro Treats Collection Creative Tops Ltd www.creative-tops.com RRP £4.99 - £22.99 If you’d like to make ice cream that is seriously delicious then try this recipe. Enjoy - Joan! (Please remember to let people know that it contains raw egg and nuts) NUTELLA & MACADAMIA NUT ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS
1 x jar of Nutella 360mil of whipping cream 3 x free range eggs separated 8 x tablespoons of castor sugar 2 x cups chopped macadamia nuts 1 x teaspoon of vanilla essence
METHOD OF WORK • • • • • • 79
Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs. Beat the yolks with the sugar until creamy. Clean the beaters and then whisk the whites until soft peaks form. Whip the cream with the vanilla until thick. Fold 4 large tablespoons of Nutella into the cream. Gently fold the egg yolks and white into the cream until the mix is uniform in colour. Fold in the chopped nuts. Line a large pudding bowl with cling film. Pour in the ice-cream mix and freeze over night. To serve, invert the dish onto a plate. Remove the cling film from the ice-cream. Allow it to stand for 10 minutes to soften before slicing. Decorate each slice with fresh fruit and sprigs of mint. Eat the ice-cream within one week.
CREATIVE LIFE MAGAZINE www.creativelifemagazine.com
January 2015
FOOD
LEMON BUTTER Make this year the year you enjoy making good food to share with your family and friends. Here is an old recipe for Lemon Butter that is super easy to make. It tastes delicious spread on a warm crumpet or toast. It also makes a zingy filling for tarts. I made these little jars of lemon butter as gifts for friends. Homemade preserves are always a welcome gift. Joan TO MAKE INGREDIENTS
• • • • •
4 organic free range eggs 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 cups lemon juice 2 tsp lemon rind zested 125 grams chopped butter
METHOD OF WORK • • • • • •
Place the organic eggs and sugar into a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Add the squeezed lemon juice, lemon rind and butter. Whisk the mixture for 20 minutes until it is smooth and the butter has melted and thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil as it will curdle. Pour the warm mixture into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately. For an interesting alternative add the pulp from 2 passion fruit to the mix before heating. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
NB: Only use organic eggs that are certified and stamped to reduce the possibility of food poisning. Store eggs at the bottom of the fridge so that if one should crack it won’t drip onto other food.
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January 2015
FOOD
PUMPKIN SOUP I love my slow cooker and use it at least twice a week. On the days that I know I will be working late in my Studio I make a soup or stew early in the morning and when I get home from work dinner is ready. No fuss or thought has to be given to what I have to prepare it’s all done and ready to go. This soup is really nourishing, I often add chopped cashews and a daub of sour cream when serving it. Joan INGREDIENTS
• • • • • • • • • •
2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 cup onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 teaspoons curry powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 cups chicken broth 1 small butternut pumpkin cubed 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk Optional – chopped nuts and cream to serve
METHOD OF WORK Place fresh ingredients in the bowl of the Slowcooker - no need for oil - and put it in the oven.Your work is done, sit back, relax and wait for your meal to be steamed and cooked. This wonderful and nutritious way of cooking preserves all the vitamins, minerals and flavours. One side is made of terra cotta, the other is china. The silicon top and bottom enables you to place this modern Tagine dish straight onto any surface. Use it with deep side up or deep side down. • • • • •
Material Terra Cotta, China, Silicon Size ø 21.5 cm x H 15.4 cm Designer: Margriet Foolen Awards: Red Dot Design Award 2008, Design Plus 2008, GIO Award Origin: The Netherlands
ROYALVKB SLOWCOOKER The Design Gift Shop www.thedesigngiftshop.com 83
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January 2015
ADS
JM TV GUEST DESIGNER
M A G G I E
Tune into SKY Channel 655,VIRGIN Channel 756 and FREESAT 807 where Jewellery Maker broadcasts 24 hours.
Guest Designer Maggie Jones is featured at Jewellery Maker TV. Maggie arranges and delivers demonstrations for jewellery, sewing and general crafts. She also runs workshops and courses, particularly in the Lancashire and north Manchester areas and writes projects, on how to make jewellery and sewing projects, for various magazines.
CONTACT DETAILS - W:www.maggiejonesdesign.co.uk - F:www.facebook.com/craftdemon 84
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January 2015
PURCHASE UNIQUE IMAGES CONTACT RICHARD WALSH
CONTACT DETAILS
W www.rjw-photography.co.uk 85
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January 2015
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