Bits and Bobs

Recently at the Curwen I had the chance to visit next door to view some of Mark Hearld's original prints; what fun!

 As well as showing us Mark's work, Jenny was explaining how the separations are done for a lithograph. That day Carrie Ackroyd was working with Michael Papworth on her latest prints. I love her work and met her at Art in Action 2 years ago, she kindly said I could take a photo.

Meanwhile, demolition is nearly complete at the conference centre.

My Open studio weekends were interesting as usual, I had similiar visitor numbers to last year. Tiring but good fun!

All clean, tidy and ready for visitors.

I was very flattered when a woman thought I had printed these lovely vintage curtains.... a recent purchase, a design called Maquis by Lucienne Day. In the winter, when I imagine I may have more time, I will unpick them, wash and remake with  interlining and lining. 

Fabric printing course part 1

Recently I went on a great screen printing on fabric course at Cottenham Village College with a friend Annie, who had been to this before. The tutor was Ricki Outis, who was a super teacher, sharing ideas and techniques with great enthusiasm.

 Fellow 'students' were mainly experienced screen printers and it was good to see everyone's work during the week. I'd done a little block printing on fabric but no screen printing, only on paper. Obviously it's very similiar; it was interesting to transfer ideas onto fabric. I hoped to print a curtain for my studio door, using a design I'd tried out on paper. I'd had my plant designs put onto thermofax screens and used paper stencils for the landscape shapes.

Work in progress...I'd spent the evening before working out my 'plan' with masking tape, it was supposed to make it easier!!

It was tricky working with the size; it was a vintage cotton sheet, one of a pair I found in it's original wrapping, a relic from my family childhood home long ago - good recycling!

The finished item; spot the 'deliberate' mistake when I'd changed colours, washed my screen and then forgot to put a new stencil underneath! I thought of various ideas to disguise it but now I'm rather fond of my yellow rectangle and will sign my name on the panel when I find my permanent marker pen which has done a disappearing act since I used it the other day.

My lovely young builder Matt put up the curtain rail this morning. I'd made the curtain up the other day, with interlining and lining (a reminder of the time when I made soft furnishings for clients) and put the heading tape on today when I knew the length. I'm really pleased with the end result; I like the border down the sides and bottom edge..

A complete one-off: quite exciting!

Open Studio and Curwen fire

Good news first. Today was my first open studio day with some lovely visitors. Feeling tired but in a good way! Just in case anyone reading this happens to be near sleepy Steeple Morden, this is the info:

Anna Pye
Printmaker
Cambridge Open Studios 2012
11am—6pm
July 7th and 8th, 14th and 15th, 21st and 22nd
The Walnut House  
3 Station Road Steeple Morden  
Royston   Herts   SG8 0NN
http://www.annapye.com/
http://www.annapye.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.camopenstudios.co.uk/
All welcome to browse original prints, water colours, cards, notebooks and handmade books.

Now the bad news. A couple of weeks ago there was a devastating fire (arson) at Chilford Hall where the print study centre is. The conference centre, based around a massive medieval barn, has completely gone. My print group were there a few days later and it was a shocking sight and very upsetting, with a sad, subdued feeling around, understandably.

Luckily the house and offices remain, and the print study centre where we print, which is so close to this scene. Just looking at the photos again is very sad.

The whole place was full of sculptures and quirky architectural features, collected by the family over many years. It's poignant that a lion in the end wall of this building has survived. There are 2 magnificent stone lions on the approach to Chilford Hall, here is one of them.

There are many sculptures in the grounds, 2 more lions....

and this wall sculpture (there is also a vineyard on the site), which has also survived. Demolition was starting last Monday, so when we go next week it will look very bleak.

Bookbinding Day

Last week I was at The Art Nest in Hitchin    http://www.theartnest.com/ for a bookbinding day with Ken Futers http://www.booksnboxes.moonfruit.com/ 

All having fun.....

 It was a great day learning more about traditional bookbinding and good to pick up tips from a new tutor. Ken was highly organised with all tools provided, packs of materials for each of us and he ably demonstrated all the techniques - we were told to WATCH!! He managed to keep all of us (6 women) on task and it was a very busy day. Lunch, provided by Emmeline, was yummy sandwiches, homemade scones and cakes which were greatly enjoyed; with tea and coffee throughout the day. What could be better than being creative in good company fuelled by good food?

Here's my book in progress....

and the finished book; 

which I was really pleased with. I had to dash off at the end of the day to teach but just got these photos of more lovely books, well done everyone!

Here are some books I've made recently.

and these since my course...

Bookmaking appeals to my precise nature, all that accurate measuring etc. but like printmaking has endless possibilities for colour combinations, different shapes and materials...... such fun! Also, my bookbinding press is now being used for it's original purpose as well as for relief printing.

Lastly a photo of Barney at the village Jubilee celebrations, he loved his crown (well done Mummy)......

and with my birthday present (2 this week)

Like his Granny, he loves gardening.

A Flavour of France

I recently spent a week in France with a friend at her house, the 2nd time I had been there. The nearest town is Thenon, NE of Bergerac.

 It was a wonderful week of relaxation, walking, wild flower spotting, sketching, reading, eating and drinking - what could be better than sitting on a terrace over looking the fields and woods, glass of wine in hand watching a  deer in the field below and listening to the birds. Luckily the sun shone all week, such a pleasure compared to our current weather. Lots of lizards around, they liked garlic sausage!

Birds we heard included owls, nightingales and orioles; we saw lots of kites, buzzards, jays and green and spotted woodpeckers as well as more usual chaffinches and blackbirds. There were masses of wild flowers, as the small farms with animals are left empty. This is dropwort.

Meadow clary (sage family),

pyramid orchids all round the house,

lesser butterfly orchid on the grass verge

and a man orchid.

This unusal plant we identified as Bath asparagus, it was nearly 3 ft. tall.

We sat by this lake not far from the house one lunchtime with a cold beer in hand.

We visited a fabulous garden, Marquessac near Beynac, mainly topiary with great views of the River Dordogne in the valley below.

Beynac is a delightful place,

 I enjoyed walking round Bergerac again.

This sums up France to me, poppies

and walnut trees.

Happy memories as I wrap up here with an extra cardigan....

.......cheers!