It’s been rather an interesting day.

It was the first session of the Contemporary Textiles Workshop for this academic year. We had been told to look at installation art during the break, so we had an idea 3D work might come into it – but I don’t think we quite expected to be given a black plastic bag full of junk from the Scrap Store and told to make an installation.

This is a bit of my group’s. Yes, that is a broom. And various bits of paper, ribbon, foil and yarn. There was a lot more of the installation – it started quite tight and g r e w.

It reminded me of a training course I went on where, amongst other things, we had to build a tower with various bits of wood. But today turned out to be much more fun. And more useful.

After we took lots of photographs we had to draw bits of the installations. Now, I know that I have said that this is a warts and all blog – but that doesn’t include my drawing. Drawing drizzles of thread is more difficult that I thought and only served to increase my respect for Susie MacMurray [scroll down to the Jerwood Prize].

But if I’m going to do an art degree I suppose I have to get used to showing my warts in public – so here is the best of them.  

This is the original

 

   

 

 

and this is the drawing.

Our homework was to change our photos to black and white, and select and print some for the next session in November, when things will be done with them. Well, of course, I couldn’t just change them to black and white - you can do so much more interesting things.

This is an original. I find the play of light on that plastic fascinating.

 

 

 

The B&W version …

 

 

 

 

 

and the results of playing around in Picasa – these are various combinations of ‘Sharpen’ ‘Highlights’ and Shadows. Much more interesting.

The coloured one resulted from applying maximum Highlights and Shadows to the original – not the B&W version. I think you need a fairly dark background to get such  a black result.

I shall resist the temptation to show you the results of playing around with all the other photos I took – like the 16 versions of the original of the drawing. Obsessional? Me?

Well – maybe just one.

What this all demonstrated to me was that you could take some uninspiring materials and produce some exciting results – although I have absolutely no idea how I might embroider them…

 

This is the final flower for a while, as I am going to take an brief blogging break. This is a hydrangea – even I know that – although I can’t remember where I photographed it …

 

 

 

See you in a week or so.