meeting new and old

had a lovely day today - finally made it to the annual Windsor School of Textile Arts show and met up with caroline, who i hadn't seen for over 20 years - lots of inspiration and renewal

it was lovely to see caroline again, this is not the place to share how good it was but just reading this will bring it back to me

but i will share the exhibition ...... it was beautifully hung, the lighting was good, most pieces were unglazed and you could get right up close to them - resisting the urge to touch was really hard - of course there was wonderful work to inspect, admire and be inspired by - course students and tutors were on hand and keen to talk about the work and the courses




for me it made a real difference to share the visit with caroline, who is not (currently) a stitcher - it made me more aware and appreciative of the makers' art, craft and workmanship - also it was nice to feel that i had introduced someone else to contemporary embroidery and textile art - it's easy to forget that not everyone who is interested in creative arts is aware that embroidery goes way beyond cross-stitch, doileys and tray cloths!

i think i have come away with a much greater awareness of the breadth and depth of such work: source and inspiration expanded, reduced and juggled ... design concepts and elements .... experimentation and sampling with materials, techniques, colour .... application, practise and practice of skills ..... and more until something beautiful emerges

i have a long way to go but i am more aware of how much i have learned already and how much i want to keep going