'Wave'

To get the week off to a good start me and my sister decided to go to Yorkshire Sculpture Park yesterday. There are a couple of exhibitions in their final weeks at the park and I wanted to catch them before they moved on - 'Henry Moore: Back To A Land' and 'Laura De Santillana and Alessandro Diaz De Santillana'.

I found the Santillana's glass work beautiful and calming helped along by the serene setting of the refurbished 18th century chapel. It was a very warm day and we chose a secluded little window seat in the balcony to rest and do a little people-watching.



HS-YSP, 2011-15

As we walked down towards the river we had a surprise that made the trip extra special - the installation was underway for a brand new exhibit. 'Wave' is from the original installation 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' which could be seen at the Tower of London in Autumn 2014. This act of memorial, created to mark the centenary of the outbreak of war, is to be preserved for the nation at the Imperial War Museums but until then we are incredibly privileged to have it on show here in Yorkshire.

Men at work
 

Poppies cascading down to the river
 



Planting poppies

 

 

This huge crane was used to lower the poppies over the bridge and was ideally placed for a spot of bungee jumping but the workmen were very focused on the task in hand. The exhibition opens officially on 5th September. As we walked further on up the hill, the sun burst through the clouds, outer layers of clothing were shed, and we were treated to a field full of red poppies.

 

I often bemoan the fact that I don't live closer to London and all the amazing galleries there are to visit, but I am so incredibly lucky to have the ysp just down the road. It's a wonderful blend of two of the great passions in my life - nature and art.

A Space Of My Own

As Summer's end approaches it's good to take some free time and appreciate natures display in the garden. The days can be so busy that it's easy to miss the changing seasons.

I treasure my garden - more so because it's really the first proper one that I've had. I'm actually lucky enough to have two - a front and a back one; and they have both helped at various times when I've felt bogged down by emotions. Getting divorced was a painful experience but being in the fresh air, digging in the soil, getting dirty hands, and watching plants grow and bloom is incredibly therapeutic.

There are two small lawns so I had to invest in a lawnmower as I'd never owned one. When I mowed the grass in the Spring of last year it was a first for me - a momentous occasion indeed!

Pink Lacecap Hydrangea and White Astilbe
 

I'm learning as I go along and loving seeing my garden slowly take shape. It's such an amazing thing to see the transformation from Winter to Summer in this tiny space that is mine. From dark earth such wonderful colours and shapes appear.

 

a snoozing bee on my Caryopteris

Amanda xxx

Once Upon a Time...

So, I promised in my last post that I would tell you the story behind the first image from "Maps, Series1" which is a collection of work in ten parts - I love books and stories and felt inspired to tell aspects of my own story with the narrative thread being told in actual thread.

This first image is called 'I Never Thought I'd Find You' and can be read in several ways - we journey through life and take certain paths often searching or striving for something or someone, but life is a continuous journey and not always neat and tidy. The best we can do is stay true to ourselves and set our own course through life. So as to what you find along the way - it could be an ambition fulfilled; it could be a person to share your life with; it could simply be discovering yourself.



The path here is depicted with sparkling sequins and continues, through the other nine pieces, represented with silver thread which links each image.

Woods and forests were in many stories from my childhood and were an actual physical part of the landscape of my childhood - they never fail to capture my imagination, conjuring up magical images, so they had to feature in my story as the path winds its way through woodland trees; they are part of an ancient connection to the land and I think it's vital that more trees are planted. The Woodland Trust are doing fantastic work.

Amanda xxx

Embroidering The Truth

Art is right up there at the top of my happy list, be it other peoples art or creating my own. I have drawn and coloured and cut and stuck and sewn all my life. The type of art I have found myself doing most recently is embroidery; as a child I grew up very aware of textiles, living in a town that prospered in the industry and having a mother who was always sewing, making clothes for us all.

As I got older I turned away from a medium that felt too traditional and uninspiring, but then as I grew older still I found myself drawn back to the possibilities of fabric and threads when I decided to study fashion design at college.

 

My current work is rooted in traditional embroidery techniques but I have found a way of working that feels modern, expressive and inspiring; I am often surprised by my finished pieces.

The series of work I will show you over the next few months is called 'Maps, Series1'  and is informed by my own personal narrative as is all of my work - born out of the desire to map, record and detail my own history.




'I Thought I'd Never Find You' work in progress



This is a work in progress image of the first piece in the series and is hand-stitched on linen using threads and fabric that I already had in my box of supplies. It felt important for this project to use what I already had, and create from limited resources.

It's getting late now so I'll save the story of this piece until another time.

Goodnight. Amanda x

Rainy Evening...

It's a grey misty evening and I can hear the rain pitter-pattering down outside, but I don't find this a reason to be gloomy - on the contrary. I switch on my lamps, put on something warm and comfy, and settle at my desk with my notebooks and pens laid out before me. This is the perfect time to enjoy some contemplation as I scribble away and make plans for future projects.

 

I have this little old bureau in a corner of my living room and it's where I sit and sew, and write, and piece together my bits of inspiration. I've had my own desk for as long as I can remember - when you love stationery as much as I do, a desk is an integral piece of furniture.

 

I always have a journal on the go and for this I like to use Daler-Rowney artists sketchbooks. These have been my preferred books since I was at art college and I love starting a new one. For something a bit more special I'll treat myself to a Moleskine. I didn't know about these until I started working at a bookstore but they're definitely on my list of favourites.

 

 

Another benefit of all this rain is that I know the plants in my garden will be vibrant and refreshed after their long cool drink.

 

Good night x

 

 

 

Design Inspiration

In my very first post I showed a sample of my design work but neglected to give any details about the work, so here's a bit of back-story; it was from a series of designs I did inspired by royal sashes. This is the mood board I created:

I love the elegance of these very regal draped ribbons and enjoyed playing around with it in my designs, creating a modern slant on a traditional idea.

These are a few more from the same series:-



 

I studied Fashion Design, holding a BA Honours Degree in this subject, so I guess there will probably be quite a lot of focus on fashion and style in my posts. I've been interested in fashion since I was a young girl and would fill notebooks with designs and pore over the pages of my mum's 'Vogue'. That interest has stayed with me and my own style has certainly gone through some changes over the years from the pink, spiky hair of my teenage years to the more casual, elegant look I aspire to now.

 

Amanda x

 

 

Rob Ryan at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

YSP shop - Rob Ryan window display
 

Last Thursday evening I went along to an artist talk given by Rob Ryan at Yorkshire Sculpture Park - what a brilliant evening. It was so reassuring hearing Rob talk about himself and his work because it made me realise I'm not the only one with ridiculous amounts of anxiety.

Rob worries about things to a ridiculous level, he overthinks everything; so he creates his work purely and selfishly because he loves to do it, it makes him happy, and it allows him to have a dialogue with himself, reminding himself how wonderful and amazing the world is.

I've always loved Rob's work but feel an even greater connection with it after hearing him speak and, after a week of feeling stressed and anxious, I left the event feeling  much calmer and eager to throw myself into my own work.



a summer evening at ysp