Monday 5 September 2011

Paint Heaven

Thanks to Amanda of View From Our Hill I visited the Hand and Heart exhibition of painted quilts by Linda and Laura Kemshall at the Cynon Valley Gallery in Aberdare. If you are able to get there before it closes on Saturday Sept 10th DO GO.
It is magnificent and so inspirational. I bought the video and having studied it had my first go at painting  the clouds on beach huts. These need more work so I won't be putting them up yet.
Today, equipped with roller and fabric and acrylic paints I tried that technique on some reject, or as Amanda would say experimental, free motion samples. It's certainly not as easy as it looks to get even coverage but nothing is when you do it for the first time. Overall I'm pleased with the results. They highlight the quilting and improve the colours.It was a good course but the fabrics we bought to go with it weren't great - or maybe I'm fussy!

In my last blog I mentioned that god daughter Harriet had been making lovely little knitted dogs, the schnauzer was a hit with Sarah who has a real one.  Harriet's flying needles will be creating another soon with a red collar and black pads. She and my other god daughter sister Rose are both talented artists.

Last summer when I couldn't find a blind to match my new bathroom, Harriet spent the holidays before going up to uni painting me one. It was based on a landscape by Munsch (he of The Scream)  with fabric paints . I think it's really stunning. Even better, the bathroom is at the top the stairs so I can enjoy it ever time I go up them.
Now I have to decide whether to go back to the sewing machine or the paint pots, or maybe a cuppa?

2 comments:

  1. Great samples. Though I like them all, the red really is effective!

    Beautiful blind too. Talented girls they are. Is Harriet studying arts at Uni?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Amanda

    In the cold light of day I was less keen on the painted stuff as the paint had gone on too heavily. Maybe I’ll try watering it slightly so it obscures the fabric underneath only partially I think having a really smooth surface might make it easier to paint. Experiment experiment! The Kemshalls do use glazed cotton on silky type materials. I do enjoy free motion quilting and aspire to be as good one day

    Harriet is studying History of Art at uni, not sure that gives her a huge number of opportunities to paint or draw but she is really enjoying it. She also loves working at an auctioneers in the holidays cataloguing for a sale and is currently doing this for the fourth time

    ReplyDelete