The week my hard drive crashed...

Stitch 'em up

Horseshoes and Magpies.

Emmeline Pankhurst

It seems appropriate, especially for the upcoming week that I've been working on creating three pieces for a zine that relate to the idea of 'sabotage', more so in the political sense, of either challenging outdated values, or even the government itself. Sometimes the package something comes in doesn't matter (so me embroidery which doubles up as huge jewellery pieces) as long as it gets the point across.

On the basis that seeing two is for joy, and one is for sorrow - another illustration in preparation for the LA show. I'm one of those people who lives in limbo when it comes to superstitions, I read them and laugh and then find myself slowing becoming increasingly on the verge of obsessive compulsive as I carry them out. I don't have a problems with ladders or cracks on the ground or spilling salt. However, the sight of a magpie has caused me on occasion on the morning train to work to announce 'MORNING MR MAGPIE!' and salut the winged sign of doom. This often dilutes itself to a simple salut. The magpies don't lie, either that or I am naturally unlucky, naturally in my love life. 

I am thinking that my trip to the West Coast might be a solo one. I'm starting to plan it and try to see if I actually know anyone there. This little planning session made me realise I know no one there...

My confusion and general slowness (I blame it on the waning moon) has lead me to strange tasks at work - including a 60 page presspack several times as I eventually noticed mistakes once they were saved. 

I want to see the Annette Messager exhibition...

I need to do some embroidery. 

tings

This is one of a series of illustrations I've done for my work for the exhibition in LA we are putting together. Seeing as in hard times, people tend to hark back to better times, I've lifted inspiration for money superstitions. This particular one alludes to one claiming that a frothy tea indicates riches - the more bubbles, the more pennies. I've put the tea and vintage porcelain loving Chloe in this one. 

On the subject of hot beverages, I was thinking about a month ago how I have interned and worked at quite a few places and never been asked to make a cup of tea or coffee. You hear or read about internships, stories of being the dogbody, days of tea making and photocopying. I have made tea of course, offering than being asked.

It would be likely one day I would be asked. Unfortunately that day came, when I was asked to make a coffee for a YBA. This was fine until I went into the kitchen and looked, blank faced at the cafetiere. Shit. How the fuck does this work? I ended up trying to make a coffee from what was in there and considered heating in the microwave. I decided this was an extremely stupid idea, and ended up asking two people how the coffee maker worked (one being a senior member of staff). After the coffee was made, I walked down two...possibly three flights of stairs shaking and therefore the coffee spilled over the edges, colouring the white saucer and cup. I then handed it over.

More...

I wish I could swim zine...

I think have enjoyed the weather more than most - I even went for a walk on Monday in the blizzard(I don't think anyone made it into the magazine office that day!).
I had a tussle with the sewing machine - and it won! That's not good - I've created ten designs for a textile studio for children's t-shirts - and while the sewing machine is a little gem - its not that great at handling little fiddley bits. This means I have to go back to what I do best - things by hand.
I should have come home today and started the t-shirts - instead I'm going to buy them tomorrow. I haven't even started my work for the Los Angeles exhibition.

Mice and more

Images of my work before Christmas at the Supine Studios. It went well - and the chocolate mice quickly disappeared. I'm going to upload pictures to my final crit portfolio a bit later.

I've been reading more into tea divination - another form of people trying to predict the future. I've been knitting small teabags to stitch various symbols onto, so far I've made a felt acorn, which means at the top success and gain, and at the bottom good health. I'm also for this piece intending to knit a tea cosy and present a piece of work that reflect on a simple cup of tea opening up another world. I've been drawing away and getting ready to make samples for this work. 

The mice!

This week has involved the setting of the latex mould I made (last Thursday) and today I began making the sugar mice. Above is a picture of the clay mouse in the coffin, two white chocolate mice and at the bottom the cardboard coffins. At the moment I've made seven, so I have six more mice to make. White chocolate seems to be the best edible material- most I found involved rolling the mice by hand using a mixture of icing sugar and egg whites. It takes about 25 minutes in the fridge to completely set. The white chocolate makes a nice contrast to the seven brown mice in the sewn part of the piece who escape from the doomed ship. A lot of thanks go to Emma Littlest Birds who suggested the latex as a possible way of making the mould and then lent me the latex. 

I think my work involved belief systems a lot, not religious, but personal ritual and having faith in things outside yourself, which I suppose relates a bit more to the theme of human behaviour. 

I have been knitting leg warmers for a friend for christmas and finalising the drawings for the zine Millie and I are putting together. 

YCN Christmas Tree

www.flickr.com/photos/ycn/3098216620

Made a little robin for the YCN Christmas Tree and I made a card too. I have made a robin in felt before, but this time I made sure that the little one had feet and I gave it an open beak, so it looks like it is singing...

This little clay mouse is the basis for part of my piece at the 'About the size of a small grown cat' show, curated by Matt Day and Rose Hall. As well as showing the embroidery piece I have completed based on the superstition that if rats and mice run off a ship the voyage is doomed, I am planning to have 13 sugar mice in their own little coffin as well.

Emma of Littlest Birds, who I am having a meeting with on Wednesday is going to sort me out with latex so I can have a mould of my mouse.

I'm exhibiting at the Surface Gallery Postcard Show 2008 in Nottingham for definite - so if anyone is about, pop along (and if you really like my work buy it.) 

About the size of a small grown cat.

I am going to be in this...come along if you can. 

PingMag

http://pingmag.jp/2008/07/22/student-show-2008-2/

Jennie just sent me this - it shows work from our course including herself, myself, Millie and Alice. There is even a picture of the outside of the Hermits Cave on the Camberwell Private View night. Sigh.