Block Printing Fabric Workshops

Highlights from recent fabric block printing workshops on tea towels and tote bags. Participants enjoyed a fun taster session learning the skill of relief printing by creating a design to cut and print from linoleum, resulting in a unique take-away product!”

God's House Tower

I currently have a selection of my Southampton landmarks Giclee prints, greetings cards and postcards stocked at God’s House Tower, Southampton. I started drawing elements of the old Southampton walls when I was studying towards an MA in printed textiles at Winchester School of Art. My final project was based upon my personal heritage, with drawings, prints and patterns reflecting a combination of memorabilia, nature and architecture from childhood to present day. Linked with these was a sense of place, inspired from my parental heritage of Burma, Scotland, Stockport and my home, Southampton.

Below are a few images I took as part of my initial research at the time of walking around the old town walls, followed below with one of the final wallpaper designs from the Heritage collection; ‘Southampton Fusion’.

More recently I returned to drawing some of Southampton’s landmarks and developed the existing drawings and watercolours I had produced for a collection of postcards, greeting cards and Giclee prints.

The postcards are kept simply as watercolours, whilst the Giclee prints composition’s contain patterns emerging from their surroundings (such as the Cherry Tree, Westgate Street, Westgate Hall, mini God’s House Towers as clouds and the brick work and patterns from the paving surrounding the Bargate. The focus of Hope Bell, came from a photograph I had taken a few years ago that seemed relevant during lockdown this March. The bell has the inscription ‘Hope’ partially visible (originally reading “In God is my Hope R.B. 1605”), as this was used as a curfew bell as part of the gateway to the city, it felt poignant to draw upon a symbol of ringing hope into the City.

This collection is available at God’s House Tower Artist’s Shop

God’s House Tower, Giclee print.

God’s House Tower, Giclee print.

Hope Bell, The Bargate, Giclee print.

Hope Bell, The Bargate, Giclee print.

The Bargate, Giclee print.

The Bargate, Giclee print.

Westgate Hall, Giclee print.

Westgate Hall, Giclee print.

A6 Postcards, set of four landscape.

A6 Postcards, set of four landscape.

Cranford House Workshop

A wonderful taster day in June at Cranford House for creative year 10 students interested in A level Art & Design. I visited in the morning and we explored the possibilities of creating designs from a selection of their photographs, paintings, drawings, textiles, collage and sketch book work; scanning and developing various aspects using Adobe Photoshop tools to create layered combinations of prints, pattern, texture, scale and colours. The finished designs would be digitally printed onto paper and fabric. A very talented bunch of students. Below are photographs of some of their work in progress.

Open Studios this November - a great success!

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Open Studios our open!

Setting up in my studio space!

Setting up in my studio space!

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We opened our doors again for our annual Winter Open Studios at the Sorting Office during November 17 & 18. It was lovely to meet so many new customers and see our regular visitors again. Our guest makers were set up in the Production House selling a fabulous collection of jewellery, textiles, stationery, gifts and more! With such a high turnout this was a splendid wkd!

Printing with Collage Workshop @rumseg

Participants did a wonderful job embracing the mini collage challenges as warm up exercises, alongside printing, painting, sourcing, tearing, cutting and drawing all leading to a finished block stretched collaged canvas at the end of the day!

British Art Show 8

Great exhibition at Southampton City Art Gallery #BAS8. I feel well fed after visiting! Looking forward to popping back for more. Brilliantly curated show. Some pics below of the work I was particularly drawn to, Performance today by Anthea Hamilton: Ant Farms, Sea Paintings: Jessica Warboys, Leaves 2015: sculptures by Magali Reus Consider it a valid job: Ciara Phillips, Diagrams of Love: Marriage of Eyes 2015, Linder. I was mesmerized by Mikhail Karikis, Children of Uniquiet 2013-14 #inspired #artistonthefringe #southampton 

Southampton City Art Gallery

John Piper Ca' d'Oro

John Piper Ca' d'Oro

John Piper (Ca' d'Oro detail)

John Piper (Ca' d'Oro detail)

John Piper (Ca' d'Oro, detail)

John Piper (Ca' d'Oro, detail)

John Piper (Ca' d'Oro, detail)

John Piper (Ca' d'Oro, detail)

I had a fantastic time this morning visiting my local art gallery Southampton City Art Gallery . Such a variety of paitnings to view. I particularly loved Jane Joseph's black and white charcoal drawings and etchings from the 'Seeing The Space' collection. Beautiful mark making and movement within her compositions. I was thrilled to see a selection of John Piper's paintings too, especially Ca' d' Oro, stunning, vivid, hauntingly beautiful yet eery. So many layers, depth and mark making techniques in this piece, printing, texture, pattern, drawing. Definitely inspired to create today!

Mottisfont at Christmas!

A lovely time had with family visiting Mottisfont Abbey today. A great Scrooge trail for the kids to follow and a beautiful winter (ish) walk around the gardens with quite a few buds appearing! Again drawn to the stark, haunting and beautiful appearance of the trees, their branches, the views, the land and the beautiful house showcasing its stone, distress, texture and heritage!


A Collage of Collages at Rum's Eg, Romsey!

A lovely day with student's spent glueing, sorting, layering and printing for creating collages at Rum's Eg Gallery, Romsey