Thursday 24 July 2014

A Mossy Waterfall

My latest necklace is a faceted rock crystal with mineral inclusions resembling a rugged

landscape, a mossy waterfall – I relish the thought of wearing it myself!

'Landscape'
'Landscape"
Rock crystal &
oxidised silver

Soft Sculpture

Soft sculpture has always excited me – since Claes Oldenburg exhibited his plastic everyday objects at the Tate in London in the 60/70s. Then Christo meticulously wrapping rocks and bridges and and his small work “The Wedding Dress” - Antonio Tapies and his “Chaise Couverte”, Beverley Semmes and her wonderful “Long Pink Sleeves”, the billowing dress filling a room and viewed through a small window in the door – Fortuny, Issey Miyake and their fabrics, the late Gianfranco Ferre's crinolines, Philip Treacy's hats, Jean-Paul Gaultier's corsets and many, many more..... (see a wonderful book, 'Whole Cloth' by Mildred Constantine and Lauren Reuter)..so when I noticed a short course at West Dean College on Sculptural Textiles this month, tutored by Sally Freshwater who has created many large works including her installation at Gatwick Airport, I decided to enrol.



Beginning gently, it was a mere taste after all, I made a prototye for a large work taking the brac and flower of the Pocket Handkerchief tree – there is a beautiful one close by me in the Hergest arboretum. I love the shape but prefer the seedpod which follows the pom-pom style flower - it will be large and light and translucence and luminosity will be the essence of it. How it evolves will be recorded here......