A return to Bali

Bali Journal 2015 Front cover (and back). Water soluble crayon and ink

I have to returned to Bali for another quick vacation, this time with my sister, Lynette. We have had a tough few months as my niece has been very ill.  she is much better now, so we have scampered away from the end of a long cold Melbourne winter to sunny and warm Bali.  We can going to spa, dine and make pretty things.  For me of course this means more art, and a new journal of course.  I spent the week before we left making it.

Original Journal I made my journal from

Making the front cover, while having breakfast

This time I have re purposed a couple of purchased journals.  I took them apart as they were only stapled together, recovered the old cover and sewed them together with Coptic stitch.  Still a bit of work, but so much fun and a great way to get in the mood for my holiday.  I dug out my Balinese patterns and used them to design the cover and front page.

Spine of journal showing coptic stiching

Inside front cover. Water soluble crayon and sliver ink

Front Page water colour pencils and ink

I am a little behind on the posting, but I will catch you up with the first few days in the next post.  I have had technical difficulties with the iPad and guess who forgot to bring the charger for her lap top.  I think this will be the third that I have bought because I have forgotten to bring it.  Never mind I have to have the computer with me for work so perhaps they will pay me for this one.

Getting ready for a group show.

Pieced Pattern 7 Detail
Ink, coloured Pencil

Happy New Year everyone.   Finally back on the blog after a little rest.  Just wanted to have one less obligation in my life while I got myself back into work after my break and the rush up to the end of the year.  Feeling better now and missing everyone.

I have been busy with my art, when there is no energy for the rest of my life, I can always sit and draw and the patterns are soothing in their repetition.  There was also the fact that I have an exhibition at the end of January to spur me on.

I have three new big works (A1 size) and hopefully another will be finished in time.  They are from drawings in my sketchbook, some I have shown you before.  They were backgrounds for some of the vegetables, but have come out from the background to star in their  own right.  I have pieced them together to give them more depth, I was going the sew on them all, but some didn’t need any more detail.

Pieced Pattern 7
Ink, coloured Pencil

This first one was the background to the peas, I was going to put the peas over the top but it just didn’t work, it became too busy and I liked it as it was, so the pea pod is being saved for a later date.  Nothing will go to waste, it will just have to wait till I have a moment to sort its background out.

 

I will share the others on my next post, and the link to the exhibition.

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and a bright start to the New Year and like me looking forward to what exciting things this new year will bring us all.

Karen

Pattern 4

 

Pattern 4, Paper, coloured pencil and thread. 21 x 21cm

Pattern No 4 is complete.  Well in fact I completed it a couple of weeks ago, but had not got around to photographing and posting it until now.  There is always that pull between making the art and posting it.  I am going to be doing at least six of these for an exhibition in August.

I finally found the work that inspired me to start sewing into paper and another artist doing similar work.

Michelle Forsyth did this great series of watercolours where she sewed lines onto the paper with threads called Dark Watercolours.  I saw the close up below and just loved it.

 

Michelle Forsyth. Dark Watercolor 05 17 x 17 inches

Michelle Forsyth. Dark Watercolors 04 40 x 40 inches

Later in my wanderings around Pinterest I found this other artisit Emily Barletta who does very intricate sewing into paper.  How exciting are these!  Well you can tell I loved them.

 

Emily Bartlett Untitled 73

Emily Bartlett Untitled 57

 

I thought I would get some inspirations from the names these artist had called their work, but no so luck they just numbered them.

I will leave you with a close up of my work and continue on with the next.

Pattern 4 Detail , Paper, coloured pencil and thread. 21 x 21cm

Karen