The Curiosity Project at the Garden Museum

‘Elias Ashmole acquired his collection from two gardeners: John Tradescant, father and son. The Tradescants were no ordinary gardeners; they were employed by the wealthy Earl of Salisbury. The Tradescants voyaged overseas, travelling the known world and shipping back new and exotic plant specimens for the Earl’s gardens. In the course of their travels they…

New Adventures in Etching

This year has flown by… In my last term at Morley, I’ve spent my time exploring Etching, something completely new to me. Preparing plates is a much longer and more involved process than say, drypoint or collagraph. I spent a good few weeks producing the final plate, repeatedly stopping out different areas for the dips…

Textiles and Botany at the SLBI

This summer’s first Advanced Textile Workshop exhibition is open at the South London Botanical Institute this weekend. The show is made up of works inspired by two of the Institute’s projects ‘Botany on your Plate’ and ‘Plant Recording for All Ages’, and is interspersed throughout the ground floor and gardens. Each artist has responded in uniquely different…

A Good Day

I had a great day in the studio at Morley yesterday with Brian McKenzie. I continued working with cardboard pop-outs from medication packaging, using them to create unique mono-prints. Each set is individually inked, wiped and arranged on the press; some with scored markings, others crumpled up or folded and then flattened out again. The first…

Scotland and Medication

We are now halfway through our two week break from college, and I’ve finally had a bit of time to process the images of the rest of my work from last term. Scotland and Medication were the starting points behind these two sets of prints. This is the first time I have explored the monoprinting process,…

Made 2017 at Morley College

Last year I did a piece covering Made 2016 at Morley College, which showcased the work of the Textile Department and featured the work of @spottedhyenas, one half of moderneccentrics. You can see the full set of images from that show here. This year, it’s my turn, and after only a term studying with Brian McKenzie on…

A Return to Education

So having twice studied practical but incredibly specific subjects at university and art school (car design and television systems), I return to further education after twenty years. And you know what, I am loving it! After not drawing properly for decades, I am doing a course with Steve Wright at Morley College to try to regain…

Textile Foundation 2016 Part 2 – The Exhibition

Before the Private View last Wednesday of Morley College‘s Textile Foundation 2016 Exhibition, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see the show before it opened. For this final exhibition, the students are given free reign to showcase their talents and explore their interests. This year the subjects ranged form the idea of the Palimpsest to the view from…

Textile Foundation 2016 Part 1 – Private View

Last Wednesday was the Private View for Morley College‘s highly successful Textile Foundation course. With slightly fewer students compared to last year’s intake, each artist had a little more space at the Morley Gallery to make their mark. That all changed of course on the evening of the opening, when the gallery was full to…

Textile Alchemy at the WAC Gallery

For once, I’m not going to write very much about this wonderful show, the end of year exhibition of the Advanced Textile Workshop at Morley College. This is because Zoë Burt, the tutor has summed things up so eloquently, and done my job for me. ‘Students have had exciting opportunities to creatively develop their professional textile…

Looking Forward No4 – The Catwalk Show

‘Waterloo Bridge, Grey Weather – a collaborative project. Leaves on the river surface, rust in the water, floating downstream… copper chains halting the drift, ‘eucalyptus’ clasps hold and reflect the natural dying process.’ Program Notes This is not fashion – this is a garment, constructed from natural hand dyed eco-printed silk, held and shaped to…

Euroart Open Studio 2016

If you are out and about around Tottenham Hale today, you could do far worse than head down to the Euroart Studios open-day. This three building complex is home to over 70 artists ranging from painters, sculptors and textile artists to printmakers and fashion designers. We went to visit Julie Turner, who studies with @spottedhyenas on…