Fabric Art Workshop 6th June Leicester

One of Britain’s most important collections of modern religious art is currently being exhibited in Leicester under the title of Wondering Soul. 

A joint project between the Church of England’s Leicester Cathedral and the Methodist Church, the Methodist Modern Art Collection will be on display across the city from now until 9th June. You can find more information about the exhibition at the Leicester Cathedral website here. 

I'm delighted to have been invited to run a workshop as part of the exciting programme events accompanying the exhibition. Taking place on 6th June from 10am to 2pm at St Andrews Church, Jarrom Street, Leicester, LE2 7DH tickets are £17 and can be booked directly from here.

Each attendee will be encouraged to use one of the art works in the exhibition, several of which will be displayed at St Andrews, as inspiration. Working with fabric, lace, ribbons, buttons and basic hand stitching techniques I will then help you create your own textile collage based upon that inspiration or your own interpretation of it. No previous sewing experience is needed and the aim is to have fun working with the materials whilst learning a little about creating fabric pictures. 

I can't wait!!!

Belvoir Art Trail

I'm delighted to be not only on the organiser team but also exhibiting as part of the Belvoir Art Trail again this year at both the Geese and Fountain in Croxton Kerrial and with fellow artist Donna Drouin in our installation #copsecollective at Kooroon Too. For more details on all the artists and venues involved visit www.belvoirarttrail.co.uk for the full programme.

Super excited and super busy.

It's a mad time of the year because I am one the team of organiser who put on the annual Belvoir Art Trail as well as working hard with my friends to get a new gallery and workshop space set up right here where I live. I''m making new work to exhibit, have a cabinet in a fab boutique to create a display for and pulling together my autumn / winter workshop programme. Plus I will be moving all this finery to a new website.

So with all that twirling around my head I think I will simply share some of my favourite moments from the last couple of months in pictures.

Do you know why the mermaid sings? Image of one of my exhibition pieces from March

"The unkindness of ravens" Image of one of my exhibition pieces from March

"Play Freely" One piece of work for the Copse Collection installation for Belvoir Art Trails 2019 

"Still life Yellow Flowers" sold in 2017. New work of this style will be exhibited in May

My lovely friends during the Kooroon Gallery event last weekend at The Old Sorting House (new venue we are developing)

This week

Do you know why the mermaid sings?

Belvoir Art Trail 2019

I'm extremely fortunate where I live in that I have a wonderful network of like minded creatives with whom I meet and collaborate, who I mentor and and from whom I gain a massive amount of support. 

One of our projects is the ever growing Belvoir Art Trail which I co-coordinate with Glenda Gibson from the Kooroon Gallery, Donna Drouin Artist and Dian Harrison owner of The Old Sorting House venue and who runs Art and Soul Studio as well as designing and teaching through 3 T's and Me. 

We already have 10 venues and nearly three times as many artists involved. And you can be too!

We are holding an open call for entries encouraging artists, artisans, crafters, makers, designers and potential venues to apply.

 To be eligible any work put forward for inclusion must be original and individual (i.e. not mass produced) and artists / makers should live or work or be exhibiting at a venue within the Vale of Belvoir area. 

Venues can be in any form from gallery to café window, already exhibiting or aiming to do so for the first time. Pop up shops and open studios are also encouraged provided they are run by the applicant.
 
All venues must be located within the Vale of Belvoir area, which we take as a rough circle encompassing Melton Mowbray, Bingham and Grantham and all the villages in between.
 
Application is free, although we will ask for a contribution of £5 per exhibition (single, group, venue) to help with print costs for the trail catalogue.

To apply please email Jane via belvoirarttrail@gmail.com or contact Donna via www.facebook.com/belvoirarttrail.
 
We will then send you a form and some further info. Deadline for return of entry forms is 17^th February, again via email. There is no strict criteria for inclusion, we just want to celebrate the rich diversity of unique creative making that goes on in our beautiful part of the world.  

Hand Sewn Bird workshop 18th January

I'm delighted to say that I will be running a hand sewn bird making workshop on 18th January from 7pm to 10pm in the beautiful St Mary's Church in Bottesford, Leicestershire. It's available for the special price of £7 including all materials because it is organised by Creative Space, a voluntary run group aimed at offering opportunities to explore creatively in many art forms in an informal and fun way.  I'm proud to say I am part of the committee for the group who are also responsible for co-ordinating and curating the Belvoir Art Trail in May. So much to look forward to.

If you would like more info or to take part in the workshop use the message form to email me or use the messenger facility on Facebook via my page www.facebook.com/pollywhistle

More workshops to follow soon. Happy New Year!!!

Build your own (BBC) Victorian Puppet Theatre

Looking for a little old fashioned activity for the Christmas hols? Well here is a great share from the BBC, full instructions and printables for making your own Victorian Puppet Theatre.

I discovered it whilst researching construction methods to design the Wincle Sisters Concert Hall at the Bottom of the Garden (part of the Laid to Rest Project).

Check it out HERE! In fact check out all 25 activites and learn about the history of Christmas. Have fun.

Constance Thimbleton a new Commission

I was recently approached with regards to Angelic Frankle to see if she was for sale. As the central character in the on-going Laid to Rest project (a dedicated website and podcast for which will be launched in the new year!), I explained that she was not for sale. However, I could create "sister" characters complete with their own stories.

With a little further correspondence from the client, I was sent some beautiful pictures and insight into a favourite grandmother, a seamstress no less.

And so Constance Thimbleton was born, a dear friend of said grandmother during their time working together in their youth, all invented of course but perfectly 'plausible'. Connie's story unfolds in the form of a letter to Angelica Frankle from her "dear friend and favourite old soul" Betrum.

The full tale and images will be available on the new website. Join my mailing list to be kept updated. and do contact me if you wish to discuss a commission of your own.

Arthur and Mary's trip to Leicester

Wednesday 17th October see the opening of an exhibition at Bishop Street Methodist Church in Leicester. The exhibition will be varied and unusual because each piece has been made from a part of the old pipe organ. 

Earlier this year there was an open invitation for artists to deposit £10 in exchange for a pipe or circuit boar, which they could take away and keep or make something with. Work could but did not have to relate to the title of the exhibition ‘Venite’. Although many of the pieces will no doubt be prophetic in nature or based around the makers spiritual belief this was not a requirement either. 

And so Arthur and Mary Crumphorn were born or should I say deceased? Chapter one in the 'Laid to Rest' project the piece reflects the vital role pipe organs played in the couple's tragically ordinary love story. 

The work comes with a memory-zine to take away and the full obituary as written by Angelica Frankle in her unpublished manuscript 'The Artful Obituary'. Later this month I will post up a little video flick through the book of memories and treasure's that Mary kept and a copy of the said obituary on the 'Laid to Rest' page. For now you will have to make do with a couple of little pictures and planning a trip to Bishop Street Methodist Church.  







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