I am posting this on behalf of Jayne Butler; it is a
reflection of the silver surf on the sand here on Weston Super Mare Beach. She will be posting more about it soon!
I began this challenge with a query, Sea or The Sea. Here at Weston-super-Mare we are on the edge of the river Severn estuary and the Bristol Channel, we have a tidal range that is up to 18meters and the tide when it goes out goes beyond vision! it can go out a mile!! we get the most extraordinary sunsets, storms, winds, yet never really get the smashing stormy waves that plague my more familiar Devonshire coastline. Here there is the flat landscape carved by the combined forces of the estuary and the river and the old ancient history of tidal mudflats that went inland as much as 50 miles that the Church annexed and drained for farmland and many times recently the waters again of sea and river combine to flood terribly - 26 square miles under 8ft of water in 2014 for 4 months - no wonder it is called Somerset - the 'Summer Settlers Land' Where to start, so much to choose from. well we stand on miles and miles of sand, there are imprints, tracks, millions of tiny tiny flat pink shell delicate in the sand, waders calling and leaving their mark as the dig for food in the sand at the minimal line. Mud sticky, glutinous, capturing the unwary and tragic in consequence, cars lost in mud and taken by the sea. Great billowing wind surfer kites and fast zippy feeling contraptions for strong arms to grasp the kites as the wind pulls. Donkeys on the beach with age old pictures of grand parents and family members following after children riding their 'beasts' down the beach, docile and steady with the treasure on the saddle. Dogs delighted in running the waves and letting their long legs run free, ears whipping about in the winds. So many images. so Discount the sand objects and activities Keep to the SEA for me the sea and sand are inextricably linked I went out and drew, photographed, experimented, played with the shells, drew some more and then played with colour I looked at textures, the sand worm casts, the tracks in the sand, the myriad of colours I took along soft and hard fabrics. loose weaves and delicate structures then I tried the old ways of making faux chenille. I tried making the trackways but felt it was too heavy so went back to the simple tracks and ridges made by the retreating waves. I love seeing the water skimming over the sandy wavelets and seeing the new patterns made by light, sunshine, clouds and more on the thin layer of seawater over the sandy wavelets. Then I realised that I could draw the bubbles and sea foam that is often left on the sand so made drawings and photographs of them putting the two elements together was fun, making the sandy wavelets from cotton, shards of organza, silk and velvet stitching the wavelike shapes on the fabric sand and then that cathartic cutting! It took a bit of experimentation till I got the silver foam right, I used a filigree double sided iron on on a thin thin sheet of printers silver and stitched into it then distressed it and then applied it. I am quite pleased with the result however I am going to make some more as I would like to experiment with the shells and maybe some of the tracks made by birds, dogs, man and trucks! Happy new Year everyone and Happy Stitching in 2015. As soon as I can get my system to work I will get more photos on to show some processes.
Love the texture in this piece
ReplyDeleteI began this challenge with a query, Sea or The Sea. Here at Weston-super-Mare we are on the edge of the river Severn estuary and the Bristol Channel, we have a tidal range that is up to 18meters and the tide when it goes out goes beyond vision! it can go out a mile!! we get the most extraordinary sunsets, storms, winds, yet never really get the smashing stormy waves that plague my more familiar Devonshire coastline. Here there is the flat landscape carved by the combined forces of the estuary and the river and the old ancient history of tidal mudflats that went inland as much as 50 miles that the Church annexed and drained for farmland and many times recently the waters again of sea and river combine to flood terribly - 26 square miles under 8ft of water in 2014 for 4 months - no wonder it is called Somerset - the 'Summer Settlers Land'
ReplyDeleteWhere to start, so much to choose from. well we stand on miles and miles of sand, there are imprints, tracks, millions of tiny tiny flat pink shell delicate in the sand, waders calling and leaving their mark as the dig for food in the sand at the minimal line. Mud sticky, glutinous, capturing the unwary and tragic in consequence, cars lost in mud and taken by the sea.
Great billowing wind surfer kites and fast zippy feeling contraptions for strong arms to grasp the kites as the wind pulls.
Donkeys on the beach with age old pictures of grand parents and family members following after children riding their 'beasts' down the beach, docile and steady with the treasure on the saddle.
Dogs delighted in running the waves and letting their long legs run free, ears whipping about in the winds.
So many images.
so
Discount the sand objects and activities
Keep to the SEA
for me the sea and sand are inextricably linked
I went out and drew, photographed, experimented, played with the shells, drew some more and then played with colour
I looked at textures, the sand worm casts, the tracks in the sand, the myriad of colours
I took along soft and hard fabrics. loose weaves and delicate structures
then I tried the old ways of making faux chenille. I tried making the trackways but felt it was too heavy so went back to the simple tracks and ridges made by the retreating waves.
I love seeing the water skimming over the sandy wavelets and seeing the new patterns made by light, sunshine, clouds and more on the thin layer of seawater over the sandy wavelets.
Then I realised that I could draw the bubbles and sea foam that is often left on the sand so made drawings and photographs of them
putting the two elements together was fun, making the sandy wavelets from cotton, shards of organza, silk and velvet stitching the wavelike shapes on the fabric sand and then that cathartic cutting! It took a bit of experimentation till I got the silver foam right, I used a filigree double sided iron on on a thin thin sheet of printers silver and stitched into it then distressed it and then applied it.
I am quite pleased with the result however I am going to make some more as I would like to experiment with the shells and maybe some of the tracks made by birds, dogs, man and trucks!
Happy new Year everyone and Happy Stitching in 2015.
As soon as I can get my system to work I will get more photos on to show some processes.
Welcome to the group Jayne! Wonderful way to start, great texture.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done, Jayne! I can almost feel the sand squishing between my toes.
ReplyDeleteJayne, wonderful work!
ReplyDeleteI love the layering of textures -- water over sand. You've caught beautifully the depth that we "see" but can't define or easily replicate.
ReplyDelete