Had a lovely day today at my graduation , nice to see everyone again and catch up.

Work now on display at knitting & Stitching Show Harrogate on the Bradford College Stand.
Called in Yesterday to see the Exhibition and had a lovely chat with Anthea Godfrey about her work on the Magna Carta Embroidery and the stitch work which went into the Pope Innocent the piece.
I find the detail of the work amazing. Its especially interesting after my research into fine cells work and their part in this project shows how talented they are.

Had a busy week preparing ideas for the christmas fair at the community college, I have been creating deisgns to transfer onto fabric using batik. The students have really enjoyed learning new techniques combining the use of  procion dyes and wax. We are hoping to combine the use of stitch to embellish the bags we are making.

Really busy week traveled to London to the Society Of Designer Craftsmen. Had a really useful mentoring session with Armando Magnino http://www.magnino.co.uk/  Called at the welcomelibrary and  British Library on the way home really interesting places.

Yarndale.Skipton

http://yarndale.co.uk/

Exhibiting my degree work on the Bradford School of Arts & Media stand,

26-27th September.

https://www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/study/university-centre/schools/arts-media

Inspired by the Craftspace commission I have decided to carry on my research into local history and the connection to Lunar Society of whom Joseph Priestley was an influential member.
Science and historical discoveries have always been of interest and I find the context in which Joseph's discoveries were made very interesting. His link with Birmingham and the lunar Society impacted his life greatly and his connections to his home in Birstall to which he never returned.

Craftspace insite 2015

Flower pounding created at the insite festival by a member of the public.People were able to engage in activities new to them and enjoyed sitting talking and expressing their artistic abilities.
I met a collection of lovely people who wanted to sit, chat and take anything from a few minutes to an hour out of their day to engage in activities.I found this experience very rewarding.

My inspiration for Craftspace INSITE 2015 developed from research into William Withering 1741-1799 and his connections to Birmingham and the Lunar society. An English botanist,geologist,chemist and physician,
William discovered digitalis during his botanical study of the foxglove.
His use of the microscope and inventions of field microscopes has inspired this work. The slides used during the nineteenth century are represented in my art installation in Birmingham Cathedral Square. 
The above shows development work created for the commission. 

I decided to use linen fabric as a ground for my designs. The natural fibers react well with discharge paste and bleach out areas of print.

Botanical prints created by flower pounding add subtle colour to the highlighted areas.

 

Experimental mark making and stitch using a combination of inks, natural dye stains using chard. 

Developing my ideas for Craftspace this week. Spent a couple of hours walking round the grounds of Oakwell Hall,Birstall photographing flora

collecting fallen leaves to create interesting prints.
http://www.friendsofoakwellhall.org.uk/

http://issuu.com/craftspacepublications/docs/insitefestival2015/5?e=11607169/1482816

Craft Space commission update Just 12 days to go.

 William Withering, microscopes and botanical remedies discovering what lies beneath the lens have inspired my current work.

Here is a link to my Graduate work portfolio at New Designers London 2015

http://www.artsthread.com/profile/amandawoollard/

EVENTS In:Site returns to Birmingham Cathedral this September In:Site, a festival of graduate creativity All events are free and open to all! Outside in Birmingham Cathedral Square, Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2QB 7th– 11th September, 11am-6pm Work is on show until the 13th SeptemberArtists will be working in the square between 11am and 6pm each day. You can come along and watch makers creating their work from wood turning and hand-built ceramics to casting jewellery in pewter. You can join in with many of the activities. This year, the festival has become part of the Cathedral’s tercentenary celebrations as many for the artworks will be inspired by the history and heritage of the cathedral and the stories associated with the way in which the area has changed over time.

Spent the day researching the Lunar Society Birmingham in preparation for the Graduate Festival. My current work is inspired by the Botanical work of William Withering and his approach to science and medicine using plants.It links quite well with my home town of Batley being the home of another member of the society Joseph Preistley.

I have had some really exciting news having received confirmation that I have been accepted as a Licentiate and offered support from The society of Designer Craftsmen. I have been invited to Exhibit my final year degree work at the Mall Gallery in London in August 2016. This is very exciting and a great reward after a hard final year working on my degree. Thank you to my tutors and fellow degree students for all your help and support .

Memoria Exhibition Armley Mill
Preview evening tonight.
The exhibition has a collection of works by artists from Bradford College who have been invited by Armley Mill Museum to take part in the Memoria Exhibition along side artist David Bridges.
Bridgeshttp://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/Pages/Memoria.aspx

My work has been inspired by the mills tactile surfaces,and the light which illuminates the dark spaces through the machinery.This piece was developed by looking at the irrigated roofs laden with moss which cast light through the mills windows. 

Putting together a collection of my work to exhibit at Armley Mill as part of the Memoria Exhibition  developed by artist David Bridges. I will be exhibiting be some of my earlier degree work in connection with the mill space and surfaces. The Exhibition starts Sat 1st August - 4th October. http://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/Pages/Memoria.aspx

CRAFT SPACE GRADUATE FESTIVAL.

I received an email to enter the Craftspace festival in Birmingham for new graduates if anyone's interested take a look   http://www.craftspace.co.uk/insitefestival and apply.

Attending New Designers has been a great experience I had great feed back on my work which has been exciting. The talent there is astounding,it has really opened my eyes to other disciplines and the way they work and collaborate.

Final collection ,preview night went really well.Proud of all the BA (Hons)Contemporary Surface & Textile students we have all worked hard and support each other this past year. I'm gonna miss everyone.

 Final Collection all came together all the hard work done.Spent the last week setting up final year show,really pleased with the outcome.Looking forward to New Designers just want to enjoy the experience.

 Just finishing off final samples  and putting together portfolio for New Designers.

Almost finished my final collection just a few finishing touches to my embroidery

Final collection coming together just ordered business cards for New Designers London.24 June 2015.

                                    Photography taken at the Thackray Museum Leeds as part of my research for promotional images for my final collection.

Development work towards final collection,

Final collection coming together,just need to work on embroidery techniques.

Dissertation nearly finished and then I can concentrate on my other work.

Inspiration;

Mental health patients in the early nineteenth century and the institutions such as West Riding Pauper and Lunatic Asylum have inspired my final collection.

I have been analyzing samplers embroidered by a former patient as part of my research for dissertation.

I wanted to find out more about how people were cast and the moral treatments and remedies used to treat mental illness.

It has been a fascinating topic and I have learnt so much about mental illness treatments and the poor squalid conditions in the eighteenth century through to the late nineteenth century when medical procedures and combined therapies where used.   

 

Working on new designs for my final collection for making techniques.Inspired by my dissertation research into a patient at West Riding lunatic asylum during the nineteenth century.

Have been developing my print work and currently looking at embroidery sampling. Looking at memory revealed through fabric printed using discharge paste. Procion dyes disperse really well into the linens I have been using.

Today I am continuing with the development of my sampling for making techniques.I have my prototype designs assembled and ready to hang i want to  get an idea of how they will sit as a collection or contribute to my studio work. 

I have been really busy over the last few weeks researching for dissertation and putting work together for the exhibition at the Sunny Banks Mill Gallery. The Exhibition is on from 7th March- 19th April.
I have exhibited three pieces of work comprising of print and embroidery mounted as canvas based on my work from Armley mills.

 

www.finecellwork.co.uk