 |
| Feather Fan, 2014 Pen on tracing paper |
A couple of weeks ago on the way back from my birthday weekend away Mr. Stitches and I stopped off in Cockermouth. This is one of my favourite places, it's such a lovely quirky little town with good shops, nice places to eat and it's very picturesque. A couple of friends had told me about a new gallery called Gallery Artemis so I considered it destiny calling when, having found a parking space, we got out the car almost directly in front of the gallery.
 |
| Mounted, framed, ready to go... |
 |
| Hands Knitting, 2014 Machine Embroidery on silk organza |
 |
| Detail: Hands Knitting, 2014 Machine Embroidery on silk organza |
Gallery Artemis is a lovely space, it is fresh and light but also feels very welcoming. Although it is painted all white the work, the wood floors and the layout mean that it doesn't feel cold or off putting, as some white gallery spaces can be. There is a great selection of work in a wide range of media so there really is something for everyone. Whilst we were in the gallery we got talking to the owner, who is very friendly and helpful. With a bit of nudging from Mr. Stitches I mentioned that I was an artist and she asked what kind of work I do. When I said drawing and textiles she said she was looking for another textile artist and was having a drawing exhibition in the new year and would I like to bring some work in.
 |
| White Feather, 2014 Gel pen on tracing paper |
 |
| Small Feathers, 2014 Pen on paper |
 |
| Scruffy Crow Ink and acrylic paint on paper |
Obviously I was very excited and said I would like that very much. Later that day I had an email saying she'd been looking at my website and some of the pieces she'd like to display in the gallery. So, the past two weeks (as well as that whole festive thing going on) have involved framing, mounting and generally panicking about my work. It has been a very useful experience as it's made me really think about how I present my work and in future I think I will be a bit more aware of this when I'm making work. As I have a tendency to work with whatever I have to hand it sometimes means that work is hard to mount as there is no room round the edge, for instance. It's also made me resolve a couple of pieces including the stitched hands piece, which has been floating around my studio waiting for me to do something with it!
 |
| Hands Knitting Graphite on prepared paper |
 |
| Female Nude, 2013 Pen on paper |
 |
| Kneeling Man, 2013 Pen on paper |
Yesterday we headed back out to Cockermouth with a car full of work and a very nervous me. Handing over your work to be put up in a real gallery that real people go and visit and buy from is, in all honesty, a little bit scary as well as exciting!
 |
| All that Glitters is not Gold, 2014 Screen print, hand embroidery and beading on cotton |
 |
| Hail to the Thief, 2014 Machine embroidery on dyed, painted and printed silk organza |
Once we got there Yvette soon put me at ease and I left feeling really excited and inspired. I've worked really hard to get to this point and it's exciting to have an outlet for my work. The drawing exhibition is going to be up from 2nd January until 14th February so if you're in the area please do go and have a look, it's such a great space I'm sure you'll love it! Some of my textile pieces will also be up in the gallery and they do generally look better in real life than the photographs. This is an exciting start to the New Year for me (I know it technically hasn't started yet but we're not far off) and I look forward to seeing what other opportunities come my way.
 |
| Some of my brooches will also be available for sale in the gallery |
 |
| Some of my brooches will also be available for sale in the gallery |
No comments:
Post a Comment