Hooped Ladies & muchos thanks x

Firstly thanks you so much for all your kind, supportive and encouraging comment to the last post!
I really appreciate it and it has helped me to place some of the uneasy feelings I was having about writing tutorials. I love this wonderful Blogging community ! xx

As promised I wanted to share some of this things Ive been working on all last week.
Continuing with the hooped ladies with owls I wanted to return to my old interest of using old photographs as the starting point for a piece. I had a few gems for a recent carboot sale which were perfect subject for what I wanted to try.

I loved their poses and expressions, also the black dresses is a look I wanted to try as a hooped lady!

Im really pleased with their stern, formal looks! and I love the lace details ( Ive been holding that bit of old nighty for ages ready for a project just like this!!)
I think Ive worked through my 'hooped lady with owl' obsession for this week! I am feeling the need for a bit more texture going on and some slow stitching. I really want to start a patchwork quilt (just for me and our bed because we need one in the winter) so I  am thinking I will combine that desire along with all the new dyed samples I have been making and try a few samplers ideas, trying out some patchwork, layering, slow stiches and machine embroidery.....well thats what Im thinking...not sure what will appear.

Its been a bank holiday in the UK today and we had a very succesful day at a carboot sale, selling ( & trying not to buy to much!) we made a huge amount of money for us, selling stuff that would otherwise have just gone to the charity shop. the princely sum of £70 is going to start our new tent fund! ready for some outdoor fun in the summer.....I picked up some lovely bits of printed stuff, a great music score from the 1940s, 1001 patchwork patterns! and an amazing book entitled "Enquire within upon everything" printed in 1870!!! I shall scan some very soon its fab.

Hope your weeks have all started well
xx jenny

Give away!

Ok I think its time I did a give away!

I hope you will all be interested in the chance to have a piece of my work for free!
Ive decided to offer one of my new pieces of hooped embroiderys.

she is 6" and made of natural dyed fabrics and machine embroidery and her name is Maggie.

I will draw a name out of a hat on MONDAY 26th APRIL at 10 am UK time and post it straight to the winner.

In order to be part of the draw and so I can get to know you all better,  I would like you to answer one question  " what drives you to create your artworks?"

Just put your answer and your name in a comment to this post by monday 10am and who ever is drawn I will contact you for your address right away.

Im also noticing that a tradition of offering an extra chance to win for people who tweet, blog or facebook about the give away, just mention in the comment that you have done this and Ill put your name in twice!

Im really looking forward to all your answers and I promise I will answer the question myself on monday morning at the end of the draw!

loads of dyes started here today will post soon with picture and process!!

thanks again for all  your supportive comments here and on flickr, I have lovely cyber friends xx

(p.s dont forget to tell all your friends xx)

new Hoop framed works

 I have been so busy while my lot have been away (they are back today! yeah!)

I had somewhat of a revelation on sunday! I heard that an exhibition I really wanted to see was closing that day and seeing as I was minus family I jumped on a train to manchester to go have a look.

Manchester city art gallery is a wonderful place with a great permanent collection full of some victorian gems! I went to see the Ron Mueck pieces that were finishing that day, just 3 peices but they have to be seen in the flesh to be appreciated ! I knew that if I made the effort to go see the mueck work i would also get the chance to go spend some time with the pre raphaelite work that I have always love since I was a very little girl.

Muecks work was amazing the scale is staggering and the detail breath taking well worth running to see. But it was in the victorian paintings section that I had my revelation. I have alway loved the pre raphaelite's work particually Rossetti and Burne Jones but never really learnt much about them or the symbolism they used, I just responded instinctively, they are beautiful pictures of beautiful women with beautiful fabrics and nature all around them. I realised that the way i try to draw faces has a look of Rossetti and Burne Jones! by no way do I do it as well as them, its more of a style , the shape of eyes and lips and noses, I was so pleased to notice the conetion, I really gave me the confidence I had been lacking to just draw the way that comes naturally and not change , I spend time in fornt of a few of the painting I love drawing they faces and trying to understand how they structure the whole painting. A wonderful task and one I think I need to do much more of.

Anyway before going to Manchester, I had ideas for hoop framed embroiderd drawings of ladies with owls but wasn't sure how they should look and was doubting my drawing style. after the revelation I found the confidence to just go for it, I looked at some of the poses from the paintings and used those within the work, I am over the moon with the finished pieces. I need to try lots more ideas using my new found confidence now ! see what you think, theres more pics on my flickr page if you like what you see. I now have to concider whether I want to put them in my shop or not yet??