Burning Down

Janet suggested burning a house as well as the archway for a better effect. Now the arch needs to be burnt more...

I like how it looks on the table cloth -

 - not sure I'm ready to burn into that yet!

Arches

Mmmm... Bit too much definition on the roof of this house, pleased with the steps and door though. Need to stitch the arch now.

I've been exploring the theme of archways. I like the nurturing curve they have, encouraging me to go through and explore beyond my immediate space. Unlike circles, arches do not confine me, but gently lead me further on. Without a door, they provide a glimpse to their other side, imagination filling in the gaps so that before I go through it there is a sense of another reality lying beyond, something different to my current world.

Arches feature in much of John Piper's work. His style appeals to me because his buildings are often blurred and indistinct, but the arches are highlighted, a moment of clarity but also movement, giving the sense of there being something beyond the canvas.

The word arch came from the Latin arcus meaning arch or bow. 'Arc' has the same root and was used in Middle English to mean the passing of the sun from east to west, forming the 'days arc'.* This led me back to the idea of arches as a symbol of movement and development. There is a proscribed frame of time and space, but within that the day is full of possibility.

John Piper's painting of St George Church in Ivychurch, was the starting point for my decaying archway. Finding these photographs of the inside of the church reminded me that the arch is used in buildings because of its strength. Go through it in search of another world, but build on top of it and around it and you will make a solid, immutable structure that will last over a thousand years...

* Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, 2000

Bash, Pleat, Singe and Smock

Bashing

Pleating and burning

Loose stitching and smocking

An experiment

Beating in the Colour

Natural calico pleated with leaf, bashed with a hammer, singed and plunged in water.

I like that the leaf shape is broken up but that it is clear where the veins continue. The water marking on the right hand side adds a subtle dimension.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with coloured flowers next and trying out more ideas from India Flint's book 'Eco Colour'. I like her idea of making small pockets that can be carried around to pick up colour when travelling. She suggests buttoning them onto clothing to create a changeable outfit and novel souvenir. I may be adding a hammer to my handbag...

Cutting, Layering and Burning

The white linen was folded and cut like a paper snow flake. Threads were pulled out and layered between gold and grey sheers. The sandwich was then burned with a joss stick, to which the sheers responded beautifully.

I like the organic nature of the burnt holes, but the cut linen holes, particularly the horizontal ones are too stark and obvious.

pleating and burning

This heavy calico was died in a saffron bath on the window sill, pleated and secured in a fan shape before being singed with a match. I'm not sure how this would form part of a larger piece of work, but I like the effect. I like that the burnt edges hint at having a story to tell.