an artists' view

an artists' view

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Snow, Snow, quick quick snow!

The winter's here.
It's been snowing since Saturday; today it's continued snowing...and snowing...and snowing...Deep snow, and cold with it.
I've had to cancel one of the courses I teach, for today. So a good opportunity to write here.
Today is the first day of Advent, the lead up to Christmas. If I had an Advent Calendar, I'd be opening the first window!

I took lots of photos in January and February this year of the snowfall we experienced then. Haven't been out to take photos yet of this recent white-out. Am making sure I keep warm, and enjoying the time spent at home; it feels a bit like a holiday! Nice! Feeling quite Christmassy already.

Am trying to work at home on one of my knitted pieces. It's something I've been working on for the last 18 months. Initially I intended it to be attached to a larger textile piece I'm working on. I realised that to sew it onto the calico would cause the calico to buckle up.....so had to think again. My friend Berenice suggested 'stretching' the knitted 'pelt' on a frame. Great idea!
I got some sticks from my garden, and have made up a frame, which the pelt will hang from. It's now at the stage of working out the 'engineering'.
Working on it, it has become obvious that it's growing in size. Becoming a free-standing piece, seperate from the larger textile work. This means that I have to re-think the textile piece, as an integral part of it will now be missing! Blimey! An unexpected effect.
But this is the beauty of making art. You think you've got something worked out; then just when it's at a stage of nearing completion, the art throws up a different path!
Problem-solving; a crucial part of art making.

2 comments:

  1. Hello Jan,
    I am doing some research at the Women's Art Library. I came across a file of paintings by a Jan Millington. I have posted a brief summary of the file here:

    http://mappingwal.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/jan-millington/

    Would this be you?

    I can be contacted by email: lm_duffy@yahoo.com or hs901ld@gold.ac.uk.

    I'm a postgraduate student at Goldsmiths College, London and an artist. My website is: www.linda-duffy.com.

    Would be great to hear from you!

    best wishes,
    Linda Duffy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Linda,
    How very curious to be contacted by someone researching from the Women's Art Library (known by me as Women's Art Slide Library; the pre-digital age!).
    The slides held by WAL are indeed by me; from many years ago. It seems like another life!

    ReplyDelete

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