Catch a falling star ...... or leaf!

 I'm really excited about making smaller decorative items! The sky's the limit.

Selection of recent work.

 I made this piece on my trip to Vancouver. Our road trip across the Rockies was awe inspiring!

This is the first time I truly got into the squiggles! Working on a hessian background has helped to free up my designs and makes a change from the canvas grid.

 I have started to make name banners which are a lot of fun!

 Collaborative work made by Year 8 students from King James High School, Almondbury and Moorend Academy, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield. This stunning piece is on display in the entrance of King James. The youngsters were enthusiastic and rightly proud of their work!

The world comes to me.

Had a couple of really great days this week!
On Tuesday I had a student who is on a trip from Melbourne, taking a break from acrobatic performance to learn rag rug skills. She was the first student  that I welcomed into my new studio space at home. Talking, learning, exchanging ideas, she too went home happy with two projects started.
On Wednesday I went to Africa -sort of. An indigo dyeing day at the home of Magie Relph. Magie is very knowledgeable and really does demystify the art of indigo dyeing. I love exploring the many techniques for preparing fabric to resist the dye. Having gasped with awe and wonder at the site of the fabric turning blue before your very eyes, there is more magic as you unpick/undo the stitching/take out the marbles, pegs etc and see the pattern that has been created.
I really want to use some of this fabric in my locker hook work, but I can't bear the thought of ripping it up.....
Perhaps I could make some fabulous indigo pieces for my acrobat friend to use in her dangling performances....
www.africanfabric.co.uk

Workshop at LBT

I really enjoy meeting people and teaching my rag rug skills. I had a very keen participant at the LBT Summer Fair, who went away fired up with her first project- a proddy heart. So keen in fact that within a few days she has emailed a photo of the finished piece.
It seems that there are lots of people who want to learn craft skills and revive the art of making things. Rag rugging is a cheap and easy hobby, what better than curling up in front of the fire with a rag rug or cushion or some other project on the go.

Getting ready for HOST

Time to take stock of the year's work and get ready for HOST Open Studio Trail.
September 17th/18th at LBT.
Private view Friday 16th at the CAB building, Huddersfield University.
This year there will be a wide variety of artists at Lawrence Batley Theatre.
I look forward to meeting people, showing and talking about my work. I hope to see you there.

www.hoststudios.co.uk
www.thelbt.org/events

Finished work for Delivery Suite at Bradford Royal Infirmary

I'm really pleased that I have completed the hooking of the BRI piece. Here it is, hot off the press. I need to do the finishing and framing next.
This is a departure in the type of work I do, in terms of scale and design. It makes me feel energised and looking forward to more work on a grander scale.

New work

What does this make you think of or about?

Barn door

Colouring in with fabric.

Fox on the Move - Art in the Woods - 2011

So how is this collaboration going to look?

Pavements!

Yes, but I still like stripes!

The Seeds of Collaboration are Shown

Mary and Barbara working together as Artists in Residence at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.We are endeavouring to link our two different ways of working to create a piece of work that uses each of our techniques, whilst maintaining the identity of our work and pushing the boundaries.

Collaboration!

I know that the work I'm doing now will lead into some kind of wire and textile collaboration with Barbara. Don't know exactly how that will be as yet, ideas and thoughts need time to dance about a bit, and settle. The exciting thing is that the work takes on its own life and you just have to follow it. If only there were more days in the week.....

Work for BRI begins!

Feeling warm at last!

On Friday I sat by the window feeling luxuriously warm. I started two new pieces of work, I like to have one or two things on the go.
I started putting in the squiggly bits for the BRI work. It looks like little crawly creatures wending their way over the hessian. So, leave them to settle and then go to the large piece of canvas to work on the stripe theme. It's good to be free but I do like stripes! Carrying on from theLBT compliment strip piece, I'm taking the same stripe proportions but working my own colours. Just can't wait to see colours lying next to each other........just one more row.........

Early days with new material.

Barbara: I am trying to work out how to use this new material. I am in the process of creating 6 faces that will be exhibited at the front of the Lawrence Batley Theatre. It is an exciting challenge, but also a daunting prospect. It's difficult to work with your fingers crossed.

Barbara - a new way of working - with a new material - steel wire mesh.

Exciting days at LBT!

It's fab at LBT. The stimulus of working in that huge space, of looking out of the window and watching life go busily by, as well as all the shapes, patterns, colours and people in the building, all these elements have conspired to push me on an exciting journey.
I didn't foresee quite how much my co-artists would influence me either. My new sqiggly designs, which have come as quite a delightful surprise to me, are a direct influence from Barbara's intricate wire work. I am enjoying the liberation from lines and grids!

New areas of work for us both.

 Mary: I make work for the wall or floor using the locker hook technique. I usually work onto canvas but since being here at the LBT, I have begun to pursue my creativity in different directions. I have found that if I hook onto hessian I have much more freedom. I am moving into a much freer way of working which is very exciting!

Here is Barbara working.

New Ideas

We are both artists resident at Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield.   We can see lots of exciting possibilities for collaborative work.  Watch this space!

Barbara Hellowell



Mary Lane

Design ideas for work to be displayed at Lawrence Batley Theatre and then Bradford Royal Infirmary.