A MORNING WITH WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-96)

Weeks ago, I booked a day trip to London to go to the William Morris Society at the Kelmscott House Museum in Hammersmith. I was so excited on Saturday that I got there far too early so took the time to look at the view of rowers on the Thames and took photos of the scenery.





The visit had been organised by Lucy Brett,an artist-printmaker I met at the Kew printing studios a little while ago. We were a small group and the curator of the William Morris Society, Helen Elletson kindly showed us around the basement of the house. This is the only part of the house which can be visited as the Society cannot maintain the main part of the house, which is leased.



Helen showed us some samples of Morris and Company wallpapers, watercolour designs, and a selection of textiles, ranging from a Hammersmith rug and woven hangings to printed cottons, silks and embroideries and it was a treat to see them, still looking so fresh and lively. We were also able to see a copy of his book The Chaucer. The book was completed shortly before he died and one of the proofing presses used in its printing is now on permanent display at Kelmscott.





For me, it was a joy to see original drawings by Morris and his talented family and to learn a little more about such an important Victorian designer and craftsman. It is interesting to know that he was founder of the Society for the Protection of Ancient buildings in 1877 (created to counteract the highly destructive 'restoration' of medieval buildings being practised by many Victorian architects).

Though the visit was not very long, it was worth it, and I would recommend you take a detour in this beautiful part of London and discover Morris and the other artists who once lived in the vicinity such as Eric Ravilious and Thomas James Cobden Sanderson.

SLOW PROGRESS FOR ME

My work is a little slow at the moment but I have to do a lot more research each time I prepare a drawing. The drawings now measure 16x16cm comparing to the smaller format I was working with before (8x8cm). I have another 9 to transfer from a small format onto a 16x16. Then they all need inking up and then I can move on. I fear that won't be until January now, which is frustrating as I work to my own tight schedule and by now, I was hoping I would have more done. Non the less, I am making progress so it is still very positive.

AND YES, MORE PRINTS AND MORE FAB WORK FROM THE GIRLS!!

Just wanted to share with the community some more photos of coloured prints that were created today by year 9 girls. They are really getting the hang of this process which can be messy, but with patience and good practice, excellent results can be produced.

Here are some of the lovely results:

MORE YEAR 11 PRINTING

Further to my previous entry regarding printing with year 9 girls (19Th November), we have now been enriching their knowledge with mixing inks and printing in colour. The girls seem to have loved the process and here are some of the results:












This is probably my favorite, showing how just two different colours can make a very big difference and brighten an image:



Well done year 11!

BOOK EXHIBITION - AYLESBURY MUSEUM

Artists at the 'Book this space' exhibition in the Buckingham County Museum in Aylesbury have been busy transforming books in one way or another: some books have been cut, some have been folded, some have been painted or printed on to form a piece of art. The books were going to be thrown away and discarded, but with the help of the exhibition organiser, Heather Hunter, they have been given a new lease of life and given the chance to once again entertain us.

Here are a few example of what is on show, but their are many more so you will have to go to Aylesbury to discover these hidden jewels:


Pat Rozental


Jayne Wilton


Pamela Wood


June Kingsbury


The exhibition will finish on 26 February 2011, there is therefore no excuses to miss it as per details below:

From Monday 29 Nov 2010 to 26 February 2011
Buckinghamshire County Museum
Church Street, Aylesbury, HP20 2QP

From 1 Nov – 26 Feb open Mon – Sat 10am – 4pm

Closed 25, 26, 27, 28 Dec 2010 & 3 Jan 2011

SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER....

This week, I have been working on more drawings, trying to illustrate the school in some way. I am still working on a format of 8x8cm on graph paper, inspired by the carvings on the chapel pews:



I have settled one using the name of the school's Houses and with the help of Jenny, the library's archivist, I am trying to find out were the names came from. There are twenty two houses in the Junior/Senior school and a further four in the Prep school. Having no involvement with the Prep shcool, I have decided not to illustrate those four houses.

Here are a few pencil sketches:





These are still likely to be transformed until they are finally inked up. They are hybrid drawings, using photos of the sites around me, maps of the school, dictionary descriptions, books and of course, my imagination. The latter allows me ample freedom.
This fits very well with the history of the school, as per BH Garnons Williams's explanation of the name 'Newcorft' (for one of the new buildings inaugurated in 1958). In his book 'A History of Berkhamsted School, 1541-1972' he describes the name as a mix using the first syllable of Sir Isaac Newton's surname with the second syllable of Sir John Cockcroft's, creating the word Newcroft.





I have also been using different media, yet again to try to 'portray' the cellular creatures I am creating as follows:



Then looking at a very old photo of the chapel, photos of various xrays of shells as well as experimenting with black and white photography, I have transformed my drawings:







For now I need to finish off my 22 drawings, and then surprise.....

PAPER MAKING

The first paper mills were developed in Europe in the 11Th century and paper has been produced since using cellulose fibres such as cotton, flax or tree bark.

For my paper making courses, I tend to use cotton fibres as they are very pure and white which means that the paper produced is very durable and can be stained easily.

I have now been running a paper course at Berkhamsted School since October and on a weekly basis, as well as doing a few lunch time sessions at the girls school. The students have managed to produce some lovely paper, with glitter, grass, flower petals etc...

The process is very easy and involves using paper pulp made up of water and cellulose (or for us, cotton fibres) which are mixed together.



The fibres float freely in the water and are scooped through a sieve which has a frame providing the size and shape of the paper (this is called a deckle and frame). As soon as the water is taken away from the fibres, they just want to stick together, and form the paper. The less fibre to water ratio, the thiner the paper.



The pulp is then strained and taken off the deckle.



The wet paper is then dried with a cloth. Complete drying is then necessary so that the paper can be used.



Here are a few examples of the paper produced so far:









We have also tried to experiment with the paper as a molding material, as per following examples:







I hope this gives some enthusiasm for the girls to carry on with paper making and maybe we can get a few boys interested too!!