the night before

its always a conundrum - the night before Open Studio....................

how many people will come ?? how much will I sell??  what will the weather hold??  etc etc etc ..........

but whatever the question, conundrums and insecurities............it is always the affirmation of my work that seals the deal!

I love the Open Studio weekend - its sheer hard work - nervousness - and the meeting with people that I wouldnt have otherwise met is fantastic!

But it is also the promotion of the technique of free and modern embroidery that drives me forward.  This subject has held me captive for over 30 years and I have never lost my enthusiasm for it ............

I have seen many relationships destroyed by this medium - not because it is destructive in itself but because of the unashamed power and confidence it offers to women who would otherwise be trapped in a domestic and belittling  situation.  I love this attitude.................it has pushed me to horizons unthinkable before I began my journey with embroidery and I have crossed pathways with many other women in a similar situation.

my work may sometimes appear frivolous and humourous but believe me behind the facade is 30 years of hard work!

I love embroidery and the journey and power it offers!

zaz;0)

open studio

I enjoy meeting people and this time of year with the Open Studio event here on the island is fantastic for just that!  Of course it entails an horrendous amount of work and preparation but with my new found freedom it has been an adventure that I have enjoyed!

Curiously I have protected my anonimity with avengance but I do actually feel comfortable being a part of the artistic life on the the island and belonging to the ''Group''.  So opening the studio and meeting people to explain what and why I do what I do is really a boost for me.

So the studio has been spring cleaned - an unusual event in itself but it was a necessity to be able to get into the room!  and I am more or less ready to greet the visitors on Friday, Saturday and sunday ..............

I love this time of the year!

welcome!

Zaz;0)

being a textile artist ..........

The opening of our exhibiton was yesterday and I duly went along only to find that my hanging 'Bird watch' - a free machine embroidered hanging - had fallen from its suspension wire and was propped up against a window! 

Very disappointing  - because it was a delicate frame to encase the embroidery and not one that was strong enough to be launched to the floor!  I rehung it and straightened out the only slighlty bent frame and then complained to the gallery.

Why is it I continually feel that textile art , embroidery , stitched work is still second class citizen?  Ho hum!

Back to work.

Open studio this Friday, saturday and sunday - I so enjoy meeting people who are interested in my work.

Zaz;0)

workshops ...............

At last I have been able to devote time to preparing workshops and classes.  Of course this is something I have always done but until now have often felt that my time in the preparation of them has not always been as much as I would have liked.

Time is a precious  luxury and I appreciate having the time now to be able to experiment, and to work out classes and workshops that bear my enthusiasm for embroidery and the textile arts.

I have been working with a group of embroiderers in Ucklum - a talented and enthusiastic bunch of ladies that embraced my design workshop with precisely the same amount of enjoyment and enthusiasm that I had whilst prepaing it.

Now they have asked to go back again - and this time we are working with backgrounds for embroidery - so all my time is now dedicated to that subject, revisiting past ideas, trials and experiments.

Loving it!

 

Zaz;0)

Bird watch

There is a theme at the exhibition opening this saturday - Birds!! 

It wasn't meant to be a theme , but somehow it just happened.  Strange, that without any communication between us exhibiting artists we are suddenly all (well, most of us all!) are producing bird interpretations.  I wonder if it could be the long winter months that we are longing for the return to spring and birdsong! 

My hanging , detail above, is a machine embroidered on dissovable fabric.  A light and airy hanging depicting birds in sheer fabric embellished with metal thread and beads. 

My bird watch!  To welcome the spring, admire the fast budding growth on the trees and shrubs, and to breathe warm air again.

You are welcome to the vernissage on Saturday

Zaz ;0)

..........and the next step is.............

The third age of my life is being a fulltime artist and embroiderer.  A considered choice, a long awaited choice and one that feels totally correct.


Am I retired? absolutely not!  I am released to pursue the artistic pursuits I should have accomplished many moons ago.  However, as the old saying goes ''it is never too late'' and that is precisely how I will approach the next period of my life.

Join me.

Zaz ;0)