Our last meeting was a dip into the work of Ailish Henderson, a few samples are pictured below.
Ailish is a fine artist who has embraced textiles in her
work. Her zoom talk was a real thought-provoking session. We had interpreted her
title “Textiles as a form of Repair” too literally, imagining we were going to
be educated on the types of repair work needed for worn out or torn textiles,
this was not the case. I think I understood that Ailish instigates the time
spent with textile art as a means to emotional “mending” for the artist and the
viewer. She has recognised the on going requirement for “mending” as there is no
full stop repair job for emotional wear and tear. Her work is designed to make
observers question their own need for “mending” and to contemplate what their
own repair jobs may be. I grasped that emotional wear and tear is damage that
naturally and inevitably occurs as a result of everyday living and could be addressed by the benefits gained from stitch. Lots to think about when we are stitching.
Our March 6th workshop is with Tanya Bentham, "Medieval Embroidery" and we still have a few places left which we have opened to non members. Please contact us by the contact box on the Blog if you are interested in learning a new skill.
Amanda Clayton will be tutoring a three day workshop "A Little Book of Leaves", exploring hand stitch using the simplicity of leaves as imagery/inspiration. A simple folded book will be produced that exploits the transparent qualities of the cloth used. This 3-day workshop will cost £175(inclusive of kit).
Any one interested can contact GTAG by using the messages box at the side.
