house keeping

Happy New Year to you all!

Firstly, I just want to say many thanks for reading the blog during 2011 and I hope that you will continue to dip in and out as you please this year. I'm feeling particularly good about 2012, it's got a good vibe about it already, twenty twelve, twothousand and twelve, feels nice flowing off the tongue. I'm strangly comforted that it's an even number as well.
 

I thought I would start with a little reflection and fulfilling a promise I made to share with you the commission I undertook at the start of December, at long last here are the promised photos of the double trouble commission I was working on before Christmas. I do apologise for the delay, but I think I can be forgiven being caught up in the little festive season of Christmas and the New Year!

So here's "Sydney Harbour"

and "St.Ives Harbour" (Cornwall, Uk)

 

I'm delighted with the finished results. I feel that I've upped my game with the level of detail, scale and perspective in each piece. I'm especially pleased with the quality of the stitching in the Sydney piece, the bridge was a real challenge and it had to be perfect, I only had one go at those cable lines and they had to be straight! I don't use pencil lines for guides and so stitched free hand. 

Trying to capture in fabric such a recognisable landmark as the Opera House was a concern, the iconic sail like roof tops in particular presented a unique visual puzzle. By using different white on white or white on cream patterned fabrics I was able to suggest successfully the different angles and shadows on the roof line.

My favourite aspect of the "St.Ives" piece is the overall colour palett used reflecting the pelucide light that has drawn artists to the town for centuries. The quiet and subtle colours all suggest the sun's warmth caught in the  fisherman cottages that line the harbour town.

My next project is another commission. The client wants a textile illustration of Crantock Beach here in Cornwall. They saw a piece I made last year (below) of a line of washing overlooking the sunkissed beach and really liked it, so i'm going to do another piece specfically for them without the washing, and possibly from a different view point. I love the research stage of a project and can't wait to get out there and sketching!

"Crantock Beach" (c) C.Rowe 2011

Thank you again for reading. I hope you have a wonderful year.

Happy stitching, Cat x