The day after our bees arrived I headed off to Stroud for a weekend workshop with the Travelling Bookbinder,
Rachel Hazell, organised as part of a local book festival. The venue was the workshop of bespoke fabric and wallpaper printers
Lewis and Wood who kindly left offcuts of both for use in our projects. We spent the first day stitching small sample books with wallpaper covers and I learned a couple of new stitch patterns that I had not tried before. It was great to just get away and play and see how someone with Rachel's experience puts a workshop together. She provided materials and ideas and showed us some of her own fabulous books whilst gently cajoling us into getting things made and stimulating our ideas.I ended up focussing on offcuts of fabric adorned with fish so I just went from there. I'm not sure if it was a trout or not but I made it so for my purposes! I've been working on it since I came home and it is now finished but I won't bore you with all the pages. These are a few as well as a small booklet I made using some of the wallpaper on offer, a mini envelope template and a copy of 'Little Women' Rachel provided for us to cut from.
Rachel is spending this year travelling the globe delivering workshops in places like Shetland, Stockholm, Napa Valley and Venice. I know Stroud does not sound as exotic but I was lucky enough to be part of a great group of people for the weekend and I had a really good time despite bad news from home. After the required 24 hour period my husband opened the containers of bees to lift the frames from them into his hives. Sadly one of the boxes had been trashed in transit and there were about 250+ plus dead bees and larva in the bottom of one of them, dead or dying, drowned in their own honey supply. It was tragic news and we still await a compensation response from the carrier. One hive is thriving but the weaker one is struggling. There is no sign of the queen so she may have been lost in transit although they can sometimes be elusive. We have to monitor the hive to see if new brood is being laid. If not, then the tell tale signs are there and a new queen may have to be introduced unless the workers make a new one. At the moment we are monitoring the situation and keeping out fingers crossed !
.... and because I've written about the books and the bees from my post header I just want to add a few bugs in the shape of these wonderful enamlled plaques made by my friend
Sue as part of her MA degree show. The left hand one with the red dot is now mine - or will be when the show is over - and another is going to
Cathy of Menopausal Musing as we met up with Sue in Bristol on Monday and had a look at the degree shows at U.W.E.
There were some fabulous things on display and I enjoyed the Graphic Design, Drawing and Printmaking shows. These wonderful etchings were produced for the MA in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking by artist
Wendy Rhodes who writes a great blog that I follow. I am always so envious of her drawing ability and the etchings had some gorgeous, dark and inky luscious marks in them. It really was inspiring and I came home promising myself I'd check the dates of the degree shows close to home and that I'd finish that book from Stroud and get on with some drawing projects of my own that have been languishing for a few weeks now!
9 comments:
I'm so sorry to hear about your bees -- that's terrible. I hope the survivors pull through.
Your books are very smart and tasteful -- the Lewis and Wood material in exceedingly good taste. Imagine it in an actual house setting! Very grand.
As always your little books are brilliant. I am sure the workshop must have been great fun. Those fabrics and wallpapers looks beautiful.
Sorry about the bees and do hope that the queen and the remains of her tribe (what is the term for a collective of bees?) survive and go on to prosper in the end.
I'm so glad you enjoyed your weekend in Stroud! Lewis and Wood have such fabulous fabrics (and paper!)
Hope the bee situation improves!!
Best wishes
Beautiful work from you... and the degree students. Sorry to hear about your bees though.
.. But skilful was the angler and artful too, the crystal brooklet's depths defying, he hid himself from view, and then his skill renewing the fish he swiftly took the bait, and I was left lamenting my tiny troutlet's fate, and I was left lamenting my tiny troutlet's fate.
I used to sing this at junior school and Mr Jenkin's a favourite teacher, used to get the class to sing to him. (slightly different version than yours)
Love the books and art work. I do hope your bees are all right.
It was great to meet up, wasn't it? Your books look fabulous and up to your usual amazing standard. I am saving looking at the wallpaper company until I come home from work tonight and then I can sit with a cup of tea and savour it all. So very sorry re the bees.
Wonderful books, the workshop looks totally 'you'! So sad to hear about the bees :o( I hope the survivors thrive.
Hi Lesley - firstly I am sad about the bees. I truly hope that their Queen is there, or they make another one. I truly wish for happy bees at your house. I love your little books as well - just such fun to sit and play and learn. I have been drawing in the book you sent me this weekend; loving it!
What a fun weekend you had, the books are lovely. Sad about the bees, fingers crossed for the rest of them.
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