All shades of blue

 I delivered a cyanotype workshop today and was delighted with the variety of prints we achieved.In a small room with a darkish room to the side to work in, the group worked on paper and fabric as well as wood to experiment with this beautiful process. They found that the different types of paper created different effects and that the paper needs to be dried between coats to get an even print. Contact with the glass is crucial and accounted for a few white spots but knowledge is power and that mistake won't be made again I know. Different fabrics produced different images and the most crucial thing of all - the exposure to the sun was illustrated clearly. When we started it was overcast so exposure times should have been extended, shortening them when the sun started to break through at lunchtime. They worked solidly all day and must have produced upwards of 40+ prints using natural materials and digital negatives of their photographs. Using a transparency with their own handwriting proved popular as did cyanotyping on different materials like maps and old book pages.

I can't remember who did what so cannot put a name to all of these prints but place them here to enjoy! Thank you for another great day everyone. What shall we do next I wonder?

Doing our bit for the Bumblebee

 

If you go to the site for Bumblebee Conservation you can read all about Beewalk where you walk a transect on a regular basis to monitor the numbers and species and spread  of UK Bumblebees. There was an identification training day yesterday to sharpen our knowledge of each type of bee. It was a great day and my husband and I really felt much more knowledgeable by the end of it so I thought I'd make a foray into the garden today to monitor who is coming to feed off of our plants. As you can see they move a bit faster than my eyes can register.......

 They have the advantage over honey bees that they can take nectar from tubular flowers and even though our foxgloves are going over they're still swarming with bees...... not that you'd know it from my photos

 There's a tantalising glimpse here......

 .... and a constant hum and buzz in the air......

 ..... but if you're not quick, they're gone. That's why the training focussed on gently capturing the bee for close study, so I have to wait for some inspection pots to arrive before we can do the job with a bit more efficiency. We have 250 species of bee in the UK, 25 of them being bumblebees. These are split into 19 social species and 6 cuckoo species. Two species have become extinct within the last 8 years and 2 others are giving serious cause for concern. So, without doubt they need our help.

One of the most shocking things I learned yesterday is that tomatoes are exclusively pollinated by bumblebees so large UK growers buy in bumblebee nests from abroad to work their crops. These are not native species and have been bred specifically for commerce. Imagine the carbon footprint of importing bees! What's more, a large percentage of them have disease and what's worse, they've been fed on pollen stripped from honey bees that have been killed for the purpose. How can this be happening in today's world? Each bumblebee nest lasts a year until the Queen hibernates. She is the sole survivor. So, the imported nests are meant to be destroyed by the growers at each season's end but there is evidence that this does not happen. Who knows what these imported bees might do if they get into the gene pool of our native species. It was a salutary piece of knowledge and made me more determined than ever to continue to garden responsibly for all insects, especially bees. If you're interested in more info please follow the links and join up. All help gratefully received!

How times change

 I have reached the half way point in my Heritage Lottery Fund project at the museum researching the volunteers for the Great War. Every day throws up something to fascinate me and take me off exploring another avenue on the chase for detail. Amidst the sad stories I also come across stuff that just appeals to my sense of humour. Here is a perfect example.

Trawling through the back copies of the local paper for 1917 I found this call for help from the children of Tenby. Of course I understand that the desire then was to maximise crops for the war effort but the picture it conjures up of children running all over the place with nets and the paraphernalia to wipe out the Cabbage White in West Wales just makes me smile, especially as the following week's paper carried the report that 'Up to date 1350 white butterflies have been destroyed by Tenby schoolchildren'.  If they all collected their 2d they'd so far earned about 4 shillings and sixpence by my reckoning and probably decimated the populations of species like the Wood White or the Green Veined White that are in decline today. I doubt they stopped to check which white butterfly they were murdering for their 2d!

It's a great example of how times change and how our thinking is so different today, knowing what we now know. Today, because of the conversation that ensued from this article, I found out that the museum has an extensive moth and butterfly collection in trays stored away. I can't believe I didn't realise that until now and could kick myself for not finding out before. Still, there is a plan to show me everything next week sometime and I am excited already. I'm also off on a Bumblebee Identifcation training day on Friday and I'm excited about that too. So many things still to do. So little time.

A matter of life and death

 If you're a bit squeamish about deceased things, look away now and don't read on.... because this post is all about tragedy with a little bit of hope thrown in ......

Our bird boxes have been well used this Spring and we have families of baby blue tits and robins fledged so far from them. The swallows are incredibly active and I hope they will produce a brood this year. In the hedgerow across the road there are young blackbirds and song thrushes and much activity from a pair of bullfinches so it looks like being a really productive year.... but it's also been the worst year ever for bird deaths by flying into windows.

It started a month ago when I noticed a male chaffinch lying in the hedge outside the conservatory window. Casualty no 1. Next day we found this beautiful woodpecker lying in this pose outside the door to the greenhouse. Casualty no 2. In the past week we've seen casualties no 3 and 4, both blackcaps. One tried to fly through my shed door and the other hit the window today whilst we were having lunch. We've got things on the window and the blinds should stop them but it hasn't worked out that way.

Sad person that I am, I have to take photos of them before a decent burial and then play around with them in Photoshop or use the images in prints. My friends think I am bonkers and that may be true. Believe me when I say I would much, much rather that they lived and thrived.

 .... and now for the bit of hope because we noticed this bat earlier this afternoon clinging to the garage just above the bat box. Now we thought the bat box was unused and I'm not sure what he was doing outside but he looked decidedly static so I rang the Bat Conservation Trust for advice. Due to the height they couldn't send a volunteer to rescue him but asked that we monitor the situation. I've been like an old mother hen running out every five minutes ever since and when I last looked five minutes ago he had come down and was at the mouth of the bat box. I do hope this means he is going inside it, yet it will soon be time for bats to take to the skies so who knows what will happen. With bats protected it is worrying to see one in trouble but I am hopeful and will keep monitoring his movements. It brings it all home to us how fine the line is between life and death for our native wildlife and how little you can do in some circumstances.
 

PS : As an update, the bat disappeared between two of my regular check ups. I can only assume into the safety of the batbox or by flying away into the night. Either is preferable to thinking anything else.

Joyous, Jenerous, Jilly Morris!

 I've just spent the weekend in Stroud on a two day workshop organised as part of the annual textile festival. I loved the sound of 'Textural Play' when I saw the programme but did not know the artist, Jilly Morris. One look at her website and I was hooked and I have now had the joy of working with this generous spirited, giving, artist. She is an amazing woman with a childlike wonder in the beauty of marks. With a group of nine of us she shared her tools, her techniques, her philosophies, her ideas and her enthusiasms. It was one of the most enjoyable workshops I have ever attended and the group mix was perfect too. There was real synergy between us with everyone sharing thoughts and materials.

Although two of the girls had to leave early, Jilly asked the rest of us to work collaboratively after lunch yesterday. So we each started a piece and then passed it on, working quickly and intuitively, with Jilly joining in too. These are the photos of what we pinned on the board afterwards. I think I should have got a bit closer to take them but I hope the show the essence of the pieces. Thanks to Amerjit, Jeannette, Patricia, Liz, Sue, Jilly and Charlie for allowing me to post our work.

I have now got to think through my samples - I have lots of them! There were so many I even went into default mode and made a couple of sample books just to keep them together but the best book of the weekend was  Jilly's sample book. It was the sort of thing you'd like to walk out with and it inspired us all. It made me realise how much more effective a learning tool they are when samples are gathered together. I do know that of course but Jilly's book really brought it home.

We were surrounded by materials Jilly had brought in to stimulate us to play and we all left with papers that she gave us to continue to play with. I realised over the two days that I am a 'serial polisher'. Maybe it comes from wiping printing plates but every opportunity that came to get out the beeswax and polish something, I took it. Shame it doesn't translate to the furniture at home. As ever, I have a head full of ideas, especially about translating marks onto glass or into print. If you ever get the chance to see this lady's work, please do. Her work is stunning and she is a diamond.

Tragedy

News of the fire today that has decimated this iconic building is both shocking and unreal. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) are calling it an 'international tragedy'. It certainly feels that way to me. My heart goes out to the students who have lost four years of work in the flames and anyone who has ever been inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his legacy will be intensely saddened by this day.

Playing catch up!

 Whilst trying to catch up with my blog reading it becomes ever more apparent that the gap between my own posts is getting ever wider. So, this is a whistle stop recap of the past month or so and then I hope to get back into the rhythm of recording things, as much for my own benefit as anyone kind enough to be reading this. As I get older I can remember where I was in 1966 when England won the World Cup but I'm hard pushed to remember where I was the day before yesterday! I know I am not alone in that but some days it feels like it, therefore I need my blog as a visual diary.

So, as we enjoy the start of some warmth with the weather, I'm happy to say we are with bees again.We've got two colonies from two sources and they are so different. One hive is made up of quite small bees who are very docile and gentle. The other hive has larger bees who are a bit more active and more assertive , so we are hoping they will accumulate and thrive this summer. Early signs are looking good.

 On the creative front I have continued to explore glass, taking advantage of an advanced evening class type arrangement with Chris, my glass guru. The others all made large panels but I spent all my time making marks and painting on the glass. I have a ton of pieces ready to make into small collage panels and there is a glass book nearing completion. I am rather in love with the way it reveals images between the pages but will wait to photograph it properly when all the soldering is done.

I'm still planning and running book and print workshops and need to sort out the plans for the cyanotype day next month. I also travelled to Cheltenham this week to try out kitchen litho printing with my friend Sue. As far as I'm concerned it was a disaster. She had one success but we could not replicate it. She's written about it here if you want to know more. As for me, I am mentally parking that process forever, but will definitely try another she introduced me to. All printmakers please take a look at her post for transferring with acetone onto metal with photocopies prior to etching. Surely I can make that work?

Life is busier because I've also started a job on three days of the week. It lasts until the end of July and I'm leading a small project at the museum in Tenby researching all the men (over 500 of them) who volunteered for the Great War. It is both fascinating, heart breaking and humbling to read about these men . The museum has access to great archive letters which tug at your heart strings and when I come across photographs of serious looking, but very, very young men, I have to take a moment to gather my thoughts. As things develop I'll share some of the stories. Some will inspire and others will make you want to weep but I am finding the whole process all encompassing so no surprise that I am absent from this blog so much!

In trying to maintain some sense of routine we've got back into the cycle of moth trapping too. I loaned the trap out for a month and think I may have got someone else hooked on these beautiful creatures. As its return yesterday coincided with a hike in temperature we had to have a go last night. These are just a sample of the haul. I think there were about 70 moths which a bit low for this time of year. Let's hope they gather momentum as the weather improves.

 So, there's lots happening and I hope to get back in the groove soon. Keep well everyone and enjoy everything as Spring moves into Summer.