Forthcoming exhibition: MAKE 18th Feb - 23 April 2017, Ruthin Craft Centre

18 February – 23 April 2017

For the past two years the Paul Hamlyn Foundation has funded Ruthin Craft Centre’s What is Craft? project. The project looked at many aspects of Craft examining different ideas and approaches to making through Materials, Decoration, Process and Function. This engaged our audience in a creative dialogue.

This exhibition, of the work of over fifty applied artists, continues the conversation of what it is to MAKE.

Jane Adam, Marthe Armitage, Gordon Baldwin, Nancy Baldwin, Jo Barker, Lise Bech, Michael Brennand-Wood, Sara Brennan, Adam Buick, Edmond Byrne, Sue Christian, Mandy Coates, Sebastian Cox, Claire Curneen, Luke Eastop, Forest & Found, Gill Galloway-Whitehead, Margit Hart, Suzanne Hodgson, Catrin Howell, Emma Jeffs, Simeon Jones, Madoline Keeler, Walter Keeler, Eleanor Lakelin, Richard La Trobe-Bateman, Beth Legg, Claudia Lis, Philip Lourie, Fritz Maierhofer, Ptolemy Mann, Lindean Mill, Alison Morton, Mourne Textiles, Nick Ozanne, Jim Partridge & Liz Walmsley, Ronald Pennell, Betty Pennell, Angus Ross, Tracey Rowledge, Michael Ruh, Jono Smart, St. Jude’s, Dionne Swift, Angharad Thomas, Laura Thomas, Adi Toch, Matthew Tomalin, Louise Tucker, Wallace Sewell, Winter & Kurth.

START education project exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre

You might remember a blog earlier this year where I wrote about an education project I'd been involved in at Ruthin Craft Centre. Well the fruits of the project which involved over 300 children responding to exhibitions and working with lots of different makers, has now gone on display at Ruthin Craft Centre.  Many thanks to Elen Bonner the RCC Education Officer, for designing a brilliant project which I'm sure has had a profoundly inspiring effect on the children.  I haven't yet seen the show, but Elen sent through the following pictures, and I think she has done a fantastic job displaying the work.

The woven samples en masse



Lots of wonderful woven samples with name tags

 

The info about my part of the project inspired by the Anni Albers exhibition



View of the complete exhibition with work made under the guidance of other makers



Work made under the guidance of Louise Bird

Work made under the guidance of Sarah Kelly (Saloukee)

And work made with Cathy Miles



Collect, Saatchi Gallery 6-9th May

From tomorrow Friday 6th May until Monday 9th May, you can see some of my work on display at Collect, in The Saatchi Gallery, London. Full Details of the event can be found on the Collect website.

I'm delighted that Ruthin Craft Centre is representing me at this prestigious event. I'll be on the stand on Friday morning, Friday late afternoon and evening, and again on Saturday morning. Please do come by to say hello!

'Inspired by: The Legacy of Anni Albers', Ruthin Craft Centre

Some more photographs of my work at the 'Inspired by: The Legacy of Anni Albers' exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre. The show is now winging its way to Edinburgh, where it will open at The Dovecot Studios gallery on the 25th February, showing until the 26th March.

Weave education project at Ruthin Craft Centre

Stripy weaving exploring colour mixing, texture and proportion



Weaving on a 4 shaft Ashford loom

 

Exploring colour mixing with multiple wefts




View through the loom



  

Mixing different textured yarns and exploring colour mixing through plain weave



The final collection of samples before I cut them up ready to mount



The final piles of samples ready to be mounted and sent to the schools

 I've rather neglected my blogging recently as I've been SOOOOO busy! But over the next day or two there will be a couple of posts updating you on what I've been up to and what exciting projects and events are in the pipeline.

Firstly, to coincide with the Anni Albers and Inspired By: The Legacy of Anni Albers exhibitions at Ruthin Craft Centre, I was invited to contribute to a very exciting 'START' education project funded by the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts. Between December and February I undertook 8 days of teaching of about 250-300 primary school age children to learn to weave! They came from various schools around the Ruthin locality, and most hadn't visited the Centre before. They spent an hour with Elen Bonner the RCC Education Officer in the gallery looking at the exhibition and doing some drawing, before spending an hour with me in the studio. I talked to them about my job as a weaver, and they were invited to touch, feel and play with my textile samples (unlike the 'do not touch' policy in the gallery space). Then, working in pairs they then had a go of weaving on 4 shaft table looms.  Taking it in turns to weave a stripe in plain weave, they were encouraged to think about colour mixing and texture. Without exception they all loved it. It was brilliant to watch them start off rather nervously, then build in confidence and excitement. Once the hour was up the were all reluctant to leave, asking if they could return, where they could buy a loom etc. The best comment I had was that 'weaving was better than playtime'! Job done methinks! Am hoping that there may well be an influx on North Walian weavers in about 15 years time......

Inspired by the legacy of Anni Albers, Ruthin Craft Centre

Just thought I would share a few photographs of the exhibition currently on at Ruthin Craft Centre which includes two new pieces of work of mine.  Alongside the rare treat to see some of the woven and printed works by the legendary Anni Albers, there is an exhibition entitled Inspired by the Legacy of Anni Albers.  I was deeply honoured to be invited to exhibit in this show, as Albers is such icon in the world of textiles, who has been a major source of inspiration to me over the years.

The exhibition continues until the 6th February 2011.  Many thanks to Elen Bonner the Ruthin Craft Centre Education Officer who sent me these pictures after I forgot to take my own!

'Three x Five' (on wall), Horizon I-V (on plinth)

'Three x Five' hand woven strips, rewoven in a triaxial structure (the yellow is a brighter acid-yellow colour than that in this image)

Dorte Behn's work in foreground

Anni Albers exhibition

Ptolemy Mann to left, Wallace Sewell on back wall

Anni Albers rug produced by Christopher Farr, Ptolemy Mann to right

Fiona Mathison

Latest news....

Just thought I’d let you know about some forthcoming events and other bits of news.

Firstly, you can find me from this Friday to Sunday at Wales’ first major contemporary craft fair: Made by Hand at Tredegar House in Newport. I’ll be exhibiting my Resonate sculptures and a number of framed ‘Jacquard Sketches’. I will also have a small table loom on the stand so you can get a glimpse of the weaving process. My stand number is P66 which is in the Pavilion. The opening hours are as follows:

Friday 11-7pm
Saturday 10-5pm
Sunday 10-5pm

Adult Day Ticket £5
Accompanied children under 14 FREE
Concessions (aged 15-18, students, unwaged & OAPS) £4
Family Day Ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children aged 15-18) £15
3 Day Weekend Ticket £9/£7 concession.

This Saturday, a major exhibition of Anni Albers work opens at Ruthin Craft Centre. For those of you that are unfamiliar with her, Albers was one of the most influential weave designers and artists of the last century. A graduate of the famous Bauhaus, this is a rare treat to see some of her graphic pattern design and woven samples in the UK, thanks to The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in the USA. Alongside this exhibition, there is a complimentary show entitled Inspired By: The Legacy of Anni Albers, which I am honoured to have two significant new pieces of work in. Ruthin Craft Centre is open 7 days a week and entry is free. The show continues to the 6th Feb 2011.

Alongside these events I have been busy finalising the design for the Museumaker commission to create a triptych window for The Beaney Museum and Art Gallery in Canterbury. The Museum is currently closed for renovation and for the building of an exciting new extension designed by SidellGibson Architects The commission will see the translation of my characteristic Loose Threads resin sculptures into laminated glass. Pictures of the final design and making process will soon be published on my blog: www.laurathomaswoventextiles.blogspot.com (please subscribe!)

The warp+weft exhibition I curated for Oriel Myrddin will be touring to Craft in the Bay, Cardiff in the New Year. It will be open to the public from: 7th January – 20th February. I will be giving a free gallery talk at 2pm on the 22nd January. To compliment the exhibition there will be a number of weave workshops and talks from other practitioners. Please visit the Craft in the Bay website for further details. The exhibition will then tour along with the warp+weft: from handloom to production exhibition (currently on at the National Wool Museum until the 8th Jan 2011) to Smith’s Row in Bury St Edmund's, who will also be planning a series of complimentary events. The exhibition will be open to the public from 12th March – 30th April.

I am also busily planning for my next curation project for Llantarnam Grange. The exhibition will feature a new body of work from myself, alongside the work of 5 artist-makers that I have selected. The exhibition is entitled ‘Resonant Colour’ with the connecting thread between the makers and their work being an inherent vibrant and intelligent approach to colour. I am delighted that Sara Moorhouse, Ann Sutton, Nicholas Rena, Heike Brachlow and Kate Blee have all agreed to contribute work. The exhibition will also have publication featuring essays from Sara Moorhouse and Dr Royden Hunt. The exhibition will be open to the public from 19.03.11 - 07.05.11.

Lastly, I shall be moving to a new studio at Model House Craft and Design Centre in Llantrisant, just outside of Cardiff in the New Year. The move-in date has yet to be confirmed, but I shall keep you posted! The Centre has a lovely shop and gallery space downstairs, with around 20 studios upstairs which is open to visitors to have a look around.

Forthcoming seminar at Ruthin Craft Centre 'The sum of its parts Applied art and architecture in the public realm'

Just thought I'd draw your attention to a fantastic forthcoming seminar at Ruthin Craft Centre:

The sum of its parts Applied art and architecture in the public realm

Monday 12 April 2010 10am – 5.30pm
£15 Fee includes light lunch

Chaired by Tom Dyckhoff Architecture Critic for the Times

Jonathan Sergison Sergison Bates architects
Jim Partridge & Liz Walmsley Artists
Tracy Simpson Safle
Brian Podschies Jewellery Designer
Isabel Vasseur ArtOffice
Yuko Shiraishi Artist

A day seminar that examines the relationship between Architecture and Applied Art in the creation of the public realm and the creative relationships at the heart of successful projects.

The seminar uses the experience of the design team of the new Ruthin Craft Centre Sergison Bates architects, Jim Patridge & Liz Walmsley and Brian Podschies, together with speakers from public arts agencies Isabel Vasseur - ArtOffice and Tracy Simpson - Safle and the artist Yuko Shiraishi. The seminar will be chaired by Tom Dyckhoff, architecture critic of the Times.

For further information and details of how to book please visit www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk or call Ruthin Craft Centre on 01824 704774

Places are limited to 50 and must be booked and paid for in advance. Cancellation of a place does not automatically qualify for a refund.

Ruthin Craft Centre is part of Denbighshire County Council and is revenue funded by the Arts Council of Wales.

Introduction to Weave workshop at Ruthin Craft Centre, Feb 2010

As part of my Creative Wales Ambassador Award residency at the Ruthin Craft Centre I am undertaking various educational activities.

In February I ran an 'Introduction to Weave' workshop which went very well, and I think my five participants all got the weaving bug!

Some images from the day:

Jill Pardy Jones (above)

Hilary Gravells (above)

Kim Disley (above)

John Hunter (above)

Julia Barker (above)

not looking too tired by the end of the day!

Soon I'll be running a 'Making a warp and threading up your loom' workshop - will keep you posted on the date for this.

In meantime, you'll be able to hear me give a free lunchtime talk at Ruthin Craft Centre on the 29th April at 12.30 - would be great to see you there!

Second week in residence at Ruthin Craft Centre during October.....

I spent my second week in residence at the Ruthin Craft Centre during the last week of October.... and the time went scarily quickly!

I spent the first day getting one of the small hand looms at the Centre threaded up for a public participation project. Visitors to my studio will be invited to choose a favourite colour from a selection of yarns and then weave a stripe before finally tying on a label with their name, date and a few words explaining why they chose that yarn. Over time we will build a long stripey piece of fabric which will serve as a colourful visual record of visitors to my studio.

I was delighted that idea was immediately well received by those that came into my studio.... my youngest weaver so far was just 4 years old but so competent I offered her an apprenticeship!

So if you find yourself visiting Ruthin please do call in to see me and weave a stripe! I'll next be there from the 28th Nov to the 1st Dec.

The yarns to choose from to weave a stripe:

The loom to try out weaving on, complete with the labels recording the weavers name, date and the reason behind the yarn colour choice:

I then spent some time rationalising the work I had done during September when last in residence. Picking out the preferred pieces, these were 'exhibited' so that my visitors could glean a better idea of the 'story' I'm working towards.



The key area of exploration for this week was repeat pattern using isometric graph paper. I seem to be very preoccupied by angles and oblique lines at the moment! The colour exploration is continuing, but this time on a much smaller scale and in a more controlled fashion. These sorts of patterns could of course be very quickly explored digitally, but I find I use colour in a far more sensitive and less predictable way when I actually mix paints and apply it with a paintbrush rather than a mouse click. Its great to have the luxury of time to do this kind of work.








And I also did a little triaxial weaving on a tapestry frame......


Finally I was also busy making lots of warps ready for a free 'round robin' weaving workshop I am running at the Craft Centre on the 28th November. Again on the theme of stripes, participants will have 3 minutes to weave a stripe on their loom before moving on to their neighbours loom. They will then be asked to reflect on the colour of the first stripe and to choose a complimentary colour for the next stripe which they'll have another 3mins to weave, before moving on to the next loom and so on. The purpose of the workshop is is to explore perceptions of colour as well as giving novice weavers to chance to try out a new craft. It's also a celebration of the spirit of collaborative working and sharing ideas.

The warps ready to be put onto the looms: