Far too much has happened in the 14 months since I last update my blog to go into all the details and I have spent very little time on social media or commenting on blogs I follow. Settling in to a new home in a new location has had its highs and lows, some expected and some, not at all. But here I am living in a lovely home, I keep in touch with old friends and have made some interesting new ones. There is a variety of delightful walks close at hand for the dog and me, and Whanganui, while small, has everything I need for the most part.
In my last post I shared details about a pennant that has been to Sydney and since returned. The installation was co-ordinated by Mo Orkiszewki over at It’s Crow Time and you can see a stunning display of everyone’s work here.
Earlier this year I participated a workshop organised by Fibre Arts Australia with Hannah Lamb where I stitched a memoir of sorts on a top that I wore until it died and then deconstructed to use as a pattern. There is more of this work to come . . . right now it’s just notes and sketches.
An Internal Landscape: Beneath the Surface is a comment on my life. A family of orgin gone separate ways, events seldom straightforward, occasionally unraveling, messier beneath the surface, support often unseen by others, always moving on creating a new landscape.
An Internal Landscape: Beneath the Surface. Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
An Internal Landscape: Beneath the Surface. Front, exterior. Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
An Internal Landscape: Beneath the Surface. Back, exterior. Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
An Internal Landscape: Beneath the Surface. Back, interior. Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
Later a 5 day course, organised by Fibre Arts New Zealand, with Mary Hettmansperger set me off twining (a skill I taught myself almost 40 years ago because I was fascinated by taniko) and working in wire.
Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
Then it was gum nuts picked up on the riverbank . . . 100 gum nuts bound in cotton. Remains is a comment on individual difference. I also wanted to comment on how when a primary use, or perceived usefullness, has been served there is usually another purpose to be found. This came about when I was musing on the number of gray-haired woment who were out that day walking their dogs and how they could be so easily dismissed as just a member of a particular demographic.
A converation overheard during the exhibition:
A: One is diferent. B: They’re all different.
Remains. Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
I’ve continued messing around with a quick collage as a warm up most days or eight very quick androgynous sketches in acrylic and charcoal.
Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
I continue to enjoy learning new skills, developing old ones, using them to express my thoughts . . . and generally enjoying my life.
A sun-filled studio has been set up in the house and another workspace in the garage so I can fling paint around. My last attempt to paint was a brief dalliance with oils about 20 years ago and a play with acrylic on a orkshop in 2015 so I’m not sure why I’m drawn to it again: I always said I use paint but I don’t paint. At the moment I’m playing with colour and texture and aren’t at all certain of where it’s going. Somewhere? Nowhere? Does it matter?
I’ve taken a few painting and mixed media online courses with Misty Mawn and Jeanne Oliver. Both sources offerings are reasonably priced, specific and professionally produced by knowledgeable and supportive tutors.
Wendy Watson – Late Start Studio
More of my results with later perhaps.
That’s it! There are no plans for attending future workshops at this stage . . . time to consolidate and just work with what I have. And while I have work at a couple of outlets I’m more interested in developing the work than exhibiting or selling at the moment.
Catch up soon? Soon is a relative term.
late start studio 