Friday, October 9, 2009

Knitting And Stitching Show 2009

Most of this week's blog is about the wonderful Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. I would love to have shown you much more of the exquisite work on show but, for obvious reasons these days, people are reluctant for their latest designs to be photographed. There are lots of stories around in the textile design world particularly of unkind individuals ripping off whole portfolios of work and presenting them as their own. It seems to be happening more and more these days. Very sad reflection of our times.

I have had very little time for drawing this week so not much to show really. This is an unfinished pen and ink of our lovely cat Georgie who, for the past two years, has been chasing heavenly mice in that big cats home in the sky. He was a huge cuddly bundle of fur and this was his favourite position for sleeping. I will draw him on patterned fabric but didn't get a chance to do it this week.
Relaxing
Here are some gorgeous paintings by Cuban self-taught artist Jose Garcia Montebravo. I love the way he paints his birds. Beautifully colourful and stylised. You can find lots more of his work here at the Indigo Arts Gallery.

Infanta Del Pajarito
Gallo Para Eleggua
Gallo Con Platano
I made my yearly pilgrimage on Thursday to the wonderful Knitting and Stitching Show. It is a vast exhibition that I spent six and half hours looking around and still didn't see all that I wanted to see. Quite a few people make it a two day visit and I wish I could do that. I travelled by coach which is by far the easiest way. Unfortunately owing to a serious accident which closed off three miles of a very busy local road and the coach driver forgetting to collect two travellers and having to go back for them, we were an hour late in setting off. Our driver promised us an extra half hour at the show but he still managed to make up the lost time and get us there at the usual time. He probably felt he couldn't rescind his offer of the extra half hour though, bless him. We weren't complaining!

One of the first stands I visited was Richard Box. He needs no introduction to people interested in textile crafts. I admired his beautiful series of hare oil paintings, some of which you can see at the rear of his stand, and he told me he was an artist and art teacher before he became involved in textiles. He always produces wonderful work and has authored several books. You can read a bit more about him here. You can find more of his work if you enter his name into a search engine.


I loved these paper thin porcelain and paper vessels by Katie Almond. They are lovely whimsical pieces with quirky decoration. You can see more of her work on her website here.


This is Gilda Baron at her stand at the exhibition. She is a very well known textile artist, embroideress and teacher. Her work is always colourful and vibrant and her stand was very popular. You can see Gilda's website here.


These gorgeous items of knitwear are created by Patimarkorn Tangsakul. She has a wonderful sense of design. You can view more of her work at Red Shed Textiles here.


This is a detail from Harriet Smith's lovely knitwear. The neckline is heavily embelished with pieces of ceramic and other items.


Stunning knitwear designs by Anna Wilkinson


These are applique and embroidered cushion designs, the bottom two pictures being postcards. The colours were jewel bright and gorgeous. These are the work of Carol Dixon. I love the retro look.



One of the stands at the show

A view of the market hall where the traders were. There were lots of amazing stands but so little time as usual.


This is a detail of a beautifully designed and made quilt by Laura Kemshall. It has a limited palette but the detail is quite exquisite. It is called Pearl Essence. I am a great fan of Linda and Laura Kemshall's work and I have a copy of their book - The Painted Quilt - which is lovely. They have a website here although Laura's part is not completed. Nevertheless there are lovely things to be seen.


Detail of Mother Earth quilt by Helen Godden. This quilt was enormous as you can see from the photo below. It was difficult to get a good photo as I had to stand back a long way. The colours and shades and design were gorgeous. This monumental work must have taken ages to create and it was certainly getting a lot of attention. Here is Helen's quilt gallery on her website and also check out her blog on the side menu.



Lisa Connolley is a graduate illustrator and designer from Wales although she actually hails from Ireland. She had some beautiful work on display. These are two of her embroidered images. Very contemporary and quirky. A very nice girl to chat to, I hope she does well in her career. She has certainly made a good start. If you want to see more of Lisa's work and what she gets up to on the design scene you can check out her blog here.


One of my favourite stands at the show was definitely Victoria Lindo's gorgeous applique embroideries. They are funny, witty and quirky. I fell in love with all of them. She told me that for some of the coloured shapes she uses pieces cut out of postage stamps. Although she hasn't updated recently, probably because of work commitments, you can read a bit more about Victoria on her blog here.



24 comments:

~ Phyllis ~ said...

I have been anxiously waiting to see your pictures from the Knitting show. I enjoyed every one of them. Hope you'll take us along again next year. I think the embroidery and knitted sweater pictures are my favorites.

jamjar said...

oh what treasures, I love your drawing of your cat, Mitten is in the same postion on my bed right now. How lovely to vist the Knitting and Stitching show, such wonderful work, thank you for the links, I am off to visit them now.

Caroline said...

Will look forward to seeing the Georgie pic finished, Cathy - love the way he is so tightly curled up! Thank you for the potted visit to the show!! I like so many of these artists and would dearly love to see their work in person. I am a fan of the Kemshalls - I bought that book and another called 3 Fold. Very inspiring! My favourites this week are Victoria Lindo's embroideries - I will go and check out her blog. Hope you have a good week.

Cathy said...

It is a pity you couldn't be there Phyllis. You would love all the yarns and the knitted designs. I fell in love with lots of the designer knit cardi's but they were about £180 - far too much for my poor little purse.

Cathy said...

Enjoy the links Joy. Some of the new young graduates are fantastic. They have such amazing imagination and creativity. Bodes well for the future.

Cathy said...

Hi Caroline. Victoria Lindo is an inspiration and such a nice person too. The Kemshalls work is wonderful. I didn't know they had another book. I am very inspired with the one I have.

I am working on finishing Georgie and getting to work on my Christmas card design. I have so much to do at the moment, but I expect it is the same for all of us.

Old World Primitives said...

Hi Cathy,
The Knitting and Stitching Show looks like an amazing experience! I haven't yet been to a show that took me that many hours to walk through, but I'm sure I would enjoy it. I can see why you fell in love with Victoria Lindo's work - I really adore it too! Also looking forward to seeing your drawing of your dearly departed Georgie completed - what a cutie!

Stephanie

Cathy said...

I think you would love it Stephanie. So much to see it is almost an assault on the senses, in a nice way of course. Victoria Lindo's work is beautiful. It has such a naive but contemporary quality. I am drawing the background for Georgie this afternoon but just taking a tea break and to catch up on blog matters.

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Hi Cathy, what a lovely visual record of your day out to the Knitting & Stitch Show - for me, the next best thing to being there. Great work by many talented individuals - I particularly like Katie Almond's work.

Love your drawing of Georgie, especially the contrast between the detailed drawing of your subject and the surroundings represented by simple lines. BFN.

Lesley

Crafty Green Poet said...

what lovely things you've shared again! I love your drawing of Georgie....

Cathy said...

Thanks Lesley. All the work at the show was brilliant. I could have spent a week there.

Regarding Georgie, the lines were the unfinished bit...haha. I am in the process of finishing him off so to speak. Now you have made me think that perhaps I should have left him...hmmm.

Cathy said...

Hi Juliet. Thanks for that. It was dreadfully sad when Georgie went, although he wasn't by any means a young cat. I have only now just become able to draw him.

Holly Zemak said...

Your drawing of Georgie is coming along well. Curled up next to me as I type is Pewter, in much the same position. He has moved back in for the winter and assumed his bed by my drawing area. The Knitting and Stitching show looks so interesting, sad commentary that individuals resort to ripping off others work.

Cathy said...

I agree Holly. If only people would nuture their own creativity instead of stealing other peoples'. Pewter obviously knows where to keep warm and comfy when the weather gets colder. Jack always stays out all night in the summer but come the frosty weather he is always indoors before I go to bed.

bunnits said...

I really feel blessed to have found your blog. It is always a delight.

Acornmoon said...

It sounds like a great show to visit, very inspiring.

Your black and white cat drawing is wonderful, I like the plain surround. Again, I can see this printed on a fabric on a white linen cushion!

Cathy said...

Thanks Melissa. I am pleased you like it.

Cathy said...

That's very nice of you to say so Valerie. He hasn't got the white surround at the moment as he is sitting on lots of patterns, but he could become plain again...the beauty of photoshop.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

So many wonderful things to see. How I do wish I could have attended this show. Very inspiring to someone like myself....who just started knitting seriously a year ago. Will I ever be this advanced???

Love your cat painting. I can just see him sleeping in his favourite position!

Happy Sunday!

BeadBag said...

Cathy I wasn't really missing not going to the K&S this year, as I'd come down with a bug and couldn't manage to go - but - having read your latest post - I am now thinking of going up to Harrogate! What lovely photos of lovely things!

Cathy said...

You are doing better than I am Pamela. I am a dead loss at knitting. I can do the straight stuff fine and if I am knitting a scarf that is good, but once corners or turns appear I am sunk.

Cathy said...

Hi Shirley. I am very glad I went. So much inspiration crammed into a few hours. One year my coach company offered a 2 night trip to Harrogate and two day ticket entry. I said the next year I would go for that option as it would be a nice trip and not such a rush. They didn't offer it the next year...haha.

Lisa Connolly said...

thank you for the lovely comment Cathy, Lisa x

Cathy said...

You are very welcome Lisa. Your work is really great.