{"id":886,"date":"2020-06-08T17:52:32","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T17:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.wordpress.com\/?p=886"},"modified":"2021-07-15T18:32:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T18:32:56","slug":"artists-interview-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/2020\/06\/08\/artists-interview-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Artists Interview – Lois Blackburn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"We are just over  <\/span>half way through our artists interviews, with another 11  <\/span>artists to be profiled.  This week we are in conversation with Lois Blackburn.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lois Blackburn<\/h6>\n

During this project have you looked at a new way of working? <\/em>
\n<\/b><\/span>Like so much of my work, \u2018Blood Sweat and Tears\u2019<\/i>, was about finding new ways to give voice to difficult or unexplored subjects.  It was also a first for me, blurring the boundaries between my personal work and the work I do with arthur+martha, bringing together my love of quilt making, text and silk painting in one piece.   <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>I\u2019ve created a double bed size quilt, covered with paintings of objects I associate with the menopause. It might be a Spanish fan carried with me, prepared for hot flushes, or handfuls of chocolate to counter the drops in Magnesium. Written onto the objects is information garnered from the internet, research and personal accounts. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>The writing for the project was a big challenge for me, but the thinking, planning, making of the quilt I found a wonderful process. A confidence boaster, a stimulus for new work. I\u2019m a peri-menopausal women, in a household with a hormonal teenager – a recipe for disaster. One way I manage the increased levels of anxiety, stress and unhappiness is through the artwork. For many years, through the work of arthur+martha www.arthur-martha.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I have seen the positive effects of creativity on other people, on their health and wellbeing. But I have often taken it for granted for myself. This project has helped me benefit from what I share with others through my collaborative practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>During the project I wrote a couple of diary accounts, reflecting on my way of working practice, here\u2019s an example from 1<\/span>st<\/sup><\/span> Feb 2019.
\n<\/span>It\u2019s been a hard few weeks, there are things that help- getting out for a walk, Pilates, creativity and chocolate.
\n<\/i><\/span>I\u2019ve created enough paintings on fabric now to give me a good idea of what it might look like as a double quilt size piece. Right now it\u2019s looking a bit messy. It\u2019s when I have to hold my nerve. I\u2019m at the point when the lack of designing, might bite me on the bum. If I had sat down and worked out a composition on paper I might be better prepared\u2026 But right or wrong this way of working continually keeps it fresh for me. My current challenges- creating a composition that works. This is just an eye thing- (one of these days perhaps I should revisit the classic composition devises- maybe my next project) I am lucky enough to recently have room for a design wall. The bits of fabric get moved around, pinned and re-pinned.
\n<\/i><\/span>I\u2019ve started to cut up the pieces of painting that didn\u2019t work so well- and am thinking about collaging these on other bits that didn\u2019t work, or in gaps, this technique of cutting up and playing a lot- it suits me in its looseness.
\n<\/i><\/span>The other thing I\u2019m thinking about is how to quilt it. I\u2019m dipping in and out of Pinterest, seeing how other artists are doing it. I\u2019ve done one quilting sample- but rushed in and it went a bit lumpy. Next sample I will properly tack together. I\u2019m trying to not get distracted by emails or the time ticking until the school run. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

What is your favourite part of the creative process?<\/em>
\n<\/b><\/span>One of my favourite parts of the creative process is responding to life\u2019s challenges, to tell stories. Using art as a way to release tension, share delight in the world, and to see the positive benefits of health and wellbeing.<\/span><\/p>\n

In these challenging times of Covid 19, I feel very lucky to have creativity as part of my everyday life and find joy in being able to share some of my work practices with others. I\u2019ve just started a new project, \u2018Here Comes the Sun\u2019.<\/i> I am inviting people from across the globe to make embroidery for a new quilt. Whoever you are, where ever you live, whether you regularly stitch, make art, or haven\u2019t picked up a needle and thread since school, everyone\u2019s welcome. I\u2019m delighted by the response so far, it\u2019s full of potential, full of un-knowns, a bit scary. Being able to quickly turn an idea into a reality, it\u2019s got to be the best part of the creative process for me. If you are interested in joining in, or know of someone else who might, take a look at our website: https:\/\/arthur-martha.com\/portfolio\/here-comes-the-sun\/<\/span><\/a>  .<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Lois in her studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are just over  half way through our artists interviews, with another 11  artists to be profiled.  This week we are in conversation with Lois<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=886"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1152,"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886\/revisions\/1152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textilestudygroup.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}