tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76449333167407921182024-03-13T01:48:17.538+00:00Alicia MerrettColour and LightAlicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.comBlogger567125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-37656039881164362452017-06-14T17:25:00.002+01:002017-06-14T17:25:09.745+01:00Blue sky in Luxembourg CityIt was sunny and hot on the day I visited Luxembourg City, but it was beautiful. The sky was blue, contrasting with things which were in shadows.<br />
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-17051967054305698432017-06-06T16:33:00.001+01:002017-06-06T16:33:29.586+01:00A cafe in Melbourne, Australia.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-60132440954190374102017-06-03T17:16:00.000+01:002017-06-03T17:19:36.324+01:00Posting photographsI had promised myself to be really good at posting in my blog this year. But it is not happening. This is mainly because I tend to post in Facebook instead. That's also due to the fact that I can post text and photographs in Facebook direct from my phone, which is especially important when I am away. But I haven't worked out a way of blogging from my phone - it seems complicated and not working properly.<br />
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However I was very good at posting regularly when I only posted photographs - first one a day, then one a week. As it happens I have lots of photographs I have taken in the last few months which I would like to show. So to try to get back into the habit of blogging, I will post photographs as often as I can.<br />
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Photo for today: a view from above - but not a map - it is the skate park in Luxembourg City, in the middle of a much bigger park - I think the area is called the Grund. I was standing on a sort of bridge above it, probably about 50 metres high.<br />
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Keep tuning in!<br />
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Alicia<br />
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-5909611953203800432017-02-28T16:49:00.003+00:002017-02-28T16:49:33.178+00:00Grey and misty skiesAfter last week's beautiful skies, this week we've had mists, rain and wind. Misty images can be beautiful too - here are a couple of photos, taken from the secondary school's playing fields.<br />
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Wells Cathedral</div>
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Glastonbury Tor</div>
<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-10184169753839428242017-02-08T15:12:00.002+00:002017-02-08T15:12:55.266+00:00Wonderful skiesExtraordinary skies - this are the views from my front and back windows this morning. One of the things I love about living in Somerset is that one can see the expanse of sky in a way I couldn't in London.<br />
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These photos were first posted in Facebook earlier today. I am having computer problems so I can never know if it will work or not at a particular time, so my blog posts will be erratic for the next few weeks. I am getting a new computer but it's not coming until next week and then I have to set it up. I can post in Facebook via my phone but I haven't found a way of posting in the blog through my phone.<br />
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AliciaAlicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-61000261193880376012017-02-01T11:43:00.001+00:002017-02-01T11:43:20.852+00:00Habitat : Species #3 - the making ofIn 2013 I made a quilt called Habitat : Species, for SAQA's Earth Stories project. The exhibition of 25, size 72" by 72", international quilts depicting positive earth stories, was based on portfolio and project-based applications. The exhibition has been touring since 2014 throughout US university museums and galleries. It is a fascinating show, and extremely successful. The tour is due to finish in June 2017, when the quilts will be returned to the makers.<br />
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My quilt is based on Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve in the Avalon Marshes, Somerset Levels, a protected area where habitats are created to attract and protect endangered species. I hope to exhibit it at the Reserve when it comes back - they would love to have it.<br />
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A second, smaller 'lead-in' piece, of the same name as the main quilt, was also included in the tour.<br />
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As I said in a previous post, this Boxing Day, a beautiful sunny day, I went on a family walk in the reserve, where my daughter is Reserve Warden, and I was overwhelmed by the light and the beauty of the place, and took numerous photos. From those I created Habitat : Species #3: Migrants, Returnees and Settlers. Some of the photos are in my previous post about it.<br />
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When I came home, I searched for fabrics that evoked the colours of that day. I arranged them on my design wall.<br />
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There are many birches in the reserve, so I represented them with light coloured lines. There are reed beds, open water, meadows, and more, and I tried to evoke all of them in my quilt. Here all the sections have been stitched together and the top is being stretched by pinning to the design wall. Stretching it overnight makes the top much flatter. You will see that there have been several changes and additions in the arrangement of the sections, compared with the fabrics on the wall, above.<br />
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There are paths for visitors, so I tried inserting dark lines between sections, but I felt they broke the connection between areas and the relationship between colours, so I decided against it.<br />
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I quilted it quite densely, as I usually do.<br />
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Finally I added the names of several of the species inhabiting the reserve, using fused appliqué letters. Those are not quilted.<br />
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I'm pleased with the final product. The colour palette is different from the work I've been doing recently, and I find it appealing.<br />
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I've been intending to post this much earlier, but time and computer problems delayed me. But I'm still keeping up with my New Year resolution of blogging regularly, even if I do it less often than I intended. Maybe next time I will post a photo of the original Habitat : Species quilt.</div>
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Alicia</div>
<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0Western Europe52.696361078274485 -3.51562532.141830578274487 -44.824219 73.250891578274491 37.792969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-58999622066484582592017-01-19T00:24:00.001+00:002017-01-19T00:24:17.691+00:00Good NewsI have been receiving some very good news about my quilts - they are travelling and being published, and I'm very happy!<br />
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My most successful map quilt to date is Port At Dusk Diptych, an imaginary map constructed in two sections. I made one section first - the left hand side one - but I felt it was incomplete, so I made the second section, on the right. It seems to work well, I think it works better than if it was one whole quilt. Friends tell me that another successful feature is the use of the deep blue colour for the water. That is a fabric hand-dyed by Heidi Stoll-Weber, a wonderful quilter and expert dyer who lives and works in Frankfurt. And she comes to the Festival of Quilts every year! Unfortunately the dye she used for that fabric is extremely difficult to obtain, if not impossible, so I don't know whether she will be able to make more fabric of this shade.<br />
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This quilt is well travelled - it was shown in several places in the UK, including Fine Art Quilt Masters at the Festival of Quilts in 2015; received an award at Art Quilt Elements in Philadelphia, USA; was at Nadelwelt Karlsruhe in Germany, and at the Korea Bojagi Forum in 2016; and it has been selected for Excellence in Fibers by Fiber Art Now magazine. It has now travelled back to the USA where it will be shown at the Excellence in Fibers exhibition at the New Bedford Art Museum / Artworks! in New Bedford, Massachusetts, from January 25th to March 29th. And I have just heard that it has also been selected to appear in the forthcoming SAQA's Art Quilt Retrospective book.<br />
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I know I said I will talk about the process of making the quilt shown in my previous posting - Habitats : Species #3 - but I am having a lot of computer problems, and have been unable to process the photos that I need for that posting. But I will do it as soon as I can! </div>
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I also want to keep up my new year resolution to blog regularly, so that's why I've written this one - photos were easily available - I don't want to let too much time pass between postings.</div>
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Alicia</div>
<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-24587786935334241682017-01-09T00:01:00.002+00:002017-01-09T00:05:46.810+00:00Shapwick Heath, habitats, and migrant wildlifeOn Boxing Day we went for a family walk to Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve, in the Avalon Marshes, Somerset Levels. I have been there at other times, but I never had experienced the light and the colours in the Reserve as I did in that sunny, cold, winter day.<br />
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A quilt inspired by those colours unfolded in my mind. The next day I put some fabric colours together and started working on it. <br />
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The point of the nature reserve is to create habitats that provide shelter and food for the many animals, birds, butterflies, insects, etc. that need it. Some species are residents, others are winter or summer migrants. The most noticeable of them all are the starlings, and in January up to nine million migrant birds join the residents and form the most extraordinary 'murmurations', flying in changing organised shapes all over the area.<br />
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The reeds and open water are home to many birds and waterfowl, and there are other visitor attractions, such as bird hides. See more in the captions to the photos.<br />
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So full of colour! I can see greens, yellows, reds, blues, and all shades in-between. </div>
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The fern colour changes according to whether the leaves are in the sun or the shade, illuminated from above or from behind.</div>
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Amazing colours on the autumn leaves underfoot.</div>
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Downy birch wooded areas next to meadows.</div>
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The reconstructed Sweet Track - as it says in the photo above. Not very easy to walk on! Just as well that if you miss your step you just fall into a path covered in autumn leaves, and not onto swampy waters, as it would have happened 3,000 years ago.</div>
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The reed beds and open water, home to many waterfowl. And a view of Glastonbury Tor.</div>
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More reed beds shining in the sun.</div>
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My first attempt to a colour palette for my new quilt in the Habitats : Species series, focusing particularly on migrant wildlife. </div>
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The quilt is nearly ready, but not quite. See next blog post for details of construction and finished product.</div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-47689595672819644922017-01-01T16:56:00.004+00:002017-01-01T17:00:17.291+00:00New year, revamped blog<br />
One of my New Year resolutions is to re-start writing regularly in my blog; and of course displaying photographs. So here I am.<br />
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First, a <b>Review</b> of last year:<br />
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It was a very successful year for me. I had work on show in Germany (solo gallery at <a href="https://www.nadel-welt.de/" target="_blank"><b>Nadelwelt</b> <b>Karlsruhe</b></a>), Spain (gallery display at <b>Interquilt Girona</b>), and individual quilts in many juried and invitational exhibitions - in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, and China. I won't list them all in detail, but I am especially proud of being juried into the <a href="http://www.wayneart.org/exhibitions/artquilt-elements-2016/" target="_blank">Wayne Centre</a>'s <i><b>Art Quilt Elements, </b></i><a href="http://www.saqa.com/" target="_blank">SAQA</a>'s <i><b>Concrete and Grassland</b></i>, and Australia's <i><b><a href="http://www.amatteroftimetextiles.com/" target="_blank">a matter of time</a></b>. </i><br />
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Other proud moments were winning an award at Art Quilt Elements at the Wayne Centre, Philadelphia, especially as I was there to receive it personally! And being invited to show at the <a href="http://www.koreabojagiforum.com/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Korea Bojagi Forum</a>, and at a quilt exhibition in <b>Shanghai</b>, China. With my group <b><a href="http://www.viewpoints9.com/blog" target="_blank">Viewpoints 9</a></b>, I exhibited at the <b>Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition (<a href="http://www.taqs.org.tw/images/TIQE%202016%E5%B7%A5%E4%BD%9C%E5%9D%8A%E7%B0%A1%E7%AB%A0II.pdf" target="_blank">TIQE</a>)</b>, the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, and several venues in Australia and NewZealand - still ongoing. I couldn't attend those, but in April 2016 I did go to my first <b>SAQA Conference, </b>in Philadelphia, which was a great experience, and a wonderful opportunity to meet internet-based friends.<br />
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<b>Port at Dusk Diptych </b>is so far my most successful and popular quilt. It is the one that received the award at <b>Art Quilt Elements</b>, and before then, in 2015, it was on show at <b><a href="http://www.throughourhands.co.uk/" target="_blank">Through Our Hands</a>'s The Liberated Quilt</b> at the <b>Bilston Gallery </b>in Wolverhampton, and then at <b>Fine Art Quilt Masters</b> at the <b><a href="http://www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk/" target="_blank">Festival of Quilts</a> </b>in Birmingham. In 2016 it travelled to Philadelphia and to South Korea.<br />
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And in 2017 <b>Port at Dusk Diptych </b>will be on show at the <b><a href="http://newbedfordart.org/upcoming-exhibitions/" target="_blank">New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks! </a></b>in New Bedford, Massachusetts, from 25th January to 19th March, as part of the 50 textile pieces selected for <b>Excellence in Fibers</b>, organised by <b><a href="http://fiberartnow.net/" target="_blank">Fiber Art Now</a></b> magazine.<br />
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Moving onto 2017, I have been invited to participate in <b>New Quilting</b>, an exhibition organised by the <a href="https://www.rheged.com/event/new-quilting/" target="_blank">Rheged Centre</a> in Penrith, Cumbria, from 3rd March to 23rd April.<br />
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There are more exciting things in the pipeline, including teaching abroad, but I will mention those as appropriate in future posts.<br />
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Happy New Year to everybody!<br />
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Alicia<br />
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-78287266559639075032015-05-08T02:35:00.000+01:002015-05-08T02:35:40.347+01:00Return of the prodigal daughter<br />
Hello friends! Here I am again. I hadn't realised how long is it since I wrote on my blog. I've been concentrating more on communicating via Facebook - it is quicker and more immediate. <br />
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I will try to update this blog a bit more often!<br />
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The main news at the moment is my participation in the forthcoming exhibition <b>The Liberated Quilt: New Work from Through Our Hands</b> - at the Bilston Craft Gallery, Mount Pleasant, Bilston, West Midlands, WV14 7LU, <a href="http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/bilston" target="_blank">www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/bilsto</a><a href="http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.co.uk/bilston">n</a> - Tel 01902 552507. Check hours of opening before going, they are different on various weekdays; closed on Sundays and Mondays; admission free.<br />
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The exhibition opens on Saturday 16th May, with an informal opening from 1pm to 3pm, with presentations by some of the artists, and tea and cake. Do come if you are in the area! If that is not possible, the exhibition will be open until 25th July.<br />
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Artists participating are: Annabel Rainbow, Alicia Merrett, Sandra Meech, Linda Colsh, Bethan Ash, Els van Baarle, Olga Prins-Lukowski, Bente Vold Klausen, Bobbie Britnell, Deidre Adams, Sue Benner, Jette Clover, Eszter Bornemisza, Claire Smith, Dijanne Cevaal, Elizabeth Barton, Linda Barlow, Mirjam Pet-Jacobs, Michala Gyetvai, Jeanne Williamson, Sara Impey, Susan Lenz, Laura Kemshall, Linda Kemshall.<br />
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More information on Through Our Hands can be found in the website, <a href="http://www.throughourhands.co.uk/">www.throughourhands.co.uk</a></div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-3221855067146137082014-11-24T19:18:00.001+00:002014-11-24T19:18:17.848+00:00Balloons over Wells<br />
Today was a beautiful sunny, clear day, and this afternoon when I went out of the house, there were balloons flying over the city. They come from Bristol, where there is a park which is used for ballooning, and often land in big fields near Wells.<br />
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There were two balloons, and they <span style="text-align: center;">looked as if they were musical notes on the pentagram formed by the electric cables.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Alicia</span></div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-36007491790526710582014-11-23T16:08:00.001+00:002014-11-23T16:08:03.502+00:00Designer Showcase in Popular Patchwork magazine<br />
Popular Patchwork magazine now has a "Designer Showcase" in each issue of the magazine, starting with the current Christmas issue, where my work is featured.<br />
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Here are views of the relevant pages:<br />
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They are also reviewing my book, "Mapping the Imagination", in their Bookshelf pages.<br />
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I'm very pleased with the article! Extremely well arranged by the editors, Bridget and Barnaby Neale. Thank you both!<br />
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AliciaAlicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-68664151102521660622014-11-10T12:00:00.000+00:002014-11-10T12:00:10.593+00:00Around the World Blog Hop<br />
I have been invited to participate in this Around the World Blog Hop by my friend Martha Wolfe. We have not had the opportunity to meet in person yet, but we have developed a strong friendship via the web. What a wonder modern technology is! We hope to meet next year. <br />
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Martha is a wonderful fiber artist and she is a printmaker as well as an art quilter. She is in the Board of Directors of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates - <a href="http://www.saqa.com/">www.saqa.com</a>) where she does fantastic work on behalf of the art of quilting. Her work is featured in many publications and she exhibits widely. Her work is very varied, and you can see it in her website, <a href="http://www.marthawolfe.com/">www.marthawolfe.com</a>. Martha is the leading force in the international web-based group Viewpoints 9 - <a href="http://viewpoints9-2.blogspot.co.uk/">http://viewpoints9-2.blogspot.co.uk</a> - which I am honoured to belong to as well. The group is starting to exhibit in real places as well as in virtual galleries - this year at the Mancuso shows in USA. Hopefully there will also be an exhibition in Europe in the next year or two; and we have been invited to exhibit in 2016 at TIQE (Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition) by organiser, V9 member and also World Blog Hopper, Lin Hsin Chen - <a href="http://www.linhsinchen.idv.tw/">http://www.linhsinchen.idv.tw</a><br />
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This is one of my favourite pieces of work by Martha Wolfe:<br />
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Participants in the Blog Hop are asked to include answers to four questions in their post. So I will do my best to answer those questions.<br />
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<b>What am I working on?</b><br />
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A lot of things and not much at all - both together. After having spent about nine months working non-stop on making new work for my exhibition "Mapping the Imagination" at the Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, this August, and producing a book/catalogue of the exhibition - while during the same period being a juror for SAQA's exhibition "Redirecting the Ordinary", and the curator for SAQA's Wide Horizons IV (which opened at the European Patchwork Meeting this September) - then followed by more weeks working to finish my quilt for EPM'S 20th Anniversary exhibition - and various other things such as writing magazine articles and projects, being part of other exhibitions, etc - I ended up feeling quite exhausted and drained of creative energy. So I haven't made much in the last couple of months. However, after taking a couple of weeks off just to rest and think, I very soon started to plan my next moves and work pieces. However I haven't made much progress on them!<br />
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To try and coax myself back into working creatively, I decided to start small, and developed a new short series of my 10" x 10" "Map Fragments", using a slightly different colour palette from the previous ones. They are available for sale at exhibitions, galleries, and online at the <a href="http://www.throughourhands.co.uk/product-category/alicia-merrett/" target="_blank">Shop of Through Our Hands website.</a> Here is one of them - Map Fragment # 112, 'Good Earth' series:<br />
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I also made a small piece, 25 x 25 cm, for the 25th Anniversary exhibition of Designer Crafts at the Mall - the annual show of the <a href="http://www.societyofdesignercraftsmen.org.uk/" target="_blank">Society of Designer Craftsmen</a>, to which I have belonged ever since I started being involved in crafts professionally - probably nearly 30 years ago. The Society itself is well over 100 years old, and it was founded by a group of artists which included William Morris. They have been continuously exhibiting at The Mall Galleries in London for 25 years, and that's what is being celebrated in 2015. The show will be on from 9th to 18th January, and it always is a real feast for the eyes - textiles shown in the context of contemporary furniture, jewellery, and work in ceramics, glass, metal, and other materials. So if you are in London at the time, do not miss it!<br />
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I won't post my new piece here because I believe it should not be shown before the exhibition. Instead, below is another of my small square pieces mounted on stretched canvas, of a similar size. This one is called Devon Fields and was sold some time ago, at an exhibition.<br />
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I should really be working on a piece for Viewpoints 9, but although that has been started, it is going rather slowly. Instead I have got quite enthusiastic about other different themes, moving sideways from making the map quilts I've been working on now for several years, and have been researching and developing new designs. One theme is working with text on fabric, using a variety of techniques, and the other is doing preparation work for an exhibition next year with South West Textiles, at the Museum of Somerset, in Taunton, UK - an ancient castle refurbished into a wonderful modern museum and gallery. Each artist has to choose an artefact from the museum as a starting point, and I have chosen Cauldrons and Skillets - of which the museum has the largest collection in the UK. I'm enjoying working in a very graphic design style - here is a snippet of my first, far from finished, 'draft' piece:<br />
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My current and earlier work can be seen in my website, <a href="http://www.aliciamerrett.co.uk/">www.aliciamerrett.co.uk</a><br />
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<b>How does my work differ from others of its genre?</b><br />
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Colour is the first thing that comes to mind - I have a passion for colour, and my work is recognisable from the way I use colour. Regarding my map quilts, there are a number of other artists which work on maps - it is a much loved theme - but I don't really know if there is anybody else that makes their maps mostly with piecing techniques, like I do. It's good to look at other people's work and soak in the work of other artists, but when it comes to making your own, you have to look inwards and find what you want to do, to please and satisfy yourself in the first instance.<br />
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Here is a section of one of my favourite quilts - Login Shakespeare - which I see every day, as it is hanging at the top of the stairs in my house - from the Shakespeare series which I worked on in the mid-noughties - and which I have revisited occasionally. Most of the pieces in that series incorporate lettering, here printed with Thermofax screens.<br />
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And here is another of my big map quilts - a very recent one, and a great favourite at the moment - Blue Harbour - an imaginary quilt based on studying the layout and details of a number of real harbours and marinas.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bn4lc7dxm5Y/VF_DzmReC6I/AAAAAAAACdE/fDoIXHtyW0A/s1600/Alici-Merrett-Blue-Harbour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bn4lc7dxm5Y/VF_DzmReC6I/AAAAAAAACdE/fDoIXHtyW0A/s1600/Alici-Merrett-Blue-Harbour.jpg" height="506" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Why do I write/create what I do?</b><br />
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I create because I must. There is no other way of putting it. I cannot see myself doing anything else, or ever 'retiring'. Creating is the centre of my life, and I have always done it, although fields of work might have changed over time.<br />
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I have also written, mostly craft books and articles, but it is a side line - not my primary passion. I prefer visual books - that's how I designed my latest book, <i>Mapping the Imagination</i>, which is partly catalogue of the exhibition of the same name at the Festival of Quilts in August 2014, partly a review of my previous map quilts, and has a last section which is a mini-workshop, introducing readers to the basic techniques I use in my map-making. As I mentioned above, it can be bought online, with PayPal, from <a href="http://www.throughourhands.co.uk/product-category/alicia-merrett-books-gallery-shop/" target="_blank">Through Our Hands</a> online shop.<br />
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I play with ideas in my head, and look for images that help what I want to do. Colour usually come first; I get my fabrics out and pile them up to see how the colours interact, and select the ones I want to use. But as my work progresses, colours may change - some fabrics may go, some new ones may come in.</div>
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With maps, I often study a map or several as guidelines, not fixed indicators of how the map will finish up. Sometimes I make maps based on real places, in which case I interpret the source map as closely as possible, although it is never an exact copy. I use a variety of methods, which may include enlarging, drawing, tracing, etc. It depends on the piece; some need one method, some others. </div>
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But I prefer to make imaginary maps, catching the spirit of the place or the style I want to portray. The technique would be improvisational. For example, one of my latest map, "Coming Into Land" intends to convey images of dark and light areas glanced from an airplane landing. Here is a section:</div>
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Technique-wise, I do a lot of piecing - the map quilt above is completely pieced. Some times I use fused appliqué, and a few map quilts are completely made using a fused collage technique. But piecing remains my first love.<br />
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Now I will introduce the two international quilt artists and bloggers to whom I will pass the baton to, and who will be blogging next week, on November 17th.<br />
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The first one is Alison Schwabe, an Australian living mostly in Montevideo, Uruguay (across the River Plate from my birthplace: Buenos Aires, Argentina). Her husband, a geologist, works there. The subject is familiar to Alison as she studied geography and geomorphology at university, and her artistic subjects are the forces of nature and landscapes, as a metaphor for life.<br />
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I met Alison first online, and then in London when she came to teach in the UK. Alison's work is very well known internationally, and it can be seen in her website, <a href="http://www.alisonschwabe.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. She is a prolific blogger, talking about all sorts of fascinating things, and you can read her blog <a href="http://www.alisonschwabe.com/weblog/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The second one is Dijanne Cevaal, also Australian, who spends a lot of time in Europe. We originally met in London many years ago in one of her many trips to the Old World, and we saw each other again this year at the European Patchwork Meeting in France.<br />
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You can read her blog, her adventures, and her Musings of a Textile Itinerant, <a href="http://origidij.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>. She is currently very busy working on her new book, <i>Musings in Textiles: France</i> - happily financed via crowdfunding. She is an expert in dyeing textiles and in producing linocuts for printing, as demonstrated in her <i>Sentinelles</i> series.<br />
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Please look at Alison and Dijanne's blogs, as well as Martha's - you will find them very rewarding. And do keep hopping around the world via these wonderful blogs - you can go backwards and forwards as much as you like - and get to know more fabulous artists and their work!<br />
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Enjoy! Alicia<br />
<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com3Western Europe51.577116210102091 -2.273697853088378931.79619021010209 -43.582291853088378 71.3580422101021 39.03489614691162tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-57381793272094040962014-11-04T00:00:00.002+00:002014-11-04T00:01:37.049+00:00A visit to Hauser and Wirth Somerset<br />
Last Saturday was a very sunny day so I decided it was time to visit the new art exhibition space of Hauser and Wirth Somerset. This is a new departure for an art gallery which has bases in Zurich, New York and London. This new site is already a very popular destination - the large car parking area was practically full when we arrived, and there were large numbers of visitors.<br />
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The new Somerset gallery is sited on a farm on the edge of Bruton. It has gardens, galleries, classroom space and a restaurant. The artworks are inside and outside the galleries. You are not allowed to take photographs inside the galleries, but you are free to take photos outside.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AptbGBMOhHk/VFgSqWAm5dI/AAAAAAAACaU/mYyTh6vHQKI/s1600/Giant%2BClock%2B4058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AptbGBMOhHk/VFgSqWAm5dI/AAAAAAAACaU/mYyTh6vHQKI/s1600/Giant%2BClock%2B4058.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't know whether the giant clock in the garden is an piece of art or a permanent feature, but it's gorgeous!<br />
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I never found out who made the giant spider! No labels anywhere…<br />
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The main exhibition was by Phyllida Barlow. This is a view through one of the windows of a room full of giant pompoms made from all sorts of fabrics - recycled I assume - in gorgeous colours. It was like a forest, with the pompoms and thick cords attached to them, hanging from the ceiling. You were supposed to walk through that 'forest' without touching the artworks! In the middle of the room was some sort of staircase made from giant slabs, spiralling right up to the high ceiling. Not allowed to go up at all, of course! It's not meant to be interactive art.<br />
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This is a relatively clear view of one of the pompoms - notice the coils of rope attached to it - and a bit of a view of the staircase.</div>
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This view shows the pompom less clearly because of the reflections of the garden on the window.</div>
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I loved the long narrow window, fortress style, in one of the stone walls - this is a section of it.</div>
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This enormous bucket, as tall as a three-storey building, was one of the outdoor art pieces.</div>
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The restaurant and bars were also full of art pieces - I liked their original design - I had a look, but did not stay to eat. The prices are pretty reasonable. The above is a view of the edge of the restaurant taken through one of the windows. The reflections are very interesting.</div>
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Well, it's quite a place, worth a visit, especially on a nice sunny day, and maybe stay for lunch or tea. Whether you like the very modern art is a very personal opinion - my husband's comment was "Give me Rembrandt any day"!!!</div>
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However, I shall be back at some point - will keep an eye on their programme…</div>
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Alicia</div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-90163394640019759432014-10-17T23:34:00.003+01:002014-10-17T23:34:34.414+01:00Remembering September<br />
This September we had what is called an "Indian Summer" - warm, sunny, clear air, enchanting feeling. Among other things I walked on the Bishop's Gardens and took lots of photos. Yesterday I posted about the Angel Wing sculptures - today I will remember the beautiful effects of sun, water and plants.<br />
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Bee on red flower</div>
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Reflections of red flowers</div>
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Brown duck in the pond</div>
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Droplets from early dew</div>
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Falling water from the wells</div>
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Beautiful large leaves</div>
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But now it is October and it is cool and rainy! </div>
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Good night! </div>
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Alicia</div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-37214491509812186332014-10-17T00:19:00.002+01:002014-10-17T00:19:52.474+01:00Angel WingsThis summer there was an exhibition of 'angel wings' in the grounds of the Bishop's Palace in Wells. They looked gorgeous in the sun. You could take a photograph in front or behind them and look like an angel... but unfortunately you could never fly off, as the wings are made of very heavy glass and metal, giving them a stained glass look.<br />
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Large wings</div>
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White wings</div>
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Butterfly wings</div>
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I'm an angel!</div>
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Good night and sweet dreams! Wish the angels sprinkle gold fairy dust over your eyelids!</div>
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Alicia</div>
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Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-2962244267284266962014-08-17T11:49:00.000+01:002014-08-17T11:49:08.351+01:00Through Our Hands magazine, Issue 2<br />
I woke up this morning to find the Through Our Hands magazine, Issue 2, in my Inbox. I made myself a cup of tea and spent the next hour in bed reading the magazine on my iPad. It is superb!<br />
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This is the link: <a href="http://issuu.com/laurakemshall/docs/throughourhandsmagazineissue2aug201" target="_blank">TOH Magazine, Issue 2</a><br />
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Enjoy reading it!<br />
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Alicia<br />
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<br /><span style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Through Our Hands<br />Issue 2<br />Out Now!</span></span></h2>
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Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-61670396676477974022014-08-16T21:08:00.001+01:002014-08-16T21:08:38.541+01:00Festival of Quilts and after<br />
I had a wonderful time at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC Birmingham last week. My exhibition, 'Mapping the Imagination' looked wonderful and it was a great success. I met lots of old and new friends, acquaintances, made new quilter friends, and did a lot of teaching, too. What I managed to see of the rest of the galleries and quilt categories, was of a very high standard, some really quite stunning.<br />
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My new book of the same title - 'Mapping the Imagination' - part catalogue, part review of my map quilts, part mini-workshop on the basics of making pieced map quilts - sold like hot cakes. Numbers are getting low now! I may have to do a reprint!<br />
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The book can be bought online, and paid via PayPal, from the Through Our Hands website online shop. <a href="http://www.throughourhands.co.uk/product/alicia-merrett-new-book-mapping-the-imagination/" target="_blank">Click here</a> if you want to go and have a look!<br />
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Here are some pictures of my gallery at the Festival:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n0wCpZ1MhKg/U--348cStVI/AAAAAAAACNI/I1aHPa6rh2w/s1600/IMG_2499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n0wCpZ1MhKg/U--348cStVI/AAAAAAAACNI/I1aHPa6rh2w/s1600/IMG_2499.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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These are my new big quilts, 'Coming into Land' and "Blue Harbour'. The small one is the second map quilt I ever made, 'Mapping Earth', which has never been shown at Festival because it does not fit their minimum size of 1 metre on at least one side.</div>
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On the left is my quilt 'Yorke 1611', made as a commission for the Quilters' Guild, for the celebrations of the 800th Anniversary of the city or York receiving its charter from King John. It now belongs to the Quilt Museum in York, and they very kindly lend it to me for the gallery, as again it has never been shown outside York.</div>
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This is aview of the four quilts of my series on Climate Change, shown through the four elements. and represented by 'before' and 'after' stages. From left to right, Water (floods and sea levels rising), Fire (unseasonal early bush and woodland fires), Earth (receding ice sheets, exposing big chunks of earth, and melting freshwater into the ocean), and Air (air pollution in cities).<br />
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On the outside wall, on the right, two small pieces in white and black: 'Road to Utopia' and 'Lost Railways'.<br />
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Thanks for reading! Have a nice weekend!<br />
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Alicia<br />
<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-20890231903271736092014-07-30T01:27:00.000+01:002014-07-30T01:30:10.983+01:00Mapping the Imagination - exhibition and book<br />
It's been a long time since I posted in this blog. I have been very busy, and these are the results of my 'busyness':<br />
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1. I am having a solo exhibition gallery at the Festival of Quilts, at the NEC Birmingham, next week, from 7th to 10th August. You can find my gallery, "Mapping the Imagination" in location B31. Come and visit!<br />
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2. I have been putting together a book/catalogue of my map quilts, which includes my new quilts made for this exhibition, plus a selection of previous quilts made in the last few years. As a bonus, the book contains a chapter explaining step-by-step the basics of pieced map-making.<br />
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3. I am also the Curator of the Wide Horizons IV exhibition (for members of SAQA's European and Middle East region), which will open at the European Patchwork Meeting (Carrefour du Patchwork), at Ste Marie aux Mines, Alsace, 18th - 21st September.<br />
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The book will be available at my gallery at the Festival of Quilts, and can also be ordered from the online shop of Through Our Hands: <a href="http://www.throughourhands.co.uk/product/alicia-merrett-new-book-mapping-the-imagination/" target="_blank">Click here to go to the site</a><br />
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Here is a taster of the cover of the book:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3FnnPy_afns/U9g6f4lCbrI/AAAAAAAACIg/mGFEo8H-0V0/s1600/Front-cover-photo-1CB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3FnnPy_afns/U9g6f4lCbrI/AAAAAAAACIg/mGFEo8H-0V0/s1600/Front-cover-photo-1CB.jpg" height="400" width="398" /></a></div>
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Hope to meet lots of you at the Festival next week!</div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-21662993448680508192014-05-12T20:13:00.004+01:002014-05-12T20:13:34.310+01:00Through Our Hands magazine<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Through Our Hands has published its first online magazine! And it's FREE! It is a super publication, achieved by the hard work of Laura Kemshall and Annabel Rainbow. I feature in it! Do have a look - you can even pass the pages like a real magazine! Read your copy here:</span><br />
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<a href="http://issuu.com/laurakemshall/docs/throughourhandsmagazinemay2014final" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://issuu.com/laurakemshall/docs/throughourhandsmagazinemay2014final</a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxoBvgX66sI/U3EdLhqBV5I/AAAAAAAABxo/GG8S8g2GEbo/s1600/Image+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxoBvgX66sI/U3EdLhqBV5I/AAAAAAAABxo/GG8S8g2GEbo/s1600/Image+3.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-16687572419248314242014-04-26T21:23:00.003+01:002014-04-26T21:23:32.820+01:00My orchids again<br />
As I said in a previous post, this has been an amazing year for my orchids; practically all of them flowered at the same time, and had dozens of flowers each. In fact they are mostly still in flower.<br />
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But the special treat has been the flowering of my miniature orchid - for want of a better name - which I bought in Wells market about four years ago. It had one spindly flower then, and once that one went, it has not flowered again - until this year. Now it has six flowers, on two stems - and several more buds. They are really small, each flower is barely bigger than an inch.<br />
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You have to be patient with orchids - don't throw the plant away unless it has completely dried out. This miniature orchid plant has been very healthy throughout the fallow four years, growing beautiful, small, glossy green leaves. So I knew one day it would flower again!<br />
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Another orchid that only flowers occasionally - probably every two years - is a another relatively small one, although not as small as the miniature one. The plant is small, with thin, long, light green leaves, but the flower is quite a big bigger than the mini one. It has two colours, a variegated hot pink, and an amazing dark wine colour, velvety and soft looking. It has two flowers only, on the one stem.<br />
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I don't know what their names, species, or whatever, are - I only know that they are not Phaleonopsis, which is the type of orchid that is commonly sold in supermarkets, because they are easy to look after and they flower at least a couple of times a year. Don't get me wrong - they are beautiful - and I have several of those. But the ones that are different really appeal to me. Not easy to find - I have promised myself that one day I will go to a specialist orchid nursery and buy some unusual ones - those that need a lot of nurturing to actually flower! </div>
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And this is my favourite photo of the wine-red orchid:</div>
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Good night!</div>
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Alicia</div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-14132779557616598222014-04-17T23:32:00.002+01:002014-04-17T23:36:19.613+01:00Portsmouth<br />
Last week I spent four days in Portsmouth attending the AGM of The Quilters' Guild of Great Britain. I taught my new workshop on "Creating Work in Series", which was a success, and gave my new digital presentation on "Colour, Shakespeare and Maps". I attended the Gala Dinner which was great fun, met a number of old and new friends, stayed in a very comfortable hotel, and had some delicious meals. <br />
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I also visited one of Portsmouth's attractions - Gunwharf Quays, with its tall Spinnaker Tower, in the shape of a sail.<br />
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There was a bit of blue sky then, but in general it was a grey day. Portsmouth is, or was, a naval city and port, so there is a lot to see along the coast - from just watching the boats go past, to visiting the Mary Rose Museum (which unfortunately we never got round to....)</div>
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Below is a view of part of Portsmouth harbour from the top of the Spinnaker Tower. The glass in the viewing platforms is somehow tinted, to protect visitors from the sun - but that day there was no sun, it was grey and overcast - so the photos from up there turned out rather green. Nothing I could do about it.... I could Photoshop them onto blue I suppose, but I decided to leave them as they are - it's the colour both me and my camera were seeing from the top.</div>
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Closer-up, you can see lots of different small boats 'parked' in the harbour.</div>
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There are naval ships and sailing boats.</div>
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The stellae left by the motorised boats make nice patterns.</div>
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From high above, people look like ants.</div>
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You can zoom into the people eating in the cafe below.</div>
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On the viewing platform there is an area of glass from where you look below down the tower - strange feeling, like walking on air. <br />
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You have to take your shoes off to walk on the glass. Quite a drop!<br />
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When we got down, neither the sea nor the sky looked as green as from up on the tower!</div>
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Gunwharf Quays are also a big shopping centre - but I didn't take photos of the shops! nor bought anything. But we did have a nice lunch in Jamie's Italian restaurant.</div>
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Good night!</div>
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Alicia</div>
Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-53804156433034832652014-04-04T00:18:00.000+01:002014-04-04T00:18:00.851+01:00Views of Sitges<br />
Here are some other views of Sitges.<br />
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Bagpipe player on the beach, late afternoon.<br />
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Strange branch on the way to the Marina.</div>
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The white church (daytime).</div>
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The blue church (night-time).</div>
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Eating out in the evening.<br />
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Red reflections.<br />
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Good night!<br />
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AliciaAlicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-65547539728235656412014-04-03T00:45:00.000+01:002014-04-03T00:45:00.341+01:00My exhibition in Sitges<br />
And here are some pictures of my exhibition, taken when it was just set up.<br />
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And here is one when visitors were in.<br />
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Good night!<br />
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AliciaAlicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644933316740792118.post-16560764256896975502014-04-02T00:35:00.000+01:002014-04-02T00:35:00.309+01:00Sitges town<br />
There are many aspects of Sitges I like. The old town had a myriad of little streets, where it was easy to get lost at the beginning.<br />
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This beautiful house in white and blue was very near the exhibition venues.<br />
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This house shined golden in the sun - it was near the Marina.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_1jAlSAWjY/Uziom6Bn_RI/AAAAAAAABsc/LwdLPprTzj4/s1600/House+gold+and+blue1004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_1jAlSAWjY/Uziom6Bn_RI/AAAAAAAABsc/LwdLPprTzj4/s1600/House+gold+and+blue1004.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And yes, of course there is a Marina, full of beautiful boats.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5l8-lwZxKA/UzioqGCl8YI/AAAAAAAABso/udZEF7O85jA/s1600/Marina+boats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5l8-lwZxKA/UzioqGCl8YI/AAAAAAAABso/udZEF7O85jA/s1600/Marina+boats.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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And beautiful sandy beaches!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CLKLwDy4sgg/UziomcD1ajI/AAAAAAAABsY/1B_UMhS-1xA/s1600/Beaches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CLKLwDy4sgg/UziomcD1ajI/AAAAAAAABsY/1B_UMhS-1xA/s1600/Beaches.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And there was one grey day, when it rained - well, more like a couple of hours in the afternoon....but it turned everything into a different reality, with the low clouds over the hills around the town.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l45lW9Dain4/UziokCP1mRI/AAAAAAAABsE/kjQFWCRwT3g/s1600/Grey+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l45lW9Dain4/UziokCP1mRI/AAAAAAAABsE/kjQFWCRwT3g/s1600/Grey+day.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Good night!</div>
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Alicia</div>
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<br />Alicia Merretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09379036133750349980noreply@blogger.com0