I've been playing with thickened dyes on glassine in order to create some more textures that embody stillness and tranquillity.  I'm not sure how successful my experiments were but I thought I would share.

Glassine is a super shiny plastic with a static surface that causes liquids to pull together - think droplets of water on a water proof finish. The thickness of the liquid and how much you put on influence the patterns this forms. I took a large piece of glassine and painted on bands of colour from my Dunure colour family. I blended the colours a bit and tried to introduce some linear movement. With the help of a friend (thanks Ruth!) I carefully laid on top a piece of dry soda soaked fabric. We then used our hands to press the fabric onto the glassine creating the monoprint.

I had stuck lengths of masking tape across the fabric before using it and these acted as a resist. I let the monoprint dry and removed the tape. I used more tape to mask off a new set of bands across the fabric covering some of the original printed area but not all.

I then added more thickened dye to the glassine and repeated the printing process. I tried to use less dye for the second print to avoid some large blotchy areas. I also used more colours from the pale part of the colour family.

Having created this second layer I let the fabric batch overnight before washing out. There are some interesting areas within the print but mostly it looks like a multi-coloured spotty animal skin. Which would be fantastic if I had wanted multi-coloured spotty animal skin! Maybe I need to play some more.

I used two other techniques to try to capture stillness or tranquillity. Both used thickness dyes in pales shades from my 'Dunure' colour family.

The first used a breakdown printing technique that I have been using in my Ruins series but this time with vertical elements rather than horizontal. I used different thicknesses of masking tape to create a random barcode effect on the back of my screen. I then applied a very thin coat of thickened dye over the top. Once dry I removed the tape and printed off the screen. I had to remake the screen several times to build up layers of line and texture on the printed cloth. I like the results although it was a slow process. But then there is a certain tranquillity in slow and repetitive processes.

The beach at Dunure, Scotland has provided the inspiration for my new colour family and forms part of the inspiration for what I hope will build into a new series. I'm not interested in creating art that represent the rocks, pebbles or rolling waves as nature is itself has limited appeal to me. Instead I want to create fabrics and finished works that embody the calmness, the stillness and the tranquility I felt when I sat on Dunure beach. I grew up near the sea and whilst I couldn't imagine living anywhere other than in a city there are moments when I long to hear nothing but the sea. But what does 'stillness' look like? I think it is linear. And soft. It fades in and out.

It has been several weeks since I last blogged and I have a confession! I have been lamenting all the things that 'LIFE' has stopped me doing recently instead of focusing on what I have actually achieved during what has been a very difficult couple of months. That needs to change. So here is a list of what I have been doing (in no particular order):

1. I have developed a new colour family based on the colours of the rocks and pebbles on the beach at Dunure.
2. I have completed Ruins 4 and entered it into Contemporary Quilt Group exhibition being curated by Kate Findlay.
3. I have built and installed a third design wall in my studio.
4. I have built shelves to store my threads.
5. I visited Festival of Quilts and saw my first Ruins quilt beautifully hung next to the wonderful quilt by Susie Koren that won Fine Art Quilt Masters.
6. I've printed some extra fabrics for the ongoing Ruins series and started to put together Ruins 5 on the design wall.
7. And I've given myself a mental 'kick up the backside'!

With less than a week to go I am getting very excited about Festival of Quilts!

I have two pieces showing this year. Ruins 1 was shortlisted for Fine Art Quilt Masters. The Festival website has photos of all the shortlisted pieces. No names are listed yet although some pieces are very recognizable. I am totally overwhelmed to be showing alongside some of my favourite art quilters. I cannot wait to see Ruins and suspect I might shed a tear or two!

I also have a piece, After Images, in the CQ Elements gallery. The standard of entrants in previous years has always been very high so I'm really looking forward to seeing all the other pieces.

I will only have 1 day at Festival this year so I will need to be selective about what I try to see - there are simply too many galleries and competition quilts to see in one day. Top of my list are the Christine Chester gallery, the Quilts 30 gallery and the Through Our Hands gallery. And, of course, I will need to save time to visit the traders!

In preparation for Festival I have spent some time updating my website. I have given the Ruins series it's own page. With 3 pieces completed, 1 at the stitching stage and one on the design wall this series has well and truly arrived. And I couldn't be happier with it - it feels like I have found my voice!

Life doesn't always follow a straight path and it has thrown a real curve ball at my family over the last couple of weeks. I've escaped into my studio for the odd 30 minutes as being in that calm, wonderful space has recharged my batteries better than a nap! I've made slow progress on the next Ruins piece but that is all. I did however get one piece of good news - my After Images quilt has been accepted into the Contemporary Quilt Group 'Elements' gallery at Festival of Quilts next month. I'm really looking forward to seeing this exhibition as the subject 'Element' is open to so many interpretations.

We have just returned from a family holiday in Scotland timed to coincide with our daughters Degree Show and Graduation. Jess has got a 1st in the Environmental Art and Sculpture programme at Glasgow School of Art - needless to say the whole family is very proud of her! Rather than spend a fortune on hotels to stay in Glasgow for a couple of days we rented a lovey cottage in the costal village of Dunure for the full week. Dunure has a small harbor, a ruined castle and a couple of peebly beaches.

I have taken dozens of images which may, or may not, form the inspiration for a textile piece. So lots of images of stones, moss, wild flowers, waves and more forming a mostly neutral palette. However I thought I would share a few images of a derelict boat, stranded on the side of the harbor. The strong colours seemed rather out of place so they immediately caught my eye. I absolutely love the patterns formed as the layers of coloured paint have eroded and weathered. It looks positively psychedelic!

I heard this week that one of my Ruins pieces has been shortlisted for Fine Art Quilt Masters. This is my first 'major' exhibition and the thought that my work will be shown alongside well known textile artists is completely overwhelming. I still feel rather tearful! It means so much to me. Whilst I am disappointed that I was not accepted into the European Quilt Trienniel submitting work to these two prestigous exhibitions was a real stretch for me. I have enjoyed pushing myself to produce my best possible work but did not really think my work was good enough yet. I  am delighted to be proved wrong. And determined to keep pushing myself to achieve more.

There are 19 artists shortlisted but I don't think the list will published before the exhibition opens at Festival of Quilts in August. Can't wait to see my work hung, I may just burst into tears!

It has been a busy few weeks since my last post. The studio has been rebuilt (albeit with a long list of finishing touches), I've had a week in the US and 3 days in Scotland with the day job and my grandson has had Chicken Pox (poor lamb!). At times it has felt like a train wreck but today the sun has shone and life seems calm again. I've started working on the next Ruins piece on the design wall. All the printed fabrics have been cut into 'bricks' and I'm building the background. I've also played with thin strips to create buildings. Not sure if this will work so I will leave it pinned up for a while.