A SOULS JOURNEY

Good Lord!  I have managed to access my blog.  It has taken me a long time to reconnect with my Soul, to merge 'Digital Designing' with my hands-on 'Zen' inspired work.  At first, I found working on a computer detached from creativity, cold and distant.  But, I was captivated!  I could use any number of colours.  I could create from any image including my Spiritual 'Zen' ('Zazen') inspired pictures created in meditation from some deep space.  Working from sound directly on to the silk was an amazing experience.  Sounds were beautifully magnified, separated, visual.

HARD DRIVE GONE FOREVER.

Alas, my 1.5 TB hard drive has gone, irretrievable and each day I discover important files that are no longer there, designs, especially those about to be printed for products, gone.  Alas, there was so much information on that drive, so much work and it is disheartening to have to start again. 
However, on the positive side, each day I discover something tucked away in a file within a file, designs that I thought I had lost.

It has made me return to my studio, to working hands-on and I am so excited about that.  I may finally create my Art Deco inspired designs.  I may return to exploring the 'Zen' work, i.e. working directly on to the silk in meditation to see where that leads me.

Digital designing is magical.  Screen printing could never produce the unlimited colours of digital prints.  But, if one is creative, it has to be an interaction, working from drawings or imagery one has created by hand otherwise it becomes a computer exercise.  I love being in touch with my work, gathering source material and squirrelling it away.  I love working in my studio, experimenting with mixing dye pastes, steaming at different stages to get different effects.  I am still inspired by the simple geometry of the road tanker, Japanese design and the simplicity of asymmetric pattern where space is vital, the balance of a shape within a shape.  I find this difficult digitally and I find myself creating the very all over patterns I dislike.  However, putting what I call my 'Zens' into the computer is fascinating.  I need a new project though.

Long scarf idea using drawn imagery.

Blue Star - another long scarf idea.

'Butterfly'.  Idea which could turn into anything.  Its fun exploring.

Watch this space!!!!!  Must make time for the blog.

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LOST DRIVE

I am kicking myself, I really am.  It is almost 2 months since I took my 1.5 TB drive in to P.C. World to see if the designs lost can be recovered, and still I have heard nothing.  Waiting every day to hear something positive and hearing nothing is awful.  Meanwhile, I have been through the images I have and am shocked at just how minimal they are - not a lot!.  I have lost source material, finished designs, hundreds of them.  If only I had sent a collection for print.  I have lost novels, short stories, poems, photographs, all of the last years work from my M.A. and the15 months' work created since.

The sooner I move on the better. At least I am clear of the bugs and full of enthusiasm.  Go, go, go gal!!!!!

1.5 T HARD DRIVE DIED.

Oh my God!!!  My main hard drive, 1.5 T, has just died.  It says there is nothing on there, zero.  I cannot tell you how much work there was on there, 2 years at least, and in this past year I have created hundreds of designs for all sorts of things as I have at the same time, been learning more about the amazing facilities available in digital designing - all gone!  I am distraught.  I am praying one of these I.T. whizz kids can retrieve the information for me.  Most of my source material is gone too.  A couple of months ago I bought a 2 TB hard drive to copy this one on to and kept meaning to but had no reason to worry.  I had umpteen little reminders to do it the week before it died.  Always, always back up your work.  Can anyone tell me what 'Cloud' is?  I need more I.T. instruction.

I am taking it in to the 'expert' tomorrow so fingers crossed, legs crossed. 

'REFLECTION'

Not a bad time to reflect on created work:-

ZEN TIES.  Now working on a new range of tie designs, I thought I would review some of my original designs

A one-off 'ZEN' tie created in meditation on Crepe de Chine Silk using verious tools, layered dyes and pastes, steamed together.  One of my favourites. 

Cream silk tie as above.  The imagery was amazing in that although created whilst in healing meditation, each image had a life of its own, a language. 

Racing Green silk tie on a very special piece of madder silk from David Evans, again created in meditation using multi dyes and pastes.  As each layer takes forever to dry, these ties take a considerable amount of time to create and are all one offs.
I enjoyed this range (there are many more) and intend to create new items on different coloured silks.  I plan to experiment with more use of this method within drawing.  As well as the drawn image, I am honing my digital skills.  Still a long way to go - and I do not want to spend my life at a computer screen.

TIES - OTHER

Navy and rust colour discharge screen printed silk ties.  (almost gone now).

NEW BEGINNINGS POST M.A.

I can't believe it is a year since my graduation, an odd year of readjustment and connection.  Where do I go from here?  It was a shock to discover that I loved my original work.  I so want to move into more conceptual work, wall pieces, 3-dimentional art and gallery pieces, corporate work but am drawn to create products. 

Decision - I shall do both.  Meanwhile, research, research, research.  Creating a range of tie designs, I am now shocked to find that my wonderful makers have been bought by Vanners and they have doubled their making costs.  I do want to work with digital printers and makers in the U.K.  Business plan needed.

Time to make my wonderful studio scream with passion and creativity.  Watch this space!

POST M.A.CHALLENGES

Wow.  M.A.s challenge us to  follow a pathway, to achieve innovative work for an end; our M.A. show.   We must do it or fail.  Afterwards, having worked towards exhibition pieces, I must now survive, create products to sell, place myself in the same pathway I left behind. scarves, bags, ties, bow ties - or wot??

I am excited about entering competitions, rejoining organisations, Paris, getting designs out there. 

I am more interested in working from the heart, of allowing my work to speak - the Zen of Tankers, the Spirit of Life.  I have no interest in creating commercial pieces, but I guess I must. 

More soon.