Another year has slipped away so it's time to reflect on what I have and haven't done and of course what happens next.

First, a tardy round up, I could say I was too busy stitching to update the blog which is partly true, or I could blame the cat (I usually do!):
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• Exhibitions I: I completed three site specific mixed media artworks for the gallery at Verdant Works Jute Mill Museum in Dundee, with textile group Kalamkari. Here is a detail shot of one of the pieces:

Sacks, sacks, and more sacks:   Many women were employed to sew sacks at home and often the children would have to help as well.  It was poorly paid, hard work, and a sign of poverty and desperation.  Workers would turn up at the factory with a wheeled cart which was then loaded up high with pre-cut jute and tarred twine.  They had to provide their own needles, scissors etc and for this laborious task they were paid only 5d per 25 sacks - and that only after a strict inspection of stitching quality.

The concentric circles with the black in the middle represents sewing by the glow of candlelight at night-time, with the red symbolising sore and bleeding fingers.  The black cross depicts the dirty and unhealthy job of working in these poor conditions with harsh jute and horrible black tarred twine.  The needles were curved, thick and cumbersome.
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The square stitch represents both the sacks and the paypackets, literally bloody hard work.

Scott at Grange Meadow Framing made an excellent job of mounting and framing the work and the choice of a black frame was perfect. I don't have a good photo unfortunately due to poor light and shadows, and my lack of photography skills.

The client was very pleased (thankfully!). I later received an unexpected critique of 'The Three Forths' from architect and artist Simon Thorpe which I'm pleased and proud to share here:

" I thought several ideas came through very strongly in Linda’s piece, including:
 Texture – I enjoyed the contrast between the slightly rough, quite open weave background and the taut, precise thread of the bridge forms

Colour – a simple, strong colour scheme with a restricted palette of neutrals contrasting the vivid burnt orange

Layering – perspective, colour and form all express the contrast of three very different generations of bridge design, with each successive iteration more ephemeral

Geometry – I liked the contrast between the mathematically precise bridge geometry and the organic forms of the map contour lines
 
I also like the way an apparently figurative piece is subtly abstracted, which I think makes it stronger and freer than simply copying a photographic aerial view."

Oh My!

• Goals for 2018 - in addition to things I've already mentioned I hope I'll do much better with keeping this blog up to date and also my Facebook page. I'll also be investigating different ways of selling my work online. I've had no success with Etsy and have decided not to list anything for the time being - I think it's so big now that as a small trader you are just lost in it and never come to light! There are many other online shops I need to investigate as well as making more of Facebook.  That'll be fun!

If you're still with me, well done, it turned into a tome rather than a blog! To finish I'll just leave you with news of a new exhibition I'm participating in with Kalamkari group, starting in January. Details to follow soon.