My Sherwood Art Week 2013

Last year I did a little blog post of 'My Sherwood Art Week' and here's another one .............

First job of the week was installing artists in their shop venue.  'Art in Shops' is one of the most popular aspects of SAW, it is ever present during the week and is difficult to ignore if you are walking through Sherwood.  This year we had some shops taking part for the first time, one shared their shop with us for our HQ and information point for the week, others cleared their windows to make way for art, some fitted the art around the usual window display and after a terrible fire the week before, one of our regular shops cleared space and cleaned all the windows so the art allocated to them could still go up.

After helping to set up some stalls at the craft fair venue, it was time to organise a few artists, last minute, for a mini-exhibition in Doctor's Orders Micropub in Carrington.  The aim was to get a mix of different artists to showcase a little of what Sherwood Art Week was about and entice the drinkers up the road and into Sherwood.  In the end, we had different types of prints, photos, painting and papercuts for the exhibition.  Within minutes a piece being put up was sold and a number of pieces were sold throughout the week in this venue alone, along with some commissions.

Doctor's Orders Exhibition Space



While I was in the pub, the knitters and crocheters had been busy yarn bombing the streets of Sherwood with their creations adorning gates, trees, benches, bollards, signs and bus stops.  Even some of the local schools got involved, and seemed to be having great fun when I saw them earlier in the day.  I looked great when I got back to Sherwood for a little light refreshment at The Crimson Tree, where the diners also enjoyed some live music.

 

 

Saturday was the first day proper of Sherwood Art Week 2013.  I spent the morning manning the HQ, taking bookings for workshops, answering enquiries and gettting some samples ready for my workshops later in the week.  At 11am the biggest event of the week opened - The Secret Garden Craft Fair at URC in Sherwood.  This is always a great event with craft stalls, live music, cream teas, BBQ and a beer tent. 

Counting in the visitors, directing traffic and handing out SAW brochures kept most of the committee busy for most of the day, although I did get a free hour or so for a quick look around the stalls and to get myself a scone, jam and a nice cup of tea.  There was also time to buy art!  The intermittant rain didn't seem to put anyone off visiting, which was great, and, like last year we had approximately 2500 visitors.   The only thing left once everyone had gone was to get the damp stalls and gazebos down.

Craft Fair Music Tent

After the success of last year's ATC swap it was decided we should do another one this year.

We had a networking event at the Samuel Hall on the Wednesday of SAW, giving the artists the chance to look at all of the artist trading cards and take photographs.  With the swap, everyone's cards were sent off by post.  No-one had any idea which cards they were going to get so we all got a surprise a few days later through the letterbox.

One of my ATC set

The Samuel Hall sponsored the Poetry Pamphlet, which was something new to this year's Art Week.  When looking for a venue to hold an 'open mic' poetry event to compliment the booklet we decided it would be fitting to hold it at the pub, so the ATC event and the open mic session were on the same night. I even stayed to listen to a few poems.

I tutored two classes this year, towards the end of the week. One with another tutor 'Japanese Stab Stitched Books' and 'Clean Collage'. Virtually all of the classes filled up early and we could have filled the book class a few times over.  Both went really well and everyone seemed pleased with what they made.  All the venues for the classes during the week provided their space without charge, and the tutors provide their time for free too, so it helps us keep the taster class prices very low, just to cover materials costs.  The Stab Stitched Book class was held at the Crimson Tree so we were also able to get tea and cake!

Clean collage

Japanese Stab Stitch Book

A book made by one of the students from a crimson tree bag

I even managed to get on a class myself, knittng at the Textile Workshop.  I learn't how to read a simple knitting pattern and cast off, which I had never done before and making a knitted flower brooch.

The Art Marquee during the Sherwood Festival on Woodthorpe Park, I have re-named the Glitter Tent. Kids love glitter, both girls and boys and I think we must have got through a kilo of the stuff!  This year we had a general craft table, crafty hands and jelly fish plates, felting, mosaics (which will be permanently installed on Woodthorpe Park), fantasy houses, badges, crochet, fabric flowers and instant books. We were hectic all day and we had a great group of artists and volunteers who again, gave up their time for free.

Crafty hands hung around the Art Marquee

There was just enough time on the last Sunday to get around the Exhibitions.  The Place, Methodist Church and St. Johns's were the venues this year.  The Place holds art classes and some of the paintings there were from the students.  The Methodist Church had two spaces for exhibiting, one with a paper installation filling the entire room.  At St. Johns's in Carrington, I got a cup of tea to enjoy while looking at the art and I chose a piece to buy, a photograph of the sea by one of my fellow committee members.

St. John's

St. John's

A quick look in Doctor's Orders while some of the artists took down their work and I was back off into Sherwood where some of the work that had been purchased during the week was collected.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable week once again, and mostly wonderful comments from people in Sherwood as we went about running the different events during the week.

ATC Tutorial - Hello Sunshine

Here's a tutorial for you with a few different techniques to create dimension and texture for all sorts of projects.

This was made for an ATC swap with the theme 'Here Comes Summer'.

I used 'Fields of Sky' stamp from Stamp Addicts (loads of different sized dots) and 'Rays' from Stampers Anonymous 'Bitty Grunge CMS089' set, along with yellow (Mustard Seed), orange (Spiced Marmalade) and red (Fired Brick) Distress Inks.

Starting with the yellow ink, stamp the Rays on a blank white ATC near the top of the card.  Repeat this, with yellow again.  Don't try and line it up with the first one.

Stamp the image again, this time with orange and red ink.  With these colours, randomly ink up the stamp so it doesn't stamp even.  Add further stamped images with the orange and red colours, until less of the white card is showing through.

Using a foam applicator, apply yellow to the edges of the card, followed by some orange.

Eventually you should have your background, without any harsh white areas.

To add a little more texture, stamp 'Fields of Sky' in red and orange ink around the edges of the card.

Once the stamped background is complete, place the card in Sizzix 'Rays' embossing folder and run through and embossing machine.

Highlight some of the edges of the embossed areas with a Quickie glue pen and wait for the blue glue to go clear.

Press foil into the areas where glue was applied and peel away.  Repeat until all the glued areas are foiled.  Alternatively you could use gilding flakes - rub them in and brush away any excess with a stiff brush.

Prepare the banner, running the Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Banners die from Sizzix, through the Big Shot with an extender platform and cutting plates along with some white cardstock.  Apply yellow Distress Ink to the body of the banner with a foam applicator, followed by red ink around the edges of the die cut.  

Using the waste from the die I had a practice run at the spacing of the letters on the actual banner.  Fix to scrap paper with tape and stamp 'Hello Sunshine'.  Once you are happy with how to space the letters, stamp onto the actual banner, using the practice stamp layout as a guide.

Use a small alphabet set to stamp the words in red ink - this time I used Momento in Lady Bug as it isn't as wet as Distress Ink.  This set is from Studio G by Hampton Art.

Stamp the lettering randomly to avoid having to line everything up perfectly.

Trim the banner to the size of the ATC then edge the banner, along with the ATC with a gold Krylon leafing pen.

Fix a number of foam pads to the back of the banner and then stick to the bottom of the card, lining up the edges.

A final addition of some stickles gold glitter glue to some of the embossed areas and the card is finished.