Jo Blaker-Blog

2012-01-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

I recently led another set of workshops at Huddersfield Central Library, this time with pupils of Springwood Junior School. The aim of the workshops was to create another collaborative collage on the theme of 'Unusual Places to Read a Book'. I was interested in focusing the workshop on drawing and painting techniques to create pattern and texture. I had to design the collage to fill a space 47ft long and ensure the elements for the collage could be created during 2, 2-hour workshops! My solution was to base the design around kites, clouds and a rainbow. I love these photographs. They show sections of the kite and rainbow collages. The clouds had to be a little bit more low-key to sit alongside these.

I'm working on another library based collaborative collage, for Cleckheaton library so expect more photos of brightly coloured collage! I'm also looking forward to getting busy in the studio this year, after a period of reflection and research.

Find & Seek

2011-11-14T04:57:00.001-08:00

Here's a selection of photos from Assembly, the ReachOut RCA exhibition, showing some of the work students of Clapton Girls Technology College produced during two, one-day workshops. The aim was to introduce new approaches to drawing, based upon my own practice. Each workshop started with a huge pile of found images of miscellaneous objects. The processes we explored throughout the day included collaborative drawing, collage (2D & 3D) and drawing from memory and verbal descriptions. With every process each student created new interpretations of both the images and the objects.

above: drawing from memory or verbal description

above: a selection of collages in the exhibition

above: two large collaborative collages

and two examples of drawings made from these

ReachOut RCA

2011-11-09T03:55:00.000-08:00

You are invited to 'Assembly'

7 - 11 November, Royal College of Art

Here you can see work created by students from schools across London, during workshops devised and run by RCA Alumni including Rose Blake, Rachel Sim, Yann Le Bec and myself.

Photos taken during the installation of work on Monday

Rose's props, Yann's masks, Rachel's prints

Children's Tree, Huddersfield

2011-11-09T03:46:00.000-08:00

Last week I spent several days in a large room behind the scenes at Huddersfield Library on my hands and knees. What was I up to? Collaging a giant tree for the children's library of course!

During two short workshops local children (aged 5 to 12) explored drawing and painting techniques and created leaves, bark textures, birds and insects for the tree.

We used founds leaves and photographs of bark as reference material and we drew inspiration from Leanne Shapton's beautiful book 'The Native Trees of Canada'.

You can view more photographs online here.

British Craftsmen

2011-11-09T03:27:00.001-08:00

Hmmmmm

2011-11-09T03:26:00.001-08:00

Behind the scenes at Huddersfield Library

Happy All Hallows Eve

2011-10-31T02:23:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for any mask making inspiration today here's a little selection I have cobbled together for your viewing pleasure.

Workshop-a-rama

2011-10-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit quiet on the old making front lately hasn't it? That is definitely because I've been busy devising and delivering a range of workshops, in London and Yorkshire.

I spent two fantastic afternoons this week working with children aged 5 - 12. Together we are making an artwork to inspire visitors to Huddersfield Children's Library. As you can see it has a natural theme - which is perhaps down to all the time I spent outdoors this summer?

Other projects include leading Big Draw Workshops for ReachOut RCA and supporting the Intoart Collective's latest project - which you can read about here.

Goodbye summer

2011-10-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

A plot at our local allotment site in all its end of summer glory

2011-10-17T04:01:00.000-07:00

Craftswomen

(National Geographic 1991)

Where have you been?

2011-10-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

I've been to the Outer Hebrides* - to Barra, Vatersay, North Uist, South Uist, Eriskay, Berneray and a detour to the Isle of Skye. What a trip. The highlights included some incredible beaches, driftwood fires, sea swims, heathery hikes, campfire breakfasts, star filled skys, sunsets, mountain streams, beautiful birds, glimpses of incredible wildlife and meetings with fantastic people. Oh my.
I photographically collected colours, textures and patterns on the trip.
A selection of these photos are online at my flickr photostream.

*also known as the Western Isles. A group of islands off the north west coast of mainland Scotland.

Show RCA 2011

2011-07-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came along and saw the fruits of my labour at RCA Show 2011.

I was so flattered by the fantastic responses people offered - if you were one of those people, a big 'thank you!', you made it very worthwhile! The room I showed in was beautiful - especially when the afternoon sun poured through the windows, casting mingled shadows of the trees outside and the Pots inside. Perhaps this little clip will give you some idea! More photos here...

Show RCA

2011-06-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

above: Pots, 2011

A selection of the work from this series is now on show at Show RCA 2011. The show is free to visit and runs until July 3rd, open daily from 10am until 8pm (excluding Friday 1st July when the show is closed all day). I'll be posting photos of the installation and some more individual pieces in the next few days - keep your eyes peeled!

Pot Heads

2011-06-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

Pots, the series of 3D work I am exhibiting at Show RCA 2011 actually evolved from a series of 2D drawings called Pot Heads - see examples above. I never made the publication these drawings were initiated for, I got far too immersed in the process of developing my paper-bag pottery technique! But perhaps it is something I will come back to.

Pot Obsession

2011-06-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Before developing my Paper Bag Pot technique I was obsessively trying to realise pots in all sorts of drawing styles. I explored drawing over digital collage and creating cut outs decorated with layers of ink, crayon and pen drawings to achieve a three dimensional surface. None of which quite satisfied my itch, until I began moulding Pot forms out of found paper bags.

Ceramics in drawing

2011-06-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

Sketchbook spreads showing research undertaken in the V&A Ceramics galleries (2010)

RCA Show 2011

2011-06-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit quiet on the old blog for a while now. That's because I've had my head down whilst working through the last few months of my MA at the Royal College of Art. Here is a sneak preview of one work being exhibited alongside my stuff - by Yi Lin Juliana Ong.

That's Juls in the photo above - drawing onto the ceililng of our exhibition space.

More info regarding the show soon.

Made me go "Oohh"

2011-06-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Made me go "Ahhh"

2011-06-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

2011-05-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

2011-05-25T03:33:00.001-07:00

Some last minute inspiration for my current project, courtesy of the V&A ceramics gallery. Although I'm making pots I found myself most enthralled by figurative ceramic forms. What an array of ideas, colours and shapes. Not to mention techniques and materials - ah!

2011-05-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

In the corridor

2011-05-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

In the studio

2011-05-16T02:56:00.001-07:00

Toilet drawing

2011-05-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

(not done by myself) in Seven Sisters station ladies toilet

2011-04-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

2011-04-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Enjoying working with Intoart at Camberwell Print Studios
Little garden in the pavement! with ornamental fag butt
Enjoying sunny weather & sunny pants!

Pot Shot

2011-04-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Got some interesting results today experimenting in the photography studio. Above: my current favourite pot, Below: a kinda sinister shot of the black pot. There'll be more pots and more shots soon as I get things together for a website, ready for the RCA Show in June.

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Superwife

2011-04-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

Super brushes - featured in 'Superwife' magazine (Pt. 12, pub. 1977)

Also in this issue such diverse subjects as Emergencies: 'in an attack of accute BRONCHITIS, quick action may be vital', Breakfasts: 'if more people ate a proper breakfast, not only would mornings be more cheerful but there would be less accidents' and
Breasts, care of: 'even if not used for feeding, breasts are part of your body and need looking after properly'.

Superwife.

Unravel

2011-03-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

Stills from my preliminary edit of test footage. See previous post for more info on this project.

The Shell Book of Country Crafts

2011-03-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

A new find found this weekend.

2011-03-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Babies in progress

2011-03-19T10:09:00.001-07:00

Here's some bits and bobs from one of the projects I'm chewing over at the moment. I'm exploring the every-day 'costume' of the pushchair, in which babies and young children are presented to and at once confronted with the passing world. Here are a couple of sketchbook drawings and some experiments around ways in which I might represent textile garments and structures.

2011-03-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

2011-03-19T09:35:00.001-07:00

2011-03-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Burning Moor

2011-03-08T04:12:00.000-08:00

On Sunday past I encountered this fantastical sight - a moor burning to tame heather. The smell of burning heather drifted across the moor and the smoke passed in front of the sun. Fast flowing shadows turned the already kaleidoscopic range of colours of the moorland into a moving, flowing spectacle of light and colour. It was mesmerising!
I think it is burned off in small, controlled patches. To the left of the photo above you can see the small figures of three men with beaters raised in the air.

The Shop & Paper Pots!

2011-02-17T13:05:00.001-08:00

You may remember during the Work in Progress show at the RCA I showed some initial experiments in creating paper pots. I'm building on this project, to create a range of pots of different shapes and sizes, using a variety of improvised techniques. Here are three that I am in the process of making.

A fire festival

2011-02-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Imagine my excitement when, on my last trip back to that lovely Yorkshire-land I discovered a fire festival was being held in Marsden! (8 miles from my hometown of Huddersfield) Marsden Imbolc is a celebration of the arrival of spring. Stilt walkers dressed as Jack Frost and Green Man battle it out, before a firework display that celebrates the coming of the sun. There was also firedancers, a fox band (I think!) and some beautiful singing. Oh and LOTS of rain. I frustrated my boyfriend a little by being distracted and taking pictures of people in raincoats instead of enjoying the display! Hehe! From what I could see the costumes were a combination of good old diy craft techniques and LED lights! A bizarre but enjoyable combination.

Babies in pushchairs!

2011-02-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

I've been eager to begin a series of drawings of babies in pushchairs for about 12 months! Babies in pushchairs. They fascinate me! Above: Observational drawings.

In the moments that the babies in pushchairs are elusive (they're a tempramental lot!) I've enjoyed drawing older children too.

Babies have such different faces to adults. You have to unlearn everything you know about drawing faces. To help me out I initially began by drawing from photographic sources, not something I do much.

And the odd bit of imagination sneaks in every now and then...

All these images are developmental ones on which I shall base my final series.
Lovely.

Spring is in the air, pattern is on the floor

2011-02-17T12:12:00.001-08:00

The jumper

2011-02-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

In the next couple of months I shall be making my first film! Eeek! Here are images from a test shoot back in January, in which I 'unknit' a handknit jumper. In the final film I am going to 'unknit' a jumper that belonged to my late father. This is to begin exploring the nature of memorials in today's society. I'm interested in the differences between digital, public, online memorials and physical, hand made objects made to memorialise. The unknitting is taking place in what was my father's garage. This project is new territory for me but I think it will develop my understanding of all sorts of things - such as my interest in pattern, woollen textiles and narratives based on place, people and craft.

2011-02-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

A nice spread

2011-02-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

Recent sketchbooking - it's been a long time. Boy it feels good! :)

I forgot to tell you....

2011-01-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

A couple of my drawings accompany a piece written by Anne Howeson for the Crafts Council's new website On View. I was particularly chuffed that 'Laura's jumper' was chosen! haha! Check it out here here here.

& a wee while ago I made one or two drawings for 'Open My Guide' - which previewed at a V&A Lates event last year. They created postcards on which you could record your own voice! The idea is that you pick up a postcard, find the object illustrated upon it, record your response to it and return it to hear responses from other people. You can see pics here!

2011-01-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

I'm oh-so behind on the blogging! Here are some photos from the work in progress at college last December. A pottery portraits series turned into some paper pottery experiments. I really enjoyed constructing pot shapes using only a thread, needle and scissors. The decoration is pencil, and pencil and crayons. One of my 'bobbin' lady models made it into the show too. She snuck in and poised beautifully for the duration of the show - well done bobbin lady!

2011-01-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

It's perhaps a wee bit late to show you these now - Xmas cards 2010

Work in potgress

2010-10-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Come and see RCA MA students 'Work in Progress', from the 27th of November. I'm still gathering research - here are some bits and bobs, drawn today, using the V&A's new ceramics galleries as reference.

Intricate Apes

2010-10-26T06:43:00.001-07:00

Intimate Apes - found images of apes with doilies for masks
Part of a series produced May/June 2010
Prints will be available to buy soon!

Yodel your socks off

2010-09-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

This is something I saw a while ago - but I dug it out as 'research' for my dissertation, I say research but mean procrastination of course. However I really enjoyed seeing it again. I love the costumes, ritual and response of the old man in this scene. The whole time I thought the old fella was standing there holding his glass of pop just because he's likes to drink pop with a straw. Silly me. The film is about the re-invention, or continuation of traditional Swiss music featuring Erika Stucky, Noldi Alder, Christian Zehnder and Huun Huur Tu. I'm researching none verbal singing - so if there's anything you can recommend I'd be really interested as it is actually something I know very little about.

Autumnal Bounty

2010-09-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Are you enjoying Autumn's bounties? You know, you know, you KNOW Autumn aint Autumn without at least one good Conker hunting outing! I've been meaning to travel to Brighton to see a Starling flock too, they gather in MASSIVE numbers and swoop around. Autumn, I love Autumn!

Long time no blog

2010-09-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've had troubles with my camera this summer so apologies for my lack of blogging.

I'll pull my socks up!

2010-07-26T02:47:00.000-07:00

This summer I decided to pack my bags and head to the hills :) I've relocated to spend a few weeks roaming around the moors, industrial towns and charity shops of West Yorshire.

So far I've taken wee trips to Marsden and Hebden Bridge and succeeded in purchasing ONLY 3 second hand craft books! The bus from Huddersfield to Hebden Bridge takes about an hour, costs £1.20 and takes you over the moors - it's a beautiful trip.

These tasty looking cakes aint no sponges (or meringues) - they are sweet smelling soaps!
I loved this little deception - it certainly drew me in. The cakes are sold by the slice, or whole and although I'm not crazy about 'cupcakes' (being a bit old school I prefer a good ole fashioned bun meself) the soap cupcake displays looked amazing too. Get them here.

Here's a bit of nice handlettering, always good to see.

Just down the road from the Snug craft gallery these beautiful curtains caught my eye. Anybody know how they would be made? Lace? Crotchet?

Festival of Stamps Brochure

2010-07-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

How gorgeous is this!? It's the brochure to accompany the London 2010 Festival of Stamps
The right hand pages all feature close ups of stamps and increase in size, to build up in layers of what looks like pattern. Maybe it's the colours, maybe it's the patterns - who knows, but I love it!

Odds and pots

2010-07-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I bobbed into the British Museum for a spot of drawing to research my newest project - I don't want to say too much about it now, incase I risk jinxing it! I really liked these conjoined little fellas - they so cute! But what on earth would you use 'em for eh? Beats me!

Back Down to Earth

2010-06-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Images from Back Down to Earth - above - the cover and 3 spreads featuring my work, below - a sample of spreads featuring other artists work. This publication accompanied a recent show of the same name - with work by 8 students working with drawing.

Window shopping

2010-06-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

London / Whitstable / London / Whitstable

2010-06-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Morrell Morrell Morrell

2010-06-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

If you do one thing this weekend go and see Kate Morrell's MA show at the RCA! You can find her downstairs in the Communication Art & Design show. You have until 4th July

Back Down to Earth

2010-05-14T03:51:00.000-07:00

This is an image from 'Intricate Apes' - a series of drawings I made for 'Back down to Earth', a drawing exhibition at the Royal College of Art. The private view is Tuesday coming from 6pm. Below is the invite, designed by Hannah Montague. We'll be selling a small publication featuring work by all 7 artists featured in the show. We're a diverse group so the show should be a really interesting mix of responses to the notion of 'drawn worlds'.

2010-05-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

Some hedgey drawings that didn't make it into 'Shroud', but I like nonetheless!

S t u d i o

2010-05-04T01:33:00.001-07:00

A glimpse of my RCA studio
Currently enjoying a peach melba colour scheme/vibe!
To my right sits Sophie Demay, to my left Lola Halifa le Grand and Marine Duroselle - I'm swimming in a sea of sexy Frechness! And hoping a little of their elegance and sophistication will rub off on me (not likely!)

Which tongue are you?

2010-05-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

Grannies-on-Sea

2010-05-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

My darling friends feet and their footwear
The red triangle - my darling friends throwing rocks at me
My darling friends gawping at a model sandcastle

Intricate Apes

2010-04-29T07:09:00.001-07:00

Research for a current project, to be exhibited in 3 weeks (eek!)
Top - detail from '100 papercut circles' RCA Special Collections
Bottom - photo from yesterday's trip to London Zoo*

* much smaller, much shitter and much more depressing than I expected

AYE CARUMBA!

2010-04-27T04:08:00.000-07:00

OH MY SWEET BEJESUS!
So I was researching doilies for my current project 'Intricate Apes' and came across, oh, gasp, well I came across this. This is actually the most beautiful handmade thing I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE ON THE PLANET EARTH AND IT IS MY BIRTHDAY NEXT WEEK SO BUY IT FOR ME SOMEONE PLEASE - it is $600, do you have $600?

It is made by Ladies and Gentlemen and their blog also features THIS:

They are speaking my language!!! You get me!!?!
If you can't afford the crotchet rug woven from pure heaven I'd settle for one of these :)

Cha-Cha-Chatsworth!

2010-04-14T17:30:00.001-07:00

Chatsworth House seems to have been stalking me for a while now - it kept cropping up in research and surprising me in charity shops. So I decided to confront this thing head on and see if we had anything in common. I'm pleased to report that despite the crowds, the animal farm and a gross website it could be the start of something beautiful...
My camera kept playing up and there was too much to take in to get any drawing done, but I'll be back, hopefully for a few days to soak it all up and spew it all back out again with my pen and paper.
Just check out this beauty below. It is my second favourite room in the house, and one I've been studying in an old 1970's guidebook.

The gardens had so-oh much to offer a topiary lover like myself, which did nothing to help get me over that 'little phase'! Oh well...

Ohh some right lovely leaners (above) - but I'll stop there.
Below - I blend effortlessly into the grounds. Oh dear.

2010-04-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Obviously I'm mad keen on hedges, and particularly imagining an 'inner life' so I was pretty thrilled to find these forms, woven inside a yew tree at Chatsworth by Laura Ellen Bacon. The scale and way the forms surround you made me feel small as a small bird (a wren for example), hopping around and fluttering in and out.

Sketchbooks present - the blue one

2010-04-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

As a regular drawer of faces I've been trying to push this aspect of my drawing in a new direction, which seems to have resulted in this bizarre range of experiments! Ah well, see where it takes me!

The Geographical Magazine

2010-04-13T05:52:00.001-07:00

I snapped up these copies of the Geographical Magazine at Hudders
2nd hand market last week. I'm nuts about the double spread where
a photograph and a drawing are juxtaposed. That's me all over -
the reality vs the drawn interpretation. Looking at it feels like being in
a bath of melted chocolate... a new treasure for the bookshelf!

Re-enactment

2010-04-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

Haha - this is me re-enacting a drawing from 'Shroud' at Chatsworth last week.
The illustration was drawn from my imagination - so it felt really funny to try it out after! A bit the wrong way round? Maybe I'll try and re-enact more drawings - it tickles me

Sketchbooks past - the WWII 1

2010-04-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

This one's a vintage, darling!
It was issued to my Grandfather in World War II...
But more for taking notes on warfare related things like guns
and boots and special ops, than scribbles like these
I'm really into the first image up top - it's been one of my
favourite pieces for a while now.
To me it talks of youth and old age all at once - something I return to time and time again.

Sketchbooks past - the little brown one

2010-04-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

Go take a hike

2010-04-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

Another brilliant trip back to Yorkshireland
These moles aren't my handiwork
We counted 42 of them hung up in a row
Poor buggers
Perhaps it was some sort of Easter sacrifice?

Shroud

2010-04-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here's an image of Shroud
It'll be photographed properly after Easter
Until then here's artwork from a few spreads and some pencil roughs!

Unfold

2010-03-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

If you couldn't make it to see the exhibition last week,
images of all the work can be viewed here.

Top - Amy holds a massive broom infront of the posters
Bottom - crit w/writer Deborah Levy and critic Paul Gravett

Swede in bloggyland

2010-03-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

Erik has gone and got himself a blog! Hurrah!
He is the maker of all things balsa
We share a fascination with church architecture, except whereas I spend an hour or two drawing the odd spire he spends weeks constructing them out of tiny, hand coloured pieces of wood.

He wins

2010-03-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Unfold
17 narratives on themes of dressing and undressing
RCA MA Communication Art & Design
Exhibition open 23 - 27 March
**Private view 22 March 6pm**
Poster by Rose Blake and Hannah Montague

----------------------------------

Shroud - a topiary mystery thriller

Just to wet your appetite here's 1 of my collages from Shroud
It's the first illustrated narrative book that I've made and to be honest I'm kind of surprised at the results. I'd be really interested to know what you think - so if you can it'd be great to see you at the Private View on Monday. If you can't make that we'll be uploading images of all the work to a website next week.
I'm hanging the show this weekend and can't wait to see it all come together!

On my wall

2010-03-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

Collage

Bobbin*

2010-02-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

* A spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire, yarn, film or thread is wound.

A selection of spreads from my new book 'Bobbin'
To buy a copy for a mere £6 please email me
Prints of individual images coming soon!
joanne.blaker@network.rca.uk

Saturday social

2010-02-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

Here's our stall at the Alternative Press Festival
It was a brilliant day and I bought

The walls of the venue, St. Aloyisius Social Club were painted
a range of dirty pastels with bizarre protruding light fittings.
It is how I imagine it would feel inside the Roadhouse (Twin Peaks)
The kitchen had a black ceiling!? See what I mean?

Jill, Lottie and Kate all came down to say hello (thanks ladies).
Inbetween helping Laura in the kitchen and running the stall I bought zines from Daniel Locke and Fancy Butcher
Oh and one or two from our stall (I can't help myself!), from Marine and Eleanor

113 horses

2010-02-14T14:33:00.001-08:00

Don't forget 113 Dalton Lane's 2 year anniversary mini festival thingy on Feb 26th - the gigs there are always summat spesh and this time they got bands from France, Spain and London town playing.
I did these crazy horses for a 113 poster way back in 2008...

happy days!

Alternative Press Festival

2010-02-12T02:36:00.001-08:00

I'll be selling some books and cards at the Alternative Press Festival in Euston this weekend. Come along if you'd like to see more of this shapely lady with wool on her head, in 'Bobbins' a zine that I've made especially for the event. Laura will also be providing delicious refreshments all day at the event - reason enough to come along in my opinion :)

2010-02-10T02:28:00.000-08:00

Here's a peak at some of the development drawings for the book I'm currently working on.
I'd have loved to include these guys but unfortunately they didn't cut the mustard!

2010-02-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

These sketchbook spreads are small memory drawings - I try to do one every day but I'm quite forgetful so I often - err, forget! The above memories include my own beautiful face, Laura's beatuiful face and some strangers beautiful faces.

New Kid on the block

2010-02-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

If I can draw as good as this by the end of my MA I'll be happy

These beauts are from one of the lastest additions to the Blaker Bibliotheque - Children's Drawings and their development. Think the maps in the middle are my favourites...

2010-02-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

This old photo nicely illustrates where my head has been at for the last few weeks - stuck in a bush, whilst I finish my illustrated book about topiary. The book will be exhibited in March at the Royal College of Art (where I am studying) and I'll post photos as soon as it's printed!

Odd art

2010-01-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

Suzanne Deveuve
Above is my absolute favourite and below is my lesser (but still notable) favourite

Vicky and Bert's quilts

2010-01-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

If like me you admire the fantastic craft of patchwork quilting, take an interest in the stories behind the handmade and in the social history of women then get yourself over to this blog.
It's all about the planning and preparation of the V&A's new exhibition: Quilts 1700 - 2010.

It's written by the curator and in it she reveals all sorts of personal stories behind some of the exhibits and also goes into quite a lot of detail about the planning process and it's effect on her marriage. Somehow it all fits together quite nicely!

Hedges in progress

2010-01-12T07:19:00.001-08:00

top : hedges on my desk
middle : hedges from above
bottom : plaster hedge seance

Blobs of mystery

2010-01-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

Blobs of mystery - cakes (top)
Blobs of mystery - presents (bottom)

Blobs of mystery - the cheeseboard

2010-01-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

2010-01-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share one of the latest volumes to hit my shelves. These vaguely defined, blurry, clumsy looking fellas and their colleagues were picked up for cheap chips at a library book sale! Could you ever chuck 'em out? No sir not me.
They'll take lengthy strolls around my brain before deciding to make an appearance in any drawings I expect. Let's wait and see.

Nosey parker

2010-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Crotchet Christmas

2009-12-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

^ Blue, cream & chocolate/no.2

I've got just 1 crotchet blanket of my little bundle left!
Brand new, hand made and super soft, approx 1m square and for the sweet price of ten smackers each - (£10)
To buy this one just send me an email: joanne.blaker@network.rca.ac.uk

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

Oh brother...

2009-12-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

Haha I love these photos so much - they are of my brother Tom.
The first is so amazing - he looks like he's meditating, levitating - he has a very spiritual expression - an intense little boy with killer white curls. The second was taken last year when he decided to launch himself facedown into the snow at Royd Wood in Uddersfaxfielddale. He's a strange lad but we do love 'im...

New addition

2009-12-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

I left my heart in Yorkshire

2009-11-22T05:57:00.000-08:00

Hairy fencing on Pole Moor - highly reccommended if you like being blown off your feet.
Stuffed cocks at Shibden Hall - pretty reccommended if you like dank spaces, old industrial bits and bobs and horse drawn transport.
Chocolate pebbles (!!) from Halifax Piece Hall - reccommended if you like the idea of sucking pebbles that actually taste like chocolate.

(Photos from my trip to the beautiful West Riding of Yorkshire last weekend)

My favourite guy

2009-11-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you can help me. I have a quandry: What name can I give this handsome chap?
Also - a debate is raging - Cat or a fox? This guy - is he a cat or a fox?
Let me know what you think - I'm loosing sleep at night over this one...