I attended the Craft and Quilt Fair 2022 in Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and was amazed at the quality, imagination, colour and creativity of the work on display. There was also an array of crafting accessories for a wide range of artistic hobbies. The atmosphere was busy yet calm and the wide isles made it comfortable to stroll between stalls, browse the displays and take a peek at the workshops in progress.
Story Basket
Beeswax Wraps
Alcohol Ink
Linocut Printmaking
Pottery Play
Resin Jewellery
Watercolour Lettering
and more!
Visitors had ‘Viewers Choice’, the chance to vote for their favourite quilt (out of many categories and themes) and I voted for Scrap Attack shown above. So different from the patchwork squares of my childhood.
My friends and I were heading towards a coffee and cake break when my inner Goth spied the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Mad Masquerade fabric pictured below. Love the artwork and just had to have – although I am not too sure what I will do with it…
ABOUT THE GUILD
Queensland Quilters Inc is a not-for-profit organisation with the objectives of promoting the art and craft of patchwork and quilting, bringing together people interested in patchwork and quilting, encouraging and maintaining high standards of workmanship and design in both traditional and contemporary work, and organising exhibitions and workshops.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ Mad Masquerade fabric purchased at Craft and Quilt Fair Brisbane 2022
You may prefer—
THE AUSTRALASIAN EMBROIDERY CONVENTION 17 – 19 February, 2023 Brisbane Convention Centre Cnr Merivale & Glenelg Streets South Bank https://www.embroideryconvention.com.au/
I wish to thank English actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer John Cleese for this mind-expanding, succinct and humorous book ‘Creativity’ which has helped me in two ways. First, to celebrate my blog Thoughts Become Words100 Book Reviews milestone and, second, to give me an insight into the creative mind – a mind which we all have, yet use and abuse in many different ways.
Happily, I listened as Mr Cleese read his book to me. It only took an hour.
Also I am going on the assumption that you know John Cleese work because he does refer to it. Do I have to say Monty Python? The new edition is 2020 so he’s in his 80s now.
The standout for me is how our brain keeps working on things whether we are conscious of it or not, thus “sleep on it” theory. But you are the one who has to put it into practice. It works for me!
A truly delightful little book which lives up to its title!
By accident, I listened to the audio version and was so glad I did because one hour just flew by. The inimitable John Cleese, actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, talked to me about his past, his creativity and how our brain is always working even while we sleep. It is ready to come up with great ideas and answers to questions puzzled over during daylight hours. Hence ‘I’ve got it!’ inspirational moments on waking.
Call it pseudo-science or a clever comedy skit, nuggets of truth gleam through the wise words of Mr Cleese. For example, if you are getting nowhere with your work, put it aside and look at it later, next day, next week. Nothing new but the way he describes and elaborates on the process heightened my awareness in an enjoyable way.
If you listen to this guide on the bus, you may not laugh embarrassingly out loud but you may smile and nod at the sense of it. I can recommend for all ages and talents. GBW.
Beautiful designer earrings don’t just happen, they are created by sheer love and dedication and Zoë Collins of Hoodlum Friends says “All the years of fiddling around, making mistakes, learning what it feels like to create things I love, and things I hate (and things I feel lukewarm about)… it all lead down a path to 287 pairs of unique, very limited edition drops, hoops, studs…”
Follow Zoë Collins creative journey and be inspired, and maybe think about treating yourself to an original pre-Christmas gift right now! ♥Gretchen Bernet-Ward
Have you *cough* heard about those earrings I made? NO?! Come on! I’ve been talking talking talking about them, like an excited kid talking about his new transformer (trust me, the kid is non-stop transforminationing).
Earrings are not my first foray into product design. Many years ago I tried my hand at greeting cards. I tried to set up a shop selling prints, I tried Society6, and more recently Redbubble. Most of these forays into selling my artwork were… overwhelming to set up, and underwhelming in self-esteem indicators and sales performance. (Most were well before social media). You see, I had very little experience as a designer and as an illustrator. I knew technically how to make greeting cards, how to set up files for print, how to draw a little — but looking back on those early cards (I still have some! ha!) I can see they are lacking…
Readers of my blog often go straight to my current post which detours Photo Of The Week on my Home page. I’ve gathered together some of my favourite shots—just in case you’ve missed a couple!
On a go-slow day at home, I clicked a link from a fellow writer and discovered this cool/cute/interesting Adobe Create personality test. It invited me to answer 15 questions. Eight creative types are on offer and once I’d completed the test I was given a full explanation of My Creative Type.
This quiz-like questionnaire gave me a joyful, colourful few minutes. I could take it or leave it, the results are rather like a horoscope, but it did give me a confidence boost.
‘Visionary’ Creative from Adobe Types Test
Apparently I am “VISIONARY – A visionary combines a vivid imagination with a desire for practical solutions. Your introspective and intuitive nature is balanced by a keen interest in the world around you.” The rest is private!
The Adobe Creators say “The Creative Types test is an exploration of the many faces of the creative personality. Based in psychology research, the test assesses your basic habits and tendencies—how you think, how you act, how you see the world—to help you better understand who you are as a creative. Answer these 15 questions and you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your motivations, plus insight into how to maximize your natural gifts and face your challenges.”
“These personality types aren’t black-and-white labels. Think of them more as signposts pointing you toward your full creative potential. While there’s probably one core type that best describes you, you may change types at different points in your life and career, or even at different stages of the creative process. As a creative, you have a little bit of all eight Types inside you.”
French artist Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903) used monoprinting to created beautiful works of art. Most were not acknowledged in his lifetime but I had the opportunity to try his technique.
The workshop I attended was run by Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha. Everyone met at the BCC Library and then walked down to the activity room. Our instructors were Frances and Lee-anne and their introduction covered the evolution of Australian native plants, the background to Gauguin’s work and monoprinting. A monoprint is a one-of-a-kind print that forms part of a series.
It was a two-hour class with about twelve people and we were itching to get started. We couldn’t wait to peruse the beautiful and aromatic array of Australian native plants ready to make our imprints.
Here is my quick overview
Beginners Guide to Monoprinting
You may have read that monoprinting is an age-old printmaking method which produces a single image. I’d have to say that is only partially correct – the image can be reversed or added to several times, each time producing a different image. (See my coloured prints above).
I rolled out four paint blobs (yellow and red) on an acetate pad, added a leafy tree branch and a clean sheet of paper on top before smoothing it out flat. Peel off. Two for the price of one! I placed ferns and leaves with the branch, added fresh paper on top, pressing down hard. I reversed the procedure and did ‘mirror’ images.
You may have heard that you need lino or woodcarving tools. I used a wooden chopstick to press and draw my B&W designs. There were several which didn’t make the grade and I tried to choose the better ones. (See my black and white prints below).
It is thought that you need to work on a glass plate or gel plate, but a sheet of tough plastic (clear heavy acetate) works well with monoprinting paints and is easy to clean. Of course, you can upscale your equipment when your hobby turns into a money-making enterprise.
A special roller isn’t really necessary to spread the paints, you can use a small rubber roller with a plastic handle. No flattening press needed. Once the overlay paper is in place, you can use your hands to smooth the paper flat, or add background patterns through the paper with the tips of your fingers.
Pigmented paints and printing inks produce colours which look great but the traditional black-and-white looks dramatic. I didn’t achieve any depth to my work but the middle black-and-white print (below) is reversed and the hatching in the background was done with the backs of my finger nails.
We ran out of time and I would have loved to have dabbled more. The free class I attended supplied the equipment – plus afternoon tea – and the paper used was office A4 size. It was porous enough and strong enough to take my amateur efforts.
My words of encouragement “You have to try it, muck around with it, get messy and see what happens”
The trick is to work fast, especially in Queensland temperatures, because the paint will dry quickly. Drying caused one of my prints to have a ghostly quality. That was part of the fun – the results were often a surprise.
Monoprinting is a forgiving and flexible technique, experimental yet satisfying, and several participants achieved a pleasing degree of botanical detail worth framing.
Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor and student of all things scientific but he had difficulty waking up in the morning. He wrote “Lying on a feather mattress or quilt will not bring you renown”. One of his earlier inventions was a personal alarm clock powered by water. Based on his elementary diagrams, Leonardo’s device would trigger an alarm by the collection of water dropping into a reservoir at brief intervals. I would have thought the drip, dripping of water all night would have kept him awake. Website https://www.leonardodavinci.net/♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward
Is acknowledgement a cherished goal? Is reimbursement the final accolade? Or will a writer write regardless?
On a writer’s wishlist, there would have to be the thrill of seeing their name in print. My name under a bold heading on a hardback cover would show that I’ve made it. Throw in a display stand, a book launch with signing table, coffee and cupcakes, and I would be in literary heaven. No doubt hell would follow with the necessary writing of a sequel…
Recently a member of my writers group asked the question “Why do you write?” which seemed innocuous enough but there were vastly different answers—-see below.
My earnest reply went something like “Because I think in words hence the title of my blog. Most things I experience can become a potential story.” I am always mapping out first lines, or an introductory paragraph, or setting the scene. This, however, does not mean I will be traditionally published. I just keep doing it.
I believe a writer’s inner core is made of words and emotions which must be written down.
If I’m undertaking a complex household chore like chopping carrots, I may not jot down a sudden literary gem, but, no matter, I will find myself composing another while out grocery shopping.
For example “See that bloke over there, he’s uncomfortable and he’s trying to get up the nerve to...”
(1) ask the sales assistant out (2) steal that expensive car polish (3) abandon his trolley at the checkout (4) inquire about a job (5) hide behind the refrigerated cabinet to avoid his mother/parole officer/ex-boss or chatty neighbour.
See, I can’t help it!
♥Gretchen Bernet-Ward
“All I Need To Write” by Grant Snider – A room with a view, No other work to do, A child-proof lock, A ticking clock, Natural light, A chair that fits just right, New paper and pens, Some animal friends, The right phase of the moon, Ambient tunes, A world of my creation, Or internal motivation – http://www.incidentalcomics.com/
GENUINE RESPONSES FROM 31 WRITERS WHEN ASKED THE QUESTION “WHY DO YOU WRITE?”
A form of self-expression, the joy of crafting something meaningful.
I write because I can’t imagine my life without writing in it.
I started writing because I wanted to explore my creative side.
Because I can’t dance.
Mostly it’s because I have loads of inspiration and story ideas and I need to write them to get them out of my head!
It sets my soul free and my heart on fire….storytelling is an inextricable part of who I am.
I write because I want to.
I write because ideas, images and words come to me and they seem important to share.
I can’t help it, stories bubble and whirl around in my head all the time.
So I can draw the pictures, to be honest I find writing really tedious – I just want to illustrate.
I do not know why. It just is. And sometimes or often, it isn’t.
Because I like making people laugh and feel other feelings.
I’ve always imagined myself writing one day, but now that I’m finally trying to make it actually happen I’m finding it a lot harder than I expected.
If it’s any help, writing for me is mostly agony.
Starting is great fun…I love cracking the problems.
Because I know how it feels to not create.
Writing is, for me, a personal freedom.
Because I like making things.
Because I think in words, the title of my blog is Thoughts Become Words.
For me it is almost a subconscious act that I’m completely driven to do.
Because I have to, it’s not a want or a need, it’s an in-the-bones thing.
Writing is always there with me, sometimes we’re best of friends, often we’re not.
Cos I have to! I do my best to avoid it, I really do.
Can’t help it.
To put something wonderful out into the world.
It does get easier especially when you get a download in your head.
I think it’s a wonderful form of escapism.
It’s part of me.
At the moment I’d say that writing is a kind of masochism for me.
I love writing and hate it in equal measure.
Because it’s fun and because I find it impossible not to.
Did you know that? In the spirit of The Duck Pond, here’s a heads up from author Jen Storer of Girl & Duck.
Exciting times! Jen’s SCRIBBLES CREATIVE GROUP (writing and illustration) is having a FLASH SALE on 30th September 2018. Join now!
Yay! That’s 30% off their signature online course – 30% off on the 30th. Ink it in, okay?
Then the SCRIBBLES CREATIVE WRITING AWARDS open on 1st October 2018.
Have you got an awesome picture book manuscript or a junior fiction story you think might fly in the competition? Middle grade? An exciting storyboard? There are FOUR categories and I bet you’ve got something creative worth entering!
To read all about the inaugural SCRIBBLES CREATIVE AWARDS plus prizes and how you can win a manuscript assessment and one-hour Skype coaching call with published author Jen Storer of Girl & Duck CLICK HERE.
Jen, creator of Truly Tan series and other children’s books, says “I hope this post flips your lid. But only in a good way!”
#keepscribbling #stayinspired
To keep up with all the news (and all the pretty pictures) follow Jen on Instagram.
Visit the website Girl & Duck and ask to join Jen, Zoe, Dulcie, Geek Duck (and me, and the other Duckies from around the world, talking children’s literature and stuff) in The Duck Pond, the most unique and supportive online kidlit group around – then join SCRIBBLES for even more fun! I will definitely be entering the Awards competition!
All the links you’ll ever need to write and illustrate brilliant kids books:
Remember when adult colouring between the lines was all the rage? Pages and pages of black and white sketches bound in bright covers which swept the world and swamped book retailers.
Themes were many and varied from new age, retro, zen, buildings, abstracts, swirls, flora and fauna, all cleverly pitched at adults without the 'adults only' content. It was certainly a fad and the biggest publishing push since Harry Potter hit the shelves.
The idea was that it should calm and relax anyone over 30 but it seemed to be a bigger hit with the over 60s especially those with grandchildren. In the library during craft time, youngsters would often wander off as one or two monopolists relived their kindergarten days with intense concentration. So, perhaps there was logic behind the publication frenzy.
In 2015, I was given the pocket-size publication ‘The Little Book of Calm Colouring – Portable Relaxation‘ which has beautiful quotes to accompany each drawing. I dug out a variety of pencils and doodled when the mood took me. I must admit that I can’t finish a full picture in one sitting so I return later to give it an abstract expressionist tweak here and there.
This kit travels with me on long weekends and the odd holiday but I’m not sure if I will ever complete the book. What I have completed was very enjoyable – here’s a small selection of my pencil handiwork.
Jen, creator of Truly Tan series and other children’s books, says “I hope this post flips your lid. But only in a good way!”
Thoughts Become Words 