Felt in Touched by Scotland

It has been too long since I have blogged about the wonderful journey felt takes me on in my daily life. I am taking a breather to reflect on how fortunate I am to have discovered such a wonderful art form .
This weekend I was in the lovely Aberdeenshire, golden with barley and dotted with many lovely breeds of sheep. The 4 1/2 hour drive is through some of the most beautiful of our Scottish landscape, Glenshee at sunset and the ghostly lichen lined birch woodlands of Balmoral to name just two.
A small number os students made for a very intimate workshop and time to focus on what the students needed to start their own journey into the world of felt and in particular hat making .
Touched by Scotland is a wonderful Gallery , unique in it's imaginative display and selection of some of the finest artists varied work. Add to that the amazing food at  Gadie's Restaurant
 within the building.For me it is what teaching is all about , sharing of knowledge and feeling invigorated afterwards.
Thank you to the lovely students and a big thank you to all the staff at Touched by Scotland in Oyne, Aberdeenshire.

Donkey tale

Animal sanctuaries , we all believe they do so much good .
 More to the point we accept what we see until the evidence of something different makes us think in a very different way.
I have a lovely friend who has always loved and cared for donkeys.
 A gentle giant , a farmer who raised cattle and sheep for his living and raised donkeys as his children.
He occasionally   gave the donkeys to people who requested a genuine need for them...after he vetted where they were going to live and how they would be cared for.
Over the past few years his herd grew to 17 and he felt he didn't have the time to devote to such a big number and he asked ( as he had done many years previously ) for the Devon donkey sanctuary to consider having some to rehome. Last week they came as he thought to see and pick up a small number of animals. However they arrived with reports of cruelty they had supposedly photographed weeks previously.
My friend went to phone the police and on return  found they had loaded the donkeys onboard...he requested to see their paperwork but they had none. He managed to get 7 donkeys back off the lorry but the donkey sanctuary fought with him to keep the rest including his very favourite who he was really close to. The police arrived too late , the van had left.

Distraught the poor soul tried to unravel what had happened, the law had been broken on many accounts and the animals were moved with no paperwork to legally allow them to be moved. It was nothing short of theft...He has asked a lawyer to take on his case.
In case you are thinking this is a one sided story ,his own vet has said the animals needed no more than hoof trimming and obviously if he was in any way abusing animals they would have been there immediately to impound his sheep and cattle. I know him well and he cares more for his animals than he does for humans as he told me once he can trust animals but not humans...Sadly in this shocking case it compounds his belief.
So please if you know anybody who has donkeys tell them to be aware of the 'tricks' being played by the Devon Donkey Sanctuary to 'save' the donkeys of our nation

Crafty Women in Girvan

What better way to spent a grey windy weekend than Girvan? Not at the seaside as most people visit this popular place for but to create some wonderful work at The Wave Pottery.
There are a whole range of wonderful workshops happening over July and August. Next weekend is based around creating from recycling using a wide range of textile skills, Glass by Sue Wilkinson on 21st and 22nd .Stone carving with Simone Whiteford is the following weekend 28th/29th July .In August clay takes the lead in two very different workshop weekends and the grand finale weekend on 18th/19th August is Woolly Ways . A fantastic range of workshops and with the charges just £50 for each weekend including not just materials but Lunch as well !!!! You'd be mad to miss them. Phone the Wave Gallery in Girvan to book or for more information 01465 712897.

Some of the wonderful felt work from this weekend

Talking wool with Prince Charles

Scotsheep is a biannual event held to support all parts of the sheep farming industry.
I was delighted to be invited as a textile artist to partake in this particularly important Scotsheep 2012.
It was held just down the road from Heartfelt Studios present location in Dumfries House estate, at Morrissons Farm. I was asked to take the yurt to show the versatility of wool in its many uses.
Many of my felty friends also were showing their skills with felted fleeces by Ann Ross. Fine felt by Jenny McKay, Fungi dying with Marlene Cadell  and the lovely spinners from the Lanarkshire spinners group.Jennifer Alexander who had rounded up a talented flock of textile workers had a beautiful display of her work and lots of samples of native breeds and how they felted and spun. The display was well appreciated by the farmers and visitors, especially the many schools that braved the rainy day to learn some hands on about textiles. We were very fortunate to be introduced to Prince Charles and his genuine interest and depth of knowledge on wool was amazing. I had a lovely talk with him about the Highgrove Florigelieum felted book covers I had made for him and he told me about his fascinating new project. Perhaps more book covers in a few years time then.
Felt has defiantly found a place in royal appreciation.
Wool has led me to such exciting places and the challenge goes on.
Thanks to Jennifer Alexander and Millside Farm for organising this textile opportunity.

news@janelocke.ie: Wake Exhibition - May/June 2012

news@janelocke.ie: Wake Exhibition - May/June 2012: Welcome to news@janelocke.ie.  The purpose of this blog is to provide the most up to date information on my work and will include images and...

The eyes of a building

Buildings with blanked off windows are blind in my view.

No one can see in but the building itself is also 'blind' ...mouth sealed up it doesn't breath and eyes not able to see the world going by.It lives only in the echo of its memories held within the stone of it's walls...sad.

But the sight has come again to Dalmally Station after many years and new case and sash windows have lifted the veil. The building feels happy again, filled with light.

I am sitting looking out on the beautiful Glen Orchy hills and I have watched the morning light touch the contours and the shadowed crevices and change as the day has worn on. I am captivated.

I so look forward to working in the studio with the view to railway track and to hills on the other side in the bright open light. 

The station has come alive

the end of the Collins Gallery, start of something new

It was a very thoughtful evening ,shared by people who had travelled from all over to support Laura and her team who have been THE Gallery for as long as I have known them.
Yet even with the sadness of it being the last event and no textile gallery like it in Scotland, there was a positive emotional response from many I spoke with. The support artists got from being involved with the Collins on an exhibiting or supportive role left a sense of community shared by all those who attended.

We voiced our emotions in wall art that spoke volumes . For me being part of many shows there from exhibiting to learning new skills from some of the incredible international tutors they have had but it was the seed and the birth place of the story telling yurt 12 years ago. It has enriched my life in so many ways...I say a humble thank you Laura and watch with interest how the blossoms of you seed flower and fruit for the future.