Bettina Holland

2023 – My Weekly Project

Week 6 – Draw Something LARGE in Chalk and Charcoal

I haven’t used chalk and charcoal or worked “large” for a while now. With some trepidation I approached this week’s challenge.

I have been upset by the terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria this week. My creative ideas and energy low. Time has ticked away and I had to complete the piece of work today.

I scheduled my creative time after my Sunday morning trip to Church. The first hymn was All Things Bright and Beautiful. This is possibly the first hymn I ever learnt to sing at primary school.

Inspiration

And that is the source of my inspiration today. All Creatures Great and Small. Smallness can be the greatest of all things. Something small, drawn big.

I used a piece of wrapping paper I had kept – 1m 40cm x 70cm. I found my box of charcoal and only one small piece of white chalk. And then I began.

Symbolism of the Creatures

Wren – in art this tiny bird is often associated with musicians, poets and songwriters. People who craft with the written word. The wren can also symbolise rebirth, immortality and protection.

Ladybug – they are a call for you to pay attention. They symbolise good luck and are a positive omen. These tiny creatures are very good at looking after themselves. If certain predators, who enjoy a live insect for lunch are around, the ladybug can “play dead”. There are over 6,000 species of ladybug around the world. They also symbolise protection and remind us to look after the things we love as well as ourselves.

Centipede – this little creature symbolises balance. Not surprising with anything from 15 – 155 pairs of legs. When I told my husband this amazing fact his response was “that’s one hell of a trip to the shoe shop”. The centipede also symbolises courage v fear, resourcefulness and creativity.

Snail – they are associated with wisdom, slow progress, persistence, peace and harmony. They are gentle creatures who carry their home with them. Above all else they represent self-care and self-love when in times of danger, they can retreat into their shells for protection. The spiral shell symbolises reincarnation and the soft body of the snail – transience.

Bumblebee – The bumblebee is all about focus. Keeping an eye and mind on the goal and the objectives. So appropriate for me this afternoon. I just had to keep working, remain focussed on my goal with no distractions.

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed doing this piece of work. I became so absorbed in this and I had forgotten how forgiving the charcoal is. I can easily rub out the lines, move things around and fill spaces. Mark making is just the best thing to be doing. It is so relaxing.

I can see areas that can be improved and I can see this going forward into a textile piece. Overcoming fear and anxiety with courage – thanks to the centipede.

2023 – My Weekly Project

Week 5 – February Weaving

There is a good feeling about opening the door on February. Welcoming in the longer days and hopefully brighter weather. Turning the calendar it does come with promise and reassurance that the season is changing. However I was reminded only today that these early weeks of February are also the tail end of winter.

As I have worked this little weaving I have been aware of the increased activity, and song, of the birds that visit our garden. Wrens, blackbirds, chaffinches, green woodpecker, coat tit, magpies, collared doves, long-tailed tits and robins. We also have two “cheeky” squirrels sourcing food after the long winter.

There is a “scruffiness” to February. There is sweeping and tidying up to do. Twigs, small branches, leaves and debris that has succumbed to the winter storms. I have removed the net covering the pond that is used to catch the sycamore leaves from the tree above. Hopeful that in due course the frogs and toads will be returning to spawn as they have done year upon year.

St Valentines Day

Ahead is a time of renewal, rebirth and new growth. We can’t know what is going to appear in our natural world at the moment. It’s a time of seed planting, soil preparation and planning. It’s a time of enormous hope. And where would we be without that? February 14th is represented by the red knotted thread interwoven into this short month. February ties together the darkness and hardships of winter to the energy and life that we are going to enjoy in spring.

Thinking and Weaving

I never begin with a plan in mind. I source materials and begin the process. It’s whilst I work alternating and combining the materials that my thoughts bring together the piece. It is the thought process in conjunction with the physical activity that creates the connection. It provides reassurance and understanding of our integrated relationship with the natural world.

2023 – My Weekly Project

Week 4 – Ten Favourite Pieces of Classical Music

In No Particular Order

This week’s project is a real treat. Drawing up a list of only ten pieces is not as easy as it sounds though. I often hear the guests on Desert Island Discs say how difficult it is to make their limited selections taken from a lifetime interwoven with their personal story.

I took the view that I would choose ten pieces which I personally cannot image never having heard. As though they had never been written. And what a loss that would be.

My Personal Choices

Concerto for two Mandolins in G Major – Antonio Lucio Vivaldi

Canon in D Major – Johann Pachelbel

Romance from The Gadfly – Dmitri Shostakovich

Trumpet Voluntary in D Major (The Prince of Denmark’s March) – Jeremiah Clarke

Elizabethan Serenade – Ronald Binge

The Humming Chorus from Madam Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini

Minuetto – Luigi Boccherini

Jerusalum – Hubert Parry

Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana – Pietro Mascagini

Bella Figlia Dell Armore from Rigaletto _ Antonio Lucio Vivaldi

Change the Genre

The genre can be changed to reflect your own musical choices. Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1980’s, Swinging 60’s, the 10 best Number 1’s, Musicals, the music of an individual performer, group, band or a mixture of 10 pieces that resonate with you.

Music is Good for Us

It was a real pleasure to sit down and pull out pieces of music and just listen to them. Even though I have listened to these pieces many times, they are still wonderful. We are so lucky to be able to enjoy listening to music at the touch of a button. It would be interesting to do this challenge again next year to see if these ten pieces are still on my list. Or maybe I will find some new pieces over the course of the year. There is lots of lovely music out there to be discovered and enjoyed. So much to do .. so little time.

2023 – My Weekly Project

Week 3 – One Canvas Embroidery Stitch

One Stitch – Repeated

For this week’s project I had to choose one canvas embroidery stitch and repeat it over and over again. That sounds quite straight forward. Even quite simple to achieve. What I had not anticipated was the choice of stitches and the need to make a decision and stick with it once the needle and thread went into the canvas for the first time. After much consideration I chose the Double Plaited Cross Stitch. It required 16 manoeuvres for each stitch. I began tentatively counting and recounting the spaces. But once the first row of 6 were in place – in the right place, further rows and stitches joined together nicely.

Repetition and Memory

I didn’t know this stitch initially and had to closely follow the guidance given in the book. I chose three different coloured embroidery threads. Using three strands for each stitch. As my confidence grew I began to mix the colours of the three strands and with continued repetition I soon knew the stitch so well I could keep working away whilst the television was on.

So Many Stitches – So Little Time

I so enjoyed doing this exercise. It required accuracy, focus and patience. But it has ignited my desire to learn some more stitches. My piece of aida fabric with 14 holes to the inch has plenty of space to fill with many other stitches. It provides an opportunity to build on what I have already completed. I will however have to make another difficult decision – which stitch to choose next.