Can you believe its 2020? I still keep writing 2019 and frantically scribbling over the last two digits, but so far I've had a good year, January has been fun.
I've been continuing my research into needlework activities classed as women's work or feminine pursuits. Following from my residency at Manchester Jewish Museum in December, I came away with a lot of ideas and thoughts I'd like to pursue. I'll be concentrating on some of these in my next post so stay tuned.
I'm currently working on a portrait commission which will be a surprise gift (the recipient isn't online so it's safe to share). This work in progress is based on a beautiful photograph of the client's wife taken in the 1970's and I'm painting it in a romantic mood with colours that put me in mind of that era. I've been listening to lots of Roxy Music while painting this...
I've been continuing my research into needlework activities classed as women's work or feminine pursuits. Following from my residency at Manchester Jewish Museum in December, I came away with a lot of ideas and thoughts I'd like to pursue. I'll be concentrating on some of these in my next post so stay tuned.
I'm currently working on a portrait commission which will be a surprise gift (the recipient isn't online so it's safe to share). This work in progress is based on a beautiful photograph of the client's wife taken in the 1970's and I'm painting it in a romantic mood with colours that put me in mind of that era. I've been listening to lots of Roxy Music while painting this...
I've also been doing portraits on a smaller scale of people's pets. This came about after I took part as one of the artists drawing 3 minute portraits at Levenshulme's Christmas Market in December. Some punter's asked me if their dogs could sit for a picture and from that night I've had people getting in touch to ask if I can draw their own animal friends. These quick A5 pen drawings are so fun to do!
This month also saw the start of the Manchester Open Exhibition at HOME where my Joan Collins embroidery of Alexis Carrington Colby is showing. The opening night was absolutely packed with over 2000 people queuing to get into the gallery! It was really great to see such a lot of enthusiasm for an exhibition. There are over 500 artists with work on show and its well worth a visit. The Manchester Open runs until 29th March so make sure you put it in your diary... oh, and you can vote for your favourite pieces too, just so you know...
I've also been working on getting my Dolly Parton embroidery finished this month. It was this piece of work that helped to trigger my feminine pursuits project, yet I have to admit I've been having issues with it since I began.
This is an image of a very young Dolly from 1977 caught in a pensive moment. Her hair is big her lips are glossy but I don't feel like it's right. Maybe I'll capture whatever 'it' is in time... maybe I should start again...
Lastly, as a little side project I've been enjoying writing on my other blog The Page Dipper, a book blog featuring reviews, feelings and observations about the books I read. I love reading and this was my way of chatting about all the thoughts I'm left with after finishing a book. It's still early days so every time I post on it the format is different as I'm finding my style. Anyway please go and check it out, I read fiction, biographies, history and art and I write about the books that really capture my imagination.
Until next time, if you'd like to get in touch about my work or just say hello check out my Instagram @gemma_parker_Artist to find out more.
