PRINTMAKING AT THE COTTAGE WITH ELLIE CHANEY

Another sunday and more beautiful work from our visitors as Ellie Chaney led a drop-in  Block printing workshop.

Working on small blocks of soft lino our visitors made  highly detailed bookplate designs reflecting Ellie's interest in the flora and fauna in the land around the cottage.

There was a sense of effort and anticipation rewarded every time the small, high-contrast prints emerged fresh from between the blankets and plates of the in-house Bookpress.













"Had a wonderful couple of hours learning to use lino cutting tools & printing the results.
Ellie and John were so helpful, patient and made me feel that I could really achieve something. 
Such good fun and would definitely recommend coming down & experiencing their workshops. Looking forward to the next one."


We'll be following this session up in the autumn so look out for an announcement..

OUR WHITE BICYCLE. HOAD AND THE TOUR OF BRITAIN

A bit of cycledelia for starters...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JhZqWCqKs8

The Cycling Tour of Britain was due to pass through Ulverston on September 7th, and the stages across the country were marked with various artworks including bike designs on fields and the sides of hills.

Alex and me were asked to make one in the shadow of the Sir John Barrow Monument. We made various suggestions as to a safe and temporary material and in the end went for some recyclable layflat drainage tubing and several hundred tent pegs. The design came from a local school, the weather was decent, and by the time I'd been convinced to stick with the original site and scale (sorry mate) it was an enjoyable task.


We decided to avoid paths, bracken and rocks, and we needed space so the angle was the best on offer. And I should say that, yes, if you draw something with two large circles underneath something like Hoad Monument then you had better expect consequences, from some angles at least.

We were joined by spectators, well-wishers and even helpers (thanks to Emily, and to Simon, Sam, Theo and Sonny) These pics (larger images by Lindsay Ward) tell something of the story, and Paul Leviston's drone pic shows the finished piece.

It came down yesterday, having been up for a week. It's been well received, and featured strongly in the live ITV coverage, which gave the Tour, Ulverston - and us - an audience of millions.

Our thanks to UTC, Les Tallon the Monument Keeper, for the use of the Monument as store room and workshop, and to Townlands, Alan Edmondson and his sheep for the use of the land.

OUR NEXT EVENT: PRINTMAKING AT THE COTTAGE WITH ELLIE CHANEY

The latest arts session  from the SJB3 project takes place at the Sir John Barrow Cottage on Sunday 23rd Of September from 11am to 3pm.

Artist Ellie Chaney will be presenting a printmaking workshop in which visitors can design personal Book Plates inspired by those found in Sir John Barrow's books. You will learn simple printing techniques and  make some attractive and useful work, all in the unique and atmospheric of this beautiful 18th Century cottage at Dragley Beck.

Admission is free, materials are provided, and while the session is suitable for all ages and levels of experience children should be accompanied by an adult.

The SJB3 project is organised by Artspace and is supported by Arts Council England, The Sir John Fisher Foundation, Townlands Trust and Ulverston Town Council.