It is time for another literature list. Unfortunately I have not read much this month. So, well, see for yourself:
- Mark-making in Textile Art, Hellen Parrott
- Text in Textile Art, Sara Impey
- When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams probably it doesn’t really belong here, but the few chapters I have read are beautifully poetic, so I’ll count it as art bought.
I have not fully made up my mind about the textile art books there. Oh, the books themselves are fantastic: They look good, feel great (both feel like they were bound in felt). I really liked the Text in Textile Art a lot while skipping though. The Mark-making in Textile Art was a bit of a disappointment, because I thought I would be taught about marks that I’d make with embroidery or the like. And it does talk about that a little. Mainly it reminded me a lot of the drawn to stitch book that I already had, and felt like I had some passages already read. So I took out that book again just to check, and I was surprised how my second impression different from the first, and how they are definitely not the same book. Long story short, I don’t think I should write more about any of the three without another thorough look.
If you think that apparently I am in textile art now, you are not so awfully wrong. I even bought an embroidery hoop and am practicing some of the 100 embroidery stitches found in the book that I bought last month. Today I even put some embroidery into one of my bottles (sorry, you got to guess which one). But what I am doing there looks awful enough that I am not going to show off my exercises here. The idea is, to just learn a little off the well walked path, and maybe some of what I learn there will enter my practice. I won’t become a textile artist any time soon.
And the following are not art or bookbinding books as such, but I bought them to use in an art project, my ruled worlds to be precise:
- Practical Geometry for Art Students, John Carrol
- Gill’s new School of Art Geometry. Science Subject I, George Gill and Son’s
- Elementary differential geometry by Barrett O’Neill
- Analytical Geometry of Three Dimensions by W. H. McCrea
Other than that I bought a bunch of novels, because I am going to travel in a couple of weeks. As M. pointed out, although I am flying (from England to Westfalia), I still will only have so many hours. But I guess I am buying books for every possible mood I will be in 😉
I always enjoy your literature lists. How interesting that you’re looking at textile books and embroidering. I have been too, in a small way. Drawn to Stitch is one of the books in the pile next to my bed at the moment, and I’ve been making little embroidery “doodles” on paper in my journal/sketchbook. I used to embroider a very long time ago (in my teens!), but have recently been wanting to play with thread again. How very interesting — I look forward to seeing more of your textile adventures! And will check out the book you mention.
And geometry. I, unlike you, was not a great math student. But I loved geometry when I was forced to take it a very, very long time ago. That said, I looked up a couple of your titles…. not exactly light reading! But, genuinely, it’s good you keep in touch with your inner mathematician. I’m still fascinated by the connection between mathematicians and book artists. Just in our little book arts guild here, I can instantly think of three members who were mathematics instructors, including my good friend Michele Olsen, and I suspect there are more. I look forward to your ruled worlds!
And happy travels 🙂
I read a lot of enthusiastic reviews of the Draw to Stitch in the past months. I am looking forward to hearing what you think about it.
How interesting that you feel drawn towards embroidery, too. For me the interest sparked when I read about Amanda taking a course with Karen Ruane a while ago (http://amandawatson-will.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/starting-to-stitch-surfaces.html). I guess it took a while to sink in properly.
Now I will have to see where it takes me. I had lessons in counted thread embroidery at the age of about 11 in school, and my mother usually finished my homework. – I hated it! And I hated that my teacher was all about how it looked from the backside while I was happy if it looked right on the front 🙂 If my mother knew that now I am taking it up again she would probably laugh in disbelief. My first experiments, though, look like I should rather leave it to her. Even M. who is usually rather appreciative and supportive couldn’t help but laugh at my first experiments. – Everything looks so wonky, it clearly shows that I continue where I left when I was 12. But it is already getting slightly better, I think, and I even added a little piece to one of my bottles recently.
I am curious whether we will see some of your embroidery on your blog soon!