Fuzzy felt and hot wax

Oh it's been all go in the Ballistic Owl studio since my last blog post! I approached the Craft shop at Newcastle Arts Centre to see if they would consider taking some of my work and they said yes :-) big smiles all round. 

So I've had all my felting things out and have been producing some gorgeous brooches, cuffs and necklaces for the shop. It's been great fun and I've loved sitting stitching, inventing new designs and finding my collection of beads and bits. Each brooch is unique and although I may use the same shape the finished product is different. They will make a great gift for a loved one or a fabulous treat for yourself, pop in store and take a look at the whole range.

This weekend I was really pleased to have the opportunity to go on a Batik course with the lovely Heather Gatt, who is a highly recognised artist and lives in the wonderful Whitby. Heather's course was great as she started us off with a demo of how we could use all the tools and how to set up our frames and also an alternative way to use the wax resist for a more painterly image. After a busy week in the art shop this was a fantastic was to unwind and get messy!

 This one and the one below were made using wire shapes and the canting pen. The top piece I decided to crackle to produce the fine veining.

This next one was done using the more painterly method of drawing onto the cotton and then building the colour layers up one at a time, blocking each colour off with wax as you went along. I really liked this technique and enjoyed making my echinacea, although now I've removed all the wax I would have preferred my background to have been a little darker.

 Heather also had lots of stamps and I loved this delicate rose one. It was made of tiny metal wires and similar to a printing block. It took some practise to get it to leave the right amount of wax behind, but in a way I liked the imperfect ones too.

 First attempt with the stamp above and several goes later below. I might now stitch into the not so good ones and see what I can make with them.

So what fun I've had and guess what's going to be on my Christmas list this year :-)

Reading- Still making my way through "S" which is like 3 books in one. Also making a start on Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

Sewing a meadow.

While off over the Christmas break I started mulling over an idea for a new project, something I could sit and stitch in the evenings after work or develop on my days off. 

Sewing a meadow was roughly sketched out on note paper and then I dug out some fabric that should have been a plain table runner, as it was a natural cream colour it would make a great back ground for my meadow. It was too long as it was so I cut it into smaller sections, this also makes it a little more in proportion and easier to manage. I then hand painted the background and roughly sketched some trees.

Then onto tackling the large tree in the fore ground. I love the textures you find on some trees especially old knarled ones. I also love silver birch trees and how they sometimes have that lovely smooth silvery bark or another type has a rougher texture with silver bits peeking through. Here I used a mixture of textures to portray that including lace and felt.

After adding some branches to my tree and stitching the trees in the mid section, I started creating the plants and grasses in the fore ground. The varigated thread that had been sitting in my sewing box was brilliant for the dried colours of this hedge row grass. I'm also adding other textures to add a bit of variety to the piece and help with depth.

As it progresses I'll post images onto my Facebook page, although for some reason instagram has stopped posting straight to my page, not entirely sure why. But you can click on the small image and it will open up or alternatively see it on Twitter.

Another topic close to my heart is architecture and I have enjoyed the walk down to work in the peace of the morning and looking at the great buildings we have in Newcastle and snapping any that inspire me. This drawing was inspired by a reflection of an old building in a newer building and the sun was a blaze on the lovely sandstone of Emerson Chambers, gorgeous!

Structures - if only they could talk

Lately I have been experimenting with a few ideas and have really loved the results so I thought I'd share them with you.

I have enjoyed printing with my little birds and stitching into them, but thought that perhaps a change of theme would be good. I have always loved architecture and the details you might find if you look carefully, and love both old and some new alike. In the North East as with many historical towns and cities there is a vast array of buildings that if they could talk would tell many a good tale.

So I decided to start a new series and so far it's called Structures, I wanted to keep it open so that I could perhaps add other interesting architecture not particular to the North East too. I'm also experimenting with digital print and loving exploring the effects and layers you can build up. It's not to say I'm leaving the beloved hand printing behind, that may come into it later so keep your eyes peeled!

Here are some of my first pieces in the series.

 Flour Mill - copyright Ballistic Owl 2013

 The old school - copyright Ballistic Owl 2013

 Tryptych - copyright Ballistic Owl 2013

Millennium Bridge - copyright Ballistic Owl

Detail from the Quayside - copyright Ballistic Owl 2012

All the prints are created from images in my own vast archive, collected for college projects and trips around the UK. I've loved adding little embroidered details just to highlight key features, sometimes very tiny features! These are now available through my Etsy shop and I will be adding more as I create them, more waiting to be printed as I write this.

Don't forget to look out for my variations, will post about those once I've had a play around.

Thank you for dropping by and don't forget to tell your friends about Ballistic Owl and where you can find me on the web.

The not so desolate North East and how it inspires me!

One of the most recent topics of conversation in the North East this week has been the comment made by Lord Howell of how fracking would be OK in the North East as it is a desolate place. It has been commented on numerous times in social media and has been taken on board by groups such as @NorthEastHour and https://www.facebook.com/groups/DesolateNorthEast/. Who are all for promoting how great the North East is and wanting to show that the region is a great place to live and work.

As a textile designer and maker I love living in the Newcastle and find it a great source of inspiration. My latest prints inspired by the puffins on the Farne Islands is just one example of how where you live feeds into your work. The pictures below taken by Marek were then used by me to produce the delightful characters in my prints below. If you are a regular visitor to my blog you will have seen my previous post on these cheeky little chaps.

Staple Island Puffins- Picture credits Marek Bidwell

 Fish Supper- Tracy Bidwell for Ballistic Owl copyright 2013

The Offering- Tracy Bidwell for Ballistic Owl copyright 2013

It's not just the wildlife that inspires my work but also the built environment and the beautiful countryside. The Baltic and Central station have fantastic architectural details and the prints shown below are from those great landmarks from architectural history.Newcastle's Cathedral is also a beautiful building with many great details to inspire the creative mind.

 Baltic Flour Mill- Tracy Bidwell for Ballistic Owl copyright 2013

Central Station- Tracy Bidwell for Ballistic Owl copyright 2013

 Newcastle Cathedral - Picture credit Tracy Bidwell

Gothic Cushion inspired by the Cathedral door- Tracy Bidwell for Ballistic Owl copyright 2013

The architects of the past, such as John Dobson left us with a great wealth of inspiring buildings, whether they be industrial or residential. Even having lived here for many years I'm still discovering fantastic buildings within the region.

As for the countryside we couldn't really ask for anything better, open fields, woodlands, coastline and meadows. As well as a wealth of beautiful stately properties and gardens. Images I take as I walk around these places all form a vast library for me to work from either in print or stitch.

 Secret Garden (detail)- Tracy Bidwell for Ballistic Owl copyright 2013

Grasses from around Cragside's extensive grounds- Image credit Tracy Bidwell

So as you can see I love nothing more than going round where I live and taking pictures that then inform my designs. So lets hear it for the fabulous North East and all it's beauty and variety!

To see more of my work please go to www.ballisticowl.co.uk or visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BallisticOwl

Buy my work at www.etsy.com/shop/BallisticOwl