‘Super Heroes’: W. G. Grace

Besides the series of First World War poet portraits, I am also working on a series of portraits of ‘Super Heroes’. The first in this series was William Morris and although I had planned to work on Charles Dickens next, that plan has been changed to W. G. Grace whose 100th anniversary of his death is coming up next month on 23rd of October.

William Morris part of the ‘Super Hero’ series portrait.

When I was growing up in Shropshire, cricket played a massive part in our family life. My Dad and my brother were both very good cricketers, playing for Wem and Acton Burnell, so every Saturday was spent going to the match, my Mum making the cricket teas (which were always very popular as there was always a lot of cake involved) and I was often volunteered to be the teams scorer – not always an easy job. Whilst a student studying art in Shrewsbury, I then worked on a series of large scale cricketing inspired paintings. So, it seems quite fitting to create a portrait of an amazingly talented cricketer.

Born in 1848 near Bristol, William Gilbert Grace was certainly part of a cricketing family (his father and brothers all played) and he believed his great skill came from hard work and lots of practise. Playing as an amateur, training as a medical practitioner in 1879, he played Marylebone Cricket Club, Gloucester and England. By the time he was 27, he had 50 first-class centuries and once Grace scored 839 runs in 3 innings in 1 week (344+177+318)! The statistics are amazing!

I have just begun his portrait and so far, I have machine stitched ‘W.G’s’ head and shoulders. I shall embellish the portrait with acrylic and further hand sewing. I haven’t quite decided how I shall tackle the background but I must admit I am really looking forward to starting his wonderful beard!

Stitched line drawing of W. G. Grace.

‘All We Are Saying’ at the Holy Biscuit exhibition.

All We Are Saying at the Holy Biscuit

12^th September to 3^rd October, 2015.

 

‘All We Are Saying’ at The Holy Biscuit is an exhibition of local artists, who have teamed up with artists from Sunderland, Gateshead, Newcastle as well as in Liverpool, Germany and the Netherlands to create a multi-sited ‘Call-Out’ for Peace, throughout the months of September and October. The philosophy for the exhibitions is apolitical, non-religious, non partisan or nationalistic, and (as far as possible) zero budgeted and non profit making. It is only through the imagination, passion, enthusiasm and commitment of Sunderland artist, Barrie West, who started the ‘Call Out’ that so many artists, makers, creatives and other peace aware individuals have come together to make this such a momentous creative event.

 

As part of this exhibition at the Holy Biscuit, there is work from textile artists, print makers, painters, photographers and silversmiths. Leading up to and during the exhibition people are also being asked to be involved in making a ‘Peace Square’; a small textile piece which will be sewn into a larger ‘Peace Blanket’. So far there has been contributions from as far afield as Sri Lanka, America and Germany and well as from nearer to home across the North East of England.

 

As well as being open to the public between 12^th September and the 3^rd October, two special events are being held:

Saturday 19^th September, to coincide with World Peace Day, visitors to the exhibition will be encouraged to make peace doves using fabric, papers and ribbons.

Saturday 3^rd October, there will be a special celebration day for the Peace Blanket and visitors will be able to see all the squares sewn together.

 

All We Are Saying would like to say a very special thank you to The Holy Biscuit for sponsoring the room hire for this event and for being extremely supportive throughout the exhibition’s development.

All We Are Saying at the Holy Biscuit has been curated by Louise Underwood

The Brownies visit for the opening of ‘All we Are Saying’

The opening night for ‘All We Are Saying’ was a great success. Many people, young and old, found the different ways the artists had responded to the ‘Call Out’ fascinating and thought provoking. There was music by two local young folk musicians, Zak and Ethan Younger Banks who helped set a lovely relaxed tone whilst playing their acoustic guitars, accordions and sometimes assisted by their sister Erin on the flute. The artists had backed cakes and biscuits, to make a truly relaxed affair.

Preview night.

Also as part of the evening, visitors also made origami cranes which were placed within the gallery.

Origami crane making.

In total eleven artists exhibited at the Holy Biscuit but across Sunderland, Gateshead, Germany and the Netherlands many, many more artists have been involved in the whole.

Within this blog post, I shall try and give you a flavour of the exhibition and artists involved at the Holy Biscuit:

Gaynor Devaney

Gaynor Devaney’s work: Dreaming of Home.

Michelle Follet

Michelle Follet’s piece: ‘Silent’.

Jayamini de Silva

Jayamini de Silva’s: Tranquility, Medley and Affection.

Esen Kaya

Esen Kaya: ‘The Conversation’

Kath Price

Kath Price: ‘The White Bird Soars and Swoops’

Louise Underwood

Louise Underwood: ‘Peace Talks’

Margery Robinson

Margery Robinson: The Lovers

Patricia Bowles

Patricia Bowles: ‘Symbol’.

Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson: ‘Remember’

Rob Patrick

Rob Patrick: ‘Paveway’

Angela Sandwith

Angela Sandwith: ‘Ritual’

Each of these pieces have very deep, thoughtful and emotive responses, which hopefully I shall have the opportunity to document fully along with the Peace Blanket.

The Peace Blanket has now over 60 squares to be sewn together and if you are interested in being a part of it, then we would like the pieces to be in by Thursday 1st October.

This exhibition would not have been the amazing success it has become without the help, support and guidance of Barrie West, Margaret Graham, Colleen Fernandez, all the fabulous artists involved, The Holy Biscuit team esp. Gemma, Sue Thompson, Zac, Ethan and Erin Younger Banks and all the wonderful people who have made a peace square.

Isaac Rosenberg 1890-1918, hand stitched portrait.

As part of my series of portraits of poets who died during the First World War, I have just completed my third hand stitched portrait. This portrait is of Isaac Rosenberg.

Isaac Rosenberg hand stitched portrait.

Rosenberg came from a deprived, working class background. His parents were pacifists who had fled from Lithuania so that his father could avoid conscription to the Russian Army, first moving to Bristol then onto the East End of London. He was the eldest son of Orthodox Jews and “for his part Rosenberg claimed that Jewishness gave him and his fellow Jewish artists ‘that which nothing else could have given'”. (Jean Moorcroft Wilson, ‘The Making of a Great War Poet’, page 3.)

‘Daughters of War’ detail.

Rosenberg was a painter and a poet, he attended the Slade School of Art and trained as an engraver. Due to his background, he was automatically enlisted to the 12th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment (a Bantam regiment) as a Private rather than as an Officer, which doing jobs such as a stretcher bearer gave him more of a gritty reality of war.

Daughters of War

Within this portrait, I have used hand stitched references to his poetry and his life. A number of his poems I found very pictorial and as I was reading his biography by Jean Moorcroft Wilson as preparation for the portrait, I was noting ideas for imagery. One such poem was ‘Daughters of War’, which drove my I need to find a way to illustrate these ‘spirits’ taking the souls of the dead and dying soldiers to be their partners. I stitched frenzied figures dancing, with a section of the poem hand stitched around.

The figures of the Daughter of War, also symbolise the soldiers who also dance around a flame in ‘Louse Hunting’. This poem depicts some of the terrible issues the soldiers had to put up with day to day, besides fighting in a war.

Detail from portrait of Isaac Rosenberg.

 ‘Break of Day in the Trenches’  and ‘In the Trenches’  were two poems which I have also used to aid the composition of this portrait. ‘In the Trenches’ talks of a poppy at the top of a parapet, not far from the barbed wire of no man’s land, and the terrible aftermath of a shell with the poppy strewn on the floor.

Detail from portrait, poppy on the parapet of the trenches.

I have included imagery of Whitechapel Library where, before the war, Rosenberg spent many evenings with his fellow artists and poets, in this portrait it is in the space of no man’s land exists and he will never return to.

Rosenberg died at dawn on the 1st April, 1918 during a German raiding party but his body was not recovered until the 16th April near Arras. His war poetry is now considered to be some of the finest from the First World War.

 

 

My Knitted Block For The Blanket for Peace Project

Kit’s piece for the Peace Blanket has now arrived in Newcastle and we feel very proud that she has decided to be a part of this project. The symbolism within is very poignant.

Kit Dunsmore's Blog

My contribution to the “All We Are Saying…” Blanket for Peace project is finished and in the mail. My goal of making it in July so I could mail it in August mostly worked out. I had to make the block twice, because the first one was too big, and the pattern I designed took some experimentation (more about that next week). I mailed it on August 24th instead of August 1st, and hope that despite the delay and the international postal system, it will still arrive before the deadline (the end of September).

One World, designed and knit by Kit Dunsmore for the Blanket for Peace.

My block is called One World. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to achieve peace of any kind. The first step is to emphasize our similarities instead of focusing on our differences. Since one thing we all share…

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