Mountain View Stalker....or What?????

Hey there, you from Mountain View. I have noticed for some months now, you keep coming to look at my blog, which is fine, but such regularity. Nearly every second day and sometimes daily and up to 6 times a day, like today, for instance.
I am not sure whether I should be flattered or afraid. Why the big interest?? Are you copying my stuff or what.
I would like it if you would either make yourself known to me or go target someone else and leave me alone. I had someone steal my life once before and this is bringing back bad memories.

You can leave a comment.

4 Days of Classes

On Sunday Anne Barrett, an English woman from Essex, who has a holiday home in Roccastle, a village near Sulmona, came over to my studio for a day class. We had a lot of fun and she managed to almost complete a piece of art. The piece was based on an old wooden door located in Roccastle and the coat of arms also from the village.

The initial stages

Basting

Anne with her almost finished piece

Anne's piece, basted and ready for quilting when she returns home. 
A great effort for one day and a lovely piece

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On Monday, 2 ladies came from Sulmona to take my 3 day class. What a delight they both were. They didn't speak very much English and I don't speak good Italian, but over the 3 days we were able to convey, and understand each other through the work. 

2 delightful Italian ladies, Lea and Elana,
seen here painting their cloth

Lea, wants to learn new techniques that
will help her make interesting bags.
 Here she is contemplating her next move.

Elana, who makes creative icing for sweets, is loving the change of working with fabric

Elana, busy stamping her fabric

Both busy learning free motion quilting

Lea with her finished piece, which
depicts the famous Sulmona aquaduct

Elana with her finished piece also a larger
version of the aquaduct

Both girls chatted and laughed the whole three days

Both pieces were really stunning and a great achievement for a first effort as was Anne's piece.

Two of my Pieces in Linda Seward's New Book 2014

I was pretty excited when Linda Seward wrote a while ago and asked if she could use a photo of one of my pieces in her new book, due out next Spring 2014 called 'The complete Book of Art Quilt Techniques'
The piece was  a detail of 'Ol Aussie Shearing Shed'. Linda was interested in the way I use old crocheted doilies, by painting them and using them in my art work.

Detail of 'Ol Aussie Shearing Shed'

“ol” Aussie Shearing Shed— ©Averil Stuart-Head, Introdacqua, Italy. Inspired by a photo of an old shearing shed taken while travelling around Australia. Painted cotton canvas, commercial and hand-dyed fabric, painted cheesecloth, cardboard, dyed antique crochet, textural elements. Raw edge collage, stamped and printed elements, free-motion machine quilted. 33 x 43”/84 x 110cm. 2012.

 So, you can imagine my surprise when she (Linda) asked about my 'Fantasy Forest'!!
Was it available to go in the book too. Well, it is touring around various exhibitions in Prague, Switzerland and Berlin in 2013, but, yes, I had some photo's, which I hope will be OK and as it happened they were OK

'Fantasy Forest'

Fantasy Forest— ©Averil Stuart-Head, Introdacqua, Italy. The image in this textural collage is a native New Zealand beech tree, seen on a scenic drive through the ancient beech forests of the South Island.  Commerical and hand-dyed cotton fabric, cotton canvas, cheesecloth, painted and dyed antique crocheted doilies. Raw edge collage, image printed onto textured, painted fabric (or canvas?) using archival ink, free-motion machine quilted, embellished with gold leaf. 27 x 29”/68 x 74cm. 2012.

I remember Linda Seward quilting books from way back in around 1985/90's I bought a couple of her books when I first starting traditional quilt making. This is why I am so happy to be in one of her books. Who'd a thought:-).

Roses Amid Ruins

 'Roses Amid Ruins'.

79cm x 95cm 31" x 37.5"

Completed 1st May 2013

Materials: Set on heavy cotton background, which has been painted with acrylic paint and gesso, Collaged with various fabrics, vintage fabrics, rusted fabrics, silks, painted cheesecloth, sheers, vintage crocheted doilies (painted).

Techniques: Textural Collage, hand quilted.  Printed and stamped, stenciled. Screen printed images.

Inspiration: An archaeological dig, overcome by nature. Roses, weeds clamber through decaying crumbling, ruins and relics of ancient times. All under the eternal gaze of statues and monuments from a bygone era. I love that time has marked, peeled, rusted and corroded the surface of walls and ruins.

'Roses Amid Ruins' 37.5" x 31"

Detail of Roses Amid Ruins

It's May 1st and the poppies are out.!!

Yes, it has been such a very warm April, that the poppies are out already. On my drive up to Anversa the other day the country side was unbelievably gorgeous. On my visit's into Sulmona, I have been stopping at various sites and clicking wildly. It is a fabulous time to be here in Abruzzo.

I then popped into Asinomania, the venue for
Abruzzo School of Creative Art
and took some photo's of the gardens

There were a lot of families taking their
 children for rides on the donkey's. 

Kiwi's Shearing Sheep at Anversa, Abruzzo, Italy

Last Sunday morning I drove up to the small village of Anversa, (about 15mins away from Introdacqua), as I had heard there were some New Zealand guys shearing sheep up there. Sure enough, there they were, shearing sheep in a very large shed. There were 2 NZ'ers and an Aussie, though they are all based in Australia now.
First of all let me explain why I would be interested in a pretty uneventful and common activity in NZ and Aussie.
I have an overwhelming love of wool. I always have had, but over the years, as life gets in the way and we rush hither and tither, I have failed to respond and to acknowledge this passion.
Since I started experimenting in the art of felting wool a couple of years ago, I came to realise how much I love this activity. I love to dye the wool, or sometimes I work with it in it's natural colour. I love to mix pure silk rovings into the felt and other embellishments. My favourite form of felting is nuno felting, where you felt on to pure silk fabric.
Anyway, the wool industry has played a huge part in the development and the history of both Australia and New Zealand. That is what made both our countries grow and prosper. In the future I want to do a series about wool and the part it has played in the forming of both our nations.
I am not sure yet how the series will develop, but I know I need to do some research, which I started while in NZ this year and I have now captured some good shots of blokes shearing sheep.
Such a brutal job. It would have to rate as one of the worst jobs going, especially for the havoc it reeks  on your body, not to mention the stifling heat under all that corrugated iron, the stench and the bloody flies.

The sheep these guys had to contend with here are quite different from the sheep at home. These sheep were filthy and I mean FILTHY. Our sheep munch away in their lovely grassy paddocks and are dagged periodically, and are pretty clean, but not here.
Here are some pics of the event. You can see it is a back breaking job.

There is also a movie I took while I was there.
Kiwi's shearing here

Creativita' della Donna, Sulmona

I was invited to participate and exhibit in this 'Creativita' della Donna' which is being held at La Rotonda in Sulmona over the next few days. It is to show the people of Sulmona what their creative women do.
Today is the first day and so far it has been so much fun meeting all the delegates of Sulmona tourism and council officials. Plus, I have met such a lot of creative women in my region. Weaver's, alpaca farmers, bag makers, designers, artists of all media.
I have been surprised at the amount of interest in my work and so far a couple of people coming to a class I am going to have in a couple weeks at my studio in Introdacqua



This is my booth.

I love the effect of my pieces on the ancient stone walls.

The Fish

Venezia Wall

The official opening speeches



I thought I would add these other pics of Sulmona Icons.
This is the statue of Ovidio



The famous Sulmona Aquaduct.

A Quick trip to Venice, Florence and Cortona.

Last Tuesday I traveled on the fast train Eurostar to Venice and Florence to organise last minute details for Holly Brackmann's tour, that Bruce and I are escorting for 9 days to these two amazing cities and also Cortona, with lots of other destinations, such as Pisa, Siena, Assisi and Orvieto day trips planned. The tour starts in Venice on June the 3rd.
I spoke with Nan, my contact in Venice and Andrea our guide and between us we have a really great itinerary planned, focussing on food, sightseeing and history.  Stories which are going to bring Venice to life. How I love being in this intriguing city, especially now with the weather being so gorgeous. I took lots of photo's:

From Venice I took the fast train to Firenze. As I strolled  down the main street to my hotel, the sight of the Duoma never fails to take your breath away!.

 In Firenze I organised places for our tour members to eat, a walking tour, our day trip to Siena, Pisa, and other beautiful villages. We have a very special restaurant over looking the Ponte Vecchio for our final meal in Firenze.
The next day I headed for Cortona. Not as easy to get to as I first thought. The public transport system in Toscana, funnily enough is not as good as Abruzzo.
We are very spoilt in our Abruzzo region with a great bus, train and the autostrada on our back door step. I am able to go door to door on really good buses and fast trains from my medieval village, tucked in the hills not far from Sulmona, to any where in Italy, but Cortona and Assisi are not that lucky. So, I didn't get to Assisi this time, but went straight to Cortona.
Check out the view from our fabulous hotel we have found in Cortona. The view actually stretches way out to Lake Trasimeno. Look at this amazing light.

View from our hotel.

I had lunch at an real old cucina, no menu, just whatever mama was cooking today, which was pasta and meat sauce, yum!

This is the real Italian deal.

And everything is cooked on the wood stove.

After booking the restaurants for where we are going to eat on our tour....and they are so exciting

I strolled around the Cortona Village, soaking up the sights and the atmosphere.
It really is one of my favourite villages

Looking out over the wall to the country side below. Cortona is a walled city.

Next day I boarded the train for home. Mission accomplished. But, wait there's more. Guess who I met at the station while I was waiting for the train???? Come on guess....yep, there in front of me was Frances Mayes... from Under the Tuscan Sun fame... yes, I did...I said 'Hello' and we chatted for 5 or 10 mins, until my train arrived. Topped off a great trip:-)
But, really good to be home.

Working on a new technique

I have been working on a new technique lately, collaging African animals and featuring machine thread painting.

African Lion

African Lion detail

African Elephant

detail