Planet Ruby Starrs

We've been down to the big city of birth again, to be reminded about why I don't live there any more - the good reasons to go are are good friends, two gorgeous grand daughters and family I miss seeing, but no lambs, no hares, and quite a lot of noisy traffic!!! Yes it is great to spend time with old good friends and see the family - albeit 20 minutes with my ever busy son - but I find myself feeling quite comfortable with not actually living there anymore and that is made easier by the fact we now live so much nearer anyway.  its only about an hour down the dreaded A1 but very doable.... so I can now have the best of both worlds! We caught up briefly with people I haven't seen since before Christmas and then the main event (apart from seeing grand daughters) a West Yorkshire Playhouse visit to see Kneehigh theatre present ''The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk'' an interesting play about Marc and Bella Chagall and their  lives in Russia through the revolution. ...

I'm busy drawing, stitching, weaving and printing material to inform my next and final brief for college.  This is the last module in my two Year journey to attain a foundation degree in textiles, this work will hopefully go in the final student show so it needs to be a bold statement of what I have learnt this last two years. I've been looking back at my collection of work so far, and my research of artists and ideas that have inspired me and its so eclectic it kind of gives me plenty of scope but also rather too many ideas.  It ranges from the delicate ideas using embroidery both machine and hand rendered that Cas Holmes and Anne Kelly produce - lovely natural colours with subtle highlights and trim to the bold robust multi coloured multi patterned work of some one like Kaffe Fasset whose colour combinations know no limits.  All this via more traditional artists like Marc Chagall - a long time favourite for once again his use of colour and his distinctive style and...