Following up the Happy Work post, here's the finished product. One of them anyway, I'm making two more in slightly different colourways. The birds are for a project and touring exhibition called Elementals organised by Inga and Andy Hamilton, aka Rockpool Candy and My Tarpit.
When they sent me the invite to take part, here's what was explained to me...
"Elementals is a special experiment to see if artists, printmakers and craftspeople can physically embody feelings of peace, harmony and goodwill in their work and tangibly affect the environment in which it's shown.
Definition: Elementals - thoughts that once created become attached to their creator and are fed by further thoughts and actions"
Having let the idea mull around my mind for a while I began to think about clouds and summer and this song, whilst at the same time thinking about the small and big science and technology that I find so fascinating in relation to the potential for craft. I wondered if there was a way to include serotonin, the so called 'happy hormone' and began looking for a way to understand it visually.
I designed and printed some 'little fluffy cloud' fabric, then machine embroidered over it with a connecting pattern made up of the skeletal formula of the serotonin hormone. The wings, tail and beak were added and the bird made up into a stuffed soft toy style model.
There are 100 artists / makers taking part in the exhibition which tours from the...
Richard F Brush Gallery at St Lawrence University in Canton, New York State to
R Space Gallery, Lisburn, N. Ireland
Wharepuke Print Studio, New Zealand
And a UK gallery still being arranged.
