I have a thing about spirals; I’ve been collecting spiral images for as long as I can remember, many of them in a sketchbook dating back to 2002, but for far longer than that: ammonites, periwinkles, new ferns, wrought iron gates, staircases, fractals....
Did you spot the spiral of stones that crept into the blog a couple of weeks ago? I didn’t know at the time what this week’s blog was going to be, I can’t help it, I’m just drawn to them. And I have my own stone spiral, which I made long before I discovered Kettle’s Yard.
Far from the often-negative connotations in popular writing, in meditation spirals are seen as uplifting and they are often found in nature, being an efficient way to grow. Now I’m not going off down the route of Fibonnaci and the Golden Spiral, but suffice it to say that many artists are fascinated by spirals – they appear frequently in land art, textile art, painting and architecture, and go right back to neolithic times.
In our own practice spirals and their variations make great free motion quilting patterns
and also crop up as drawings, prints and stitched embellishment.
And of course cake ... in the form of Chelsea buns!
And of course cake ... in the form of Chelsea buns!
There are so many ways you can start to explore spirals, but we have chosen two to get started. They form one of the Creative Warm-up exercises we use with our Inspiration to Stitch students (thank you to them for some of the images here). Both are great exercises to start you making marks on the paper without worry or mental blocks.
The first part of today’s creative prompt is a wonderfully meditative exercise, great for if you’re feeling a bit frazzled, trying to put in a productive day of work at home whilst simultaneously home-schooling your children, or just too overwhelmed with the constant news bombardment. As with the now popular Zentangle method, it is easy to get lost in concentration on what you are doing and forget about the outside world for a short time.
What is Zentangle?
The Zentangle method of drawing began in 2003 when Rick Roberts observed the state of deep concentration his wife Maria entered when she was drawing patterns for illuminated letters, and likened it to a state of meditation. You may recognise as being very similar to the doodles you did in your rough book at school (long before 2003!) or still do when you are on the phone. You can find out more on their website.
The Zentangle method of drawing began in 2003 when Rick Roberts observed the state of deep concentration his wife Maria entered when she was drawing patterns for illuminated letters, and likened it to a state of meditation. You may recognise as being very similar to the doodles you did in your rough book at school (long before 2003!) or still do when you are on the phone. You can find out more on their website.
Part two will have you abandoning your tightness and inhibitions and introduce you to the idea that drawing and mark making can come from the fingertip, wrist, elbow, shoulder and eventually whole body! (will you go as far as Heather Hansen, in her project Emptied Gestures?
You will need:
Part one (do anywhere)
Part one (do anywhere)
- Fineline pen or marker pen – any colour you like, but black is great for contrast
- Paper to draw on, sketchbook etc – copy paper is fine, or maybe one of the small pamphlet books from week one
- Large (A3 or A2) sheets of paper (tape several together if you don’t have any big enough)
- Something chunky to draw with eg charcoal (chunky not fine), crayons, chalk block, graphite stick
- Paint (not too drippy – even emulsion would do!) and a large brush – or your hands!
- Plastic sheet or newspaper to protect surface – this could get messy!
Part one:
1. With a fine pen start in the centre of a sketchbook page or sheet of paper and fill the page with a single continuous spiral. How tight can you make it?
1. With a fine pen start in the centre of a sketchbook page or sheet of paper and fill the page with a single continuous spiral. How tight can you make it?
2. Repeat the exercise but this time fill the space with many different sized spirals sitting side by side. Rather than using the whole page you might like to draw a frame to work within.
3. Can you create an illusion of depth by drawing some spirals 'behind' others?
Explore further:
Use these prompts after both part one and part two...
Use these prompts after both part one and part two...
- are all spirals circular? Try different shapes for your spirals and see how they fit together
- try using regular grids or random placement
- allow the spirals to overlap like raindrop ripples on a pond
- repeat with non-dominant hand
- repeat with eyes closed
- draw to music and see how the spirals change as the rhythm changes
- repeat using both hands at the same time
- use your feet as our students did last year!
Part two:
1. Using an A3/A2 sheet of paper and something chunky like the side of a crayon, charcoal or a graphite stick, repeat part one no.1.
1. Using an A3/A2 sheet of paper and something chunky like the side of a crayon, charcoal or a graphite stick, repeat part one no.1.
2. Tape two A2 sheets along the long side and pin up (or use a large sheet of wallpaper lining paper or newspaper). Using a large brush and liquid paint use your whole arm to draw spirals; they can overlap or not, the choice is yours! (now you see why you needed the plastic...)
More inspiration
Researching for this blog took me to some really interesting websites on my search for other artists inspired by spirals. As I mentioned earlier, land artists seem to gravitate to this form, so I thought you might like to have a look at artists who work with natural objects as inspiration. especially if it's rainy outside. Beats watching the news!
Land art
A great reminder of sunnier days and freer times, and there are some stunning images on the internet if you have some time to spare (warning - timewaster alert!). You could start here with an exploration of Jon Foreman's art (he loves a spiral too) or here to read about the pioneers of the art form.
A great reminder of sunnier days and freer times, and there are some stunning images on the internet if you have some time to spare (warning - timewaster alert!). You could start here with an exploration of Jon Foreman's art (he loves a spiral too) or here to read about the pioneers of the art form.
I think Andy Goldsworthy must be the most well-known artist in this field, and when I was researching this blog I came across a fascinating short video of him talking about his art and our connection to stone from the Tate.
Textile artists inspired by the land
At InStitches we invite inspirational guest tutors to teach workshops for us as part of our textile adventures series and over the years they have become our friends. Their work is always innovative and inspiring, as are their websites.
At InStitches we invite inspirational guest tutors to teach workshops for us as part of our textile adventures series and over the years they have become our friends. Their work is always innovative and inspiring, as are their websites.
Image © Debbie Lyddon
Debbie Lyddon
Inspired by the coastal landscape of Norfolk where she has her studio, Debbie makes two and three dimensional work which responds to the land and the materials she finds on the coast. Read Debbie’s blog post To Coil about the importance of doing rather than just thinking about doing when it comes to being creative. Then wander through the rest of her website and blog for more coastal inspiration.
Inspired by the coastal landscape of Norfolk where she has her studio, Debbie makes two and three dimensional work which responds to the land and the materials she finds on the coast. Read Debbie’s blog post To Coil about the importance of doing rather than just thinking about doing when it comes to being creative. Then wander through the rest of her website and blog for more coastal inspiration.
Image © Alice Fox
Alice Fox
Another textile artist inspired by the land, Alice works with materials she finds or gathers and recently has been exploring her allotment and the things she can grow there. Her work is endlessly fascinating as she explores the possibilities of found objects and making with gathered materials.
Another textile artist inspired by the land, Alice works with materials she finds or gathers and recently has been exploring her allotment and the things she can grow there. Her work is endlessly fascinating as she explores the possibilities of found objects and making with gathered materials.
Don't forget:
Thank you so much to everyone who is joining in with the blog and taking the time to post and share their creative endeavours - we really appreciate it. The creative community is a great one to be part of at any time, but especially now.
We’d love to hear how you got on … take a quick snap and post it over on Instagram and use the hash tags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. Don't forget to follow both us and the hashtags to see what everyone else is creating too!
On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.
Until next time - keep the creativity flowing...
Terry & Hazel
Thank you so much to everyone who is joining in with the blog and taking the time to post and share their creative endeavours - we really appreciate it. The creative community is a great one to be part of at any time, but especially now.
We’d love to hear how you got on … take a quick snap and post it over on Instagram and use the hash tags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. Don't forget to follow both us and the hashtags to see what everyone else is creating too!
On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.
Until next time - keep the creativity flowing...
Terry & Hazel
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