First steps in landscape architecture.

It has been such a long time since I wrote anything! Two reasons - the Giro d'Italia took over the last 3 weeks of my life, relegating creativity. Also, there's been a heatwave after 4 weeks of constant rain, so there is MUCH to do outdoors.
Energy and time permitting though, I have been working on a new project for the joint blog which I mentioned a couple of posts ago - the one where I am pressurised every month to come up with ideas for themes and then create something accordingly.
May's theme has been My Favourite Book, which was actually one of my suggestions, so I'm pleased that the other group members responded to it. I chose Wuthering Heights, a novel I studied many years ago for 'A' Level English Literature and I have loved it ever since. It is an incredibly complex, multi-layered book full of passions and high emotions. What I love most though is the importance of nature within the novel and the link it has with all the characters. Central to this of course are the moors - wild, bleak, and the root of the bond between Catherine and Heathcliff.
It was the moorland which I decided to use as a guide for my piece of work and so I created a textile landscape. I did not want a lush, green portrayal, but rather a more earthy, limited colour range to try to capture some of the bleakness of the place. I wanted the sky to be a foreboding, intense one, and quite heavy in feel.

I used felt, wool, cottons, ribbons, lace and a variety of threads to build up layers and blocks.

I deliberately left ragged edges to fabrics and I wanted the stitches to be visible and a central part of the piece.

I dare say that June's theme will be chosen within the next few days and the new adventure will begin....