Yesterday, Kitty had studying with friends and shop time. Alex relaxed.
I worked in an unplanned way on these patterns which was derivative of a 2.25” x 12” inked pattern tile the other day. I thought it looked good as a limited palette (see first post on Saturday) and then evolved the color…and then pulled the illustration elements out of the mix to make other patterns. This is a fun break for now. I seem to go to patterns when I am in a lull…and then it gets me recalibrated back into the thinking of the current body of work or pointed at a new one. I find it interesting that this is the process.
I was looking at Virginia Lee Burton’s art project, the Folly Cove Designers’ work. You can still buy this work through the Sarah-Elizabeth Shop . Burton, the author illustrator of the recognized children’s book, Mike Milligan and His Steam Shovel taught classes in Cape Ann MA. From these classes and students, the Folly Cove Designers evolved (from the Sarah Elizabeth Shop background page)
The Folly Cove Designers was a group taught design by Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios. They used what they learned to design, and then carve, linoleum blocks to print on fabrics for place mats, runners, hangings, tablecloths, skirts, and yardgoods for practical uses. They started in 1938, over the years including more than forty artists in their guild-like association. No works were signed, everyone putting the group first. When their teacher died in 1968, the remaining designers decided to disband. The sample books, long yard-good hangings, and related material which remained in their retail outlet (the Barn) were given to the Cape Ann Historical Museum in Gloucester, where they can be seen to this day.
From Spiritus Temporis.com The Folly Cove Designers grew out of a design course taught by Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios. She lived in Folly Cove, the most northerly part of Lanesville, Gloucester, Massachusetts. She was able to express the local consensus that the world was a beautiful place, and the elements of beauty surround us in nature.
On completion of the course the graduate was permitted to submit a design to the jury(selected Designers rotated this responsibility starting in 1943) of the Folly Cove Designers. If it was accepted as displaying the design qualities as taught in the course, then they could carve the design in linoleum and print it for sale as a Folly Cove Design.
I am going to try to figure out how to post these to Spoonflower.com when I have a chance to understand the technical specs etc/ It is raining like theres no tomorrow…but in the way things are here, we will have a cloudless beautiful afternoon here on the plateau. Need to get going on paying work. What a dawdler I am.