Wales Feed

How to make your Easter egg last forever

2013-03-28T14:52:25+00:00

Are you feeling creative just in time for Easter? This year forget those big plastic boxes and calorie heavy chocolate and decorate your own real egg for maximum colour and lasting fun!

Create something a little more traditional, by dunking your eggs in bright food dyes or decorating with festive pastel Easter shades.

Colourful Easter eggs. Image © istockphoto.com/peterpankostas

How to dye and decorate eggs for Easter

Decorating eggs can be an intricate art form, but basic dyeing is very simple. If you want to keep your eggs you'll need to blow them, otherwise use hardboiled ones.

Please note, parents or guardians will need to help and supervise children when following the steps below, in particular when using sharp objects and touching raw egg.

You will need:

uncooked eggs
food colouring or natural dyes
jam jars or plastic cups to hold the dyes
a pin or a needle
a toothpick
a thin straw
a bowl or sink to collect the raw egg (if touching raw egg make sure you wash your hands afterwards)

Optional extras:

felt tip pens
PVA glue
acrylic paints
small paint brush

How to blow out your egg

Blown eggs by Tashina Cavasoz on Flickr

Take the uncooked egg and cradle it in your hand
Find the top and the bottom of your egg and mark with a pencil
Slowly, applying even pressure using a pin or needle, make a piercing at the top of the egg. You may need to chip away at it
Do the same again at the bottom. The bottom hole should be slightly bigger than the top
Take a toothpick and insert it into the top hole to break up the yoke which has a membrane
Take your straw, sit it around the top hole and then blow until all the yoke and white is out. In-between blowing, you will need to keep poking with a toothpick until all the membrane is out
Remember to make the hole that you’re not blowing out of a little bit bigger so that the egg can pass through. Tip: if the egg cracks slightly as you’re piercing it, you can still try blowing. Make sure you blow from the cracked end otherwise the pressure will cause the crack to fully break. You can seal it when you paint
To clean, run hot water through the egg and use a straw to blow the extra water and egg out of the shell. If you plan to keep these for memories, let them dry and drain with the larger hole facing down for two to three days. Alternatively you can microwave the eggshells on high for 15-30 seconds, which might also make them stronger.

How to colour Easter eggs with food dye

Decorating Easter eggs. Image © istockphoto.com/hayesphotography

Add a tablespoon of vinegar to half a cup of hot water, this will help to set the dye
Add 20 drops of food colouring to each half cup of water and vinegar
Mix to avoid marble colouring
Lower the egg into the dye carefully so it covers the egg entirely (if the egg is blown use a chopstick or pencil to pin the egg underwater) and leave for a few minutes
Carefully remove the egg and let it dry
Decorate as you wish.

If you want to preserve your blown Easter eggs, so that it will look as nice in 20 years’ time as it does today, you can protect it with UV resistant spray - available from craft shops - to avoid artwork fading. Spray in short even coats all around the egg, let it dry and then do another coat. Your egg should now be preservable for years to come!

Coloured Easter eggs. Image © istockphoto/elenaleonova

Famous textile artist to exhibit in Wales for first time

2013-02-27T12:31:39+00:00

The vibrant beauty of Kaffe Fassett's colourful quilts is something that until this year I had no experience of.

But ever since my daughter arrived last March, my mother has been furiously making quilts and cushion covers for her bedroom from his fabrics.

His dynamic patterns and usual riot of colour are truly works of art and mean no room which they adorn can ever be described as dull.

Fassett is so popular in quilting circles that he has a huge following wherever he goes and has toured the world inspiring other artists to embrace all shades of the colour spectrum.

Next month he comes to exhibit his work in Wales for the very first time, with a much-anticipated exhibition at the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter, Ceredigion.

Textile designer Kaffe Fassett. Photo courtesy of the artist

He will also be hosting a lecture and workshop for which tickets are being snapped up fast.

The centre is housed in Lampeter's former town hall, which also once acted as a court-room. It was bought by Jen Jones, a collector of antique Welsh quilts, and transformed into its new incarnation in 2009.

I spoke to Jen ahead of the exhibition, which opens on 9 March.

She said: "Kaffe's quilts offer amazing colours and wonderful stitching and they will be shown alongside some beautifully crafted antique Welsh quilts from my collection.

"Kaffe has never done a major exhibition in Wales before so we are absolutely delighted to have him.

"Last year we did our first comparative exhibition, A Quilted Bridge, about the Amish-Welsh connection, and this year we thought it was only right we bring in a more modern and cosmopolitan artist.

"I think the flamboyant nature of his quilts works wonderfully alongside some of the more muted, solid colour antique quilts."

Although the exhibition opens on 9 March, it runs until November 2 and Kaffe Fassett will officially open it on Friday 29 March. His workshop takes place on Saturday 30 March and his lecture on Monday 1 April at Lampeter University.

Work by textile designer Kaffe Fassett. Photo courtesy of the artist

His presentation will include examples of work from his latest patchwork quilt, fabric and needlepoint, mosaic, painting and knitting designs.

The thrust of the lecture will be encouraging the audience to trust their instincts when it comes to colour and to develop their "mind's eye".

The lecture will be following by a question and answer session and Kaffe will sign copies of his new autobiography Dreaming in Colour.

Jen said she has already had to change the venue once due to interest and is pleased that he is so highly thought of in the area.

The centre is open Tuesday to Saturday 11.30am-4.30pm

Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution examines weaving in Wales

2012-10-17T08:43:45+00:00

Daytime television programme Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution is celebrating art and craft traditions in the UK. In Thursday’s episode, Paul examines a craft that has been at the heart of the Welsh woollen industry for centuries.

In the programme, Paul meets master weaver Stuart Neale who works in the Black Mountains in Wales.

Stuart has been keeping the craft tradition of weaving alive for the past 20 years in his studio in Pandy in Monmouthshire. Originally from Cardiff, Stuart trained at the Scottish College of Textiles in Galashiels.

He runs the studio and business, Sioni Rhys Handweavers, in partnership with textile designer Dennis Mulcahy, who is originally from Aberbargoed and studied graphics at Newport College of Art.

Watch a clip from the episode in which Paul tries his hand at weaving one of the traditional throws, known as carthenni, on the 19th century loom:

Paul Martin visits the home of master weaver Stuart Neil.

Catch up with previous episodes of Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution, which examine pottery making in St Ives, metal working in Newlyn in Cornwall and fabric screen printing in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

If you'd like to learn more about arts and crafts, you can download or order a free copy of the Handmade Revolution booklet from the website.

Plus, check out the Things To Do website to find craft-inspired activities and events near you.

Paul Martin’s Handmade Revolution can be seen each weekday at 3.45pm this week on BBC Two Wales, and on the BBC iPlayer for seven days after transmission.

Mad Mountain Stitchers recreate magic of Big Pit

2012-09-07T15:01:58+00:00

A group of textile artists living in the Brecon Beacons have pooled their talents to create a version of the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon on fabric.

Rather than being a woven tapestry, the work uses a raft of creative techniques and materials and has taken its inspiration from archive images of the site made available by the Royal Commission’s archive, the National Monuments Record of Wales.

The result is a stunning mixed media piece which shows both the machinery of industry and the lush green backdrop of the mine's setting above ground, as well as the history of toil and tunnels which happened in the bowels of the earth below.

Detail from the Big Pit fabric form completed by the Mad Mountain Stitchers

The collective call themselves the Mad Mountain Stitchers and all live close to Crickhowell in Powys. They consist of Margitta Davis, Ann Notley, Penny Turnbull, Milli Stein and Jan Winstanley, a group of friends who have been stitching together for almost a decade and more recently formed their own group.

Margitta said: "Working on Big Pit, in various media, was a fun challenge especially as the site is not far from our work place. We were, therefore, able to visit many times to get a feel of the place. There were so many ideas; they just kept coming so we went for it!

"Obviously we couldn’t get underground and take pictures because of the gas that is there but the Royal Commission has so many fantastic images on its website and we were given a special licence to use the images.

"It’s a beautiful area and we were all able to bring something different to the process."

More detail from the piece. Images courtesy of the Mad Mountain Stitchers

Among the materials used were felt, organza, calico, cottons, dyed and painted leather, beads, silk tops, voiles, embroidery wire and various threads. Techniques used were appliqué, stumpwork, embellishing, hand and machine embroidery, needlelace and stencilling.

The piece is 80cm by 123cm and the group are hoping it may be exhibited by the museum or a local gallery.

It is not the first popular local landmark they have celebrated in fabric form. Previous collaborations include versions of Patrishow Church in the Black Mountains and the Thomas Traherne windows at Hereford Cathedral. Next they are hoping to focus on the magnificent ruins of the Llanthony Priory in the Ewyas valley, near Abergavenny.

Margitta said: "We are all a bit impressionist - we like to see a picture of somewhere and make it happen in our own way using our various different techniques."

The group say they are indebted to the Royal Commission for allowing them to use its images.

Welsh applied art represented at SOFA New York

2012-04-17T12:45:46+00:00

The work of two of Wales' most eminent artists will be exhibited in New York this weekend.

Ruthin Craft Centre will present ceramic works by Walter Keeler and Eleri Mills' textile and fibre art at the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair (SOFA) in Manhattan, from this Friday 20 April until 23 April.

Walter Keeler's career spans over 50 years. The London-born artist trained at Harrow School of Art and moved to Penallt near Monmouth in 1976. He has been working in Wales since, and in 2007 was named the Welsh Artist of the Year.

An example of Walter Keeler's salt glaze work. Image courtesy of Ruthin Craft Centre. Photo: Dewi Tannatt Lloyd

Eleri Mills was born in Llangadfan, Powys and it is the rural landscape of Wales that is at the heart of her work, which combines hand-stitched pieces and mixed media paintings.

Keeler recently toured the US, in March 2012, with lectures and demonstrations culminating at the NCECA conference in Seattle, while Mills is in residency as a visiting artist at Columbia University, New York until the end of April 2012. The residency is part of the Creative Wales Ambassador role that she was awarded in 2010.

Ruthin Craft Centre has previously shown work at SOFA in Chicago but this will be the first time the centre has exhibited at the New York show.

A delegation of members from Welsh galleries that exhibit craft and applied art will also be visiting SOFA, with funding from Wales Arts International.

Representatives of Oriel Myrddin Gallery, the Mission Gallery and Mostyn will make the trip to research future opportunities between New York and Wales and to raise the profile of Welsh artists and makers.

Eleri Mills, Tirlun I (Landscape I). Image courtesy of Ruthin Craft Centre. Photo: Dewi Tannatt Lloyd

Philip Hughes, Director of Ruthin Craft Centre, said: "Walter has been potting for 50 years now. His work over the years has encompassed many different materials but he is best known for his salt glaze pieces and that's what we've chosen to show.

"They should compliment Eleri's work really well and give people an experience of Wales and the landscape, and how ceramics and textiles can sit in harmony in a presentation."

Watch a video of Hughes talking about SOFA New York and the artists being represented in 2012.

Galleries from America, Japan, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Israel, Argentina and England will also be exhibiting at SOFA New York.

Keep up to date with news from the event on the SOFA Cymru blog, sofacymru.wordpress.com, and the Facebook page.

Cardiff Print Workshop opens new work space

2011-12-09T15:25:13+00:00

The Cardiff Print Workshop will open an additional work space this weekend, and will mark the occasion with a new exhibition and demonstration of the art form.

Cardiff Print Workshop's new work space

The Cardiff Print Workshop is a not-for-profit organisation which has been running for over 20 years.

Work by Cardiff Print Workshop members Lauren Burgess, Sally Williams, Teresa Bridger and Sue Paton

It provides printmaking facilities for artists and new graduates, with many of the workshop's members having graduated from the fine art printmaking degree at UWIC, now the Cardiff Metropolitan University.

CPW will take over a new space at Unit 32 Market House, just across from Chapter Arts Centre in Market Road, Canton.

It will open tomorrow, Saturday 10 December, from 10am-6pm. There will be a print demonstration, running from 1-3pm, and an exhibition of prints by the current workshop members.

The exhibition will include examples of etching, lithography, monoprint, linocut, woodcut, collograph, drypoint and more.

This new space in Canton will be in addition to the CPW's existing workshop in the Howardian centre in the Penylan area of Cardiff, where the organisation offers intaglio facilities and also stone and offset lithographic print facilities.

Cardiff Print Workshop was originally set up in Tyndall Street where it remained until 1990, when the redevelopment of the Cardiff Bay area meant that the site had to close.

In 1991 the voluntarily-run workshop moved to the Howardian Adult Education Centre in the city, where members began running classes for the general public to get involved with and to learn more about the art form.

See the Cardiff Print Workshop website for more information, www.cardiffprintworkshop.com.

Examples of work by Cardiff Print Workshop member Jane Taylor.
Images courtesy of the artists

Plas Newydd hosts Josie Russell exhibition

2011-09-30T11:46:28+00:00

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of strolling around the neo-Gothic mansion Plas Newydd on Anglesey, which is run by The National Trust.

The brilliant weather we've been having in Wales this week added to beauty of this gorgeous building and its gardens that sits on the Menai Straits. Yet only two weeks ago the building suffered a water leak and damage to its saloon.

The highlight of my visit was getting a glimpse of some of some of the artworks on show, including a fascinating 58 foot wide trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye) mural by Rex Whistler in the house's dining room.

Josie Russell with some of her art work at Plas Newydd. Image courtesy of The National Trust

An example of some more contemporary art will make Plas Newydd its home from tomorrow though, as the building hosts a new exhibition of work by textile artist Josie Russell.

Josie staged her first exhibition of work at Plas Newydd almost a year ago, and enjoyed a sell-out of her works during the exhibition. At the time she said: "I even had to introduce some new work during the exhibition to keep up with the demand."

Josie works with recycled materials to create her fabric collage art works, some of which include landscapes of the Nantlle Valley where she grew up and went to school.

She said: "I became aware very early on that beautiful, unique artwork does not have to cost hundreds of pounds to create or cause a detriment to our surroundings.

"Only the bare minimum of my required materials are bought new: canvasses, certain threads, or spare parts for my sewing machine. The rest - buttons, beads, ribbons, and off-cuts of strange, striking fabrics - are sourced from extensive rummaging in my local charity shops, recycled from my own clothes, or else kindly donated by generous family and friends."

The exhibition runs at Plas Newydd from tomorrow, Saturday 1 October, until Wednesday 2 November.

Find out more about Josie's work on her website www.josierussell.com and for more information about Plas Newydd visit The National Trust website or keep up to date on Twitter @NTPlasNewydd.

Free art classes at Swansea Met

2010-11-24T13:40:30+00:00

There are free art classes up for grabs next month at Swansea Metropolitan University, as its popular Saturday Art School returns for both adults and children.

The university has been running the art classes for the past four years, with over 320 young people and more than 240 adults having attended courses in drawing and painting, textiles, photography, TV/video production, fashion, ceramics and drama.

Participants at a previous art school class at Swansea Met

A young woman at a previous art school class at the university

The workshops will begin on Saturday 4 December at Swansea Met's Dynevor Centre for Art, Design and Media. A children's workshop will be held on Saturday mornings between 9.30am and 12.30pm, while an adult's workshop will be held in the afternoons from 1.30pm until 4pm.

Both courses run for ten weeks. Those who wish to attend the Saturday Art School should call 01792 481285 or email brett.thomas@smu.ac.uk.

Half-term art and craft workshops at Swansea's Glynn Vivian gallery

2010-05-19T10:41:32+00:00

No previous experience is necessary for the classes and complete beginners are welcome. Places are likely to fill up quickly though, so contact the gallery for more information or to book a space.

The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery website.

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Craft in the Bay: 25 years on and flourishing

2009-12-07T11:37:38+00:00

There's a mix of glass, ironworks, ceramics, jewellery and textiles with plenty to covet. I spent a lot of time telling myself to walk away from things that I was falling in love with and remembering the last bank statement!

The Makers Guild in Wales currently has 70 members and, come the New Year will be marking its 25th anniversary with an exhibition by the founder members. That opens at Craft in the Bay on 9 January 2010 and will include archive material about the early years of the Guild showing how it's grown and developed over the quarter century.

It's a show I'm really looking forward to and I'm also very taken with the idea of some of the workshops on offer over the next couple of months. They are a fantastic opportunity to learn from some of the finest craftspeople working in Wales and are suitable for all levels of experience, so there's hope for me yet.