Diploma Module 3 - Evaluation of Completed Work

Choice of research theme

Choosing to look in depth at Manx Crosses and concentrating on Manx/Celtic patterns in the Constructed Textile/Knitting option gave my research a strong personal connection which made its study a pleasure.  It has also given me a large resource for this and future work.  When combined with my Japanese boro study, it has helped me develop what is becoming, I hope,  an individual style. 

Use of sketchbook to glean visual information

For this module I have worked in a Seawhite, approx. 31cm square sketchbook with black pages. As I said at the end of the last module, if people work in different ways, some plan and then produce; some produce then adapt; some plan, produce and adapt, then I am probably in with the first, plan and produce (and only then adapt if the original plan isn't quite what was anticipated).   I am finding now that if I sample in my sketchbook as I go along, the sketchbook is becoming an even more useful tool, giving me ideas on which to base future work and also a focus for continued stitch/technique exploration.  In this way the sketchbook used in Module 3 is already providing directions for future work.  It has made me more confident that what I make will work, both in terms of design and technique, due to the sampling as work in the sketchbook progresses. It has been invaluable in helping me collect and explore ideas.

Your designs

Again, the only way I can address this is by considering what makes me excited and want to go on to do more, either in research or making.  There are two things that jump out from this module:

2-11    Large stitches were made to use as a printing block, which was printed on paper.  I'd like to take this further either by knitting in yarn that would give a good print or by embroidering stitches/making braids that resemble knitting and printing from them.  These I would incorporate in my 'boro' work (see Module 3 - Chapter 11 - Developing an idea for your second assessment piece).

12-9    The imprint of the knitting in the air dry clay could lead on to a series of work, similar to that above, but based on clay panels and weaving.

Proposed design ideas

See above and Module 3 - Chapter 11.

Artists' study

The artists I detailed in Chapter 12 were specifically chosen due to the type of work they produce.  Before Lockdown I was fortunate to attend workshops that complemented the work in this module and that is why I chose some of these artists.  As the chapter this time did not say how many artists to study, I have looked at many more that I did not mention in Chapter 12, not only those in the textile world but also working in other media, e.g. sculpture, ceramics, fine art, etc.  It has provided a rich source of inspiration.