tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82248336065687232882011-07-31T06:58:24.799+01:00JenHenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396013331264621516noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-77540805389258125652011-04-13T18:23:00.003+01:002011-04-13T18:27:32.499+01:00

I've moved. This blog is now hosted on the wordpress.com site. http://jenhendesigns.wordpress.com Why? Because, when viewed on the iPad it looks really professional and is much easier to use.

JenHenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396013331264621516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-16859679833764158722010-07-30T21:04:00.017+01:002010-07-30T21:31:07.269+01:00

Took an interesting class today at the City Lit, London, on contemporary ways of doing medieval bookbinding. We learnt to use plastic wires, cable ties and even car tyres. Last week I also took a class on coptic binding, single needle and two-needle stitching. Have made several books since then and feel I have, at last, cracked it!

JenHenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396013331264621516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-47529405562320631282010-03-20T10:47:00.002Z2010-03-28T14:20:09.487+01:00

The March/April 2010 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors has published my letter about using Citra-Solv - it's in the Muse Flash section. http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blogs/clothpaperscissors/archive/2010/02/17/cloth-paper-scissors-march-april-2010.aspx

JenHennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-38117900444345680502010-03-19T22:29:00.017Z2010-03-20T10:47:49.997Z

Time flies... there has been little or no time for any creativity... or maybe this is an excuse for lack of inspiration. However, this might well change. Spent two days this week at Art Van Go taking a workshop with Ruth Issett -- Creative Paper Works. The group worked with acrylic mediums and colour to make wonderful textured papers. The two examples here were made by 1. collaging white/neutral

JenHennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-31250029171319796452010-01-21T02:33:00.014Z2010-01-21T03:06:36.205Z

Last April I made a set of pictures for our bedroom here in Naples. I decided to photograph them today as a means of encouraging myself to make some new work. The background is created from printed paper that has had the pattern knocked back by painting over with gold gesso, tissue paper, strips of a National Geographic magazine page that had been treated with Citra-solv and torn black paper

JenHennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-86986747851836615142010-01-20T16:54:00.012Z2010-03-20T10:40:26.753Z

Well it has been a long time since the last post. Been busy travelling - Sorrento, Italy, in September; Stockholm, Sweden and New York City in October - then November was spent preparing for a workshop I taught at Art Van Go plus house guests and lots of socialising. Busy, busy. Now having a very relaxing time at our condo in Naples, Florida. It is wonderful to be away from the cold and ice of

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-82285947097064814702009-08-24T22:46:00.009+01:002010-03-28T14:27:37.912+01:00

Last week at the Festival of Quilts (Birmingham, UK) I had a great day gazing at some wonderful pieces of textile art. Such talented women -- I am so envious. In particular I was drawn to the work of Stephanie Redfern, who had created the most amazing book with art quilt pages. It was stunning, so imaginative with words and pictures yet she only won second prize in the Quilt Creations Category...

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-24880662305387334892009-08-24T22:32:00.008+01:002010-03-28T14:28:27.734+01:00

Following on from the Triptych I made a similar canvas for my stepdaughter -- she had asked me to make something for her bedroom. She was thrilled. The style is similar to my earlier work but what the hell... many a famous artist has returned to the same theme.

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-10335935604207325382009-08-24T22:22:00.006+01:002010-03-22T21:53:51.786Z

Exciting news... Art Van Go have asked me to teach a workshop in November. It's a real honour as I still consider myself a learner in mixed media. However, in a former life I was an information specialist and have a great capacity for recalling useful, and sometimes useless, information, which I love to share. This includes mixed media techniques, inspirational books, and web based resources. The

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-12168623240553832192009-08-17T13:49:00.008+01:002010-03-22T21:51:06.957Z

I belong to a Yahoo Group, Altered Books... not been a great contributor more of a lurker. It is the 10th Anniversary of the group and one of the moderators, Corinne Stubson, is making 188 books comprising of individual pages that group members have submitted to celebrate the anniversary. Each of us that has a page in the book will be sent a copy. This is a labour of love by Corinne: I am really

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-50093175653374298182009-08-10T16:33:00.005+01:002010-03-22T21:52:32.963Z

At an Art Van Go workshop with Annette Morgan I made a fabric collage using image transfer. Firstly I tore up images from a non-glossy magazine (newsprint works as well), placed a piece of white nylon on top then brushed with acrylic matte medium. When it was dry the piece was soaked in warm water for 10 minutes or so and then the paper was rubbed off, leaving the ink adhered to the nylon. I

JenHennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-57291381701540684052009-08-10T16:10:00.006+01:002010-03-22T21:50:16.434Z

Took a challenging class in June with Bobby Britnell at Art Van Go -- 'Mixed Media Approaches to Abstract Design'. I ended up working on a pebble with white veins and abstracted it down to several images using different types of media. Chose one of the designs and developed it onto a rectangular canvas by sponging acrylic paint over paper string. Finally the string was rubbed with a gold Markal (

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-57441319358700086042009-07-29T08:43:00.014+01:002010-01-17T13:33:26.049Z

Using Citra-solv with National Geographic pages is a great technique for making collage papers. Paint Citra-solv to one side only of a National Geographic double-page spread, place the "wet" side face down on the the other page & rub the back a little. Use a heat gun to dry the back of the wet page and pages are ready in a minute or so. Peel the pages apart before they stick.In the UK Citra-solv

JenHennoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-74912807959720660922009-07-06T10:27:00.013+01:002009-08-17T21:40:54.969+01:00

The final assessment piece for City & Guilds was to create a design for my chosen craft with Living Forms as the inspiration source. I decided on a handmade book from a single sheet of paper with seashells as the Living Forms (more like dead!). Photos of Tenby, Wales, were the image sources. My Canon printer can print on paper that is 21 x 56cm, which gave me scope for a book that was cut and

JenHennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-86233771276614701222009-07-06T10:07:00.008+01:002009-07-30T15:25:28.142+01:00

Hurrah! I've completed and passed City & Guilds Creative Computing. This was a great course for me, although I am competent in using Photoshop, I was not using it to full advantage as a design tool. I have learnt a lot of new tools... sometiems it was tricky as the course was written for Paintshop Pro users and I had to "translate" the terminology into Photoshop speak!The montages are of Kiev,

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-74480632343987967772009-05-04T09:47:00.005+01:002009-07-30T15:20:01.260+01:00

Long time since the first post. Obviously not totally taken with blogging. However, as Maggie Grey had posted a photo of my altered catalogue on her blog http://www.magstitch.blogspot.com/ I feel encouraged to add the same photo here.It was great fun killing the catalogue and then creating a rather nice 3D work from it. Maggie has such great ideas -- I'm a real fan.Have a look at the Catalogue

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224833606568723288.post-22951397061882253722008-12-26T21:18:00.006Z2009-08-10T16:49:55.729+01:00

Have decided to join the blogging world - musings may be short and infrequent but thought this would be a good place to post some of my dabblings in mixed-media art.The image is one side of my final assessment piece for City & Guild Creative Sketchbooks. I had to make a zig-zag book inspired by architecture -- this is my take on the Vienna Secession, which houses Klimt's Beethoven Frieze. The

JenHennoreply@blogger.com0