Tag Archives: exhibitions

Art in Action 2016

07 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in Exhibitions, Inspirations, Spain, stitched textiles, Textile Art

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I am really lucky to be demonstrating and exhibiting at what is going to be the very last Art in Action at Waterperry, in Oxfordshire from July 13th-17th. This extraordinary event was started 40 years ago and has gone from strength to strength. It is surely the best of its kind in the UK and will be sorely missed. Where else can you see hundreds of artists working in every media imaginable, showing you how they create their work, alongside concerts, performances and lectures all held in the stunning grounds at Waterperry. So if you havent got a ticket and can make it come along and see it, its your last chance! You can even watch a flamenco performance this year! So if you come along you will find me in the textiles Demonstrators Marquee working on my sewing machine!

I’ve been busy making new pieces all year, from small portfolio ones to a range of stitched and framed canvases. Here are two of the smaller pieces.

“An Abundance of Poppies” 12cm x 15cm aprox (South Downs UK)

An Abundance of Poppies small

“Amber Glow” 11cm x  14 cm approx (Spanish memories)

Amber Glow

News Update June 2016

18 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by in Drawings, magazine articles, Spain, Textile Art

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It’s been a busy few weeks for me with some great promotion. Firstly my first spread in an Australian magazine, TFF (Textile Fibre Forum) #122 June 16, which shows the way in which my work has changed and progressed over 40 years of making and exhibiting, and then a piece from the wonderful Diana Springall collection of contemporary embroidery was featured and discussed on “MAKE! Craft Britain”, an hour long programme presented by Martha Kearney, on mainstream UK TV BBC4 June 9th 2016. This foray into the world of stitching set about de-bunking the theory that embroidery is craft  rather than art, and Diana eloquently explained why  Britain is still at the fore of embroidery. From the mid 1950s art schools taught  embroidery students alongside the painters and sculptors. Students had to draw, and had to acquire the same skills as well as heir own technical expertise, and I was lucky enough to study at Goldsmiths Art School in the mid-late 60s in this way. Drawing has been fundamental to my own personal progress in textile art, and I have all my sketchbooks since 1980 in my studio, a permanent  reference library, as well as a visual diary.

Here is Spanish Lavender, the piece featured on the TV progamme, 43cm x53cm approx.Spanish Lavender DS collection

and here one of my many drawings Drawing Castille 2

and another

Cepeda drawing001

Petworth Revisited

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in Commissions, Drawings, Embroiderers Guild UK, Exhibitions, galleries, Inspirations, stitched textiles, Textile Art

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I wrote about my work for the Capability Brown Festival in my last entry, explaining how Petworth House in West Sussex was my inspiration, but this was not the first time I had used this beautiful venue for my work. Back in 1997 I relinquished my  post as principal lecturer in the Fine Art department at Chichester University in order to free lance and concentrate purely on making my own work. This was a pretty scary step at the time, waking up each day with no timetable and no commitments other than going ot my studio to stitch! I began to apply for anything that looked possible for textile art, and saw a Festival of Craftmanship advertised. This was being organised by the Surrey Guild with Crafts Council support. Nothing venture, nothing gained, they wanted applications for commissioned pieces. I had  carried out a commission for St Richards hospital in Chichester earlier in 1997, and this had been the catalyst that made me stop teaching. The brief for the commissions was to make work inspired by Petworth as the festival was to be held there in 1998. I was delighted when my ideas and designs were accepted.

As you will see from the images that follow, my work was completely different nearly 20 years ago! At that point architecture was the theme I had been working with, so the house provided me with wonderful starting points. I made a diptych (approx 55cm x 130 cm) each panel for the commission, and made several more pieces that explored architectural features in Chichester and Petworth. I don’t have really good photos of the work, but I think the following gives a clear idea. Here is the diptych where you can see the architectural features of the house and gardens, followed by a detail.

Petworth hanging

Petworth detail small copy

 

drawings of building features Petworth drawing 4 copyPetworth urn 2

and finally one of the other embroideries I made which I still have at home! September Haze, Petworth, 76cm x 60cm approx

Petworth, September copy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selecting Ideas

30 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Drawings, Exhibitions, Inspirations, stitched textiles

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I’m often asked what I am going to do next, and the answer is usually I dont know, I have to wait and see. I am constantly looking at land formations, light patterns, textures and so on, and will draw or make notes without knowing exactly where my thinking will end. This summer we visited friends who live in a small village on the banks of the Loire. We went out drawing, watched the river change daily at different times, and passed fields of varying colours and textures. On one journey, a splash of brilliant purple colour in the distance was too intriguing not to investigate, and we couldn’t identify the source from a distance. When we reached the field we found delphiniums being grown, perhaps for seed. A riot of pink, purple, blue and white, set against a golden green backdrop. Here I’m showing you the flowers, a drawing I did, and a small embroidery that I made on our return to the UK.

Delph photo

Delph 2 pic

My drawing took about two hours, pencil, ink, and fibre tipped pens that run when you wet them. I tried here to extract enough information to be able to start stitching.

Delph drawing001

and this is the first small piece I made. It found a new home on its first outing. My intentions are to go forward from this and work a larger piece that is perhaps more abstract, looking at the contrasting shapes and colours. I never seek to imitiate, only to investigate.

Delphiniums

and finally a detail, I haven’t tried to draw individual flowers, but to say something about the ways in which the colours overlap and merge. If these ideas do develop I’ll show them in a future post!

Delphiniums stitch detail

Art in Action 2015 Textiles

06 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by in Exhibitions, Inspirations, Textile Art

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I am lucky enough to be demonstrating again this year in the textiles marquee at Art in Action, the largest and best visual arts fest in the uk. Not just the arts but music, performance, lectures, amazing food tents and so on are there, making it a not-to be-missed event.  The dates this year are July 16th-19th at Waterperry House, nr Wheatley, Oxford. http//:www.artinaction.co.uk

This year the other textile demonstrators include Wendy Dolan, Roanna Wells, and Diana Springall, who is showing part off her wonderful embroidery collection. I’m honoured to have work in it as well. My piece in the collection is based on my visits to Spain and dates from 2008

Spanish Lavender CN

Artists have also been invited to contemplate the theme Life’s Journey, and I’ve responded to this. Here is my piece which I’ve called “Towards the Horizon” 35cm x45cm approx plus framing. I’ve tried to put together aspects of the landscapes that have influenced me, with copper bands that take the eye through the fields to the horizon beyond.

Towards the Horizon_cropped

Exhibition Preparation, Chichester Art trail 2015

21 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Drawings, Exhibitions, Inspirations, stitched textiles, UK textile artists

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This post features not just my textiles, but life drawing and painting by my husband Albert, so do take a look! With several exhibitions coming up, I’ve been making new pieces to tie in with my current themes of light and shadow, especially looking at the different seasons. The first show is Chichester Art Trail in May, which I’ll be doing here in my home with Albert, who is showcasing a series of new life drawings alongside some of his paintings. The mix of paintings, drawings and textiles makes it more interesting for visitors who can see how differently we both interpret the same subjects. The textile and painting here are both inspired by the same area of Spain.

The trail is on the following days, May 2/3/4 and 9/10. All details from http://www.chichesterarttrail.org

and here are a few images to whet your appetite!

The tools of the trade-my sewing machine, threads and sketchbook

Carol Naylor, close up of textile

Gold and Silver Light-memories of Spanish evenings in Castille

Golden Light small file

Life drawing by Albert Naylor

Life Study in conte001

One of Albert’s abstract Spanish landscapes from Castille

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Sewing the Land

05 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Exhibitions, Inspirations, Processes, stitched textiles, Textile Art

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It’s been awhile since I posted, but I’ve been getting ready for my exhibition “Sewing the Land” at the Old Chapel Textile Centre in Greenham, Newbury, UK. This is an interesting venue, as in the 80s it was the chapel for the troops on Greenham common during the nuclear missile crisis. It’s now the home of the National Needlework Archives and I was invited to put on an exhibition in their gallery area. This has been an interesting challenge. I wanted to do something a little different, so I’ve put up work that spans the last ten years, from a hanging made for another one person show in 2004 to some of my most recent pieces. The exhibition is now open until December 6th,details from the centre on both facebook and of course from the following websites

http://www.nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk

http://www.carolnaylor.co.uk

When people say to me “what are you doing next” my answer is invariably “I don’t know until it happens” This exhibition shows how both my imagery and stitching have changed and metamorposed during this decade. From large abstract river hangings, that used both aerial photography, maps and memory, to site specific pieces that draw on landscape observed on my travels.

The Mountains of Mourne are on show again and contrast well with the more abstract hangings

C Naylor, Mountains of Mourne

Blue and Lilac shadows is part of a series of smaller works looking at lavender fields in the UK, France and Spain

blue and Lilac shadows

Arunscape is a diptych based on local area maps, experiences, rivers and many other ideas, this is part of one of the panels.

Arunscape, first panel

Arunscape is part of a diptych rarely seen, and I have enjoyed looking at it again.

Brighton Art Fair 2014

21 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by in Exhibitions, Inspirations, Processes, stitched textiles, Textile Art

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I’m busy preparing my work for Brighton Art Fair which takes place from September 26th-28th. For non UK readers of this blog, Brighton is situated on the south coast, a really lively and historic town centre.  I shall be showing the Skyfall series, some of which have featured in earlier posts here, as well as smaller, more intimate pieces. I like to contrast detailed, impressionistic works with larger more gestural pieces. As most of the other exhibitors will be showing painting and printmaking, I’ll be one of a handful of textile artists. Here are a couple of images for you. The first is a smaller piece that measures approximately 20cm square mounted onto a canvas and in a box frame to make the overall dimensions 33cm square. The second image is a detail of the sky from Skyfall 1, a windy day on the Downs

Hints of Lavender001EPSON scanner image

Robert Frost influences

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by in Exhibitions, Inspirations, poetry, stitched textiles, Textile Art

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With the Chichester Art Trail over, a number of works have found new homes, which is always gratifying! In particular a favourite piece of mine called  “Sierra 1” went to a new customer. It was one of four pieces I made inspired by the poem “Nothing Gold can Stay” by the wonderful Robert Frost. An image follows with images of Sierra 2 and 4 as well. I was trying to look at the way in which the light changes throughout the day, altering the way in which we perceive colour, which is so beautifully expressed in this poem.I havent reproduced the poem here as I’m not sure about copyright! Sierra 1 is about early morning, and the other three pieces looked at different times of the day. Read the poem and you’ll see what I mean. Poetry and songs have helped me formulate ideas on a number of occasions. Thomas Hardy is another, and even titles from Joan Baez songs have found their way into my visual repertoire! I’ll save those for another post!

Here is Sierra 1, early morning in central Spain, the source of so much personal inspiration

Sierra_edited-1

Sierra 2, as the golden light turns to green

Sierra 2

 

Sierra 4, morning light revisited

Sierra 1V

Chichester Art Trail 2014, textiles, paintings and more

01 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Exhibitions, Inspirations, Textile Art, UK textile artists

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Once again we are opening our doors to the general public as part of Chichester Art Trail, five days in May, May 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th and 11th. There’s always much to do, but we are now almost ready. Any UK based followers who are not too far from us would be most welcome! I shall have my usual range of textiles, from hangings to small and larger framed or mounted works. Some of these have already been aired on this blog, but the following photos will give an idea of both the work and our home. Husband Albert has some lovely paintings, large and small, life drawings and prints and you’ll see some on the photos too. Open houses rae great experiences. You meet the general public who actually choose to visit you as well as family and friends who are loyal supporters. I hope you enjoy the snapshots that follow.

Trail 1Trail 2Trail 3Trail 4