Today I gave  a lecture on colour in art especially fibre art ie knitting and felting for me .It has taken me months to write the notes for this and try to be clear .

I have been asked back to give further work ideas with his theme in mind and I thank all for coming .

We conducted the 2nd half outside before the rain came and everyone was given a rectangle border of card and a pack of pens (my favourite carry everywhere paint pen )they were asked to just look through the aperture in the card rectangle and then on a separate piece of card just put paint splodges as near to the colours as they could see –not exact shades hues and tints and tones just plain colour .

Amazing from everyone there only 4 people put down more than 3 colours.It is not to do with being artistic or not artistic it is to do with observing and looking hard.My card had 9 colours on and they wanted to know where I had focused on –well exactly the same place most of them had the difference being I look to see not look to look.Even sky peeping through a lime tree was actually 3 differing colours alone and the periwinkle in front of the lime had 3 colours in so we have 6 and I had not put the lime in, the fence colour ,or the brick wall covered with ivy at the side of my vision.

When I go to sketch I sketch what I see, what I have looked for, even the snail  shell  next to my delphiniums (trying hard to grow) has 3 or 4 colours there.I am not an arty artist I cannot draw but I can see what is in front of me and if you try going out and just write down the colours you can see in a 10 by 10 aperture in front of your eyes you amaze yourself .

Next step is to use the colours in the work you are doing whether it is dyeing ,drawing ,felting,knitting etc. I need 4 main colours for my work and a stray, my stray is something that I feel sets it off, makes it shout, calms it down whatever I am trying to achieve . Tonights work has been orange and wheat and greens and tans my stray is sharp lemon ,it has worked it has achieved the look my soul is singing about and I am happy.

I f you are really new to using colour boldly and finding combinations around you, decide to use 2 and add a third in which will be a total contrast,so the green of the periwinkle ,the mauve of her flowers and then the pinky pink of the paeony peeping in .They will not clash, nature always sorts it .

If you do not have an inspiring garden go to a nursery and just wander around looking at how the arrangements have been placed for best selling point or look at a natural selection of aquilegias and the many colours contained in just  1 flower,sit and look at the sky for half an hour and put paint down to represent each differing shade you see in that time .

I am going to have a competition in May for the most unusual colour combination and the prize will be 1 of my self dyed felt waterfall tops made up in your colours,these  can be seen at my new store ,if you do come over to visit do pop in and see Clasheens new shop Nicola will be pleased to see you too.

Remember look to see not just to look