Photography Archives - Jane Mercer Felt Artist

Five things that have inspired me on a local walk

After more than a year of restricted movements due to COVID, I have gone for a walk regularly but nothing I saw to inspire me. I did not take a single photograph in months. On the plus side, the exercise was good. One cold snowy sunny morning this began to change. I took this photo. And I thought maybe I will walk this way again and take some more photos. There is nothing special about this walk. It's about 5 Km, a circular route from my house taking in a local lane called Ings Lane and some fishing lakes and a disused railway track. Structures on my walk There are lots of gates, fences and a railway bridge with crumbling brickwork. Ageing Lots of items are showing their age and looking very dilapidated Maybe this is an old horse box ? Wild Flowers Slowly the remnants of the plants from last year…

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11/04/2021

Armley Mill / machine stitching / Photography / Stitches / Textile art / Wet felting / Yorkshire

Why my love of textile machines is inspiring me.

In a dark mouldy area on the ground floor of Armley mill there are three fulling machines, textile machines, in a room that once housed many. The machines were driven by water and large hammers smashed the wet woven cloth , shrinking it and making it warmer and water resistant. On the more airy first floor of the mill amongst the warping, carding and spinning machines stand two jacquard head textile machines. These complex, intricate machines allowed the automation of the weaving process and were at the very start of the development of computers. Each machine contians hundreds of threads and beautiful cast levers, cogs and wheels. Two totally amazing and totally different textile machines both key to the development of the woollen textile industry. Armley Mill is the industrial museum of Leeds , containing not only textile machines, but a cinema and photography equipment exhibits. Plus lots of artefacts relating to…

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07/01/2018

Eco Dyeing / jewellery / Photography / Wet felting

Frustrating week

Everything this week seems to have gone not quite right. Firstly I have finished framed and hung on the wall , nine felt pieces. These pieces originated from a felted jacket that did not fit too well. They are simply framed in wood box frames. I am very pleased with them but unfortunately I can photograph them in situ , due to reflections . Well I can but they don't look so good, Perhaps non reflective glass is the answer , but that's quite a bid deal to change them all. Here is the best I can do. So I have come up with a bit of a cheat. All individually photographed and then added here one by one. On my screen this is a square , not…

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04/03/2016

Drawing / Photography / Uncategorized / Wet felting

Rocks

I went to Australia last November and one of the things I became entranced by was the rocks. Of course the koalas, penguins and kangeroos were lovely , but nothing like the rocks. With moving house I have not had time to look back at all the rock photos I took until this week . They give me lots of ideas for felted , natural dyed pictures. Firstly at the coast , pounded by the South Pacific seas, I loved the strata and circular patterns, and the repeating nature of the marks . Moving inland to the Grampians I thought the scenery was stunning. And when you got up close so were the rocks I am inspired again. I hope I will have time soon for some drawing and felting based on these photos.

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28/02/2016