BCFM Interview

The month began with guest Gareth Robertshaw telling us what hairdressers do do all day!

BCfm 93.2 fm Wednesday 9th April – http://bcfmradio.com/romawidger

Today my programme featured The Trowbridge Song Project, (yesterday I went to meet Candy Verney and Liz Lavender, the Director and Project Manager of a Community bonding, singing, and archiving project) ; – check it out on line at http://trowbridgesongproject.co.uk/ . This interesting initutive could be repeated elsewhere.

Iceland, the place not the food outlet, was the subject of an interview with Claire who has recently visited. And ‘Back in the Day’ was the Lighthouse Family. Ocean Drive, Lifted, Question of Faith, Postcard From Heaven, were the tracks. Cheap holidays were under scrutiny, and the following websites might usefully flag up house minding/swapping schemes:-
homeexchange.com.
trustedhousesitters.com.
housecarers.com.
homelink.org.uk.
couchsurfing.com.

Bristol etching exhibition at Saint Mary Redcliffe Church Undercroft ARC Cafe

Bristol Etchers exhibit at Saint Mary Redcliffe Church ARC cafe

Jennifer, Bronwen and Natasha evaluating Natashas etching.

Some Bristol Etchers in the Folk House Craft Room

On Saturday, the Bristol Etchers, my Etching students from Bristol Folk House, launched their Spring Exhibition in the ARC Café under Saint Mary Redcliffe Church. The Café have generously agreed to host the exhibition, and if seeing these prints were not incentive enough to call by, the superb cakes, interesting lunches and extensive selection of beverages will be.

Toby tackles the press

This group continually inspire me because they are enterprising and inquisitive; friendly and supportive, and a pleasure to teach.

Oliver inks up his etching plate

Natasha was unable to come either, and here she is, coaxing the press…

Emma could not join us at the launch, but here she is…

Umo Fontana was an illustrator who worked on children’s book projects from the forties to the eighties.  A new book, compiling his work was available at the Bologna Book Fair.

Dr. Giorgia Grilli, professor at the University of Bologna, has just written and compiled a 200 pg volume on the Italian illustrator who worked from the Forties to the Eighties.  She has worked on this project with Fabian Negrin (an Italian-Argentinian illustrator and candidate for the H.C.Andersen and the ALMA Award). The book is in Italian and English and is companion to an important exhibition that was hosted at Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Umo Fontana – (How good is this? Look at the composition…)

Bologna Book Fair

Bologna Book Fair was a cornucopia of Illustration and ideas. From the noticeboard – (constant re posting meant that it was in a permanent state of growth and update), to the style, interpretation and print of every example.

There were several halls of Publishers stands, but my interest was in Illustration; trends and Illustrators.  The ‘Authors Cafe’ formed the nucleus of the Fair – the events and lectures in many languages were continual.

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CLASSES

My classes have tackled Farm Animals; Iconic Views, Cottages, Grand Buildings, Drawing Dancing Figures, ‘Selfies’ – Self Portraits), and Food Illustration this week. Everything is going really well.  Most groups are working towards Spring Exhibitions.  Henbury Art Show and  Westbury on Trym Flower Show  amongst others.

TRAINING AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

As a member of the Embroiderers Guild, I attended a ‘Messy Day’ on 22nd March. Committee members generously offered their ideas and materials for eleven of us to experiment and learn. The experience of working in an experimental way in such an encouraging and friendly group made this day a real example exellent learning experience.  Amongst a host of opportunities I…

*Made buttons, from air dry clay and from lasagne dyed fabric, (we designed and dyed our own, then embellished with gold leaf and fabric pens).
*Printed with wood block.
*Wax embossed.
*Made stamps and stamped design, with various materials including custard creams, pressed into ‘hot foam’ that was then cooled and made into a stamp.
*Used Mahler Stick, (a marker used in the construction trade to mark metal, but used here as a brush on dye).
*Used fabric crayons.
*Marbled with shaving foam and marbling ink.
*Stippled Fabric dye using a template of the London Street Map onto a bag.
…Then went home and embroidered into the results.

I attended ‘Working with Groups’, at Bristol Folk House
on Friday 21st March. How to join and be in a group is part of learning. This group offered a space to bring experiences of teaching groups in the classroom and reflect on our wider experience of being in one group or another and resources for working with groups with Fiona Williams, Head of Arts Psychotherapies at Avon & Wilts NHS Mental Health Partnership Trust and Sarah Parkinson an Art Psychotherapist at AWP who is a Group Analyst.

BCfm 93.2fm

Recent Programmes have included, on 19th February, Kate Debley, who came into the studio and talked about Gloucester Road Women’s Institute, one of the new wave WI’s that are not all Jerusalem and Jam. Perry recalled his top musical highlights from the past 50 years.

Joan, a Teaching Assistant from a school for children with specific needs told us how much she loves her job on 26th February. (We would all want her to look after our children if they needed it!). Back in the Day featured the Fine Young Canniballs.

Kathryn Atkins of Durdham Down Bookshop talking about World Book Day on 5th March; – celebrating that every child receives a £1 token to spend on any one of ten different books published specifically for the event. In the same programme we celebrated Womens Day, by showcasing nine women notable for their lives while living in Bristol, including Clara Butt the singer, Princess Campbell; reformer, and Sarah Guppy, a woman engineer who probably designed the Suspension Bridge attributed to Brunel…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2006/09/26/sarahguppy_feature.shtmland

On 12th March Rebecca Sarll from Fareshare talked us through what the organization does and how it helps our community on (It is not a Food Bank but a food distribution tool; warehousing and distributing exess food to those who need it).

19th March featured local lad Michael Toosalin, who told us why he runs an independent fuel station in Bristol. Back in the Day featured Steeleye Span, and there were tips on getting desperately neglected gardens into usable shape for when summer arrives…

Hope Cove Art Holiday

See the Beautiful Location of Roma’s Hope Cove Holiday

This year I am running an art holiday to Hope Cove in Devon, staying at
Tanfield, an annex of the Cottage Hotel, in its magnificent position above the pretty and secluded fishing village of Hope Cove. Tanfield offers beautiful views; it is a few minutes walk from the sea; and is reserved for the exclusive use of our party.

To Book Click Here