Rachel Capovila: March 2010

Artist & Facilitator

I am a freelance artist based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria in the North West of England. I have worked within the performing and fine arts for 20 years. Initally I worked within the theatre as a performer and on production. Then moving on to a street circus group that performed around the UK. I did my degree BA(hons) Fine Art at Uclan. For fifteen years I have collaborated with local arts organisations, worked on youth community projects and in schools running a variety of creative projects. I am currently a member of North Lonsdale Embroiderers Guild, Blue Tarn, a rural womens artists collective and Trident Textiles, based in Furness. I am always working on a variety of small scale projects including photography, textile and mixed media. Although my favourite thing is meeting and talking to interesting people!

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

New Sewing Machine

Just managed to open and check out my new super duper sewing machine! It is great but a bit complicated so it is going to take a while for me to get used to it especially after the old one i had!

It is a Brother Innovis 350 SE, it is the same as the 400 but apparently this one is cheaper. It should do above and beyond my needs at the moment. What I am hoping is that I can improve on my free motion embroidery and get to use special designs on my home deco stuff. It has over 200 stitches!!!!! There is a internal panel that i can lift up and choose a pattern by inputing the code into the computer bit!

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Catching Up Time

I have not written anything for a while for a couple of reasons. The computer broke, then my husband is on it all evening every evening and I have been very busy. I have been to the North Lonsdale Embroidery Guild a few times and love it! Started my textile art class at Kendal Brewery Arts Centre and loving that. Been doing digital art workshops with Signal Films in Barrow. Been doing lots of outdoors stuff with my brother like ghyll scrambling up Church Beck in Feb in the snow. I fell in and it was rather cold to say the least but I felt like a hero afterwards.

My son Alex turned two and started pre-school for one morning a week and has to wear a uniform. Looks really cute but was not happy about it! As seen here afterwards at his yiayia's house. He loved the nursery though.

It was my husbands 40th birthday last Friday and we went to Liverpool for the weekend. I hired a swanky appartment in Liverpool One. We had a couple of great nights out and did a bit of shopping too. The best was seeing the Mark Rothkos at Tate Liverpool though. I love the old bits of Liverpool mixed with the new!

In two weeks we are skiing with friends in Morzine in France for a week so really looking forward to that. The Winter Olympics has fired up our juices and we really excited. So as you can see I have been busy.....ooooh I almost forgot to mention my new sewing machine arrived and it is great. A Brother Innovis 350 SE. Love it. It is my 40th birthday present 3 years early from my husband. So I m super busy with that too. I have a couple of exhibitions coming up through the guild.

The Custodians Cottage 1999-2006

A couple of us set up this project at the custodians cottage in 1999 by Furness Abbey, with no money and only our tools. We were a group of artists and crafts people who wanted to pass on our skills to young people. Funding from the Heritage Lottery fund then enabled us to programme events and bring in other crafts people to run workshops too. We ran workshops two evenings a week and on the weekends. The building and our displays were open to the public. The project is now closed but this link, click the image, will take you to the facebook group set up by one of the young people. Photos and articles are available to browse.