Tuesday 31 March 2015

Stealing a March Out on the Grange


Out exploring the Grange we met Mark Dainty


who has just opened a new independent bike shop, Cycle Mad.


Mark believes is in the same unit as a bike shop in the '50s - Garleys and showed us a photograph of another branch of Garleys which used to be in Kettering town centre. Cycle Mad has charted its opening via its Facebook pageThe shop is located on Hampden Crescent, Kettering.


Mark is a mine of information and well worth a visit!


We also spotted a tree being felled


Racing cars


and a bear which we shared with Grayson Perry's 
Twitter feed @AlanMeasles!

All the images from March walks can be found here

Join Miles and Dacombe for a Art Walk in Stoke



Forward Footing
A Postcard from London Road, 
Stoke-on-Trent, 14 April

Join artist Carole Miles and Jo Dacombe for a walk in Stoke-on-Trent on the afternoon of Tuesday 14 April, the walk is entitled A Postcard from London Road. We are teaming up with another artist, Dan Thompson, for this walk - you can find out more on our blog here.



We also have some other dates shaping up including NW Leicestershire, keep checking this page for the full list of dates and updates.

If you are wondering "How Can I Get There?" and you are on the London Midland line you could join us using this deal 


If you would like to come on a walk or need more information, please email us at milesanddacombe@virginmedia.com

Images from the walks are now being collated on our gallery Flickr page.

Sunday 8 March 2015

A Gift and a Garden


On a grey, rainy morning at The green Patch, 
Carole received a message from a friend 
who works in a local Garden Centre


"We have some plants that are past their best,
 do you think that The Green Patch 
might be able to use them?"


Carole and Nigel went to investigate 
and returned with a wonderful collection of 
past their best (for this season) plants, herbs, 
strawberry plants and bird feeders.


Such kindness totally banished the grey 
clouds and Carole and Nigel completely 
forgot that they were damp from head to toe! 



As a thank you for the contact 


lovely Green Patch volunteers planted some 
tubs and containers to make a little garden 


by The Mollie. Many of the plants have been 
planted in the Bee Garden, whilst others are in 
new borders around the site.


Sharing, creating and growing together helps build communities, supports wellbeing, makes opportunities to create new friendships and a brighter future for us all. The Green Patch and the Avondale Grange Ward are special places and we feel so lucky to be working and connecting with the community during our View From Here project.

The View From Here Mosaics Update



The first four mosaic panels for The Green Patch have been completed


  and with the first fine day Carole Miles and Phiona Richards


donned gloves and applied the grout, a messy job but 
enjoyable when the final results were revealed.



Halloween Pumpkin Lanterns


Homemade Tomato Soup


Broadbeans, Cabbage, Carrots, Turnip (possibly upside down)


Duck Eggs

You can see how the designs were made here and here
and how the panels developed here

Thursday 5 March 2015

The View From Here - Springing Forwards


The group have been working with Carole, 
Sue and Nigel at The Green Patch.


Carole showed the group how to make simple prints
by drawing gently but firmly into polystyrene sheets


The plates were rolled with three colours


then burnished using the flat of the palm.







Prints


Some will be added to our 
View From Here books


Plates after inking can be reused with different colours


Snacks


We went out onto the green Patch, collected twigs


and Sue showed the group how to create 


a twiggy frame for prints to take home for Mothers Day


Wednesday 4 March 2015

Preparing For World Book Night at KBA & The Green Patch

Inspired by the lovely World Book Night Book Wrap we have been using recycled materials to create our own wraps for the World Book Night event. We have held printing sessions lead by artist Carole Miles at The Kettering Buccleuch Academy and The Green Patch, we are very excited about how our wraps are taking shape!


We used foam packaging material as printing blocks


and painted textile inks onto them with sponge brushes.


We pressed the blocks onto the fabric 
to create bookshelf inspired patterns.


At KBA, whilst the work was drying


participants had a go at simple screen printing








Block printing again


at The Green Patch.


Margot, one of our volunteers


then used textile stamps


to print 


We will sew a pocket into one end to house the book and then wrap and tie the fabric around them. You can see the complete set of images here

If you live in the Avondale Grange ward, particularly in Margaret Rd, Cora Rd, Doris Rd, Edith Rd, Judith Rd, Dorothy Rd, Naseby Rd, Jean Rd, Stamford Rd, Lime Rd, Gorse Rd, Ivy Rd, Centre Parade, Heather Rd, Aster Rd, Almond Rd, Dahlia Rd, Weekly Glebe Rd and would like one of the books we have to give out please contact us.

If you would like to join a small, creative, friendly group to make a mosaic for the Green Patch, write a poem, learn a craft, have a coffee, make new friends?  Then contact :-

Carole Miles, 
Back To Books      
0796 - 905 0891
email – Fingerprints07@hotmail.co.uk

Carole can also be found in The Mollie - our project base / studio / caravan on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

If you attend KBA and would like to become involved in our Threads and Chatter sessions our next session will take place at 3.15 on March 18th. For more information please contact Mr Rob Walker at The Kettering Buccleuch Academy @kba_community