Bath Textile Summer School, Day 2

Class, the Abbey & Roman Baths~ all in same day!

 Second day in class went by like a flash. My students were so polite and attentive~ I had worried that my class of 15 would be too large and not allow me enough time to get round to give each their individual attention, but I think it went well. They caught on and progressed nicely with their Ladies~ they were just a joy to teach and I am so much looking forward to seeing their baskets!

On my lunch I snuck out a bit to enjoy the rest of the Holburne Museum~ they really have a wonderful collection. I particularly like to study original paintings to further my fashion research. Extant children's clothing is really so scant, that I turn to paintings alot to study how particular pieces were originally worn on the body, and to help learn more about the pieces I have here at the Lady's Repository.  I was quite drawn to this painting for details of her gown...but then when I read more, she became even more special.

Firstly, the painter was herself a Ladye, Angelica Kauffmann~ and I dont know many female 18th c painters. But her subject was Henrietta Laura Pulteney,  a name which was familiar to me from the beautiful Pulteney Bridge....and in reading the placard further, Henrietta and her father created Pulteney Street, and the gardens the Holburne Museum is located at.

After class, I visited the Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths~ which share this great courtyard. 

One of the features on the outside of the Abbey that I loved were the Angels climbing down the ladder from Heaven....I want to find a way to incorporate them into my embroidery.

Inside the Abbey is peaceful, yet breathtaking

The Abbey is much older than the ceiling, which was done in fan vaulted stonework in the 1860s. Click the link to the Abbey above and check out the history of it, its really quite remarkable.

 Across from the Abbey,  are the Roman Bath's & Pump Room.

 The entire city of Bath was founded round the Roman Baths~ people would come from far away to take the waters and try to heal their ailments. What is the second level in the picture above, is present day Bath ground level...but the spring below was ground level in Roman times when the temple was built up around the natural. mineral spring

Bath Abbey can be seen behind

 I cant remember if I ever showed the travel box I made for the Bath Arbor Basket on the blog. I needed something to carry it across the pond safely in, so I made this maple box. I painted the rose garland on the lid before I left, because I didnt want it to look so plain for one, and another, to prove what I was bringing home with me, was mine and not something I bought in England. Of coarse I had a vision of painting little vignettes of special places along my trip on the lid and round the sides. (I am no stranger to my visions and reality not matching....)

While I love to paint, there are things I hate painting and so try to never paint....portraits are number one....and number two, is water. Water is my nemesis.... I really really do hate painting water! 

 So I was trying to decide what should go on the lid of my box, and I thought to myself, what is the first thing I think of, my most special moment in Bath? It was laying my own eyes on the Pulteney Bridge with Heike...so before I even realized what I was thinking, the bridge was already on the box.

As I got to the the reflection below the bridge, little devil on my shoulder was dying laughing at me~ look at all that water he says....and not only water, but a weir to boot!  It turned out hideous...I think it looks like a big shark mouth with layers of teeth.....HA. But what is life if one cannot step back and have a good laugh at their own expense....I knew I should have painted the Holburne Museum on the lid.....