Amazing how things go – I said farewell to not one but two key paintings from my Signification of the Poppy series this week.
Jacqueline Hammond with sold painting Breakthrough
One’s going to a friend who must’ve brought me good luck as the other one sold on my website a few days later! Yes it’s time to paint some more.
SOLD! Breakthrough by Jacqueline Hammond , acrylics on canvas, 60x60cm
Breakthrough – Painting by Jacqueline Hammond
This painting ‘Breakthrough’ has been very popular, a best-selling print even, but for some reason I’ve hung on to it. That is until an old friend who had his eye on it several years ago got in touch to see if it was still available. I’m really pleased its going to a good home, and made someone I know really chuffed.
The other poppy painting sold on my website a few days later. ‘Field of Dreams’ is a larger canvas featuring a dreamy, imaginary landscape with fields of poppies bursting with life and colour.
Artist Jacqueline Hammond with sold painting ‘Field of Dreams’
SOLD! Field of Dreams by Jacqueline Hammond, acrylics on canvas, 90x90cm
Field of Dreams – Painting by Jacqueline Hammond
Even though the originals have now gone, both are available as prints from my website www.jacquelinehammond.co.uk
Very popular as fine art prints Smart Deco developed the print to produce designer art print fabric to make deckchairs, lampshades and cushions. The poppy is a striking motif and looks so vivid in this painterly style.
Featured trend by WGSM at Spring Fair International, as seen here – our Poppy Bag in a display –
Poppy bags by Jacqueline Hammond selected by retail experts to represent a key trend for 2014 at Spring Fair Gift Box Hall 5
Poppy print fabric, prints and paintings by Jacqueline Hammond
The original series of paintings depict the traditional landscape of poppy fields but with a contemporary edge that combines the beauty of flowers with the symbolic role of the poppy in association with war throughout history.
‘The Signification of the Poppy’ began with a painting created for a web based competition in 2007 called ‘Seeking Picasso’ in which Jacqueline was a finalist. The theme was ‘A Troubled World.’ She was later commissioned by one of the judges to produce a series of paintings for exhibition.
Poppies for Remembrance Day in Brighton’s Jubilee Library
The works finely depict the poppy as a metaphor.’Remembrance Blast’ is the poppy worn for Remembrance Day: another life, another loss. Others depict farmed opium poppies; their beauty offset by the reason for their existence. There’s a simplicity with blue sky and horizons, most iconic, the piece Breakthrough’ represents survival.
‘Blowing in the Wind‘ and Carpet of Red’ are the pieces in which details are reproduced on fabric.
A field of flowers can be more than a pretty picture.
Just got a tweet from the History Society at Cronton Sixth Form College “who voted to fundraise for a memorial at the College, in honour of the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of World War One…
.. the students chose a print of a painting by artist Jacqueline Hammond for the memorial, titled ‘Opening Horizon’. The painting depicts a landscape of poppy fields below a large expanse of sky, which the Society felt represented a future of peace and hope.”
The History Society at Cronton, near Widnes in Cheshire and a print of my painting ‘Opening Horizon’ which they chose as a memorial in honour of the beginning of World War One
At the start of the year, The History Society at Cronton Sixth Form voted to fundraise for a memorial at the College, in honour of the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of World War One.
Students held a bake sale to raise money for the memorial, selling cakes and biscuits linked to the theme of remembrance; the students managed to raise just over £100.
The History Society chose a print of a painting by artist Jacqueline Hammond for the memorial, titled ‘Opening Horizon’. The painting depicts a landscape of poppy fields below a large expanse of sky, which the Society felt represented a future of peace and hope.
Opening Horizon Jacqueline Hammond 60x60cm Acrylics on canvas
History Society president, Elizabeth Gregory from Widnes, said, “Some of the boys who gave their lives were younger than we in the History Society are now; this is why it is so important to honour their sacrifice. The world may be a completely different place today without their bravery”.
Fellow Society President, William Pridden from Warrington, added, “With the 100 year anniversary of World War One; now more than ever is there a responsibility to commemorate and celebrate the bravery on both sides of the conflict.”
Society member, Jack Walsh from Runcorn, said, “We must always remember those who have died in conflict throughout history; fighting for what is right and just. Without the sacrifice of these men both today and back then, we would not be the society we are today.”
The painting will be permanently displayed in the brand new conservatory area at the College, along with a commemorative plaque.
Claire Parkin, History tutor at Cronton, commented, “I would like to say how proud I am of the society and their dedication to this cause, not only have they made sure the war is permanently remembered at the College, they have engaged the wider college community in the remembrance of this centenary year.”
The Signification of the Poppy’ series began with a painting created for a web based competition in 2007 – ‘Seeking Picasso’ in which I was a finalist.
In week 3 the theme was ‘A Troubled World’ and the painting I produced was inspired by the situation in Afghanistan at the time and the metaphor of the poppy and its association with war.
Here are some images of the preliminary work behind the piece:
Sketch for poppy painting by Jacqueline Hammond
Mindmap
Sketch for poppy painting by Jacqueline Hammond
Sketch for poppy painting by Jacqueline Hammond
Sketch for poppy painting by Jacqueline Hammond
The final piece – A Troubled World, 70x70cm, Acrylics on canvas, Jacqueline Hammond
After the painting challenge came to an end I was commissioned by one of the judges from Seeking Picasso to produce a series of paintings for The McNeill Gallery, Radlett, Hertfordshire. This series was exhibited in the gallery and led to further representation. http://www.mcneillgallery.com (the gallery has now relocated to Pewsey in Wiltshire)
Artist Jacqueline Hammond’s poppy paintings series McNeil Gallery
Synopsis to the Signification of the Poppy series:
The works finely depict the poppy as a metaphor. Some represent the emblem of poppy worn for Remembrance Day: another life, another loss. Others depict farmed opium poppies; their beauty offset by the reason for their existence, these represent the many current causes of conflict. In ‘A Troubled World’ and ‘Carpet of Red’ the suggestion of war is confirmed in the distance, where the rolling green hills when viewed more closely have a river of blood running between them, flowing down from the bloodshed in the barren, sandy, habituated hills.
Just proves beauty can be deceiving. A field of flowers; more than a pretty picture.
War. Driving Miss Poppy Potty Jacqueline Hammond 2014 Mixed media
The series became a collection – View the collection here
Poppy bags by Jacqueline Hammond for SmartDeco at Spring Fair Gift Box Hall 5Poppy Bags by Jacqueline Hammond featured in the Gift Box at Spring Fair – retail trend for 2014/15
Visitors to North East museums can explore the impact of the First World War on the region through a series of fascinating exhibitions and workshops.
Wor Life 1914-18, Tyne & Wear in the First World War, has been given a £205,000 cash injection from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
It comes as the region celebrates English Tourism Week and figures show visitors to Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives venues are on the up so far this year, with Newcastle’s Discovery Museum fetching an extra 15,000 and the city’s Great North Museum also up by 20,000.
Wor Life 1914-18 will delve into the period’s impact as the region marks the war’s centenary, with a series of art and history exhibitions, community projects, local history displays, commemoration events and a mobile phone app.
Coun Ged Bell, chairman of Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums Joint Committee, said: “When people think about WWI they tend to think about the horror of the battlefields but the impact of the war was far-reaching and changed the lives of those back home as well.
“Thanks to this generous funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund we will be telling the stories of people living in Tyne and Wear during WWI and the amazing contribution they made to the war effort. This promises to be an extraordinary programme of exhibitions, events and activities and we hope as many people as possible come along and find out about their region’s role in the Great War.”
Coun John Kelly, Sunderland City Council’s portfolio holder for public health, wellness and culture added: “Sunderland, along with the rest of the North East can be proud of the contribution it made to the wider war-effort during the First World War.
“As time passes it becomes ever-more difficult to imagine the reality of day to day life a century ago. With this in mind, this programme will help young and old appreciate the conditions at home and work during the dark days of war.”
Ivor Crowther, of Heritage Lottery, said: “The many-layered Wor Life 1914-18 project will enable the people of Tyne and Wear to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and help local young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”
A programme of seven exhibitions will look at subjects including the changing role of women during
the war, the region’s industrial input into the war effort and the psychological trauma suffered by returning soldiers. The first exhibition, Paintings of World War I, will open at the Laing Art Gallery on May 10.
Exhibitions will also be on show at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend, Discovery Museum and Tyne &
Wear Archives in Newcastle, Newcastle University’s Hatton Gallery and Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens.
I’d like to introduce Nadine Rose who has become a stockist of my designs. We met at the trade show in Birmingham, where she took an interest in my work. She has just launched her boutique and online store www.nadinerose.co.uk. I’d like others to hear the story and motives behind her enterprise which as rich in heritage as the decorative textiles she’s so passionate about.
Nadine Rose
Nadine has had a love of textiles and the Islamic world since she was a child growing up in Tehran. Since that time she has travelled the world seeking out decorative and unique embroideries and fabrics from countries such as Guatemala, Indonesia, Oman and Afghanistan.
Combining her love of learning about the world with collecting and sourcing beautiful products is a dream come true, and for the past seven years Nadine has been selling textiles from a number of countries in order to showcase the talents and rich heritage of these communities. Some of the products which she has identified are increasingly hard to find.
The labour of love found invested in a decorative handmade embroidery, rug or hanging cannot be ignored, and Nadine wishes to collaborate with designers and craft people across the globe to share these spectacular works of art with a market closer to home.
Wanting to understand more about the stories behind the textiles and other products which she has encountered led Nadine to study at the V&A Museum on its Islamic Art course as well as the museum’s Textiles and Interior Design courses.
Ikat cushion made from suzani embroideries, most are over fifty years old and come from Uzbekistan. The ikat cushions I sell are silk and cotton handloomed and contemporary. They are warpfaced plain weave silk warp, cotton weft ikats. Ikat is a style of weaving that uses a tiedye process on the warp threads before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design. It is a laborious process as it requires a multi process of tying and dyeing which must be done carefully.
Nadine successfully produced and manufactured high-quality cotton bedlinen with a partner whilst living in Oman. Now back home Nadine is focusing on identifying unique and amazing designs which are hard to find in the UK and on bringing those products to her customers – thus providing a marketplace to a new generation of overseas designers and crafts people. Having been an early student of development studies one of Nadine’s passions is social responsibility and she remains keen to play a part in creating economic opportunities for small businesses in developing countries, particularly for women.
Upon launch she revealed how the seeds were sewn
Today I am celebrating the launch of my new shop and web-site. It is a dream come true and has taken nine years to come to fruition although the seeds were sewn even before that.
Twelve years ago we sponsored a little girl in Ethiopia called Mekdes, she was four at the time and within a year of us sponsoring her she was orphaned. Knowing that she had three sisters I worried that they might not have the means to survive so left my two tiny daughters behind and set off to find them.
It wasn’t difficult as they live in a highland town called Lalibela where everybody knows everybody, the first thing I discovered about them was that their mother was highly respected. When I met the girls they were at the family house, however their home was the chicken shed as they were renting out the main (wattle) house and the income was just enough for them to buy what they needed to eat. They were also managing to attend school which was hugely important.
With Mekdes holding my hand and calling me mother I asked them all what they wanted to do with their futures. Hiwot, the eldest at 15 who had immediately taken on the responsibility of being the head of the family, wanted to be a pharmacist. Meseret, age 14, wanted to work in business, Juli, then 6 wanted to be a nurse or doctor and Mekdes at 5 wished to be a water engineer. Incredible goals!
Over the past twelve years, with the immense kindness and help from family and friends, I have been able to support the four girls with all of their costs. They have worked so incredibly hard and it hasn’t been easy at times. For Hiwot in particular, she has coped with having to be the role model to her sisters and for three years worked as a rural health worker – it would take her an entire day to walk over the mountains to the clinic. She has reaped the rewards of her efforts and is now a pharmacist in the local hospital.
Meseret is the one who has inspired me to set up my shop. Nine years ago we discussed ways that she could start her own sewing business after which I felt that I couldn’t possibly try to help her with something I didn’t know how to do myself and so the seed was planted. She has been through accountancy college and now works for a private company in Addis Ababa. Juli is coming to the end of her studies, she is a lab technician but may be keen to pursue more studies in medicine or nursing – the conversations are taking place now. Little Mekdes, now 17, graduates from a private school in Addis this summer and it is hoped will go on to study Civil Engineering at University, she has always been within the top 5 in her class and is extremely strong in maths.
The five of us Roses spent a week with the four of them last June, such a happy time for us all. I continue to support the three younger ones but Hiwot is now financially independent, 10% of my profits go towards this and I hope that in time I can support other young people in their studies.
Hammond Cuban Car Lampshade at Nadine Rose
The concept behind the store is to tell stories; telling the story behind each product – how it is made, by whom, how old it is, what it would originally have been used for if it is old, and where it is from. The stories showcase the design aesthetic behind the product and help bring past and present together. All the products on offer are made using traditional methods and therefore support communities and workers who are carrying on the heritage of their countries. Each piece is individually chosen for its colour, pattern and the quality of work whether it is from Turkey, Nepal, Afghanistan, Central Asia, France, the UK or elsewhere.
Passionate about textiles, Nadine’s goal is to source the unusual no matter whether a product is old or new, and to find new uses for traditional pieces by creating bespoke cushions, armchairs, footstools and wall hangings. These designs can be custom made to reflect the story of the owner, and an entire home can be decorated according to the colour palette of a carefully chosen textile, thus creating an interesting, layered, homely and liveable environment.
