Brenda Christison
BRENDA Christison is one of the UK’s leading artists creating in the medium of felt, and her work can be seen in the popular Fabrication outlets in Leeds, on Briggate, and York, on Coney Street, as well as galleries in Northallerton and Staithes. Once a head teacher, Brenda discovered her new talent during the pandemic lockdowns, and her skills have found acclaim ever since.
I’m currently reading: An extraordinary novel called The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cakes, by an American writer called Aimee Bender. It’s a bizarre title, I know, but it’s a particularly accurate one, because it’s all about a young girl who has a particular gift – she can tell, from a very early age, the emotions that have gone into the food that someone has cooked. And then it turns out that her brother has another ‘gift’ as well. I’ve always been a great reader, and I can recall frequent visits to our local library as a child, and getting out as many books as I was allowed. There used to be a wonderful bookshop in the Shambles in York, where I’d be found spending any pocket money, or cash which I’d been given as a birthday or Christmas present. My mother read to me, and one of the great joys of my former career in teaching were the reading sessions we’d have with the children at the end of the school day. That was always a huge pleasure, watching their faces as their imaginations were sparked. Storytelling is so important. My degree at University was in English – but I think that the first books that I really loved were all the ones by Enid Blyton. Novels are my own preferred taste, but sometimes there may be a thriller, as long as there’s the minimum of blood and gore.
I’ve been listening to: BBC Radio 2, and a lot of it. It’s always on in the background when I’m crafting pieces, or when I’m driving to Northallerton or Staithes, so that it’s my companion on the move as well. I like Vernon Kay’s show, but I used to loath Jeremy Vine for being too antagonistic. That’s changing, as I see how clever he is at getting people with two or more points of view put their cases across. Let’s say that he’s growing on me? The great thing about radio, and music as you work is that you can listen as you go.
On TV, I’ve been watching: Make it at Market, which looks at a pair of crafters each week, and where a pair of experts in their field give them advice on how to hone their skills – and how to market them as well. To get them in front of potential buyers and collectors. They’ve had so many people from so many fields on so far, everything from talented people who make stained glass to potters and, well, you name it. So far, however, there hasn’t been one felt-maker, and all I’m saying is, well, you now know I’m here, and, if I get the call, I shall be there.
The live performance I’d recommend is: I was persuaded to go and see Kate Rusby
at the Barbican here in York at the end of last year, someone else very kindly got the tickets, and asked me along. I didn’t know quite what to expect, but the evening was a sheer delight, totally uplifting, and what a wonderful person she is. Kate told a lot of stories between her songs, and it was a pleasure from beginning to end.
My next boxed set will be – or I’ll be streaming…..?:
Afterlife, with Ricky Gervaise. I’m afraid that Clive wasn’t that impressed with The Office, and was rather put off Mr Gervais for quite some while. But I think that I may be changing his mind, and I am attempting to persuade him. This series is multistranded, about grief and sadness, and also rather moving. But it is also about celebrating life and there’s a lot of humour here.
The App I couldn’t be without is:
Instagram and Facebook – both of which we used a lot at school, mainly for marketing purposes. But, with me developing my craft work, they have both taken on a whole new importance, and it is a pleasure to keep in contact with the International Feltmakers Association, of which I am a member.
What is right at the top of your “To do” Bucket list?: There are a few – I always use British wool in my work, which is wonderful for detail and depth, but our Association is world-wide, and it would be a joy to meet some of the other members. Clive and I would love to go and experience the Northern Lights. And, very much nearer home, I’d love to develop the room I have in the garden into an all-yearround space. It’s fine in summertime, when it’s nice and warm, but in winter, it’s freezing out there, and I work in the house, taking over each room as I go.
Entangled, an exhibition by International Feltmakers, opens at Armley Mills on May 18. feltyandfabulous.square.site www.staithesartsandcraftcentre.co.uk www.fabric-ation.co.uk