Our previous Kick-About together was inspired by the mid-century modern textile designs of Lucienne Day, and a number of her patterns feature graphical, cobweb-like forms. With Halloween fast-approaching—and bringing with it all the usual trappings—this latest edition of The Kick-About find itself fascinated by spiders’ silk and the ingenuity of their webs. For all previous editions, click here.
Itta Howie
“I had just removed all the cobwebs in our house, so I went into the garden to look for inspiration. There seem to be far less garden spiders than in previous years. Maybe, like so many other insects, they struggled with the wet weather this year. I found one sitting patiently in the middle of an artful web she had created between rhubarb and compost bin. And I realised then that I’ve never paid these creatures the attention they deserve. In fact, spiders in the house make me jump, and spiders outside I can just about tolerate. Determined to change my attitude, I read up on spiders and drew one. My ink study (from photograph) is dedicated to the small and under-loved European garden spider (Araneus diadematus), like the one living next to my compost bin. I’m really quite fond of her now.”
James Randall
“Happy Halloween Kick-Abouters. Don’t be too difficult with the trick or treaters! Hope you can decipher my spidermen spinning around under the Brisbane roadway around our Brisbane River! Felt like the arms from last KA were unfinished business!”
Gary Thorne
“The idea of something woven appealed to me, as did creating to the theme of confusion, which is often the case when unexpectedly walking into a cobweb. Committing to 2-D proved challenging, yet the process showed promise once it progressed into a woven image. In some cases, building upon the woven image helped enhance the feeling of confusion. Thanks for a great KA challenge, which called for newfound problem-solving skills.”
Charly Skilling
“Let me first say that I loathe spiders. Absolutely abhor them. I cannot bear the thought of them. So, the only way I could approach this KA was to focus on the potential for beauty in the cobweb—not where they come from, not what they home—but some abstract, ethereal concept of cobweb that has absolutely nothing to do with spiders. I focused on those autumn mornings when the hedgerows are draped in white silk, loosely woven in networks of lines and geometric shapes, encrusted with a zillion sparkling dewdrops. Then I imagined this beautiful, bejewelled material, moulded into gorgeous organic shapes and given new meaning as a thing of joy. I worked to achieve this with yarn, hooks, beads, balloons, glue, and a hairdryer, and submitted the finished images to KA—only to have Phil email me (and I quote): ‘I really think some of these are the essence of ‘spider’!’”
Marion Raper
“Cobwebs are just incredible – so delicate and yet surprisingly strong against all wind and weather. It’s really rather sad that their makers have such a bad press with many people. We once made a long car journey and were quite amazed while watching a spider come along with us, hanging onto its web, which festooned our car mirror, occasionally retreating behind it for shelter when we reached high speeds on the motorway. I have loved doing crochet ever since my mum’s friend taught me at the age of 14, and although I now suffer from a dodgy wrist from overuse, I am like that spider, clinging on for dear life, making my cobwebs.”
Kerfe Roig
“I didn’t have time to do anything new, but thought I would contribute some spiders and webs and a little poem.”
what vessel
bridges the between?–
threadspun, webbed
kblog.blog / methodtwomadness.wordpress.com
Lewis Punton
“As we find ourselves racing headfirst into the spooky season, and with the latest Kick-About prompt being ‘Cobweb’, I decided to spend a few Sunday hours paying homage to Jordan Peele’s horror genre contributions; some of my favourite modern horror. Armed with my prompt and accompanying inspiration, I mocked up a quick design incorporating Get Out’s teacup, Us’ haunting bunnies, and the looming clouds from Nope—carved into some Lino, drenched in a fitting red and got to printing…”
lewismakesthings.wordpress.com
Graeme Daly
“One thing I love about this old house is its attic. It’s all wood, though shrouded in webs and the carcasses of dead insects, yet it holds so much potential—and enough space for a big fella like me to live comfortably. I ventured up into the attic recently to gather some storage boxes, as sadly, my time in this house is coming to an end. I felt rather nostalgic as I noticed remnants of past flatmates and friends’ belongings left to gather dust and succumb to the spiders, wondering what things of my own might meet the same fate. I peered through the windows overlooking the red brick roofs of neighbouring homes, careful not to get webs in my face or beard! But in the midst of my sentimentality, I realised—this is perfect for this week’s prompt! So, of course, I took plenty of photos. I’m not sure what’s more horrifying—the amount of webs and dead things stuck in them, or the London rental market!”
@graemedalyart / vimeo.com/graemedaly / linkedin.com/in/graeme-daly / twitter.com/Graeme_Daly / gentlegiant.blog
Phil Gomm
“This seasonal offering was directly inspired by my recent stay in an old French house, which often begins with the task of hoovering up cobwebs and their occupants, along with the occasional very large centipede. Afterwards, I sometimes think about the insides of the hoover—and all that might reside in there—then I stop thinking about it rather sharpish. I’ve recently finished reading The Diaries of Mr Lucas: Notes from a Lost Gay Life, the real diaries of a closeted civil servant living in London in the ’50s and ’60s, and something of that found its way in here too—via Robert Bloch! I was also thinking about the likes of Kenneth Williams; obnoxious, brittle, tragic… his own diaries are obsessed with his ‘spastic colon’. For people of a certain generation, Williams epitomises ‘gay men’—and yet he appeared to hate himself for being gay—and found the thought of other gay men—and what they do to each other—disgusting. For my part, Williams always made my skin crawl—more so than any spider. Meanwhile, the reason this short story rhymes is that I wanted to keep it campy and macabre—even though it ‘goes there’. I was going for an Alan Bennett-meets-Alfred Hitchcock vibe. Special thanks to Janna Fox, who helped me out at the eleventh hour (because this indeed was a close-run thing!). Anyway, wishing you all a Happy Halloween—oh, and happy vacuuming too.”
And for our next creative spark, some aerial pyrotechnics…
Red's Kingdom 
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