I can’t believe its the weekend again already…does time speed up as you get older? Even the children have noticed it!  Anyway, time to take stock , work out what I’ve actually achieved and the plan of attack for next week …

At least I got those pieces to the framer yesterday, and on the way back picked up a cheque for the one I sold at the Saltbox ( goodness knows I need the money but I almost want to frame it just to prove I actually sold something in a gallery!!).

These two drawings are things I did for the Gocco printer and although I haven’t tried to print it yet, I have burned the screen for the bear one and it seems to have worked perfectly…I think we’ve cracked it! Such a shame that Gocco supplies aren’t easily available and affordable.

I found out last night , while browsing about the internet, that the artist Rob Ryan has an exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, until early next year. I’ve never been there ( hey, Yorkshire is a BIG county and Witchmountain is in the North Riding) but may have to plan a trip ,as having visited his shop in Columbia Road (and seen some amazing paper dresses in Vogue a few years back), I’m a bit of a fan.

Home IS where the heart is….and a heart needs a home. x

( Reading: “About a Boy” Nick Hornby and “The True Deceiver” Tove Jansson. Listening to: ” Earth to the Dandy Warhols ” Dandy Warhols )

I bet the suspense was killing you…did the big red hen lay me an egg? Well, yes she did and very cross she was too when I tipped her out again to retrieve it. I haven’t made a cake though, I’ll have to wait till Friday when I should have three!

Tonight I’ve been finishing off these pieces because tomorrow I’m going with Jane  to see Les Prince, the  framer, who will probably curse us,as he’s the busiest (and best) framer in the North.

I’m wondering if my obsession with bears will ever end. Last night I Googled “Bear Art” and found some really lovely images, many of them illustrating a Norweigian fairy tale called “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”. Ok, I’m a hopeless romantic but I just love these Northern myths of trolls casting spells on people and turning them in to bears ; until love breaks the spell and sets them free.(Sometimes bears can be trolls in disguise though!!)

The wind’s getting up again and the plumber failed to mend the heating so I’m off to bed, to hibernate and lose myself in a bit more Tove Jansson. x

Today I ventured out into the garden, its pretty overgrown, I’ve been neglecting things I’m afraid. The shed was dark and gloomy and in the corner in an old lawn mower grass box I discovered someone hiding… no, not this bear…my neighbour’s big red hen. She’d obviously been there some time because when I tipped her out ,about 20 eggs fell out too! I wasn’t going to risk eating them (we once found a big hen sitting on about 40 GREEN eggs ,down the side of the oil tank!! eugh!) but tomorrow I’ll have a look to see if there’s a fresh one to make a cake.

The cards I ordered from Moo arrived this morning and I’m really pleased with the quality and super fast service.I’ve got quite a stock of cards now, including the Gocco owls, which are all hand coloured and over printed with heat transfer and collage.

Right now I’m doing some pen and ink drawings for the Gocco ( fingers crossed they work….) and trying to make up for the lack of heating by baking bread and pies like a slightly flawed domestic goddess!

Thanks for reading. x

Driving in the dark; the black road is edged in orange and russet as the larch needles fall like snow.Its wild and windy and a catalogue of small disasters has made it a bit bleak up here on Witchmountain ( the heating has stopped working, the washing has blown away and Jake accidentally knocked over a bottle of water in my room so that it has actually been raining on me ,INDOORS, smudging my drawing and almost killing my poor old computer!!)I can’t stop eating toast either, I’m going to end up big as a house.

Apart from all that, my new Gocco stuff came the other day ,so tomorrow I’m going to have another go with a new design and some fabric inks…as well as continuing to play with the old heat transfer dyes. This bird is a little doodle I’m going to try out tomorrow as well…that’s if I can brave the freezing house and don’t get tempted to stay snuggled up with Tove Jannson. I’m watching for the postman too because my Moo cards should be arriving soon….

( Reading “Who Will Comfort Toffle?” Tove Jansson. Listening to: the wind)

Today I have: – made bread, cleaned the leaves out of the drains, designed and ordered cards and stickers from Moo, done a mass of washing and eaten almost a whole packet of Oreos. I decided to use this image for my cards as it’s one of my favorite pieces and I miss it since the Golden Lion bought it for their guest room.I know you’ve seen it before but its so dark today I couldn’t take any pictures.

I found a lot of hoof prints near the car when I ventured into the ” lost world” behind the house to investigate the drains. There must have been some sort of stampede this morning while I was snoozing;I’d been reading “The Summer Book” by Tove Jansson and was therefore miles away in a different nettle patch altogether.

Lindsey and I made cards and drank whiskey coffee all night, oh and great news… Sara came home from college with a new printer and an ipod which she had won! She got second prize in a mural competition for BT , hurray!! I’ve never won a thing in my life ( except a tray of meat at pony club when I’d just turned vegetarian!!).

Well Done Sara, have a great weekend everyone.x

Last night I nearly ran into an owl sitting in the middle of the road in the thick fog…he was lovely, with giant eyes and he didn’t move but just gave me a look as if to say “please dim your lights I’m very busy hunting for my supper”. November is grey, green and rusty brown; everything seems to be covered in spider’s webs and little pearls.

My Gocco owl prints needed jazzing up a bit so I added a bit of heat transfer,water colour and random bits of collage.Maybe I’ll be able to sell a few at the Christmas Extravaganza in Osmotherley Village Hall on December 6th if Lindsey will let me share her stand.

Since I last wrote I’ve been having another look at Holly Flanagan’s blog and  Facebook group, discovering her fantastic success since leaving CCAD. She’s designing for Hugo Boss and meeting all sorts of famous artists and designers so HURRAY for a Textiles and Surface Design success story!! I think she might be at the next Designers Marketplace in Middlesbrough so grab a bargain before she gets too famous!

( Reading: last weeks Guardian!   Listening to: Dandy Warhols )

Today was the first day of ice and mild panic about Christmas…there were also ants in the kitchen and sheep in the garden.

I had a first attempt at making a lined purse with a zip and it kind of worked so hopefully I’ll be able to make a few to take to a couple of craft fairs and re-stock my Etsy shop which is looking a bit empty. I want to do a simple print and a tiny bit of embroidery on them , then I’ll have to set up a production line on the kitchen table. This one has some machine embroidery doodles I did ages ago and was just a quick experiment to see how long it took .

Now I have to go and get some sleep , its been a long weekend…but here is an image by the artist Peter Callesen , whose cut paper work is AMAZING. I loved this piece called “Alive, But Dead”. I struggle to cut out a simple stencil without chopping off the wrong bit but some of Callesen’s  work involves the cut out part becoming a three dimensional object such as these flowers or an angel in a cage; take a look at his website, I’m adding him to my wish list for when I get rich and can actually afford ART !!

I’ve been looking in my old “concept journal” from Minor Project at CCAD. These journals continue to provide ideas and research information so I’m actually heartbroken that the one I did for Major Project, with all my bear imagery, got lost by the college. ( If anyone sees it around the place PLEASE let me know ). These images are quick water colour sketches and heat transfer prints; I think I need to get a better camera though…

I had some more interest from a gallery today so I really do need to get some work ready to show them otherwise I will have missed the boat again. At the moment I’m waiting for new Gocco supplies and still struggling with the ink jet printer which is SO  frustrating as I needed to print out some cv’s and a job application form, grrr.

Bear Hugs

Doodling at silly o’clock at night last night; I still think bears not owls. And on a related subject, look at the sign I saw today in the field next to my parent’s house…I’ve never noticed it before and its actually hilarious in a bitter sweet way ( oh, and quite appropriate for Guy Fawkes Night too). I’m going to make some T-shirts…there’s inspiration all around us! x

(Reading: “The Winter Book” Tove Jansson)

Heavy rain and multi-coloured carpets of fallen leaves and berries; the water at my house is undrinkable again, resembling watered down beer. On Sunday night I stood in the garden and watched the almost full moon racing through the clouds at a dizzying speed; concentrating hard to see the real picture…the moon moves slowly like an hour hand, while the clouds fly at break neck speed, and I stay still.

Anyway, enough ramblings, I’m writing to report my first Gocco success!! Annoyingly the design was a bit rushed and I’m kicking myself for not taking more care but it seems to be that you have to draw on the shiny side of the paper (thats the only thing I did differently).Unfortunately this is like drawing on waxed paper with a felt pen…there must be another way?

Here is a picture of Lindsey Murray, manning her stall at the Guild Hall last Saturday.We had a funny day, the event was a strange mixture of craft, bric-a-brack and knock off handbags (!) but was a learning curve. I think we learned that it is important to pitch your product to the right market so I’m hoping to work towards getting a stand at the next Designers Marketplace.

Now I’m going to have a look at my new book “Illustration Play -Craving For The Extraodinary” Viction:ary 2003, which just arrived today and is full of inspiring images of contemporary illustration such as collage, embroidery and amazing 3d paper cutting.Time for another log on the stove, there’s a chill in the air.

x

A little bit of good news today as I got a call to say I’ve sold a piece of work at the Saltbox gallery!

The Magpie was a print and embroidery sample for Minor Project during my degree at CCAD and its sale has given me hope that my new policy of NOT saluting Mr Magpie every time I see a solitary one, is actually bringing me luck. On this basis I think I will turn all superstitions on their heads and make a point of walking under ladders, putting new shoes on the table eating late blackberries!

I’ve been messing about with my bear drawing, creating brushes and simple repeats. Now I need to test my printer to see if the nice man in Ink to Print has managed to unblock the magenta print head.

Tomorrow I will be in York, helping Lindsey Murray with her stand at the Guild Hall…an early start so wish me luck, I’m not so great at mornings!

Have a good weekend.Enjoy Halloween x