“A Heart Needs a Home”

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 )

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

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

Something Wicked In The Woodshed…

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

Snow Bear

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

 

DANGER “explosive atmosphere”!!!

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)

“One For Sorrow” ?

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

“The owls are not what they seem…”

I think Autumn might be my favorite season. The rusty colours, smell of musty leaves, damp earth and slight decay mixed with the smoke from the wood stove and seasonal bonfires.Even the food of the season is cozy comfort food in shades of orange and brown! ( Pumpkin soup, baked potatoes and toffee apples).

Yesterday was a murky,foggy day, darkness drawing in fast (” oh no not another of our trips out in the dark!” said the kids) but we went to Thorpe Perrow Arboretum and scuffled through the leaves, trying to catch the falling ones before they landed so we could make wishes ( I did, but its a secret what I wished for).Aren’t the white Rowan berries lovely?

I didn’t get any pictures but I fell in love with the huge Eagle Owls in the falconry center, with their giant teddy bear eyes….must draw more owls.

Back on the mountain during one of my coffee and inspiration sessions with Lindsey Murray, I decided to give up on Gocco for the time being and revert to my old favorite, heat transfer. The first print worked really well on a piece of dyed curtain fabric but I’m not so sure of the pink background below;and the second print is always a little paler.

Now I need to do a few household chores before I get ready for a rare tv night, watching “Natural World” at 8pm ( a documentary about…..BEARS, surprise surprise!).

Magic Beans?

Another Gocco disaster! Jake thinks the screens might be duds or maybe the bulbs, since the image was only partly burned onto the screen. I drew a much more bold design this time, thinking it would be more likely to work, but have ended up consigning another useless screen to the stove’s flames.My only hope now is to stock up on some new supplies and hope that solves the problem…any ideas anyone?

Well, today’s events at work mean I may be having to take my design and artwork a little more seriously which is not necessarily a bad thing. I’m pleased to say that last week I managed to complete a group of six designs for New Leaf and will be starting some new things tomorrow after a trip to town on the hunt for some fabric.There’s also the chance to take part in a few craft fairs in the run up to Christmas; so off I go to have a think about what to sell to make my fortune…what I need is a cow to swap for some magic beans.

“Meek Bears …Affable Wolves”

Messing about with my heat transfer paints today and brewing endless coffee on the stove.These two sad looking bears are quick doodles using left over heat transfer papers, I like the way you can keep layering and reusing the papers to get very subtle effects.

If I were fantastic at paper cutting, like Rob Ryan or someone, the effects could be amazing. Must invest in some new blades for my knife…

I just discovered the blog of Trend Bible who contacted me after my graduate show at New Designers (2008). In the end they didn’t use my work which is a shame because it looks like a really interesting publication; some great inspiration and research, and they’re based in the North East.

Well, its time to put another log on the fire and do a bit of stitching.

(Listening to : “The Imagined Village” Various Artists/Real World – a contemporary reworking of English Folk music, including a great version of Tam Lyn by Benjamin Zephaniah and Eliza Carthy)

Caffeine and Sugar

A wild party in the village to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday this weekend,so it was nice today to have a quiet time getting down to some work and recovering from the excesses.

My motivation was helped by Lindsey coming up armed with a huge box of jelly teeth (an odd concept…toothbrush shaped sweets…) and a drawing board.Lindsey also works at the Golden Lion and is another of Osmotherley’s artists,currently in her final year of CCAD’s Textiles and Surface Design Degree. So ,coffee and sugar fueled we worked and put the world to rights all day. It really is so much easier to work sometimes when you are not alone and distracted by everything ;so thanks Lindsey and Good Luck to all the CCAD 3rd years!

Now I must do a bit more sewing and then I need to start the last Haruki Murakami  book on my list ” The Elephant Vanishes”, it had better be good, I’ve been saving it because the next one isn’t due to be published in English until 2011( I suppose I could try to learn Japanese before then!)

Until next time – here is a sign that I should have taken more notice of! ;@)