“The Return of the Native”

Rain, rain, rain.The beginning of September has brought an end to a fairly miserable summer for me, “things can only get better” ( touch wood)! The heather on the moor is almost finished and the leaves are slowly beginning to turn.

I started doing these designs for New Leaf but have decided to rework them as possible pieces for an exhibition in October, since although I love the dull colours I’m fairly sure they are not “on trend” for kids fashion.

So, this evening I’m hoping to do a bit of drawing, coffee drinking and being inspired by “men and sheds” ;instead I expect my thoughts will be with a certain airplane, making its way back from Canada…a little too early and a little too late.

Meanwhile, you just have time to head over to Louise Broomhead’s blog and leave a comment in order to win a set of her lovely cards.Another event you might be interested in is VenetiaRed’s “Dress to Impress and Destress” tomorrow night in Middlesbrough.(Details below)Unfortunately I won’t be able to de-stress as I’ll be at work more likely feeling distressed!

I also received an e-mail from Catherine Howard a designer maker and technician from CCAD who is starting a networking group for people working in the creative sector. The first meeting is on September 19th at the Ship Inn, Low Road, Middlestone, County Durham. DL14 8AB. Tel. 01388 810904.( contact Catherine if you want more details cjhoward01@hotmail.com)

Ok, thats enough free publicity! Back to the sketchbook.

Lionheart

Its been a beautiful day here on Witchmountain, cloudless, shimmery blue and even the birds seem lazy. I’ve been sitting in the garden adding a bit more to this t-shirt I’m making for myself and also thinking about the new “Fall 09″ designs I need to get done by the beginning of August.I really need to get on top of this freelance work for New Leaf because although I’m selling the odd design it’s nowhere near enough to justify the time and effort and I just don’t seem to be able to get the hang of what I need to do to be commercial and mainstream…

Having said that I had some very good luck this week when I jokingly asked my boss if he’d like to see the framed work I had ( still in the boot of my car after York) and he ended up wanting 3 of the 4 I showed him. So, all being well, they will be hanging in one of the three bed and breakfast rooms and possibly featured on the Golden Lion’s website when it gets updated…

I find it very uncomfortable discussing prices when it comes to my work – always just amazed that someone likes it ! – but I forced myself to stick to the price I’d decided on when I got them framed. Putting a value on something handmade ,or a piece of artwork is very subjective and I definitely need to cultivate self confidence and the ability to ’sell myself”!

Anyway, its time to do something so goodbye for now.

Through the Round Window

The other day I stood in the willow house and took this picture looking out towards Arden Moor. Every year I intend to line it with fabric and make a waterproof floor so that I can sleep out there, but never seem to get around to it.The last few summers have been so wet but maybe this one will be perfect sleeping outdoors weather.

Today I managed to get to the Post Office and send off the last two designs from the group that has been haunting my kitchen for three months. It feels fantastic to be free of them! I’m pleased that I actually started and finished a design in the same day.( did I mention that ideally I should be producing at least 6 per week…and then actually selling them!!)

This afternoon I made an experimental sample for a baby jacket using wool voltaire and heat transfer. Its not bad for a first attempt at actual garment making but I do need to practice! I’ve also added a bit more to my red bear as well, its turning into a doodle project…no pressure, just for fun.

Well, I’ve been busy and it feels good. I must go now because there’s a storm and I don’t want the lightning to come down the phone wires! Here’s a link I meant to post before, its the blog for SmallMagazine…good inspiration for anything creative to do with kids.

House of Blues

Look what I found in the vegetable patch when I was planting peas! This little blue house. I want to live there but failing that I’m going to see if Helen can drill a hole in it to make a necklace…

So… the winner of the book ( drawn from a Tyrolean shepherd’s (?)hat by Sara ) is Melissa. Thank you to everyone who left a comment and to all those who looked. I hope you’ll keep checking back.

I’ve finished a design today, the first for quite a while. Getting back in to the swing of things hasn’t been easy but the threat of all those fantastic new graduates thundering up behind me means I have to keep going and try even harder to produce some work that will sell and save me from being an eternal barmaid!

Tomorrow it’s my birthday so keep your fingers crossed that it turns out nice.

Thanks again.

x

Equinox

Here is the button box I bought today from the “Mind” shop.It is full of treasure…and some strange rubbish…I shall explore it’s depths later ( the best and tiniest buttons are always at the bottom.Don’t the orange and green look lovely against my transfer paint papers?

Yesterday Lyndsay and Carl came over for one of our tea, cake and catch-up sessions. We had to make an emergency trip to Helmesley for chocolate supplies and then did a quick  bit of still life drawing as well as  trampolining and talking to the ponies. It turns out that Sara Collins who was in our year at college has just got a design job in Australia, I’m so pleased for her and ever so slightly jealous..Congratulations Sara!

Meanwhile , just as we were wondering where all the jobs were Lyndsay’s phone rang and it was an agent offering her some work.Hurray! The sun has got his hat on and hopefully things are looking up.

This weekend is the Spring Equinox, one of the eight Sabbats , traditionally symbolized by the solar fire-wheel.Janet and Stewart Farrah’s book “Eight Sabbats for Witches”( Hale 1981) gives some interesting historical information on spring rituals, including the origins of Easter eggs, hot-cross buns and lucky Shamrocks. I’m just glad that the equinox means light nights and hopefully warmer days!

Horses

Annoyingly these horses looked much more lively and interesting from the wrong side of the embroidery. I like the way they look like quick sketches rather than the very neat finished design ( which I can’t show you for copyright reasons). I’ve just come in from the garden and my hands are stinging with cuts and scrapes and splinters, after getting carried away weeding the rhubarb patch and wrestling with the willow house.Its been such a beautiful day and the toads were back, making a lot of noise, as were the lapwings, wheeling about above the ploughed field behind the house. Who said the countryside was peaceful! It seems a shame to come indoors but I need to get some more work done because apparently it’s being sent to Japan in early April. Meanwhile a mysterious cable has been spotted on the moor…could this be the long awaited broadband slowly heading towards Witchmountain?!

Country Living

I’ve just been down to the village to post my first Etsy order. It’s a temporary Post Office in the Village Hall, only open a few hours a week, which is really annoying.There was a queue though ,so we all had to chat about the weather and the loss of village amenities and I was mistaken for the mother of my 23 year old neighbour which really made my day!

I’ve wasted so much time this morning that I’m determined to get loads of work done this afternoon. I just thought I’d mention a few events coming up in Osmotherley, in case anyone’s passing this way.

February 26-28 Osmotherley Village Theatre presents “Busybody” .Tickets available from The Top Shop. ( Jane Thorniley-Walker has been painting the scenery and several of my favorite people have leading roles, so it should be  fun, I’m not even packing the rotten tomatoes… )

March 10th An Apple Event presented by famous local cider maker Giles Pinkney. I’m not sure but I think this is all about encouraging people to make more cider and includes visiting monks from Ampleforth who make a good brew apparently!

Now, enough “Country Living”, time to brew up some strong coffee and get designing.( The image above is a close up of a design on fine wool, using various print methods and padded embroidery)

Big Apple

Hello, and apologies for not writing for a while. I got an e-mail today inviting me to go to the opening of my Daddy’s latest exhibition in New York.Unfortunately I will be far too busy stitching and trying to keep warm here on Witchmountain so I’m passing the invite on to any one who may happen to be in the Big Apple next week!!Here is some of the press release…

“We’d love you, or anyone you know who may benefit from a blast of Spanish colour, to come along to the opening of William Tillyer’s ‘The Cadiz Caprices’ at the Jacobson Howard Gallery 33 East 68th St 6th Floor New York on December 2nd between 6pm – 8pm.

The works have been described by Jon Yau in his essay ‘The Painter as Doubting Thomas’ as “the greatest abstract paintings about Spain by a non-Spaniard since Robert Motherwell began working on his ‘Elegies for The Spanish Republic’ around 70 years ago”.

In his essay ‘William Tillyer: Painting’s Corpus, an Anatomy Lesson’ Saul Ostrow states “what he has learned from his experience has resulted in Tillyer extending abstract painting beyond its traditional bounds”. William Tillyer was singled out in The Sunday Times by Brian Appleyard as the man to watch in the Art World – “Many people think he is the finest painter in Britain. Many people may be right.”

For more information have a look at the website,www.Tillyer.com.

Anyway, part of the reason I haven’t been writing so much is that I’ve been talking with Lisa at New Leaf about copyright. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I wasn’t sure of the situation regarding copyright of images on weblogs.Anyway,it seems that it is very important to display © on all designs and all sold work must be removed from view or I could end up breaching copyright with my own work! Also apparently some buyers won’t even consider buying a design that has already been seen on the internet. Not that I expect Catimini and Oilily are reading this blog but its worth knowing that. For this reason I’m posting some old sketch-book pages instead of work in progress and in future will be following Lyndsay Mcbean’s instructions and adding a © watermark to any designs( and only showing part of a design not the whole thing) For more information take a look at www.acid.uk.com

Now time to stoke up the fires, we’ve had snow and ice here so I’m reading “Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls-Wilder and getting cozy with a mug of chai.

“Don’t Go Chasing Polar Bears”

Some more old work from my portfolio today; because as usual my camera has run out of batteries, I really must get a set of re-chargeable ones…

This cat is an experimental sample on an old woolen blanket which came from a charity shop and is really lovely to work with, I’d love a big winter coat made from one. I think I dyed this piece using heather or elderberries, while the leaves and cat are digital prints from original watercolour sketches.

I had the words from Paul McCartney’s “Waterfalls” stuck in my head all day, for some reason it reminds me of watching TV at my Grandma’s house in Nunthorpe in about 1970-something!

Here in the present day I hear the Designer’s Market went well and there’ll be another in December. I missed this one so I’m going to make sure I get to the next. I’m trying to live up to the Buy Handmade pledge this Christmas so a trip to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate is also on my list later in the week.Talking of Christmas, the news today confirmed Trevor Swales predictions, earlier in this blog, that there will be a honey shortage this year. I’m going to have to seek out some of Trevor’s heather honey tomorrow before it all disappears.

Well, it’s not quite igloo weather here but there is a bit of winter forecast for later in the week- meanwhile it’s time to move the seasons on in the design world.My last twelve Fall/Winter designs got sent to the U.S. last week so now I have to start some for Spring which should brighten up some dull winter days.

My friend Jane has fineally got her website up and running thanks to Lynne at Bamboo Webdesign. Jane has just finished a commission for client in Westerdale who wanted two large canvasses depicting the gorgeous views from his house overlooking the moor.

Samhain

Glennie Kindred describes Halloween as: ” A night for making inner journeys, for facing fears, consulting with the ancestors.” Its wintery up here on the moor so we’re celebrating Samhain with a big pan of pumpkin soup and some cinnamon-apple cake, while the pumpkin lantern I carved this afternoon glows cheerfully.We were going to have a bonfire but its far too wet out there.

Here are some sketchbook pages from my project on folklore and witchcraft. I’m busy with another group of designs but wishing I had time to spend making a sketchbook. The books I did at college are so useful; since I don’t have as much time to draw I’m reworking some of the ideas I didn’t have a chance to use at college.

Well, the soup is bubbling so I must go. Happy Halloween.x