“I’m Sorry I Forgot You”

It was only while browsing the amazing submissions on the Arthouse website that I realised there was a sketchbook title called “Bear With Me” , drat, I wish I’d got that one. However, “I’m Sorry I Forgot You” has  been a good, if inaccurate, starting point. I’ve enjoyed it, despite the rubbish paper quality and the panic I’m feeling at the moment ( just in case I can’t get it in the post by the 15th).I paid a little extra so that my sketchbook will be digitized, I’m also excited by  the fact that due to the barcode I will apparently be notified by e-mail every time someone checks the book out during the tour, I hope somebody does!

If only it was coming to England, I wonder if  I could save up enough to get to Seattle or San Francisco by June?!

So, meanwhile on Witchmountain the snow has melted leaving treacherous ice and acres of mud, I have the toothache (as I’m sure Poirot once said in a lovely Belgian accent!) and I’m having chimney trouble as well as monsters in the attic. At least if there is any justice in the world things ought to improve at some point, if not I plan to run away to a log cabin in the mountains where I will live on coffee,cigarettes and violet cremes and read Tolstoy whilst avoiding being eaten by bears.

What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

“Sing Me To Sleep”

Here I am shivering by the stove as if it were still winter; frost and hail outside battering my newly emerging seedlings. Oh well,it doesn’t take much to keep me snuggled on my kitchen bench, I’m thinking I need a live-in personal trainer to make me do exercise…or at least keep me awake!

Here are some random doodles from my late night sketchbook, playing with the “Inktense” pencils I got for my birthday.

On Sunday I had a night in with 6Music and discovered this Gallery page linked to Guy Garvey’s show ; people send in artwork inspired by music played  that night. I love this idea because music is does have so much power to inspire and provoke emotion… I often wonder if there are people who get the same kind of “shiver down the spine” that you get from music by looking at a piece of art. Anyone?

Really, these computers are fantastic windows into the world, but they EAT YOUR TIME so I’m off to get inspired by some music ….or possibly just to make more coffee. Congratulations to all this years Textiles and Surface Design final year students who have just handed in their FMP’s, the degree show is at Hartlepool Gallery, Church Square from June 3rd-12th.

(Reading: “Taming The Black Dog” Patrick Ellverton Listening to: 6Music)

“Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion”

Wow, three days of sunshine,washing on the line and Lapwings getting territorial in the field. I’m waiting for the Curlews return as the year creaks slowly back into life.

I dug out a very old sketch book, looking for things to photograph, and found these drawings from 2005.Snowdrops and lost love, first signs of Spring.It feels as thought the sun hasn’t shone for a year but maybe, just maybe there’ll be a break in the clouds soon.

Anyway, the point of today’s post is to let you know about an exhibition of William Tillyer’s prints/reproductions of watercolours, which is opening tomorrow in Harrogate at the Godfrey&Watt Gallery .A rare event in the North…

23/10/05

Virtual World Traveller

Typical, I was hoping to take some better photographs today but the fog and sleet descended and the windows steamed up and the fire wouldn’t go.Yesterday, while I was at work customers kept driving me mad saying “ooh, isn’t it a lovely day ?”  when obviously I was trapped inside and COULD NOT SEE THE LOVELY DAY!

Ok, rant over! There is a smell of  spring in the air ( damp and mud) and in a few weeks the curlews will return . This year I MUST  tend my garden and at least  create the  appearance  of having things slightly under control!

These wintery pictures are once again from my old favorite sketch book ( now almost 2 years old).Lindsey came up for our weekly coffee fueled “work” session today and I found myself being so jealous of her still being at college. Her work’s looking great and I can’t wait for the degree show.

Well, the Poppytalk thing is now online and I’m worrying about how my offerings look/are priced etc in comparison to everybody elses…damn self doubt! I’m not sure why (because of PoppyTalk?)but lots of new people from different parts of the world have been viewing Witchmountain and leaving lovely comments which is really heartwarming…today I have been to Washington State, France, Vancouver and Sweden(?) returning their visits! Thank you.

Oh, what are you having in your pancakes tomorrow?! xxx

Spirit Bears

I was lent a lovely book the other day, “Learning To Be Wild” by Charlie Russell and Maureen Enns. Its about bears in the Kamchatka region of Russia and introduced me to the work of the artist Maureen Enns. I’m adding her to my virtual shopping list of art, along with the others I have mentioned in previous posts.Here are two of my favorite images…

So, I’ve been reading about bears and doing some quick doodles late at night while fighting the urge to hibernate. Yesterday I picked up four newly framed pieces from Les Prince and left some pages from my sketch book after agonizing over whether or not to pull the book apart…it seems a shame but also a pity to keep them locked in there in the dark where no one can see them.

Well, I think its time I started to do something about the approaching “festive” season ( Winter Solstice ) so perhaps I will make some mince pies tonight…then again, if I do they will have been eaten by Sunday, no use planning too far ahead!

( Reading: “Learning To Be Wild” Russell and Enns and “Never Let Me Go” Kazuo Ishiguro)

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