“Just a little more love…”

I’d really like to thank you for all the lovely comments…honestly it cheers me up when I’m feeling a bit jaded and snowed under with worries ( rent increase being the major one right now). Anyway, after a complicated voting system involving the kids, it turns out that the winner of the card giveaway is Jennifer Tucker, thanks so much for entering.

I’ve spent most of today up a wobbly ladder, painting walls, but yesterday I listed this new purse and took a few photographs in the garden.

I was a bit sad that the sweet peas in the blue coffee pot don’t smell of anything; disappointing seeds. However I’m hoping that my new idea of making greetings card/gifts/stocking fillers like the one in the picture may be a bit more successful. The plan is to sell these small and very cute little packets of flower seeds which will be all packaged up ready to give as gifts, the label reads “Seeds of Love: sow deep in the heart, water with kindness…etc” (part of a valentine design I did for a competition at Tigerprint a while back) a bit soppy for a cynic like me , but what do you think?

Well, its time for me to wash this paint out of my hair and treat myself to an early night with Tove Jansson.Just time to mention an event that I may be selling at…a good cause and it sounds like a really good day out too…

“…In another life when we are both cats.”

A beautiful autumn day today, berries and yellowing greens. I feel as though I’ve been sitting here forever watching the big oak tree go through it’s changes; skeleton to spring green, and now just starting to turn golden round the edges.How fast it all seems to have wizzed by.

My friend Jane just called by on her way back from delivering mosaics to the Saltbox, apparently my magpie and owl are up on the walls there .So, goodness, I actually have work in a gallery! The exhibition runs until November so if you’re in the Helmsley area go and have a look (closed Mondays though).

These images are of a piece I’ve been reworking, intending to get framed for the exhibition.This morning my model “Toast” was sunbathing on the garden table, making the most of the last days of summer.

Events this weekend : Designer’s Marketplace is at The Loft in Leeds this Saturday. These events are really taking off and getting lots of good publicity from Tigerprint , PrintandPattern etc.

“The Printed Image” Opens on Friday and runs until October 23rd at the Zillah Bell Gallery, Thirsk.

Yes, But Is It Art?…

Its a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky, but the man on the radio says its going to get “disappointing” later.Oh well, its a good job I plan to spend the day working on some more designs and embroidery samples; the jungle outside will have to wait.

Here are some drawing sheets inspired by the Wiener Werkstätte. I love the textiles and jewelry of this period , and of course the painting of Gustav Klimt…is the Liverpool exhibition still on I wonder?

Talking of painting, next week sees the opening of William Tillyer’s new exhibition “The Cadiz Caprices” at Bernard Jacobson Gallery,Cork Street, London. It runs from September 12- October 11 and we’re all looking forward to the private view and a family weekend in the city to celebrate! The paintings look great, imposing creations inspired by a summer spent in Cadiz. I will try to get hold of an image to show you but until then have a look at www.Tillyer.com.

Finally, a big THANK YOU to Tigerprint for putting a piece about this blog (and my friend Lyndsay McBean‘s) on their blog which meant I got loads of visitors yesterday and I’d like to say how much I appreciate people taking the time to look. Its especially welcome living in a place like this which could easily feel very isolated!

Sorry about the quality of the photograph, I took it with my phone, driving home one day, because the cloud was so heavy you could almost touch it and there was a patch of sunlight lighting up the distance.Amazing…but a lesson to always carry a decent camera!

Country Feedback

Hello, I’m back! After a busy couple of weeks I’ve finally got around to finding some images to post. I was wishing I could show you the things I did at Tigerprint but that is strictly against the rules. Security is taken very,very seriously; you needed a special pass to get from the main Hallmark area into Tigerprint because M&S guard their exclusivity jealously.” This is not just a card factory…etc,etc!” Anyway, despite the huge corporate feel of the place it was a really nice atmosphere to work in, with everyone covered in “flitter” (tiny glitter) and having serious sales/design meetings with armfuls of teddies as well as clipboards!

I was working on a Christmas trend for 2009 and combining some CAD work with a lot of hand embroidery and beading.The other placement people included Anri Moolman who won the New Designers prize and Emma Daniel from Manchester whose hand embroidery was beautiful and delicate.We stayed in a cottage in Cottingley and I became a little obsessed with looking for fairies… unfortunately I forgot to take my wellies.

Meanwhile, away from the drawing board… Sunday the 24th was REM day which I’d been looking forward to for ages.The stage light show was fantastic, I’m not sure who it was doing the graphics and animations but The Heads of State have been involved in doing some of the limited edition posters for sale on the website and I love the simplicity of their designs which I first came across at college.

I don’t care what anyone says,REM are one of the best live bands you could see, and Micheal Stipe singing into his megaphone on Orange Crush gave me a flashback to another night in 1989 at Newcastle City Hall…. hell,was it really so long ago!? We also got a “special set” in celebration of Manchester Gay Pride Week and highlights included an acoustic version of Let Me In, audience participation with”portable phones” on Electrolite and a rage against US governments past and present with Ignoreland.

Now its time to return to the matter of designing and finding a way to make a living, so farwell until next time.x

Perfect Circle

Lovely English August; I’m huddled under a blanket in the kitchen with toothache and a bad case of gloom! It just hasn’t felt like summer all summer, and now I’m thinking about where I should order some firewood from.

Well,as you can see I’ve been making circular motifs using elements from a drawing of cow parsley.Its fun building these shapes but I got carried away and forgot that they should actually be in a formal repeat.Repeats have never been my strong point due to the basic maths involved and the need for careful measuring! What I’d love would be to print out patterns like this and then stitch into them but this doesn’t seem to be what’s wanted by The Industry…

Its Tigerprint day tomorrow so I should be packing whatever I’ll need for a week in Bradford. The information pack said “bring your own scalpel and anything else you might need..” but what? It sounds like Lyndsey McBean had a great time but I have to admit to being a bit worried since gift design wasn’t something I did much of at college.

Well, its just a short one today, hopefully I’ll have lots to tell you when I get back; although apparently no pictures as whatever you do there remains the property of Tigerprint, hmmm.

I Like…..Birds

Here is one of my first attempts at designing using Illustrator. Its good fun but I’m starting to think its really not me. Well, I suppose if I became totally fluent using it, but at the moment it just looks very flat and unsophisticated. Ah, well, early days.As you can see I haven’t even worked out how to save the file properly as this image shows the whole work space not just the printable part!

I’ve had some good feedback from New Designers this week- a weeks work placement at Tigerprint and an invitation to work with an agent based in Cheshire. Tigerprint design all the gift ranges for Marks&Spencer and are a branch of Hallmark so it should be interesting seeing how that industry works. The agent also sounds really positive, she seemed to really like the work she’d seen in London.

Its difficult at the moment because of the school holidays. I really want to get on and DO something, work on a project, start the rest of my life post CCAD, but its too tempting to be distracted by the children and the garden. Everyone seems to want feeding all the time and never at the same time and never the same thing!

I had a look at Carl and Lyndsay’s blogs and they both seem to be busy being creative.Carl is working on T-shirt designs which will be for sale at Darlington Creative Market…I’m not sure what or when this is so I’ll have to find out more because it sounds like it might be worth a day out. Lyndsay is about to do some work placement at Hallmark.

Time for coffee and making plans.