BUNTING AND ROSES!

No sun, but still warm and humid today.  Jenny and I did a quick stroll around Shepton and ended up with a bit of retail therapy in Aldi!  I found an electric grater/slicer which I have been looking for - ideal for making salads.  It also had the added bonus of having an attachment for making sorbets from frozen fruit, which sounded very inviting in this heat!  I didn't have enough money on me, so I went back later in the day and bought it...

Jenny is extremely busy in the salon this time of year.  The sun and heat makes everybody realise that they need some grooming and help to make themselves beach ready!  She is also doing some forward planning - there is talk of 'supper clubs' and 'girls' night out' with healthy food, drinks and beauty activities!  Watch this space! However, this means that she has no time to write posts on this blog at the moment...

We decided that June is the month for bunting and roses.  On our walks we have passed fabulous roses in people's gardens and have had a smell if we got close enough!  And in the shop windows we saw silk roses, rose designs on vintage fabrics and even a modern version on a picnic bag in Aldi (see pic top left)!

Bunting is everywhere in Shepton!  The High Street has red, white and blue bunting all over the place.  Many of the shops also have it in different colours to look festive as June is the month for festivals!  This weekend there is one in Collett Park and at the end of the month is the famous Glastonbury Festival.  There is also the fact that this weekend is the Queen's Official 90th Birthday!  

'Roses - Pink' - Mixed Media - 30cms x 30cms

As I have had roses on my mind, I was inspired to do this artwork...

WET WEDNESDAY!

Today we went up to Barren Down and explored the Bath Road Viaduct in the wet! It rained throughout our walk, but fortunately it was warm and the rain was light and gentle - great for plants, our complexions and snails! As you can see by the top left photograph, the views weren't great - rather misty...

We did, however, see some beautiful flowers, in particular tulips.  A fascinating subject is the language of flowers, sometimes known as floriography.  It was very popular in Victorian times and allowed coded messages to be sent to express feelings which could not be said out loud!  Communication between lovers was very different from today!  Makes you think what you are saying when you send a bunch of flowers...

I looked up the meaning of tulips and have discovered the following:-
Tulips in General - Perfect Lover, Fame and Flower Emblem of Holland
Red Tulips - Believe Me; Declaration of Love
Variegated Tulips - Beautiful Eyes
Yellow Tulips - There's Sunshine in Your Smile

I have a great interest in tulips at the moment, as I have just finished a mixed media artwork depicting a field of tulips and a bee!

 'Finding a Way' (50cms x 50cms) mixed media on wooden panel

ABSTRACTS ADD COLOUR!

We didn't make our walk this morning, which was a shame as it was good walking weather - sunny and bright!  We often go up and down the High Street, doing a spot of window shopping, and nosing around!  We have seen several businesses closing, with new ones opening up.  One of the most recent ones to open is Lyons Bowe, a local solicitors.  They have completely renovated and decorated the interior, and all that was lacking was pictures for the neutral pristine walls!  

They now have a set of large, colourful, mixed media abstracts bought from my portfolio!  One is in their waiting room above the sofa, two are in the meeting room and another two are in the open plan offices upstairs. 

I had them framed at Great Ostry Framing, another local company. They operate from their home, just off the High Street.  Will and Cathy did a fantastic job with the simple black frames with soft white mounts that I chose to complement the artworks...

WALK CANCELLED!

A combination of Storm Katie (who decides on these names), the fact that Jenny had been working all weekend, and it being a bank holiday, led to us to cancel our walk today!  That meant more studio time for me!  There is nothing better, when the wind is howling outside, than to be snug and busy in my studio doing creative work...

The above photographs show the progress I am making with a large commissioned artwork (3ft square).  The last stage is on the bottom right.  It is to go on an adjacent wall to a picture I did 10 years ago, so I now need to take it to the customer's house and see whether the colours are right.  I can then make adjustments before I do the final varnish.

As you can see, the picture consists of layers - the papers, which were added at random in a crucifix shape, contains texts that are special to my client.  Although very little of the writings will actually show in the finished piece, they provide an extra dimension and meaning to the artwork.  The dark shape, sitting in the grass (bottom right), is a hare!  With my work I don't want everything to be too obvious at first glance - I want the viewer to keep looking and see further details through the layers!

DAWN CHORUS!

We didn't manage to get out for a walk this morning - Jenny wasn't feeling well and it was dark, windy and not inviting for a solo trip!  So instead I thought I would show you some artwork inspired by our walks.

Remember the silver birch bark that I was recently given - well I have made 2 cards using it, together with other papers.  As we often hear the birds singing on our walks, I have drawn some of the birds bringing forth notes from their open beaks!  I used the bark in exactly the same way that I would have used paper.  It created an interesting texture as well as lovely colour and markings.

I am now thinking of producing a larger panel on wood using the same subject and naming it 'Dawn Chorus'!!

DARK, DAMP AND DREARY!

It was dark, damp and dreary this morning.  The frost and ice has gone already.   That's what I love about the weather in this country - it keeps changing and always gives you something to talk about!  I would hate to live somewhere, cold or hot, where the weather was predictable and the same day after day... 

We moved on at quite a pace in the gentle rain.  Loads of bins were out ready for collection, but the one pictured above blended in better than most!

Our walk took us to Bowlish, past the infant school and then back through West Shepton.  Couldn't resist a quick detour into Aldi to see if there were any bargains! Bought some cheap tea towels for the material, not for drying dishes!  We always carry a bit of money - just in case...  Unfortunately, when we got out it really was pouring down, so by the time we made it home we were soaked!  I was glad I was wearing my waterproof trousers!  Jenny was not so prepared...

I have just been given some silver birch bark by one of members of the gallery, who is a wood turner.  It is incredibly thin and paper like with lovely markings.  I will be incorporating it into an artwork sometime soon...

'SUPER-MOON' MONDAY

When I got up this morning I looked out to see the super-moon, glowing with a halo of light around it - earlier when I woke up at 4pm and saw the eclipse - the moon was a copper ball with a sliver of light.

It was a chilly start today and misty, in fact, the mist seemed to come down heavier as we walked;  then the sun came out and started burning it off.  The leaves are starting to turn now, bringing Autumnal colours to add to the green landscape.  It is a great time of year for foraging, not only for food but for materials to make art!

Last Saturday I went to Dove Studios, Butleigh to do a course called 'Walk and Make'.  The tutor was artist Fiona Hingston, who has made some impressive hanging boxes, full of nature for 'Amazing Space',  an exhibition of especially commissioned work to celebrate 45 years of the Dove Centre which will open during Somerset Art Weeks which starts on October 3rd.  Her 'Pressings' are the result of going into the countryside, collecting,  preserving,  responding and finally making (see above).  The methods she uses includes - folding, pressing, stitching, drying and waxing.

Our first task was to walk in the fields, orchards and woods nearby and pick up anything which appealed.  We then took these back to tables set out in the open - we were lucky that the weather was glorious sunshine - and Fiona helped us with ideas on how to preserve them, put them together and start something that perhaps could be turned into an artwork!  You can see her in the pic top left slicing up some apples before laying them out to dry.  I tried stitching some thistle seed heads but they were fragile and started disintegrating!  I found some snail shells, without their owners, thank goodness!  They have a subtle colouring which I hope will be enhanced by some deep cleaning and waxing.

The most intriguing thing we saw today were these two rocks held together just by balance. They reminded me of Dorset artist, Adrian Gray who does this on a huge scale with amazingly, dramatic results that seem to defy gravity!

BIRD AND PERCH

No walk today!  It's a bank holiday and Jenny expected visitors. I did think of going on my own but the rain put me off, so instead I went into my warm, dry studio and worked on pieces inspired by what we have picked up on our walks. 

This piece of wood was lying on the ground.  Immediately, I could see the shape of a bird and a branch so I set about creating a background on which to mount it. This was done on a 7 x 5 inch canvas board with layers of collaged papers, including maps, text, music, my own painted papers and a copy of a photograph taken on one of our walks, plus gesso.

I then signed it,  put it into a painted frame and it was finished! 

DECORATIVE DOORWAYS

Today, I  flew solo, as Jenny couldn't make it!  It was tempting to stay in bed, but I wanted the fresh air and exercise.  The weather wasn't promising - damp and grey - but, by the time I had finished, there was almost enough blue in the sky to make a sailor a pair of trousers, as my grandmother used to say, and it was quite bright!

The walk with no talk wasn't the same, but it did give me a chance to concentrate on my surroundings.  I love old and interesting doors - some of my first mixed media collages were based on them as the central theme.  I find them intriguing - what lies beyond?  What stories could they tell?

In Shepton I am always asking Jenny to stop so that I can photograph a doorway. Here is a montage I put together. 

 
The collage on the left had a photo of a cottage door taken in Lyme Regis, as its focus. This has been made into a greetings card and is popular as a moving home card. Above right, is another one which was used as a card - 'Merry Christmas'  in red was added, with the magic of computers, to the bottom half.  I have put 'artworks to be done based on Shepton doors' on my 'to do' list!

Near the start of my walk I was stared at by this cow.  I have never seen one with two black eyes before!

WALKS AND ART

I find going out early morning on our walks inspirational for my artwork.  As we want to keep going with the walking I don't get time to sketch but I take quite a few photos and collect things as I go - leaves, feathers, pebbles, bits of coloured plastic - anything that I can use as inspiration or actually as part of an artwork. The most unusual thing I have found so far is this shoe - worst for wear and abandoned! I love its sculptural shape and the stories it could tell! On the inside of the shoe are the words 'follow me'. I can sketch and paint it and the shoe itself can be altered to become a work of art.  I will show the results in future posts.

This artwork was the basis for the design of the header and colour scheme of this blog.  I took a simple leaf shape, used mono printing techniques and collaged paper.