my 2011 - and giveaway

1. 1, 2. sketchbook, 3. another view of 'deeper', 4. circus dreamers, 5. rainy day obsession, 6. a dolls house, 7. fortitude, 8. spring vessels, 9. seeing is believing, 10. untitled pair, 11. forget-me-nots, 12.fragile wings, 13. naming the flower, 14. vessels & fragments, 15. a bottle collection (detail), 16. Violet Goodenough, 17. www.flickr.com/photos/novembermoon/5852548063/in/photostream, 18. memory, 19.sketchbook, 20. brown paper sketch, 21. sketchbook, 22. together, 23. double visionary, 24. sketchbook, 25. neighbourhoodzine4, 26. dance the dance, 27. mixed media folk art dolls, 28. no farewells, 29.Untitled, 30. 15, 31. Adoration, 32. detail, 33. an earthy arrangement, 34. sketchbook dogs, 35.sketchbook, 36. golden gown

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Happy Boxing Day..... as this is a holiday Monday, the last of this year, I've decided to share here a mosaic of my own work from 2011. I've looked through my Flickr photos from January until now - and what a rich and varied mix.....

So I did a lot of painting with black gouache in 2011..... and not so much stitching as perhaps I might have liked. I really enjoy painting, I like the challenge of working with just one colour (black) and the challenge of imagination.... I don't think of myself as 'a painter'. I am someone who sketches and makes imaginative scenes and shapes, but I do not pretend to have any ambition beyond. I have worked on canvas this year and I think quite successfully, but I am not confident that painting on canvas could be my focus for very long - I like working small and I like the feel of paper so much....

I will continue to work in my sketchbooks and continue with my 100 portraits on brown paper, in 2012. I love painting on brown paper and so you will be seeing more....

I've been happy with my most recent stitching and am glad that I am working on my machine again. Earlier this year I got shoulder problems and all kinds of arthritic-type pain flared up. I didn't say much about it at the time, I just hoped it would go. And tried my best to get on with everything. I stayed away from sewing on the machine, as when I attempted any work it just hurt. Now I am so happy to say - I can work again, stitch again at my machine and whilst I limit myself to a few hours a day max, I am able to complete work and have no problems at all - it is a real joy.  I'm so pleased people have liked my newest stitched pieces - there are more in the works.... 

2012 is going to be the year of more stitch and especially wearable pieces I think....

Clay - the tiny heads project was such a great focus to begin 2011. I don't honestly think I would have stuck at it for so long if I had not received such great responses from people - here and over at Flickr. I'm pleased other people got interested in clay too - and thank you for sharing your projects. I just had so much fun with it. Even if I stopped after three or so months. I made over one hundred heads and I still have them! Now, I don't know what I am going to do with them, still, and will let you know. I do know that I want to make more in the future - so..... there will be more characters to appear.....

Zines - I've enjoyed making each different zine in 2011. Violet Goodenough is perhaps my favourite of the few. A zine with poetry and some artwork, it has been very well received and I am grateful for the encouraging feedback. I've not written very much in 2011 - I want to write more in 2012. At least putting Violet together made me feel like a writer:) And there is more Violet to come. I'm working on the next installment..... I really put a lot of heart and effort into my 'Neighbourhood' zine and will treasure it as the one without faces but a strong sense of place and imagination....

Next year will be busy again - with just as much variety? I don't know. I do know I want to stitch more in 2012, and make more zines. Infact I have a special giveaway to offer here...

Special Giveaway time........ I have not offered very many giveaways this year so I thought I would go for it and offer a good one now.....

My next zine 'home' is due out January 4th. I also hope to publish at least another 3 zines in 2012. I'd like to offer 3 people the opportunity to receive all my 2012 zines as a gift. I'll send you the zine as soon as it is published. So that's the one coming up soon, one probably March time, one in the Summer and one in the Autumn.....

You are welcome to enter the giveaway, where ever you are in the world..... To enter please leave a comment  - it's that simple. Also make sure I can contact you. If you have problems leaving a comment you can email me.

Three names will be pulled out of the magic hat on January 2nd - I will post the winners names here.

Thank you!