mosaic monday

1. studio sunday, 2. There and Back again, Page 54, 3. # 1720 "I Feel My Life", 4. 84p41, 5. Butterflies of the Fields and Lanes, 6. ., 7. his face, 8. Detail, 9. vessels, 10. earth kantha, 11. Chemex #20, 12. Untitled, 13. Small abstract study from the "Bliss" series, 14. May marble, 15. Along My Journey..., 16. Change, 17. Untitled, 18. Untitled, 19. Twins, 20. Where is your heart?, 21. Street Hustlers., 22. #crafty, 23. saturated 6, 24. Arduous Path, 25. handkerchief for Vesuvius in progress

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy Monday to you..... it has finally stopped raining here.... a sunny and breezy day, we are even perhaps expecting a little warmth this afternoon.... Many thanks to the artists and photographers featured in this week's mosaic. Please follow the links to discover more about the creative talents behind each image....

On this final day of April, I am looking back and catching my breath, it's been a busy month and this year is speeding ahead. Thank you kindly for all your comments visits and support, here and elsewhere. It's my aim to always be very busy, and I thank you for your encouragement.

A special thanks to Morna, as she has kindly helped me with an improved version of my Etsy shop banner. 

In my shop this week expect to see new mixed media work, and new paintings too. I hope to update on Wednesday and then again later perhaps at the weekend. Please note that this weekend ahead is a bank holiday in the UK, so if you purchase something over the weekend I will not post out until the following Tuesday at earliest.

The postage rates in my shop have been revised, due to Royal Mail price increases. I'm keeping the cost to you at minimum, and have always combined shipping, and will continue to do so. Thanks for your understanding. Only wish I had a solar powered magic carpet to deliver items in person! One day, one day....

A lot to be doing, and more to share soon..... have a good start to your week x

100

I made it to 100 - sepia photos so far this year, that is. I wanted this one to have a vintage greetings card feel about it, something nostalgic about sparrows, they make me think of London parks and gardens.... it has been raining raining raining rain all weekend. There was a moment when the rain stopped, just long enough for me to dash to the recycling bin with recycling items, get my camera and creep up on a tree to photograph sparrows - as you do on a Sunday afternoon. I've been making Sundays more about reading lately, so have had my nose in a book, finished Virginia Woolf and moving on to John Burnside. And watching my daughter work in her very large sketchbook for Art GCSE coursework. Drawing hands.

 Also, a new post (after a bit of a break) over at nevering today - a piece of early draft writing that might become something longer.

Friday

eloquence - an angled view of this new portrait (now in my shop).... this week has gone by so quickly, such a rainy, sunny, stormy week..... I have things still 'in the works' that I will continue with over the weekend and next week. The paintings I've been making recently - they are speaking to me and there's more to explore.... I'm especially happy with the newest mixed media work that's coming along, so expect to see more....

This afternoon I was in the kitchen when I looked out and saw this sparrowhawk sitting on the far garden fence. Not a great quality shot as the bird was perched some distance away. I've seen sparrowhawks visiting before but this is the first I have seen this year.

the tiny tick tock of the busy premonition

the tiny tick tock of the busy premonition 

 this is a new mixed media embroidery collage - another work exploring figure studies and individuals coming together to share and tell their stories.... I've used my own naturally dyed fabrics. The blue is cotton dyed with viola flowers. The fabrics were dyed some months ago and they have been waiting for their moment... available in my shop now - along with a couple of other new and special artworks

A May Queen

A May Queen - larger embroidery artwork

This is a piece I've been working on for the past ten days or so, it is so very detailed I have worked on an area at a time, wishing to create a harmonious whole scene.... My starting point for this work was the folklore of May Queens and the rituals of English maypoles and spring time..... I wanted to make nods and hints at, whilst keeping my own style and way of visual storytelling. Here are dreaming characters in their elaborate worlds of mystery, history and memory. Once I had begun starting on the main figure, I knew she would have colour but that the backdrop would be in black stitch only - so as to give a timeless quality, as if she may be standing in front of pictures, or perhaps she has the echoes of time around her.....

Indeed, even her flowers are 'drawings' rather than 'real' or colourful flowers - for they are symbolic of her time and story. The May Queen wears a gown of blue shades and white. Many tiny dancing stitches went into this whole piece. The mother of pearl buttons add something more, a little light and reflection. I think this work would be lovely framed in a deep box frame, perhaps.

A May Queen will be in my shop tomorrow, along with a few other new works.

Hope your week is going well, it is very rainy and blustery here - it hardly stops raining at all. Hoping for blue skies soon..... hope it's not too wet and cold where you are.

Is this my time?

Is this my time? a larger gouache portrait.... a definite nostalgic feel to this one - and she reminds me, I think it is her hair, a little of a late great aunt.... The title comes from thinking: how is to feel you 'fit' in this moment, and yet so many people feel they are outside, they think perhaps they were born at 'the wrong time'.... when is right, how soon is now, and how many cups of tea in a day do you need to stay sane?

mosaic monday

1. # 31 Taça em papier maché, 2. "BALLOONs GONE WILD", 3. now that's pink, 4. ferns are waking up, 5. Untitled, 6. concrete - dent - 3, 7. Untitled, 8. poster, 9. 20120422, 10. spring fete, 11. home, 12. flying away, 13. a twin, 14. downstairs (Tate Modern), 15. Art Group ..., 16. fog, 17. IMGP0537, 18. Fimo heads, 19. lamps, 20. Good day, 21. a take over, 22. crow sculpture, 23. 騎龍觀音前的白色花浪, 24. apr162012, 25. wall base, 26. Untitled, 27. book, 28. Untitled, 29. fake nature, 30. Enid - finished close up

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy Monday to you, even if it is rather chilly and damp.... the typical April weather continues here....many thanks to the artists and photographers who are featured in this week's mosaic. Please follow the links to discover more...

This week, I am looking forward to sharing with you a larger embroidery artwork that I have been creating over the past ten days or so.... It's another detailed work, with yet another story to tell. I hope to have this completed in a few days time.

I'm working on new ideas, as always, toying with the idea of making new dolls of some kind - but still very much at the playing-at-it stage. There's new mixed media work in the works too.

So, I hope to update my shop on Wednesday or Thursday this week.

This is the final week of April! (small breath of denial) - it's raining hours and days, hold on to your umbrellas and more soon...... x

sepia

I am continuing on with my sepia photography project..... now over 90 images. This was to be a daily project, and still is, in theory, with a few missed days here and there not minded too much. After all, this is a personal journey through the year and I want each image to mean something....






The above little drawing is one I made and decided to keep for myself...... Meanwhile, I have just added a new smaller mixed media collage to my shop. Thanks for all your comments and visits this week x

new work

portraits - a new selection of faces have appeared in my shop today



the kindest folk - a mixed media collage made into a little folding book - with monoprint drawings, stitch portraits too.... many thanks -  have a good weekend x

happenings

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Happenings mixed media collage - stitch, papers from old books, hand dyed fabric, black linen, monoprint drawings..... This is a piece that somehow manages to be both quiet and lively, I think.... This and other artworks will be in my shop tomorrow - I have several gouache paintings, mixed media work - all to be revealed tomorrow.... it's been such a strange weather week here - I hope the light will be good for me tomorrow when I take lots of photographs... we are having true April weather, rain and sun, sun and rain showers.... the grass is looking green after a winter drought, and there are green finches nesting in the tall conifer at the back of this house......

forget-me-nots

forget-me-nots, quite suddenly appear, they find their way, in sun or shade and that blue, so particular - is there any other flower with the same blue, exactly? today began as a wretched dark and rainy day but now the sun is back - I took a moment to photograph the little wild ones and now I'm going to go and rev up my sewing machine and continue with the beginnings of something else.....

mosaic monday

1. The kid and the monkey, 2. 136/365, 3. up, down and details, 4. untitled, 5. The Pells, Lewes., 6. one butterfly, 7. 分け入る, 8. a tangle of seaweed, 9. Framed circle, 10. 'This is no less curious' after Goya, 11. untitled, 12. The Art of Tea, 13. New work, 14. Iridescence, 15. IMG_0037, 16. guardião, 17. my desk today, 18. New paper, 19. portrait -5, 20. Untitled, 21. 2012-4-11-3, 22. the beasts are back, 23. color field (2012), 24. Making new things, 25. The Floating House, 26. tomato seeds pushing up, 27. 129, 28. St Pauls, from the Thames, 29. the thinker, 30. Kikyo' no Aoi mado (2012) Oil on canvas, ink, pigment, charcoal, coloured pencil 840x840x40xmm

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy sunny Monday to you - many thanks to the artists and photographers featured in this week's mosaic. Please follow the links to discover more..... It was a frosty start here - after a warm beginning, spring has got colder and things are set to stay this way for a while. Curious and contrary spring....

A big thanks to everyone who has left comments here or over at facebook, or indeed at flickr recently. Your encouragement makes a big difference to my day. I like working quietly along, but it makes a big difference to me, to connect here and elsewhere. So thanks. If there are any features, blog posts you might like to see in the future, let me know. If you are new to reading this blog - hello to you.

This week I am working with thread, paper, paint, tinkering with natural dyes, because I can never have too much hand dyed fabric and the fresh herbs are appearing.... I'm hoping to have some new ideas on paper, and perhaps see my way into starting on a new larger embroidery piece. 

Shop update this week will be Thursday or Friday, not sure just yet so will let you know here/and/or elsewhere. I like to update about once a week, but sometimes I might just add one or two things as a surprise, between times.

Many thanks and enjoy your Monday x

sketches

 

 Making many little sketches.... some in small handmade books. I make one or two little booklets each week and store them away. Other sketches to find their way into books later. I gather them up and later will look back to remember ideas.

 

 drawing shapes, over and over, making connections.... the repetition of drawing helps my stitch work

 

making patterns, trying out different paper - I like this feint squared paper for sketching right now..

 

taking photos of things as they happen.... a quick snapshot to remember....

and it's got cold and breezy here, with rain clouds looming... and the forget-me-nots are back in the front lawn, and it's time for a cup of tea again.

it's in the detail

'Shakespeare's sisters' is now sold (many thanks) and on its way to a new home. However, I thought I would share here another picture of the embroidery. This is a corner shot showing the detail, with the many tiny faces that appear rather like a theatre audience.....

I have many ideas for new work, always thinking ahead..... but for now I am looking forward to the weekend and spending time with my family, sketchbooks and perhaps a little sunshine between the rain and hail storms...

have a good weekend
x

New Work

Shakespeare's sisters

This is the larger embroidery piece I have been working on for the past few weeks or so.... and I blogged about recently. It is now complete and in my shop. There are so many tiny faces in this work, I lost count about halfway through.... and sorry no prizes for counting. The kind of work to explore and got lost within, see something new each time - that was what I wished to create. The many tiny faces on the left-figures gown are rather like a theatre audience, or that was my intention. I'm pleased with the simple yet bold colours I have employed and just hope you will enjoy it too! I am offering at a special price which includes international insured shipping....



And here's a selection of new gouache paintings that are now in my shop..... yes quite a varied selection of favourite subjects. A few new ideas here, along with my favourite chairs and rabbits.....

I hope you will enjoy taking a look at this big shop update. It was something I wanted to do for a while - add a larger selection to my shop. It's been a lot of work, of course, but a pleasure also.

Many thanks x

let the light in

 

A small book of Saints

This is a mixed media collage - made into a simple folding book of three panels. This piece is inspired by interest in early church paintings, but has a contemporary, handmade, primitive and abstracted feel to it. Rather like a tiny travelling altar, if you like. I've used monoprint drawings on yellowed paper from old books and have combined with my own natural-dye fabrics, and with stitch.

Held to the light, as you can see, the little book has a warm feel and light comes through the many tiny stitch holes, giving the piece a slightly different dynamic. This is something I would like to work with more perhaps - the possibilities of light through paper, combined with stitch....

A small book... will be in my shop update tomorrow.

 

Honesty

Honesty - figure studies

A new mixed media collage - one of several to appear in my shop on Thursday.

Here I have combined monoprint drawings, improvised machine-stitch figures, hand dyed and vintage fabrics.... Each individual figure study aims toward a quiet honesty of its own.

mosaic monday

 

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. Braids page 1, 4. water doodles.., 5. Release, 6. Work in progress, 7. Gathering, 8. 61, 9. another pins and needles work in progress, 10. hoot meets Bridgette & Hilary, 11. Willow, 12. in someone's garden., 13. Looking for Eggs 2012, 14. Untitled, 15. From the stars, 16. Circles, 17. screenprint, 18. a little vignette, 19. untitled (remembrance), 20. mais um.... :), 21. new work, 22. Our Open Secret, 23. A very small journal, 24. there's a piece missing, 25. Untitled

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy Monday to you - it is a bank holiday Monday here and the world outside seems quiet - and typically rain-sodden. But I do have this mosaic of inspiration to share with you, lots of warmth and individuality in this one... Many thanks to all the artists and makers featured. Please follow the links to discover more....

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway over the weekend. I've enjoyed reading all your comments and emails. Such a varied mix of ideas and responses to my question 'what is your favourite painted subject?' I like the variety!

So - there's only one little sketch and so only one winner - all names were written on paper slips and put into a bowl and my daughter picked out , at random: Leslie. Thanks everyone for entering and hope to have another little giveaway some time in the future. And Leslie I'll be in touch and will send your gouache sketch asap.

This week, I'm busy completing work for my rather special shop update - which will be this Thursday. This is a special one because it features quite a broad selection of brand new work, including monoprint drawing collages - something I have not offered for a while. A new larger embroidery piece that I have now completed. And more. I'll share some more preview photos with you between now and then. Hoping very much that you will enjoy taking a look.

Hoping too that the sun will return in the next few days so that I can take lots of great photos. We can but hope.... Have a very good start to your week and more soon x

It's a giveaway post and you are invited

We are a quarter of the way through 2012 already, it's spring here (though a bit chilly today), it's also Easter Weekend.... time for a small giveaway. I'd like to say thanks to everyone who takes the time to visit my blog and also for lovely comments.

This small gouache sketch, a little portrait of vessels and feathery stems.... I'll be sending this one to someone soon. If you would like to have your name put in the hat then you have only until first thing Monday morning UK time to leave a comment.

So to enter: please say hello - and also, just to make this a little more interesting, please could you tell me what  is your favourite 'painted subject' - eg. have you got a thing for chairs, do you prefer still lives, perhaps your walls breed birds, or are you a head collector?? Or do you prefer abstract artworks?

I'll have my adjudicators on stand-by, and will announce the winner of the sketch on Monday.

Anyone worldwide is invited to leave a comment, even if you are new to my blog. If for any reason you cannot leave a comment here then you are welcome to email me to enter: ccullis at g mail dot com

This is a long holiday weekend here in the UK. I'm spending some time with family, but also working on with lots of new new new for my shop update which will be next week on Thursday.

Enjoy your weekend x

expressive lines and stitches

 

Working on several different, quietly engrossing projects at the moment..... Here above you see a work-in-progress shot - you get to see how I work on my ironing board as an extra work space. You also get to see here scraps of lovely yellowed papers from books and how I have made several small monoprint drawings. I sat and made many drawings over the course of an afternoon/evening, then edited down to 'the best' that worked together to build a whole piece. 


 

 
 I wonder - mixed media collage
Here is a view of the completed collage. Machine stitch lines hold the different fragments in place. Individuals separate yet held together by a common thread..... The drawings are each experimental, often I draw without looking, figures are pared-down, abstracted, expressive.... Can I say I am really pleased with this piece. I'm working on further ideas soon...

 

 
 In contrast to the 'pared-down-ness' of the above work, this larger embroidery is intensely detailed. Many tiny faces present themselves, with three central figures taking centre stage. Infact, my working title for this one is: Shakespeare's Sisters or Nights at the Theatre.

 


 
 Here you can see I have paused stitching to take a quick in-progress shot... The figure in white wears a dress with tiers of tiny faces around the hem..... With her bonnet and frock, she reminds me a little of Grayson Perry, in a good way.... (not something I had planned).

 




 

And here is another shot, showing how colour is a strong element, or will be, when finally complete. The colour scheme for this piece is simple: black, white, a pink-red and pale blue. It's going to be a striking piece. Still got quite a way to go, but since taking these shots I have worked more and am about halfway. I'm not rushing anything, as I do not like to work that way. I find it's best to immerse myself into it for an hour and then come up for air, take some time away from the work (put the laundry on for example) and then get back to it with fresh eyes. I'm sure I am not the only person who works this way. I tend to work on stitch in the morning because for some reason I have always done it that way. Stitch in the morning and painting, drawing etc.. usually happens in the afternoon/evening.

The above are just a few of the special pieces I am working on for my shop update next week, which is most likely going to happen on Thursday 12th. 

mosaic monday

 

1. so many colors!, 2. Untitled, 3. Untitled, 4. 63х1000, 5. in progress, 6. linocut, 7. Bridge (take2), 8. tiffle papercut, 9. hex garden, 10. monotype-025, 11. mussel blue, 12. Rabbit family, 13. toronto installation detail, 14. pile o'bunnies, 15. 03/20, 16. Owl Cave II, 17. On originality and banality in the mind of the artist (or fluoxetine-hydrochloride), 18. Untitled, 19. Group Exhibition, 20. à Bordeaux

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy Spring Monday afternoon to you! Many thanks to the artists and photographers featured here. A few blank squares for you to investigate further - just click on the links....

A bit later blogging this week's mosaic as my children and I decided, spur-of-the-moment, and taking a quick look at the weather forecast, that today was the best to do a day outside. A lovely sunny day.

This week I've got a variety of projects in mid-flow, and will continue on with them. With Easter Weekend coming up, I will still be working and creating, but will not update my shop until next week. I'll be doing a super-duper special update next week - and have pencilled in Thursday 12th April, Expect to see new mixed media works, exploring improvisational stitch, monoprint drawings, new gouache paintings and more.

I'll hope to share some working and work-in-progress with you this week. I may also have a giveaway coming up as an Easter treat, so I hope to share that later.

I hope you have a very good start to the week and more soon x