new work II

 Curio - here you see both sides of the artwork - now and then I decide not to add a backing to an embroidery, if the back is especially interesting or indeed an alternate view. The colours are favourites I return to, that teal blue-green and red. A whimsical piece.

 

icon dreamers - that blue-green but a different mood here - I am fascinated by religious historical art, of many kinds, particularly the use of gold in early icon painting. Here I have added a gold-coloured thread background to my own dreaming figures. Rather than attempting to imitate early icon portraits I'm more interested in 'collaging' ideas and themes. This is quite a small piece, made to contemplate and enjoy a richness. I used thick gold thread and it was quite tricky to sew with, but patience paid off, I feel....

These two will be in my shop update on Friday. More tomorrow x

new work

Gentlemen, if you please - 

(Mosaic Monday is on holiday) - Happy Monday - on this cooler summer's day.

Today and for the next few days, I will be showing here my newest work.... I've spent many hours over the past several weeks creating new embroidery artworks. Yes, the stitched portraits of gentlemen has been on my challenge list for a while now. I wanted to give these portraits their own distinctive looks. 

 gentleman dollmaker - the gentleman is stitched in dark sepia brown thread, inspired by antique photography. He holds a little doll, to his heart, and in a way this is me re-interpreting the 'mother and child' pose. Here is 'father' and doll. He seems quite a dreamer to me, distracted by his next ideas. I wanted to give the gentleman himself something of a dollish look, hence the simple cream body beneath his tailed coat and the tiny faces on his shoes.






Mr Crow & Crow - Mr Crow is a soulful type. He wears a silvery grey jacket and black waistcoat, and his friendly crow is perched at his fingertips. I've added many tiny dreaming faces and shadows to this work, to lend a darker, night-time feel....

Both these new works will be in my shop update on Friday August 3rd, along with several other embroidery pieces. So I'll be previewing more... see you again tomorrow and have a good Monday x

outside for the summer

outside for the summer - our small family of cacti and succulents. Now that real summer heat has arrived, it felt right to place them outside in our little garden here. They will return indoors by the autumn, depending on the temperature, but are protected from the rain. The agave in the big pot is a plant I have had for well at least fifteen years - I was trying to remember when I sowed the seed - it was some time close to when my daughter was tiny. I purchased the seed from the Phoenix Botanical gardens, whilst in AZ during the early 90's. The seed stayed in its little packet for a few years. The plant is a hardy one and has been outdoors through many winters, and has a baby now growing in a separate pot.


Meanwhile, I am not outside for the summer very much at all - it is suddenly too hot - but have been very busy working on new embroidery artworks. These are flowing well, and I look forward to sharing images with you in the near future, but right now I want to just keep my eyes focused and continue on. I am happy with the ideas process and evolution of new ideas. Some of the new work may be ready to offer perhaps next week. More soon x

sunny Monday

sunny sempervivum flowers

mosaic monday is on its hols....

have a good week

paper living

 still life in a tree

one of my paper houses found itself nesting (temporarily) in the ivy-clad arms of a local tree. This shot is one of a series I'm working on.

work in progress

did you get tears on the map? -

a series of gouache paintings work in progress

mosaic monday

1. Painting 07-14-12 A, 2. Irina's Swan, 3. july flowers, 4. Untitled, 5. deep sea dreamer necklace6, 6. art journal, 7. Untitled, 8. Frantic breakfast, 9. in a box, 10. More (water device), 11. Intellectual Nocciolina, 12. Untitled, 13. Untitled, 14. Sinking Into The White Sky, 15. strength, 16. murray, 17. tree bird dance s, 18. Studio, 19. 'mother', 20. one room three worlds

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy Monday to you - many thanks to the artists and photographers featured in this week's selection. Please follow the links to discover more. This will be my last mosaic for a little while - as mosaic Monday is going to take a summer holiday. I'm grateful always to my Flickr contacts for sharing their images and allowing me to put together mosaics of inspiration. Time to take a little breather.

I've just added a new section to my shop - summer sale - and have added a selection of gouache sketches that have been in the shop for a little while. These are now on sale at a fiver each - that's just £5 for an original little painting. Take a look at my summer sale section here. I'm not updating my shop this week as I have various projects to complete and family commitments. I need to focus on what is to come and so will take a couple of weeks to do that. There will be a special shop update at the beginning of August. In the mean time, there's an eclectic selection in my shop and I'm happy to send as quickly as always.

This week has started out rainy again. This rainy weather has become rather monotonous and I'm determined to not let it dampen my spirits. Keeping busy is nearly always the best way forward. And I shall be busy this week, as always. But I'm also looking forward to spending some time with my children during their school holidays which begin at the end of this week. We have had such a busy past several months, with my son getting ready for secondary school and my daughter studying for her GCSE's. We are looking forward to time at home and days out.

I'm thinking of what I can feature on this blog, during the summer weeks ahead. Perhaps some kind of summer series of blog posts might happen. I've a few ideas....

Have a very good week ahead and more soon x

new work

what would you do? - a collage

I've recently found myself working on a new series of larger collages - combining old book pages with gouache sketches. In many ways these new works are like sketchbooks pieced together in a different way - so that the pages are patchworked and the viewer can glimpse many stories and one integral composition.... It's an intriguing way of working and rather engrossing. Collage and the art of arrangement is nothing new to me, of course, I've made many collages combining stitch and drawing, for example. But these are rather larger - this one is 38cm x 30.5cm. Interesting for me was my apprehension at working beyond a certain size. But as the picture wished to grow, so I decided to go with it and so I did.... About time I make larger as well as the very intricately small. I think my eyes are happy for this combination.

There are two new collages in my shop today - along with a selection of embroidery, including brooches and a few new gouache sketches of the postcard size. Hope you enjoy taking a look and have a very good weekend x

our dreams never fade

our dreams never fade -a new embroidery artwork

I just completed this work today. The piece measures about 8.5cm wide by 13cm, so yes intricately detailed with many dreaming figures. I wished to create a scene of plenty, with the archetypal mother and child at centre. There's a feeling of tradition in the gold with warm cream thread. But I've also made my own 'mark' with pattern and motifs.

This embroidery will be in my shop on Saturday - along with several other new artworks. Time has gone by so quickly this week, apologies for being a bit quiet. Busy, busy as always. Hope to preview a few other items tomorrow.....

mosaic monday

1. Técnica mixta. 2012, 2. Egon Schiele, 3. Untitled, 4. Boy at an exhibition, 5. photo, 6. flickr.com/photos/37971252@N03/7526469048/, 7. 53, 8. Wishes, 9. Untitled, 10. What is happening around the corner?, 11. lin, 12. w.i.p, 13. carta, 14. Embroidery, 15. berlin sony-center, 16. you'll miss me, hand-painted shirt, 17. It was Left Behind, 18. IMG_2905, 19. girls praying, 20. zine :diarios de chicas, 21. DSC00034, 22. Untitled, 23. 階段の長屋, 24. 12x12quilts, 25. SNEAK PEEK, 26. # 1818 "Got Any Gum?", 27. "Our substrate", 28. Untitled, 29. drawing studio still seven (b&w), 30. "era"

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy Monday to you - on this rather overcast day..... we are having a very rainy summer. And I know that many people in the US and elsewhere are having a very dry, hot summer. The weather forecasters tell us it is something to do with jet streams going this way instead of that. I hope you are staying well no matter the weather in your part of the world....

Many thanks to the artists and photographers featured in this week's mosaic of inspiration. Please click on links to discover much more. 

So this week, I have as always lots on my to-do list. There are smaller embroidery artworks in progress and to begin. I plan to carry on with my 'neighbourhood' tableaux of paper houses (see yesterdays post). 

Also, I am busy dyeing fabric with plants, as it is that time of the year again and after using a lot of dyed fabric from last summer, my little workbox is looking depleted. The plan is to introduce a new selection of yesterdays dolls (in August) - so I need inspiring colours on fabric! I've just dyed some cotton with lady's mantle to get a warm beige. Just the right shade to work with the autumnal theme I am planning.

I've also got new sketches and collages in the works. Busy days ahead. I'll be updating my shop on Friday or Saturday this week, will let you know as soon as poss.

Many thanks always - have a good, creative week ahead x

building a scene

Building a scene - I'm making some progress on my paper houses and tableaux - installation, what ever it wants to call itself...... It's a scene of houses, with a painted backdrop. Here you see on the left a completed house and on the right - well yes an incomplete house.....

 


This house has a door at the back, hinged simply. Once the set-up is complete, I will photograph the scene and most likely have the final images in sepia. I'm not so concerned with the interior of each house, but I will eventually get to decorating and furnishing inside too. For now, my goal is to complete the exterior of the houses and take many photos to see the possibilities.... So I hope to update you as I continue on.....

thanks always for your kind comments and more soon x

new work

a detail from 'Summer's Eve' a larger gouache portrait - you may see the complete painting here


'a scarlet coat' - completed- I posted an in-progress shot of this artwork a few days ago and now here she is, in all her splendour...... Now in my shop, along with a new selection of gouache paintings and other smaller embroidery artworks - oh yes and paper houses!

hope you enjoy taking a look

have a good weekend

work-in-progress

a work-in-progress photo for you today - this is a portrait of a dreamer woman wearing her very own scarlet coat. Beneath the coat will be, I think, a cream dress. There are still details decide. Perhaps a dark grey backdrop. So far, I am quite pleased. I'll continue on with this embroidery artwork, and hope it all comes together as I envisage..... It's not at all easy always to translate ideas into stitch, as I am sure you may imagine or know from your own experience. My starting point tends to be the face. And if I don't feel it is 'speaking' to me and wanting to tell a story, then I will abandon and start again. This does mean a few false starts, but I prefer working that way. There are no marks made on the fabric, I draw directly with the sewing needle.

I've also been working on new gouache paintings in black and white - larger sketches - and am looking forward to sharing those with you some time soon.

A Happy 4th of July to all who may be celebrating today:)

mosaic monday

1. Asa'tsuyu (2012) Acrylic on paper, silver leaf, charcoal, graphite 212x181x2mm, 2. reverberatiion, 3. Connecting People, 4. Selcouth ( Time to go Strange Mutant), 5. MADALA PRONTA!!!, 6. flickr.com/photos/68126097@N00/7480324940/, 7. Lombroso, 8. Untitled, 9. Kattenkruid, 10. Haruni Shawl finished!, 11. this world, 12. sketchbook, 13. reflected in the summer rain, 14. fabric collage, 15. two Madame Potatos, 16. Treats or Traps Triptych detail, 17. Lost Tinted Breathing 2012, 18. Flower day came early this week., 19. flickr.com/photos/25179368@N06/7453571400/, 20. 3 wOrking On sOmething small

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Hello, and a happy first Monday of July. It has been a chilly, rainy start to the week this morning. Oh dear, where are you summer? Perhaps the Olympics will mean two weeks of heatwave??

Many thanks to all the artists featured in this week's mosaic of inspiration. Thanks always to my flickr contacts. Please follow links to discover more.

This week is going to be a busy one, as always. But especially busy for my family as we have extra events etc... I'm looking forward to making the most of all my working hours, because I have projects in progress and new ideas to explore. My sewing machine has danced so many miles recently but we are prepared to travel further.... There will be new stitches happening, I know that much. Hope to update my shop on Friday. 

Yesterday in my post 'paper houses', I mentioned a model village my family and I used to visit. Sue kindly left a message to correct me on the name - Bekonscot is still open and has been refurbished over recent years. I am glad to know that. This morning I remembered that I had a photo of my late father at the model village. Not the best photo, but gives a glimpse. This photo was taken around '76, I believe.

have a very good week and more soon x

paper houses

 small paper houses - using pages from old novels.... and painted with gouache... I like to find snippets of text that might lend meaning, or not.....

I've always had a fascination for small model homes - ever since visiting the now closed Beaconsfield Model village, way back in the 1970's. Not so interested in dolls houses as a child (was not into dolls as a child either, hmmm). One of the first craft projects I did 'all by myself' was decorating the inside of a flower pot, with paper and found objects, to be a mouse house.

Now I'm interested in the words and the slight edginess of these houses, their imperfection, vulnerability. Their storybook qualities. I wish you could see them all growing into a village on my shelves.....

 

 they nest together

 

 or stand side by side

I'm making a few of these for my shop update next week.

Also, I am working on larger paper houses, to create a tableaux. I will photograph this, in sepia most likely. And if it works as I would like, perhaps there will be photographic prints / postcards available.... that is all in progress. It is a time consuming process, adding all the little swirled, curled paper 'bricks'. I've almost finished this larger house. So there will be a lot more to share here.....