1.1.23
New Year Return
13.5.22
Painting the hedgerows
Mid-may and the verges are spattered with Queen Anne’s Lace and sundry other wild pretties, overlooked by copious clouds of foaming hawthorn, which we must not pick and never, ever bring into the house, for fear of bad luck.
Even the ancient, warty Wrekin is softened with the flush of new green growth.
I have aways loved the sight of a narrow country road cutting through the landscape and forging onwards to an invisible end, softly edged by tumbling greenery, blurring the hard edges so that the road, for all its visual dominance, never entirely wins. And here is my own tumbledown cottage, hiding behind the greenery. If you look carefully, further down the lane you can see the lilac tree by the gate of Jean-and-Brian-next-door,
This is a motif that comes out in my own work again and again, as I reinterpret and simply the landscape around me, most recently in these miniature hills, an edition of two. It is also a firm control of the messy chaos of wool, taming the fibres into a solidly outlined object.
And there is the contrast again, in this large still life I painted last Sunday, with the hard plaster wall being softened and almost overwhelmed by the exuberance of the paint, depicting Fumitory and Honesty spilling out and escaping the confines of the white ceramic jug.
13.7.11
Doppelganger
7.4.08
It was going to be a Deer...
My new camera has been playing up and when we got back I was going to upload the film and post it here, for your delectation. But Andy was trying to work out the settings and get it working properly...and in a moment of madness, managed to delete it. So we have no deer. To his credit he was truly remorseful and offered me a pillow with which to smother him. However, that would have been a waste of credit; he owes me big time now, so I have let him live. Although I did scream a bit. (A lot).
So, onto less alive creatures. This chap was found in the wilderness of ebay - I managed to get him for 99p (just under $2). For some reason the seller neglected to show a photo of him - there was just a short description, of a plush toy dog, with music box inside, 1950's or 60's. So when I bought him I had no idea whether he would be in decent condition or falling apart...luckily he was just as I hoped. Despite a piratical and somewhat crazed look in his eye, he is rather sweet and not bad for 99p. He plays 'Hush a Bye Baby' when you wind his box up. He is very homemade and quite knobbly, being made round a stout wire armature with wood straw stuffing - don't think the Health and Safety brigade would approve of him as a baby toy...
And after a total of twenty five hours (yes, I do keep track) of work, I finally turned this wad of pink merino fluff...
I have entered Sally and Jenny (see below) in separate categories in the 2nd Annual Softies Award, so no doubt I will be begging for your votes when the time comes. There are some stunning entries - they can be seen in the Flickr group, here. Toy Heaven.
I have been a complete numpty and forgotten to boast about two awards kindly given me - the first being from Rose Haven Cottage, a lovely sanctuary which I like to visit regularly, thank you so much...
...and this from my friend Ali over at Wool Gathering, the artypico award. Thank you so much!
1.4.08
Hen-ry Moore-ish
So, here we start with a mass of wool top, all fluffy and amorphous. This is a lovely hank of blue merino from the Etsy seller Fibre Space Supplies. I am basing my piece on the pen and ink sketch in the background with the spots on. Anyone who knows their sculptors will recognise the Henry Moore pun...
You just start rolling and stabbing...I love the scrunchy noise the wool and needle makes! (Click to play)
And it starts to look a little like a kind of henny shape.
But...the tail is too fat...so it is simply cut off...(felt is SO forgiving).
And the excess can be moulded onto the front to get more of that bountiful chest!
Next it needs rounding...(Click to play)
...and more 'enhancement' at the front...
...a little fine tuning...I like my felt quite firm and well defined, although many people like to leave their work softer and wispier. (Click to play)
Adding a inquisitive, pokey beak and flobbley red bits...
...and after roughly 8 hours (which is my average time) We have Ms Mavis Hen...where did that egg come from?
I exactly know what Rachel Rabbit meant when she said that sometimes you need to keep the 'odd treasured creation'...but at the moment every dear little felted creature represents food, bills and maybe a new pair of boots. Unromantic but pragmatic.
16.3.08
Egg Nest
...it didn't turn out exactly like that; the wool did not like being felted so tinily. Each bird took about two hours to perfect. Or near as dammit.
But after about 12 hours (total) hard labour...
And finished off with a tag.
22.2.08
New best friends
- he started off like this...
- and ended up like this. Amazingly after all these years of non-sewing, I can still just about embroider a nose and managed to make halfway decent French knots for eyes.
At this point Andy's mum should not be reading, as he is her (very late) birthday present. He was missing something though...and unexpectedly, the wonderfully kind and very wool-centric Border Tart sent me a gorgeous collection of bright fluffy 'accents', all wrapped up in a fairy tale.
Funnily enough, I had just been looking through her shop to see if she sold these self same articles. Thank you so much Lindsay! Now my rabbit has what every bunny needs; a carrot.
Many years of painting and drawing 2D toys means that I am not at a loss for designs...in fact I wish I could sprout extra limbs, in order to be able to work, spider-like, on several projects at once.
The next idea was unashamedly inspired by a story from a favourite childhood Enid Blyton book, (and from where many early ideas and images fixed themselves in my imagination, still resurfacing in my work today).
Using a cotton wool base, she started rather bizarrely; a miniature yeti-like creature.
But several thousand stabs later, a bit of embellishment and a pink heart on her posterior she emerged looking plumply cute and rather like a Japanese crafted toy.
Wanting to move back to a more vintage style, I ransacked my Moleskine again -
- and started to roll, mould and stab again. Using cotton wool in the kitten saved on actual felting wool, but I seem to get a more satisfactory, organic shape with 100% wool top. So far she is eyeless and wingless. Does she need a crown or a frock? Or both?
14.2.08
Strange and quiet mysteries...
And what an wonderful pack it was; I love her work, redolent with themes of fairy tales, theatre and circus, all executed with a gorgeous muted palette and swathed in melancholic mystery. Just to have one delightful print would have been enough - but, oh generous Gifling!
A print, a postcard pack, AND a set of scrummy circus family badges -
Well, what can one say, but thank you, thank you, thank you! And thank you. (Did I say thank you?) So feeling rather spoilt, I moved hungrily on to the other anonymous packet...large, soft and squidgy. And literally gasped out loud. After the nice comments (bless you all) about my wheely bird, and suggestions of needlefelting it into a real toy, I investigated further, and discovered a whole new craft waiting for me. I am really excited about the thought of creating some of my creatures in 3D, and this looks like an ideal way to do it. However pennies are very tight again, and I put the thought aside for a while. So the arrival of this -
- was like a classic fairytale scenario, where the poor woodcutter's daughter finds some kind, anonymous benefactor has left the tools to her destiny on her doorstep. Not only that, but chosen well, as they are 'my' colours - so someone who knows my work too. And no note...no receipt...I have a hunch though. Just a whisper of a hunch. (edit...my hunch was wrong so I really am completely clueless...) To the great-hearted person who sent me this - thank you x 100. This is one craft about which I have absolutely no knowledge; I really thirsted to try it out and now, happily, I can. Big smiles and great restraint needed not to pick it up at once and start playing.
Did you notice the happy accident? Don't you just love it when things serendipidously fall into threes? Look at these colours...
Talking of multiples, I have been a little overwhelmed this month with various tags/list invites - too many to do really, and not much about me that is at all interesting which I haven't already posted. But thank you to lovely bloggers Paula, Tara, Little Robot, Erica and Corinne, who mentioned me on their blogs. All of whom are in my list of 'creative lovelies' on the left over there. Like having a basketful of kittens, it is hard to choose a favourite...so I will simply scoop everyone up and squeeze them. Gently of course.