collage, print, stitch

**********sPriNg cLeaNinG*********

I love collecting bits and pieces for making art and because I like working with lots of different media and techniques my 'stash' has got a little bit out of control. Over the next few months I'm going to sort it all out and hopefully use a lot of it up and I'm hoping that this blog ritual will help discipline myself a bit more and stick to what I have said I am going to do. This will be especially difficult as the car boot season will start again soon and there are so many irresistable things to buy for tiny prices. I'd love to hear from anyone who has any top tips for a tidy workspace :o)

SWAP SWAP SWAP

I've finally got down to doing some work in my studio - a little bit of tidying up and a few ATC's for a swap I'm taking part in. The theme was an ATC with a hole in it. It was a fun project for me to get started on. If only there were a few more hours in the day!

Images for today

i did these graffiti pictures a few years ago when I was taking part in 'Artists in the Yard' at the Knaresborough FEVA Arts Festival. It was a really hot day and I spilt a pot of glue all over my trousers. When it dried it felt like I was wearing cardboard clothes.

St Ives

It's starting to get a bit lighter here and there are the first signs of winter starting to loose its grip. I love winter but I also love our changing seasons and the blue skies we've seen over the last few days are making me think about our annual week in St Ives Cornwall (not for a while yet but it's good to have it to look forward to!). For anyone who hasn't been to St. Ives it is a fantastic place to visit. Lots of beaches (some more suitable for surfing and some more suitable for little kids) all wrapped round a town full of higgledy-piggledy houses and cobbled streets.

Then there's the art connection - lots of artists with work exhibited everywhere you turn. Louise McClary www.newmillenniumgallery.co.uk/pdfs/LouiseMcClary05.pdf , Michael Rees http://www.badcocksgallery.co.uk/show.php?artistId=23&showId=22 and last year I found a ceramicist I really liked http://www.lindastyles.co.uk/archives.html in the wonderful St Ives Printmakers Gallery.

http://www.printmakersgallery.co.uk/index.htm Traces of Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Alfred Wallis etc everywhere you turn and the fabby Tate St Ives right on the beach. http://www.tate.org.uk/stives/

Today

today has been seriously windy and although it's a bit scary in a global warming kind of way, it is very invigorating outside in the wind. i don't seem to have time to create much work at the moment so here's another page from some random sketchbook.

financial times shoes

I made these shoes out of the financial times. I've always loved the unusual colour of this newspaper and the pages and pages of rows and columns of writing and numbers make for good collage material. If anybody knows why this publication is printed on pink(ish) paper I would love to know.

inspiring place to work

i am very fortunate to be able to work with many inspiring people and I spend 2 days a week working with adults with visual imapirments, learning difficulties and other disabilities in a fantastic purpose built arts and crafts centre http://henshaws.live.poptech.coop/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=90189. above are some photos we took in the workshop yesterday.

red day

the rain is coming down in torrents here and everything is damp and cold which is scary from a global warming perspective. everyone is looking worn out. am i the only person who loves winter? i don't mind the short days, the darkness and the low temperatures. I love living somewhere where the weather changes all year round. i think the trick is to go with the seasons and conserve energy in the winter, rest, snuggle up inside and keep warm. Anyway - here are some warming winter pictures from one of my little experimental sketchbooks.

More sketchbook

I was feeling a bit turquoisy today so picked these images from my sketchbook to upload. It is cold and wet in my part of the world today. Everyone looks like they should be hibernating. A great time of year to shut yourself away at home, keep warm and let those creative juices flow.

Wasting Time

Although most of the week is taken up with work, I do have the odd 'window' where I could knuckle down and be creative. So far this year I have been using this time to veg out in front of the tv and sleep in! I did a tiny bit of tidying up in my studio, made a few handmade books and took some photos of my sketchbooks etc. to upload here but I really need to up the anti and make, make, make!

Hopefully writing this blog will help me to make the most of the time I have to be creative.

Anyway - any tips for keeping a tidy studio or making the most of your time are very gratefully received :o) Here's some of those pics from a random sketchbook.

more graffiti book

some more pics of that graffiti book (because I haven't got any other images to upload at the moment!)

zines arrived

Just before Xmas I had a bit of a frivolous spending spree on Etsy and bought lots of zines (zines are artist book / journal type things). 2 more of my purchases arrived today one is a collection of writing, poetry and images (plus some other surprise little goodies) and the other is a zine about graffiti found in library books - this will be a great gift for my friend who is always scribbling away in the books she reads. When you borrow a book off her you almost get 2 for 1 as you get the original book and then all of her comments and musings too.

Anyway I want to get back into making artist books etc and I've got an afternoon free - so away i go..............................................

Today

I have had quite a productive day which is nice after being in hibernation over the holidays. I got lots of admin sorted out for the courses I teach and got ready for a course which starts tomorrow. Once all that was out of the way I spent some time in my studio making more sketchbooks.

My Urban Graffiti mail art book is finished but I didn't get to the Post Office to send it off :o( must do it tomorrow). Here's some pics of some of the pages of it anyway.

time in my studio

I have just emerged from my studio after spending a couple of hours immersed in making sketchbooks. I am definately at my happiest when I am being creative. I'm hoping to sell some of the books when I've finished to help me along the road to a time when I can spend more time locked away in my creative world.