**************

Give-away time-up

2012-01-08T23:07:00.002Z

I had a lovely morning yesterday. some time to wander around the city centre

and treat myself to a few non essentials
Neal's yard products aren't cheap
but they are fabulously wonderful

These giant chocolate croissants were

completely over the top but a special treat

I couldn't resist this ribbon

or this !

and now for the winner of the teeny weeny zig-zag book..

Thank you all for commenting.

I loved everyone's ideas...they are all very inspiring

i now feel highly embarrassed that the prize is so measly

just a tiny little book that has been (not very well) made by me!

Anyway Rosie is the winner because she's going to take

the book on a journey....and who can resist a journey.

Can you email me your address Rosie and I'll get to the post office asap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

cosy

2012-01-06T17:52:00.005Z

This winter seems long, dark and cold.

Nights are spent by the fire ripping up old clothes

and crocheting them into weird floppy baskets.

i salvaged this from the bin at work

an interesting technique

has anyone seen it before?

you kind of over sew in different colours

then clip the yarn so it makes

sort of a rag rug but with wool

my sister doesn't know i take photos of her pots and put them on my blog i like her pots and my picture next to each other on dad's mantlepiece

small things

2012-01-01T23:38:00.004Z

*******************

it's nice to work big when space allows for it

it can be liberating

and bold

and a good way of using up lots of materials

that need using up.

but working small is good too

you can find beauty in tiny scraps of materials

and focus on small buttons

and titchy found precious stuff.

I've been making teeny-tiny zig-zag books

they fit in pockets and purses easily

handy for hospital visits.

they measure about 3cmX4cm

and, because they are so small,

maybe I should be selective about what goes in them.

I have this one to give-away.

To win it just leave a comment saying what

you would use a book this small for.

I'll pick a winner at the end of the week.

****************

disorder and hope

2011-12-22T11:58:00.004Z

If you get a chance go here and watch a fascinating documentary

about the lovely Mr Wallace and his incredible obsessive hoarding problem

and have your heart warmed by the compassion

of Mr Honey who is a ray of hope in our judgemental world.

Happy Christmas to you all from me and the new man in my life :)

simple pleasures

2011-12-04T21:13:00.004Z

I've learnt a lot recently.

More than I have ever learnt..

including degrees and masters degrees.

I've learnt about what matters in life.

I've learnt about courage and loyalty.

About friendship

and

its limits.

I've learnt about myself.

About daily rituals like lighting the fire and cooking comforting wholesome foods.

About making the most of life.

and sharing simple pleasures.

We'll be making the very most of this festive season

enjoying every simple moment.

hello

2011-10-26T20:23:00.005+01:00

we've finally got an internet connection at Dad's house which

means that I will be able to keep in touch with blogland while caring for him.

It'll make things a little easier for me to have a world outside work, cancer and caring.

I'm having a good lesson in how hard life can be.

It's hard to remember what my life was like before

and it feels like I wake up every day in a horrendous

bubble of disaster while normality seems to surround everyone else.

We are a small close family, dad has prostate cancer,

my sis had an accident five years ago and has suffered with anxiety since then,

I have a thyroid problem which I've struggled with for years and

now I can't take the medicaton for it because it makes my heart go bonkers

and my lungs fill with fluid...if anyone has had similar problems I would be very

interested to hear from them. The latest disaster is my young and talented

nephew has been diagnosed with ME. On top of this, regular car, house, work

stresses sometimes seem like the last straw.

i see these paints and sometimes think i can paint my way through this nightmare.

sorry to offload

I know others have difficult lives too

and there must be plenty who experience much worse

i don't know how they survive.

i don't know how i will survive.

all i can think of is that if i do survive this ordeal

i will have learnt a lot about how hard life can be

and i'll be able to use my experience to help others.

it's good to be back here.

x

print

2011-09-03T15:00:00.002+01:00

it's been a bit of a nightmare week

and i don't really have anything creative to show from it

here's one i did earlier

my head's so fuddled from stress and lack of sleep

i can't even remember if i've posted this before

the night's are getting darker

and the air has turned cooler

i chose this print because the colours

make me think of autumn and winter

i made it using a reduction technique

with lino. it's easy...cut and print..cut a bit more and print..

keep going and keep going using different colours each time you print.

i'm still waving

seaside memories

2011-08-25T21:13:00.003+01:00

our holiday by the sea seems an age away now

i haven't even had time to unpack the beach treasure

or the stash of art i started by the sea

and will hopefully finish sometime soon

waving to strangers from a train

2011-08-17T23:42:00.002+01:00

a ten minute ride on a seaside toy town train

with 3 little kids behind me

shouting and waving hello

was the complete antidote for

recession

cancer

and

riots in our streets

everyone smiled and waved back

young

old

even the crack heads under the bush shelter

it was the best £1.75 i have spent in a long time

and i'm gonna make it my business to travel

toy town

more often it occured to me that blogging is a bit like waving to strangers from a train

i'm

waving

you

holiday art day whatever + 1

2011-08-12T01:20:00.006+01:00

there's been so much art
going on around here

even the birds are leaving

coordinating sculptural forms

on the balcony

holiday art days whatever and whatever

2011-08-11T13:30:00.004+01:00

see that man lying on the beach?

that's how i feel in this place

holidays by the sea should be prescribed by doctors as a tonic

there's enough inspiration here to last a lifetime

nature is a wonderful artist

i can only try and capture a fragment of this beauty

holiday art day 3

2011-08-09T09:13:00.009+01:00

as predicted i didn't get much art done on day 3 because a friend came to visit

and we had too much paddling, ice cream eating and seaside tatt monitoring to do

i seriously love these shelves...i could fill them with handmade goods

for noone to buy

i'm extremely spooked by the way digital stuff doesn't photograph

like when computers go wonky when they're on tv

I'm even more spooked by my reflection in the photograph

but then my reflection always spooks me

i've got one of these plastic letter signs for my craft stall

but it doesn't have stars

if i could find some stars for my plastic letter board

it would be like a dream come true

sorry i'm daydreaming about signage....

i might not have done much art but i was drinking in the colours of the sea

which change constantly

very inspiring for me

I think these colours come from the tones on the headland

Holiday art day 2

2011-08-08T07:54:00.004+01:00

day 2 was quite productive which is just as well as friends are coming ova days 3-6

and we go home day 7...not sure how much more creating I'll get done.

some of these are finished, some aren't

some of them are on surfaces I'd already been working on

before we came away, some aren't

I used the colours shapes and lines that most inspire me

when by the sea.

holiday art day 1

2011-08-07T10:11:00.010+01:00

with precious Dad installed in front of his beloved rugby

(notice the tea paraphanalia on the table)

my sister and I got on with our art

she's been sketching the landscape

wheras I started to explore tea

I've got a few bitter gripes about the obsession with tea

and the number of cups a day I end up making at work, home, everywhere

i used the dreaded tea bags to paint on torn up watercolour paper

and dyed some white cotton tape

then I went off to seek inspiration and took photos

with my crappy camera of anything that caught my eye

the lift buttons

the beach huts

this one could be used for a friend's birthday next year

as usual i was drawn to concrete

and the marks on roads and pavements

i love the colour of the sea and sand

pale

and the colours and marks in the rocks

lines

the shapes and tones on the beach

circles

andy goldsworthy inspired land art

more circles

and more lines

i liked these painted pebbles left by kids outside the beech huts

makes me want to paint pebbles

makes me want to leave art for others to find

art studio home from home

2011-08-05T21:43:00.007+01:00

we are away for a week...a bit closer to home this time

and I'm digging the lights outside our apartment.

not on public transport for a change....means I've been able to bring

more art stash than I could ever use in a week

sewing stuff

painting and drawing stuff

sketchbooks

brushes, tapes, paints

papers, papers and more papers

printing sets

rain is predicted so maybe I'll use it all ;)

operation finish off some art

2011-08-02T23:00:00.007+01:00

It was good to sit down tonight and finish off some bits and pieces that have been hanging around for a while...I've put them together in a little medley.

bed and breakfast chic

2011-07-17T10:45:00.003+01:00

Thank you for your comments to my last post. They really help.

Just like a short break at the seaside in kitsch heaven.

not a farrow and ball wall in sight

totally unpretentious

a refreshing change

badgers and squirrels on lace are the new Conran

loos like this are hard to find

quilted toilet paper and plastic flowers

frills and lace

Bridlington is the new St Ives

2011-06-12T19:46:00.003+01:00

I don't feel much like blogging these days..but maybe if I do it will help. Cancer has got a hold of my lovely Dad and it's breaking my heart. It's so hard to see someone you love suffering so much and knowing that he will be taken away from us. I lost my mother to cancer when I was 11 years old. I don't know if I can get through the next days, weeks, months and years. I'm just doing my best to get through each day.

Today my friend took me to Ulrome on the East Yorkshire coast to see some caravans and chalet's that she saw a couple of year's ago. You can see photographs of them here. We were shocked to find the sea had eroded the land and the dwellings had disappeared. I found these broken tiles at the edge of the cliff..I reminder about how temporary everything is in this life.

patchwork crochet

2011-03-31T21:24:00.003+01:00

anyone know how u join crochet squares together?

shell and bone

2011-03-31T21:22:00.003+01:00

it was weird drawing these two things one after the other. I drew the skull first but when i went on to the shell i started seeing a skull in it. Brian Cox was telling us the other night that everything on earth is composed of the same chemical elements...and now i'm kinda wondering if skulls and shells are made up of similar stuff? drawing one seems a bit like drawing the other.

And what happens on a sheeps head (or whatever this thing was before it died and i drew it)...where it's skull becomes it's horns? What happens to the skin around the horn?...it cant just stop otherwise it would just peel back and little beasts would be able to crawl inside. How weird that horns are just bones sticking out.

oh well..i'm going to make some eggy bread.

plump

2011-03-31T12:14:00.002+01:00

we've been making cushions around here...

and now we've got a lot of plumping to do

yay

2011-03-24T22:28:00.001Z

spring is finally here

1000 birds

2011-03-20T10:29:00.005Z

If you haven't already visited

the blog of my friend

and colleague, Makiko Hastings,

then I recommend that you do.

Not only will you

find the most magical post I have ever seen in blogland,

but you will see

gorgeous photography,

a giant teapot,

her wonderful studio being built and

her perfectly yummy ceramics being made.

Desperate to do something to help

her beloved Japan and her

compatriates at a time of such

unimaginable crisis,

Maki is now working on her

1000 bird project to

raise money for

the Japan Tsunami Appeal.

We need to get behind her.

please visit Maki's blog and show your support

publisher patchwork

2011-03-05T21:21:00.002Z

st ives palette

2011-03-01T11:20:00.008Z

one of the things i don't like about blogger is that its such a bloomin faff to get pictures in the order that you want them (aaargghh). I've just tried dragging this lot around and its taking forevever so here they are in the wrong order. now that little rant is over...what i wanted to say is...

one of the things i like about blogging (says she who hasn't been around here much for decades)

is the distance it gives you from your artwork, a chance to record and look again with a slightly altered eye or perspective.

i've always known that i love st ives in cornwall. it's a special place for me and one of the things i love about it is the colour. the light is special in st ives and i just love the colours of the sea, the sky, the white washed houses, the cobbled streets, the weathered boats and the rugged rocks.

i didn't realise how much this had seeped into my bones until i took these photos for this blog.

in response to a recent post helen commented that my painting reminded her of rusty boats by the sea which put a happy smile (thanks helen) on my face because i luuurrrrve rusty boats by the sea.

i didn't realise as i was painting these (unfinished as usual) canvases that they remind me of st ives...all chalky and weathered

I'm sure there's some boat shapes in there too

perhaps even a harbour wall

but this is the picture (above) that most surprised me its like i subconsciously painted the rocks the sky and the sea in my sketchbook. Even the potato print when i stamped it twice on the page came out as the cornish flag (the cornish flag is the coolist ever..a white cross on a black background). st ives must be calling me.

the final hidden message came when i checked the photos i'd taken - on top of a sketchbook i bought in st ives last year.

ahhhh if only it wasn't so far away and so expensive to stay there...house swap for the summer anyone?

untitled post

2011-02-27T10:56:00.004Z

once paintings are started, almost finished or complete i like to pick parts out with a camera and make new compositions

i dont have a very good camera -

so these colours aren't quite the same

and no matter how hard i try

i cannot fathom the mystical ways of blogger

so that i can display the images

in the order that i want them

so in some sort of random fashion

here are a few mini compositions

details

scratchy bits

perhaps some shapes and lines

that i can use again or develop

this is almost finished..

but i wish i'd used oils

and not acrylic..

especially for the printed parts

i'm not into the plasticky

look of acrylic just now

gonna save up for some more oil paints

i'm enjoying painting again

and have quite a lot of other work

in progress from just a few 'stolen'

days avoiding other commitments

i'll show you them soon

more layers and thanks

2011-02-26T12:50:00.005Z

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

its the weekend

and i'm not

prioritising

work or study

or a million jobs

that

need doing

why wait until courses finish,

houses are tidy

(let's face it that'll never happen)

until lessons are planned

and essays are written?

i have a feeling that if i put art first,

everything else will slot into place.

Or if it doesn't

I'll be happy making art anyway.

Thank you

to those who commented

about the post below

it's good to be reminded

that I'm not the only one

jumping

from one thing to another

and

Grrl's right,

the media we choose

are just different channels

for

our creative voice.

Any comments about

my creative voice

are very welcome.

happy weekend

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

day off work, ignore chores, paint

2011-02-25T16:42:00.004Z

not finished but at least they are started a few layers made
the main problems i find with my art
(apart from finding the time to do it)
are......

whether or not to stick to one way of working:
knitting, making, sewing, painting, collage?
one style of working or different styles?
and what themes to explore?

i flit between so many things
and wonder if ever i should just stick to one thing?

does anyone else have these problems?

2011-02-24T22:46:00.003Z

some pages from my new note/sketchbook

just doodles really I've been messing around with watercolour

something I haven't really used much in the past
most of the lines are drawn with ball point pens
something I have used a lot in the past
i love using cheap materials to draw with
this one is wax crayon and felt tip
I'm counting the days till i finish my current studies and
have a few less work commitments
and have more time to blog and make art
life's too short not to spend time doing what you love
`

sticker and book love

2011-02-14T18:45:00.002Z

Forget smoochy nights, rose and chocolates.

I have fallen for my new

Lotta Jansdotter

stickers in a big way. I've been in love with stickers for a while

(If I could fight my way through all the debris

in my studio I would show you my sticker drawer,

brimming with stickery goodness).

These are just

yummy.

some of them are in my new

moleskin like

notebooks

already.

The notebooks with little pockets to hide stickers in.

with nice lined paper just waiting to be scribbled on

just look at those end papers.mmmmmmmm.

did i mention i like stickers and books?

I hope your valentine's day is filled with such gorgeousness.

watercolour

2011-02-12T09:47:00.003Z

its ages since i've been around here -

let's just say that my work/life balance

has got seriously out of control.

its nice to get back to doing a titchy bit of art...

and have a few of those moments when the paint just flows

and the marks just come intuitively

these are the marks that came after a trip to accident and emergency

they are marks that say i am relieved to be alive

The other good news at the moment is that little William

from the post below is doing well after his liver transplant.

http://thisdisorderedlife.blogspot.com/2010/11/little-fighter.html

I'm hoping that by summer I will be back to doing more art and blogging more.

wild place

2011-01-08T20:40:00.002Z

little fighter

2010-11-25T19:44:00.006Z

---------------

I don't know how you put Youtube videos in your blogposts

but i hope this works so that you can meet my cousin's little fighter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imi33bSLM80

Have a rummage

2010-11-14T19:56:00.001Z

here's the results of my making frenzy on my stall at the first of this year's Flare Craft Markets. Today's event was held in a historic 16th century Tithe Barn and lots of people came to see and buy. The cakes were scrummy too :o) More making needs to be done before next week's market.......so I'll be over at your place to see what you're up to soon x

making frenzy

2010-11-06T16:46:00.003Z

I'm trying to get as much work produced as possible for the first of the FLARE art and craft markets next weekend, as well as a million other things on my 'to do' list. I should change my name to last minute Annie. For a much more organised approach please visit my lovely colleague and fellow exhibitor Maki at her gorgeous shin shin blog ...I can't wait to see all her lovely ceramics on display..............

wrapped

2010-10-28T12:55:00.001+01:00

as some of you know i spend some of my working week here with people with sight loss and other learning and physical disabilities.

it's an inspiring place to be.

this jewellery and mirror made from found objects wrapped in wire is the work of one of the art makers at the centre who has developed his own way of twisting and threading to produce

some amazingly textural forms.

he is completely blind.

scratchy saturday

2010-10-23T14:36:00.004+01:00

art day

2010-10-10T16:23:00.004+01:00

there are some days when you just have t0 put aside 'other things' like tax returns, work, worries and boring chores and just get on with some art. for some people not having enough ideas about what to do is a problem .. for me its having too many ideas, too many things to finish, too many things to start, too many materials, too many techniques, too many ways of working. in situations like these i have to just sit down and get on with it, something, anything. i just pick up some materials that are closest to hand and just start. maybe i'll start sticking or painting or drawing or cutting or sewing or knitting. i did this today because it feels like ages that i've been faffing around doing 'other things' and it feels good just to have spent a couple of hours putting a few layers down. finishing them? ahh now that's another story.

random things that caught my eye

2010-10-04T21:32:00.003+01:00

frosted patterned glass

flourescent (yes flourescent) orange truck PHWooRR

spanish style villa (going cheap apparently)

weathered plastic post with Lychen

my lovely dad's footwear (he's got to be one of the coolest octogenarians on the planet)

2010-09-15T22:12:00.002+01:00

m o r e b r i g h t s t u f f

bright spell

2010-09-14T22:14:00.004+01:00

my bright spell is not new...

it's a while since I treated myself to this

bloomin gorgeous original drawing from Yummihouse on Etsy

but more bright things have been manifesting themselves recently.

like this painting by my sister (she'll kill me if she finds out I've put it here)

and this basket which I couldn't resist

then there's the bright collage that we started at a recent

workshop for adults with visual impairments

i'm enjoying my bright spell

tube of magic

2010-09-05T14:19:00.010+01:00

in July i had a tiny bit of time and i attended an abstract art course taught by a guy who i wont mention incase he doesnt want his name splattered across the internet. his classes were recommended to me by a friend who really rates him. i wasnt disappointed. his teaching style is half art half comedy which is a fine balance. it got off to a good start when he stabbed our attendence into the register with a fork and i knew i was in the right place.

we spent six weeks making a cardboard sculptury type thing and created a large abstract drawing from it (silly me hasn't got any photographs of either) it was all based on Kurt Schwitters' work and ideas of Mertz (that might be spelt wrong). anyway i gave my drawing/paintingy type thing to a very dear friend (who might also like to remain nameless) and yesterday it arrived back in a tube. He'd added drawing, collage (i keep finding bits of things I've made and sent him in the past) and stitch to create a magical painting which i absolutely adore.

a collaboration i didn't even know i was part of

THANK YOU R

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

last weeks of summer

2010-09-04T22:45:00.003+01:00

sweet peas in my sister's garden, nice flowers, pretty flowers great tendrils. (i think this is the bigger image as requested by rose).

tangled

2010-08-31T23:12:00.006+01:00

I'm hoping that these tangled lines and rustic surfaces will inspire some new paintings.

sunshine

2010-04-09T19:21:00.004+01:00

rrrrrrrrrrrrr
i still haven't found that potion..the one that makes more hours in the day and more days in the week but 2 days of spring sunshine reminds me that the end of the academic year is nearly upon us (well, we are 2/3 of the way through - so that's well on the downward slope) and soon I'll have time to make some art. Lucky me has enrolled on some courses here and here.

Recent arty finds are these delicious ceramics, Elaine Pamphilon's recent paintings this outrageously yummy yarn shop - they have an online store so you too can run up a rediculous credit card bill just like me. This is the stuff that i couldn't resist and how's this for summer?

rrrrrrrrrrrrr

2010-02-14T14:56:00.003Z

I'm working on a potion to make extra hours in each day, extra days in the week and extra days in a year. When I succeed I'll be arting around so much I'll use up nearly all of my , some say, rediculous (but they don't know any better) collection of ephemera and art 'materials' and i'll have to go and hunt out some more. I'll be here more doing show and tell too. Until then here's some adorable badges that one of my learners with learning difficulties made this year.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-09-27T11:55:00.001+01:00

work in progress 2

2009-08-15T10:17:00.004+01:00

I've started this so i might as well finish it. I've just added another layer and will do some more when i get back from my holiday. Woo woo!

the woman inside the machine

2009-08-07T19:26:00.005+01:00

i found this old art college book buried under a mountain of sketchbooks. we had a project where we had to take an object and dismantle it.

i chose a typewriter

when i took the cartridge inside it to pieces and read the tape (backwards)

i realised there was a woman in the machine.

her cv and letters etc were on that tape. it seemed like the typewriter was her tomb.

i felt a bit voyeuristic but it was in the name of art and if people can chop up sharks then it must be ok to read someones accidental memoirs..........

it's funny where we leave traces.

i have three more typewriters......

if you are at a loose end this weekend.. i thoroughly recommend smashing something up to see what's inside

this reminds me of another textiles project i did. where we had to deconstruct something to find inspiration

i'll show you that another day when i have ventured deep enough into the landslide of abandoned and unfinished art projects to find it!

painting in progress

2009-08-04T21:21:00.003+01:00

i don't usually mind that much what people say about my artwork

although i was very flattered once when someone who was wearing the

coolest shoes in the world bought a painting off me.

the truth is

the only person i am really trying to please

myself.

is that bad?

anyway. this effort doesn't really have much of

an effect on me at all. it's kind of

here

and

I'm doing it

and I'll probably

finish it.

i've been working on it in the living room,

on white sofas which might have a bit of

dark paint on them now.

it's been here for a week or so.

it's been interesting

observing people's reactions to it.

Most people look at it and ask

if i did it and then they just go ummmm!

A couple of people

said they liked it.

my reaction to their reaction?

indifference

is that bad?

wHat wOuLd yOu do wiTh thiS?

2009-07-29T07:24:00.003+01:00

well this is what i did (i might do something else too) in my humble Paint programme. I've put a linky list over on the right somewhere so you can check out what everyone else does - so give me a nudge folks when you are done and i'll add u in.

Thanks for joining in :o)

wHat wOuLd yOu do wiTh thiS?

2009-07-27T09:51:00.005+01:00

One of the things that most fascinates me about art is how you can have a group of about thirty people give them the same task and they all come up with something different. It's amazing.

This is a collage and paint background i created. I was about to work over it but then i wondered what other people would do with it. So if you have the time, download this image and work your magic with it. Just remember to show us what you do!

important information.

2009-07-26T12:31:00.001+01:00

more digging

2009-07-23T09:27:00.004+01:00

rrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I reckon Seth is the super hero of the blog-e-sphere.

Not only does he create awesome art and produce an impressive blog and Etsy shop (not forgetting the zine) but his powers stretch to getting us all together on a regular basis and inspiring

creative endeavours galore.

We should make him a super hero cape

(perhaps grrl can knit him one).

As part of his latest call for action - I've been digging around and found this image which I took last year in a quaint old street in northern England. I love the way the shoes have been carefully displayed - they remind me of lttle birds. I love old shops they make such a refreshing change from globalised high streets or, worse still, the out of town shopping centres that my friend calls 'non places'. You know the type of places she means... places that suck out your soul. Motorway services stations, large corporate office buildings, banks, fast food restaurants. We need grrl to cover these places in knit and save our souls.

Anyway visit here to see the little man that owns this shop checking on his window and some of the other shops in this street.

thanks to Anne for this award

and check out her blog for a chance

to win some stamps.

I'm convinced that

making books is

good for the soul.

To counteract

the bad karma from any

shopping malls you may have visited
check out Karin's brilliant video

here

There's a chance to win a lovely book too!

rrrrrrrrrrrrrr

evidence of an orderly person

2009-07-21T11:44:00.006+01:00

It might be hard to believe it when you look at this but in my head I am convinced that I am an orderly person - I mean I can write lists. I'm surprised i don't even have lists of lists. Look at this one at the front of last year's holiday sketchbook. Can you see how neatly I have crossed everything off?

and look how neatly I packed everything

into my little art bag ready for the journey.

This is evidence of

extremely organised behaviour and a good reason

why my (for the time being nameless friend)

shouldn't have my number in her moble phone under

Ms Clutter.

Look, the sketchbook was even divided up
into sections surely proving that
i am a meticulously organised being.

On line courses seem to be the rage and I bet
you'll all be lining up for my lessons in how to
live a life like this.

digging around

2009-07-20T09:23:00.002+01:00

there's been a lot of excavating for buried treasure going on around blogland recently and there's more to come soon. I've been doing some digging around of my own recently as my protracted house move (I won't bore you with the details) gradually nears it's conclusion. Anyway, I found this canvas that I did last year - it was one of four I did but I haven't found the others yet!

it's only small..here's some of the detail

and here's the finished piece

I've got to make room..it's going to etsy.

Buried Treasure

2009-07-16T12:14:00.002+01:00

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Is there is anyone that doesn't know Seth and his call for buried treasure to be unearthed? I think not so I needn't explain anymore. I think he was one of (if not the) first person to find my blog and make comments. When we have the blog awards - i reckon he'll be first down the red carpet to pick up a well deserved award :o)

here's what i dug up
http://thisdisorderedlife.blogspot.com/2008/01/today.html

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pink graffiti

2009-07-14T16:32:00.003+01:00

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i've been doing some stuff for a nine year old girl

and her granny

and, as my friend would say,

things around here have got a bit
gopping!

(i love that word)

so when the spray paint and stencils

came out to play

it was hardly surprising that

the graffiti

was

pink.

I'll be baking cupcakes next.

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where there was mess

2009-07-08T09:33:00.002+01:00

it's great to have a tiny bit of time to get things done in what is turning out to be the longest house and studio move in the history of disordered artists - but don't let these pictures of ultra organisation fool you, there are plenty of piles of mess to be dealt with.

and the answer is.............

2009-07-07T15:19:00.000+01:00

a giant yellow plug

yellow

2009-07-06T09:09:00.005+01:00

kkkkkkkkkkkk

over at grrl's place there's some

amazing knitting action

going on and

we can help with her yellow escapade.

I've had an on/off relationship with yellow.

For ages i hated it...

someone told me my chakra was blocked.

I'm kinda over that now and it's funny

that all the flowers

my students gave me at the end of term

were yellow.

What were they trying to say?

Is there a message here or just a coincidence?

Anyway

I especially liked these sunflowers

and it's so kind of them to give me gifts

for just doing my job.

I've even been crocheting yellow

and this one's for Grrl

(subject to me posting it in time)

Can you guess what it is?

books

2009-07-04T12:27:00.006+01:00

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i found this illustration at the local art college

end of year show. it really reminded me of

Maira Kalman and the regularly pored book

that Lynne so kindly sent me.

i also found this artist whose whole

project was all about

books and literature

and this carefully crafted

piece of writing caught my eye.

as well as the oversized books.

I've started making a few alterations

in this book which is going to be

one of my summer projects

now that term has finished

and i only have 843 jobs

on my list of things to do.

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more stuff from the show

2009-06-30T11:03:00.002+01:00

i liked this by Sophie Dawes very Louise Bourgeois i thought

found art

2009-06-29T21:24:00.002+01:00

found this on a quick visit to the local college art show

don't say i didn't warn you

2009-06-24T20:07:00.006+01:00

bearing in mind what follows

i couldn't help but see the funny side

when the lovely Helen at Justalittlepeek
awarded me the lovely blog award.

Now I have to nominate 15 lovely blogs

that I have recently discovered.

I'll get back to you on that one

when I've had a scrummage around.

here's the pictures from

the treatment of dead enemies section

The Pitt Rivers Museum

more to follow........

2009-06-22T18:22:00.003+01:00

tradition often seems insane to me and I was fascinated

to discover that Oxford University students comply and attend

their exams in these rediculous outfits.

no doubt when they've finished the go for a punt

and then cycle home

but the best thing about Oxford is the dimly lit

Pitt Rivers Museum

where, if you can put to one side your discomfort about our disgraceful colonial past,

you can spend hours shining your wind up torch (supplied)

into cabinets (yes I said cabinets )

full of fascinating artifacts from all over the world.

From writing tools, to baby baskets

and surgical instuments to textiles

a great place to visit for anyone interested in

human beings

.....more to follow including images from the gruesome 'treatment of dead enemies' section which fascinated me but might scare the pants off others......

still

2009-05-17T16:55:00.001+01:00

2009-05-09T12:33:00.002+01:00

blimey......I can't believe it has been so long since I've been here but now that I can see the light at the end of the academic year's tunnel and now that the clipboard carrying inspectors have carried their clipboards off and my lovely students are as ready (well almost) to sit their exams as they'll ever be.....it leaves me a bit more time to hang out around here.

I'm looking forward to my visits here and here later in May.

back soon !

output

2009-02-25T22:19:00.002Z

it was back to work today. cars came off the production line

wire was wrapped and wrapped and wrapped

sequins

and beads

were sewn. wiggly drawings came to life.

oh dear

2009-02-22T19:33:00.001Z

inventory

2009-02-20T12:58:00.003Z

tight squeeze

2009-02-18T18:30:00.002Z

i'm astounding the new neighbours with my ability to squeeze an impossible amount of art stash into my new studio

[shed]

in what is turning out to be the most protracted move

ever.

At the moment I'm

'installing'

my favourite materials for making things;

fabric,

paper,

weird objects,

more chopped up vintage tins than i can surely ever use,

paints,

glue,

stickers,

ink pads and stamps,

a whopping collection of papers,

wool and knitting / crochet / french knitting paraphanalia, sketchbooks (we are talking zillions),

canvases

..........the list is endless.........

later,

when the last few spaces in the new place are up for grabs....artwork such as

these below

will be vying for their place

.....it'll be good to let go.....

and another

2009-02-16T16:07:00.001Z

bones

2009-02-15T15:30:00.002Z

I found another plastic toy drawing.

2009-02-09T17:05:00.002Z

rosie posted this lovely image for the

4th folder 4th picture thingy.

well guess what?

My 4th folder doesn't have 4 photos in it.

so here's a random image from a random file

from the days when i used to draw plastic toys.

skinny knitting

2009-02-07T12:01:00.004Z

I'm on the lookout for some skinny poles

for these skinny knits

for the global guerilla olympics

organised by

the soon to be beachside

grrl+dog

next time I think I'll do things

the right way round and

find the pole first

des res

2009-02-01T13:55:00.004Z

inside the new 'studio' (i use that term very loosely)

there is quite a bit to be done

and it looks like another artist

was there before.

no heating,

no electricity,

but it's a space to work in

and keep all this

well, as much as i can squeeze in.

new year, new studio

2009-01-27T10:56:00.000Z

2009-01-18T14:31:00.002Z

he's lovely and tactile, he's cheeky and he's right outside the manager's office. thanks to Artsparker we now have a lookout post. Hooray

I spoke to the Rehab officer last week and she told me that the guerilla knits are great for blind and visually impaired people at the centre to find their way around and they also provide a bit of cushioning just in case there's the odd bump here and there! I think it is our duty now to go and knit woolies for poles and posts throughout the land. Forward knitters, forward.

weather proof knitting

2009-01-17T10:44:00.003Z

Thanks to a rambling rose we have another fabby knitted pole at Henshaws. Its knitted from plastic bags which made me think maybe i could knit a plastic bag from plastic bags. THANKS SO MUCH - WE LOVE IT :o)

disordered blogging

2009-01-10T13:33:00.002Z

i i'm not sure if it is necessary for people with blogs called this disordered life to point out that blogging might not always be in an orderly fashion (probably not) but i really would like to be here and over at your place a whole lot more and i am currently working on a masterplan to give me the time to do that 8 in the meantime apologies for sporadic, chaotic and random blogging of a disorderly nature.

cute angel and sparkley knits galore

2008-12-23T12:05:00.002Z

one of the artworkers where i work made this cute angel pin

and louise made these festive sparkley knits for pole art.

jingle bells

2008-12-21T19:59:00.003Z

we got a great surprise from Balou this week. amazing pole crochet in the brightest, fabbist, colours imaginable and it it's got bells and tassles too ~ woohoo ~ thanks Balou :o))

as requested

2008-12-20T13:39:00.001Z

well they've opened their presents early so for those of u who asked to see the full pictures.....

secret santa

2008-12-18T12:32:00.004Z

maria asked me to

make something for tony

meanwhile.................

tony asked me to make something

for maria!

and is it just me or do photos in blogger get posted in the opposite order to the way you upload them?

(how diSordeRly)

aran

2008-12-15T15:08:00.002Z

This is Aran. Alison made him. I like him because you don't really see him until you get up close. Guerilla knitting sometimes needs the camouflage approach.

oooomph

2008-12-14T10:20:00.004Z

sometimes when pictures just ain't going right you just wish you could razz them up on the computer and give them a bit of oooomph

posting posts

2008-12-13T11:34:00.003Z

they're coming in thick and fast. but please note the bare pole in the background which still needs a bit of knitted outerware. this season's poles are wearing a variety of looks. fringes, flowers, beaded french knitting (anything goes). And look what happens to ordinary objects (like chairs) at Henshaws.

guerillaing around

2008-12-09T12:19:00.005Z

here's some of the action so far ....... as usual my photography is second to none

more to follow...............

The original Guerilla Art

2008-12-06T10:06:00.003Z

knitting action will follow shortly

inside job

2008-11-27T11:32:00.003Z

we work there so we know how to get in at night. our covert operation is to decorate 26 poles around the arts and crafts centre and gallery with funky knitting grrl+dog style. wanna join us? we need knitted, woven, textile etc strips of gorgeousness to tie round the poles. Each piece needs to measure 11.5 inches wide and can be as long as you like (up to about 2 metres). The arts and crafts centre is open to 70+ artists who have learning difficulties and other disabilities. Many are blind or have low vision so the more tactile the better and squeaks and bells etc will go down well too. Durable materials recommended as it rains a lot around here! The centre is open to the public so feel free to 'tag' your artwork with your name / website / message as we hope this will be seen by lots of people visiting the centre over the next 6 months / 1 year. The action starts next week so get your needles clicking !

Oh and by the way - we don't reckon the management are going to arrest us and send us to knitting prison - we think they'll LOVE IT.

send your contribution to:
The Knitting ARmy
Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre
Bond End
Knaresborough
HG5 9AL
UK

THANK YOU LOVELY PEOPLE

codeword: drop one

************************************************

guerilla medals

2008-11-24T11:10:00.006Z

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blimey - it's so long since I've been here I've almost forgotten how to post messages and upload pictures. but here's one of some of the medals to honour the brave comrades who came on the art 'ant'ics a few weeks ago. it was a fine mission. there were ants in the cafe, ants in the cinema, ants attached to bicycles, babies, cars and railings. apparently it's shrines and monsters next.

2008-11-03T18:58:00.000Z

antics

2008-10-29T18:04:00.004Z

guerilla art uk battalion ready for action

Grrl + Dog = (quirky + wierd) X yummy

2008-10-02T18:37:00.006+01:00

i i got a grrl+dog parcel
it's full of yummy things and they're even yummier than when i saw them on her blog
gorgeous painted papers
a one armed effigy of a weird artist
vials of unusual stuff
scrummy tags to go on trees
thanks grrl r

busy busy

2008-09-27T15:55:00.003+01:00

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can't believe it's been a whole week since i've been here....work has cranked up a notch and things have been a bit hectic to say the least. Anyway, here's a few cyanatypes (have i spelt that right? I dunno) and now I'm off to check up on what I've missed over at your place.
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me and surfaces should not be allowed to reside in the same place

2008-09-20T19:04:00.005+01:00

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I'm not trying to frighten you or anything but Lynne did ask t

o see it in it's full glory! I'm in the process of moving house at the moment and negotiations are currently in progress as to just how much of my mega art mountain gets the boot (this is just a fraction of the full horror).

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messy collage - the whole thing

2008-09-18T11:02:00.003+01:00

At jean's request, here is the full collage with part of the sofa to try and give you an idea of scale.

messy collage

2008-09-18T11:02:00.002+01:00

these are close ups of parts of a giant messy collage made with found papers (enlarged x a million on a photocopier) and ink.

yellow

2008-09-13T00:22:00.000+01:00