My dear blogging friends!
I was overwhelmed to receive so many wonderful comments from you about my new painting and the Big Blanket. I can't tell you how much they made me smile, and how much it meant that you all took time to write them. Thank you very much, from the bottom of my little skippy-happy heart.
Needless to say, on the crochet front there was a slight anti climax when it finally dawned on me that the BB was well and truly finished. What's a girl to do??? Oh its obvious isn't it!! Start another one of course!! And thats a wee corner of it above there - I have to tell you that my inspiration for the colours in this one came from some photographs of Seville I'd been looking at. The whitewashed walls of the old houses were drenched with beautiful and vibrantly coloured flowers, and the juicy orange trees in the little squares quite inspired me! So upon realising I did not have any white wool, it was hurriedly purchased on Saturday in John Lewis (who have a splendid selection of Rowan at the moment, and 15p a ball cheaper than most of my favourite internet wool shops!! Hurrah!!)
New Blanket began in earnest on Saturday afternoon. The little squares are quite fast to do and I can easily whip a couple up in 10-15 mins while the pasta is bubbling on the hob! (I think this counts as obsessive crocheting doesn't it?)
Now today was meant to be an art day - but I had one of those rare and untimely moments of utter creative blockage. I sat and stared at the paper, meddled with some inferior sketches and scrunched it all up and threw it (mindfully) into the recycling bin.
The best thing to do when creative flow stops flowing in one particular medium, is to mess about with an entirely different one. I had a yen to crochet some more little squares, but I had to be strict with myself about that - today was Art Day, a whole day with Little Person at Nanny Mum's and so therefore it was a day designated for other things.
So I thought Id have a go at the Valentine's cards that the gallery had asked me to supply.
And I remembered that somewhere online, a month or so ago I had seen the most inspiring idea of sewing writing paper. Some of you may have seen this, and its brilliant - I can only apologise for not having a link to the original piece I saw but I thought Id try my own hand at it and embroider some little love notes to turn into cards...and here are a couple to show you!
...and this one here is a bit different, playing about with a heart theme...
I had tremendous fun making them and as I sewed, I had a couple of ideas for the character work I need to do for the Agency...Oh yes. I had a terrific email on friday, and it said that another couple of publishing houses had been pleased with my work and taken copies...and...asked to see character studies and line drawings! The character studies involve drawing the same little person/animal over and over in different positions, with various facial expressions. It is to show that I can create characters that would be recognisable throughout a whole book no matter what they were doing.
So that's what Im doing next. And line drawings, which as most of you will know are black ink on white paper usually.
Busy busy...as usual... :D
And so, to relax this weekend, despite the gloom and the cold we took off to Old Moor RSPB reserve and had a good walk around. Little Person was delighted to go into the bird hides and peep out through the windows. She didn't quite understand the concept of being quiet so as not to disturb the birds, and at one point announced quite loudly (and much to our amusement) that 'it would be quite nice to have a cup of tea in here!'
At which point we had to get out of the hide as we were laughing so much.
I was quite taken with the colours though. Faded browns and greys were predominant with the odd russet bull behind the reed beds giving the scene a warm burst of colour against the milky blue/grey sky.
As late afternoon approached, a large flock of geese came into land. We could hear them calling in that lonely distant way that they seem to have, darkly sillhouetted against the lilac clouds.
Before I go...its Award Time.
I was given this sunshine award by Louise Broomhead
and the rules state I have to pass it on to another 12 bloggers who are inspiring and delightful!
Well here I encounter a humungous problem. You are all inspiring and delightful. I can't bear to pick just 12 of you - its far too difficult. And so Im about to break blogging protocol and be very naughty.
I think you're all marvellous, you all bring me huge scoops of joy and inspiration and so I would like to invite each of you to take the award to your blog if it cheers you and proudly display it there - and if you wish to send it to 12 bloggers yourself then that would be lovely too!
Oh dear, am I terribly bad for doing that?
I hope the bloggers who do take this seriously will forgive me for being a little lame, but I honestly would struggle awfully trying to choose 12 favourites, when I have at least 120 favourites if not more...! (but then again, sharing sunshine with everyone seems to me to be a rather pleasant thing to do, especially in dreary January!)
Well, this was rather a long post! If you've got this far, well done!! Thank you for reading my ramblings today, and Im now off for a well deserved cup of hot tea and to sit down and do some character sketches.
See you all soon!!
Love Julia x x x
Hello there!
Well, its been a week of completing things! Just this morning I put the final strokes on this latest painting which Ive titled 'Evening Stroll' and which is an acrylic painting on a deep edge box canvas (20x20cm).
Im very pleased with it, I love how the fox is skulking through the autumn flowers in the early evening light, and the unsuspecting hens are absent mindedly wandering about in the garden...!
Ive noticed that I like painting scenes that capture that lovely time of the evening, just between the fall of the night and the ebb of the day - crepuscular is the name for it! I like new moons, water, skies and working with ochres and blues on my palette. I find Im increasingly drawn towards nature, birds and animals as subject matter. I still enjoy character work very much though, and I think my next piece may feature some human beings...yes, already there is an idea on the cards for my next painting which Im rather excited about but which may have to be put on hold as Ive been asked by the gallery that stocks my cards (and some of my prints) to send some Valentine's themed cards asap, so Im going to be busy making those over the weekend.
But...without further ado (insert a tremedous drumroll here folks) - the Big Blanket is finished.
Yes, and oh how delighted I am with it. My first foray into crocheted blankets and already Im itching to start another one! Do you want to see it? Of course you do!! :D
Here we go....
Ta-Dahhh!!!
Just look at all that cheerful hooky gorgeousness!! All ready to snuggle into!!
Its about 1.5 mtr square, its taken me 10 months (on and off) and I love it to bits - I love that its unique, there is only ONE in the WHOLE WORLD!!! Right now it has pride of place on the back of our sofa, for snuggle emergencies and tent building (heartily engaged in by our Small Person with gusto when she found it yesterday morning!).
So there we are - a most productive week in our little house! Im still reading my business books and learning a bit more about the art of marketing and selling, and Im finding it very interesting. I think Ive surprised myself a bit, as that side of things never appealed to me before, but its certainly helping me see that whilst its good to have dreams and goals, the actions are what makes things happen!
Im just going to mention (before I go), a big "Thank You"of gratitude to everyone who comes to my little blog and reads my wanderings and ramblings each week. I started this blog after a friend suggested I do it as a weekly challenge (during a creative dry spot, to give me something to think about). I never thought that I would meet such lovely people through it, and it means such alot to me that you come by and comment and even read the thing!
So! Im looking forward to catching up with your delicious blogs now - its about time I put my feet up under that blanket with a cuppa and trawl through your inspiring posts!! Just the tonic if you ask me!
Hope you have happy weekends, sprinkled with tiny snowdrop discoveries and winter sunshine - chat soon
Julia x x x
It seems like months since we last saw grass, greenery and tiny peeping new shoots in the garden...and it seems absolutely ages ago since we were mooching about in crocs and summer dresses, sand between our toes, walking in shallow aquamarine waves...
The longing for the summer is getting stronger, so I made a mosaic of some of my favourite photographs which are all things South West, summer and beach to cheer myself up.
Isn't it lovely?
Just looking at it makes me feel happy...and its easy to ignore the rather intense freezing fog which has pervaded every nook and cranny of our valley this evening when Im looking at those pictures.
As I was in the process of uploading my pics to the magical mosaic maker, I was browsing a few blogs and discovered that Diane over at Heartshaped was having similar coastal longings and had posted the most beautiful photograph of Porthmeor at sunset...I think this time of year can be especially hard, so I love that fellow bloggers are sharing their sunniest, most emotive pictures here to lift the gloom that January sometimes brings.
Meanwhile, in the art corner...
...work is a-happening. Oh yes, after a faithful pledge at New Year to devote more time to my art in 2010, I have so far managed to do this and Im currently engrossed in a new illustration piece that Im very happy about. Its not quite finished, but if you take a peek in the photograph below, you might just be able to see it!
Can you make it out? I'll post a proper picture of it sometime next week when its all finished :)
Im feeling very inspired at the moment, plenty of ideas swirling around in the old grey matter - Ive shelved the sewing stuff for the time being in favour of the painting, and will perhaps make bits and bobs along the way. Id discovered of late that I was perhaps pulling myself in too many directions, and whilst I cannot deny that I love crocheting and sewing and making etc, Im not going to let them become pressures that overwhelm and bring headaches. I have been reading my business books, (some which are proving to be more useful than others), have taken part in some of the exercises and answered some thought provoking questions - and you know, its really rather good to have someone ask you this stuff. It makes you think. And it made me think about direction and goals, and what I want to achieve, what is important to me and what is not quite so important...
and so I know now, without a shadow of a doubt that my first love is my painting, that I couldn't live without it...and perhaps my second is crochet as its a wonderfully meditative way to switch off from the world. Sewing and felting etc all come after that, and by acknowledging this, its been a bit like a permission slip to ease up on myself, not put so much pressure upon little old me to make and do in every single medium.
And that feels very, very good. :)
Its story time now for a certain Little Someone, so I shall bid you all a fond goodnight, and look forward to browsing your blogs over the coming weekend - speaking of which, we are hoping (fingers crossed the Woodhead or Snake passes are open again in time) to amble across to Salford on Sunday, to The Lowry where there is a fabulous exhibition on til the 31st January called 'The Sea'
featuring work by Lowry and Maggi Hambling (the wonderful artist responsible for the big Scallop Shell on the beach at Aldeburgh, Suffolk).
Whatever you do, keep warm, remember each day is lighter a little longer...and the snow seems to be melting, in Yorkshire at least!
Much love
Julia x x x
My dear blogging friends!
I had tremendous fun making them and as I sewed, I had a couple of ideas for the character work I need to do for the Agency...Oh yes. I had a terrific email on friday, and it said that another couple of publishing houses had been pleased with my work and taken copies...and...asked to see character studies and line drawings! The character studies involve drawing the same little person/animal over and over in different positions, with various facial expressions. It is to show that I can create characters that would be recognisable throughout a whole book no matter what they were doing.
I was quite taken with the colours though. Faded browns and greys were predominant with the odd russet bull behind the reed beds giving the scene a warm burst of colour against the milky blue/grey sky.
Before I go...its Award Time.
