Hiroshi Sugito I

I am starting today with some beautiful abstract paintings by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugito with a lovely calm warm palette. 

Kaneko Shinchi II

More delicate textile illustrations by Kaneko Shinchi.

Kaneko Shinichi I

Amazing embroidered illustrations by Japanese artist Kaneko Shinichi who renders his thoughts and dreams in many varied styles and media with; ceramics, textiles, drawing and sculpture. 

Catarina Sobral

Illustrations today from Portuguese illustrator Catarina Sobral. The particular illustrations are from a children's magazine called 'Up Kids'. This year Catarina Sobral won the Bologna Children's Book Festival International Award for illustration for her book 'My Grandfather'.

Blair Thornley I

Blair Thornley is an illustrator who's work has appeared in magazines such as The New York Times and Vogue she studied in Florence, Italy and at Parson School of Design New York. Her work manages to combine an elegance with very contemporary look such as the bottom illustration with its mix of blocks of colour, dense line, wet paint techniques and space.

Break down

We broke down on our way home from Dundee last night, not a good situation, in the pouring rain at the side of a busy 'A' road. We were rescued after an hour and towed home. 
While we waited we had fun in the steamy car, trying to fit as many faces on the windscreen as possible. The effect in the lights, especially when the rescue vehicle arrived, were great. 

Joyce Cairns I

Last night thanks to Doug Cocker, I was able to be at the opening of a new gallery 'Tatha' in Newport on Tay. A wonderful venture that has given life to a beautiful old derelict building and has bought a much needed venue to Newport-on-Tay. 
I should actually say we were playing sardines on the banks of the Tay, because the gallery was so busy. 
Joyce Cairns was one of the three artists exhibiting in this inaugural show. Joyce's works are autobiographical and more and more they contain objects and talismans from her life. Her paintings have lovely scumbled surfaces, building up rich layers of colour and media.
I have known Joyce's work since I was a teenage, like John Bellany she was a major influence on me when I was younger. 

Ledün Nâsir

Wonderful painting by Turkish artist Ledün Nâsir. Her paintings often look like they have a blur of movement through them as they have gauzy translucent layers and her figures are strong and yet sensitive.
Thanks

There was an old lady

I am still working on sketches, limericks and nonsense rhymes about Scottish place names. Though these seem to be moving more in the direction of people and strange pets. 
This old lady, as you can see is walking a giant ladybird I have just started rendering it in textiles. 

It is a busy, busy week work has lots of deadlines including the submission of my students Higher Art portfolios. A busy week socially as well, last night for he first time, since I graduated I attended the ECA fashion show which was fantastic, I will be writing about it on my Thread, Fashion and Costume blog.

작가 김혜원

 Love the colours of these strange specimens of  작가 김혜원's imagination.

작가 박영란 II

A second book by Korean illustrator 작가 박영란 this time about the plight of the Dodo, with beautiful illustrations that break your heart.

작가 박영란 I

A book about a reckless, fear free penguin by Korean illustrator 작가 박영란 with great expressive line work in paint.

Hickerty Pickerty My Black Hen

Hickerty, Pickerty my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen,
Sometimes nine and sometimes ten
Hickerty, Pickerty my black hen. 

Hope you are having a lovely weekend.

작가 김수연

This morning I have been searching through Korean illustrators. In keeping with my Easter theme I have selected this wonderful chicken by 작가 김수연. 

Lindsey Yankey I

 A beautiful egg shaped tiger from American illustrator Lindsey Yankey to launch into Easter Weekend. 

Nicola Dywer

I have wonderful students and I love working with them and seeing their creativity and work. 
Nicola Dywer was one of a great group of students who I finished teaching in February this year. 
Nicola cast her husbands head and then planned to make the head in glass. At times when this ambition looked like it couldn't be fulfilled we discussed using ice as an alternative. 
Nicola did manage to cast the head in glass, but she also cast it in many other materials including ice.
These are her coloured ice  heads photographed on the beach on a cold January morning and I am very excited and proud of Nicola because this work has been accepted as part of the V and A 'Inspired by' competition. Her work will be exhibited at the Morley Gallery, London  from the 20th of May to the 19th June with the other selected works.

There was an old fisherman of Pittenweem

This piece I started at the end of last summer, it took ages to complete simply because it was left when I returned to work, after the summer holidays. 
The lace of the beard was dyed with turmeric, the worms were off cuts from a students work. It is inspired by a the strange concept of keeping bait worms warm. I am sure I remember that the fishermen kept them in their mouths to keep them warm and lively, a horrible idea/ memory that I have from when I was young.

There was an old lady of Saline

And here she is 'The old lady of Saline' beautifully evil, and lovely and colourful. 
I loved doing the details adding lace to her neck and hands for wrinkles, chain stitch cable down the front of a boys jumper, the little girls plats and the metalic zimmer frame.

Strange thoughts and ingredients

These were the ingredients; a piece of ceramics by Spanish artist Laura Lasheras who combines ceramics with textiles and a portrait of Quentin Crisp by Andrew Macpherson. 

The result of this combination in my head was this, which three days and nights later . . . 

Francesco Chiacchio II

Francesco Chiacchio is not very nice to his characters sometimes.

Francesco Chiacchio I

Time for some fun, here are some of Francesco Chiacchio's sketches involving food, I love his moments of humour captured with a simple pen line and day to day objects. Francesco is an Italian illustrator, cartoonist and graphic designer from Florence.

Iratxe López de Munáin

Iratxe López de Munáin is an illustrator who lives in Barcelona, I really like this series with its comical anthropomorphic birds.

Shiho Ueda II

Delicate stitched layers of tissue paper by Shiho Ueda.

Shiho Ueda I

Shiho Ueda is a Japanese artist who builds up translucent layers of water colour or Aquarelle and lately also incorporates stacks of coloured papers. In her latest exhibition her work is moving more into the realms of installation creating an environment of soft flowing colour. 

Britt-Marie Oskarsson I

Tender scraps of thought and creativity by Britt-Marie Oskarsson, remind me of the paper cuts of Hans Christian Anderson, Paul Klee's Puppets and outsider artists work like James Castle. Works such as these are vulnerable and yet strong, revealing the ingenuity, resilience and imagination of human spirit. Britt-Marie works in many media and genre you can see more of her work here.