Stitch Books

I have been working on sample/ stitch books with my students this term these are photographs of the pages before they were secured in to the books.

Abigail Halpin I

Here Abigail Halpin combines delicate pencil drawings with stitch on antique postcards. Abigail also has many illustrated books and though her work is often very serene it also has a lovely sense of fun.

David Hockney's Trees

Above: 25 Trees at Salts Mill

I love these paintings. David Hockney has captured all of the nuances and yet also perfectly conveyed the joy of those moments, when you take time and let the beauty of such things as trees take over your senses. 

The bottom picture painted when David Hockney discovered these trees felled and logged is amazing. The shock of the vivid colour captures his shock and the brutality of the scene. It has a startling anger and horror, the more I look at it the more disturbing I find it, despite the beauty of the patterns and composition, it is very emotional and powerful.

Salts Mill

It was an amazing weekend, lovely to catch up with good friends and see new things. 
Part of the weekend I spent at Salts Mill, a beautifully redeveloped/ regenerated Mill originally built by Titus Salt in the mid 1800's. Now I have been once, I will be visiting regularly as it is a wonderful space to explore with fantastic book shops, exhibitions and cafes. 
On the top floor is the '25 Trees and other pictures' David Hockney gallery. An exhibition that I have wanted to see for some time and it didn't disappoint. 
Thank you Deb and Helen for making this such an eventful and enjoyable weekend.

Running Away to Yorkshire

I am running, running, running, today work and then jumping on a train with my daughter to see friends for a wild 36 hour trip. 
I leave you with my 'Poor itchy man fae Dundee'  who was finished last week. At the moment I am really enjoying doing these stitched nonsense rhymes and so this is what I am concentrating on. As I will be taking my sketch book away with me, there may well be some Yorkshire themed ones soon.
I hope you all have a great weekend where ever you are.

Larry Calkins II

Larry Calkins is so prolific and diverse in his creativity in the media of sculpture, painting and photography that I am slowly introducing it here. This assemblage is called 'cat mask full' Larry likes to used found objects and materials that have their own history and energy.

Keiko Shibata VI

It is lovely to curate your own (virtual) gallery and to be able to go from something sublimely beautiful and sophisticated as Juan Fontanive to something sublimely silly and fun. These paper mache works by Keiko Shibata are great fun. A wobbly collaged interpretation of our world,  full of joy.

Juan Fontanive

A breath takingly beautiful, kinetic installation by Juan Fontanive, please go and see his ornithology and vivarium works, you will not be disappointed in his stunningly beautiful flip book machines made with watercolor and image transfer onto bristol paper, with steel, aluminum clockwork and electronics. They are really hypnotic.

Ivila Caballero II

Love this working picture of Ivila Caballero's sketchbook with her signature celestial style created using alcohol markers and pencil.

Lee Godie I

Some beautiful work by Lee Godie (1908-1994), Lee was a self taught 'outsider' artist who after the death of two of her children and the break up of her marriage found herself living on the streets of Chicago. For over 30 years she was a character of this city selling her paintings on the steps of the art Institute. late in life she was reunited with her surviving daughter and they lived together for the last three years of Lee's life. Lee's work is now internationally recognised, praised and exhibited, an icon of Chicago city and it's art world. (Thank you)

Ivila Caballero I

Spanish illustrator Isabel Vila (Ivila Caballero)'s beautiful sketches to illustrate 'enjoy the flight' musings on the migration of swallows. Isabel uses alcohol-based markers and pencil to create these effects. 

Sarah Hand I

Today's image is for the joy of it's colours, textures and composition. It is a collection of paper mache creations by Virginia based artist Sarah Hand..

There was an old lady . . .

There was an old lady who never said a word,
You could see her daily, walking a giant ladybird.
One day off it flew . . . 
The old lady flew too . . .
The ladybird flying with her old bird
The screams and wails were the loudest ever heard. 
Hazel Terry

Hiroshi Sugito II

Hiroshi Sugito's paintings are framed by curtains like a stage, an empty stage for your imagination.