Glasgow International Artists’ Book Fair

Today Little Owl and I have been over in Glasgow at the International Artists’ Book Fair. We had been put into groups at college to produce something for the show. I was in two minds whether to blog about this or not because the project hasn’t been the most positive of learning experiences. I think enforced group work can be a bit hit or miss. And one day I’ll have to write about the trials and tribulations of the organisational abilities of the college of art (let’s just say I hope I never have to rely on them to save me from a burning building). So even though I would die of shame if any of you bought what my group produced I would like to shout about the organisers of GIAB. They were just brilliant. It’s a tough financial climate to be putting on such ambitious things and they were bright and passionate. The event is also on tomorrow so if this sort of thing interests you do pop along.

Posted in Illustration | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Clearing out

On Monday it was time to clear out the studio ready for the space to be turned into the degree show. It’s a weird feeling emptying my locker and wiping down my desk when it has been a little home to me over the last year. It’s even weirder as we all reluctantly leave at 5pm. The studio seems ghostly after all the buzz and banter of the last year. But the year is far from over and it’s now time for the last push towards final assessments. I will also be helping a fourth year again to put together their degree show submission. Here is a quick scribble of Little Owl watching a dvd while I manically work and rework my final project.

Posted in Illustration | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Purple Sprouting Brocolli

Here is some of my purple-sprouting broccoli which I have allowed to flower. I think it’s so pretty. I love that combination of pale yellow with the dusky purple. I had kind of given up on the purple-sprouting broccoli to be honest. We planted it last year and it got completely ravaged by something. It was all skeletal stems and no leaf. It is a biennial so doesn’t produce any florets until the year after it is planted but I was pretty sure it was a goner. Then suddenly it has revived and we’ve been enjoying eating it and looking at it.

A ewe and her lamb have moved into the little paddock next to our house. Our next door neighbour calls it the prison field because she usually uses it for neglectful mothers and their offspring. The ewe who is there now has an unusual condition called Twin Lamb Disease. Essentially what happens is that the lambs inside her take so many of her nutrients that her blood sugars drop and she starts living off her fat reserves. It is mostly associated with multiple births. One of the side effects is that she becomes blind. It doesn’t happen very much these days but occasionally one slips through the net. So this poor ewe was wandering around the field bleeting for her lamb, thinking he was lost, and he was asleep right next to her. So we have been making an extra fuss of this pair.

Posted in Countryside, Growing things | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

1 year old

My blog is one-year old today. It’s hard to believe all the things that have happened in the last year. It’s lovely for me that it has all felt very natural: a slow unfolding. There’s still so much to learn but it has been brilliant meeting so many wonderful people along the way who have shared so much with me. It’s also interesting using the blog as a marker of what happens around me in the natural world as the seasons roll by. I spoke in my last post about longing for the swallows to arrive. This time last year it was their arrival that prompted me to start blogging.

Posted in Countryside, Illustration | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Twitter

Right, I’ve done it. I’m on Twitter. Apparently that means you can ‘follow’ me. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing but since I’ve started this whole illustrating malarky I seem to be forever launching myself into the unknown so here we go!

Posted in Illustration | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Swallows

Hard frosts continue to await us in the mornings. At the weekend we even awoke to a smattering of snow. My pea seedlings paw at the windows with their curling tendrils but I daren’t put them out yet. The broad beans survive against the odds in their fortress. Everyday I look out for the returning swallows. As so many have before me I will them here as a sign of warmer days. The old saying “One swallow a summer doesn’t make” brings home how much people must have yearned for these harbingers of summer after the cold dark days of long winters. But there are other signs of the cycling seasons. Celandines carpet the wood at the bottom of the garden and the verges of the path down to the river are full of forget-me-nots.

Posted in Countryside, Illustration | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Artists’ Book Fair

Today we were at this book fair in Edinburgh. The Fruit Market Gallery is a lovely place to go anyway with its book shop, coffee shop, and light, airy exhibition space. Today, it was even better, bustling with all us book lovers. For those who don’t know, an artists’ book can be pretty far removed from what you might traditionally call a book. Perhaps the only requirements are that it has pages and is bound in some way. They are generally beautiful, tactile objects. Here are three Book Artists who you might enjoy taking a closer look at:

Isabell Buenz is someone I have been recommending on my Links page for a while. I would best describe her work as book sculptures. I enjoy getting lost in the architecture of her books.

Jane Hyslop produces thoughtful, sensitive books about place. Her books reveal themselves slowly with hidden layers and flaps. They also reveal themselves to your fingers with lots of grooves and bumps left by the printmaking processes she uses.

The Book Tree Press is run by Lucy Roscoe. Her books are full of gentle humour and character. She also has an amazing eye for colour.

Oh and I promised to mention that Little Owl mastered using a knife and fork together this weekend. She’s very proud of herself.

 

Posted in Illustration | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Newsletter

Exciting news! We have finally worked out how to put a newsletter subscription button on my website. Okay, we had some help…thank you Rob! A few people have asked if I could let them know when new stock comes out or when I’m going to be at an event so a newsletter is my solution. I’m going to aim to send it out quarterly so that hopefully it doesn’t get annoying. If you have already bought things from me, you’re already on my list of victims! You might prefer not to be so please do just drop me an email if you’d rather not be included. On the other hand if you would like to be added to the list or make sure you’re on it, go to the Contact page on my website and there you will be able to subscribe.

Posted in Illustration | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Newsletter

Dressing up

The drought in the South East feels a million miles away with the heavy rain we’ve had here. Between the downpours Little Owl and I crept out to collect nettle leaves for Big Dreamer’s annual batch of Nettle Beer. They’re best when they’re young and tender. Little Owl got really into it. She raced ahead to the next patch waving the adult-sized gardening glove that she was wearing. Our expedition also revealed some shrubs at the back of an overgrown verge that look suspiciously like Gooseberry bushes. We’ll keep an eye on them and let you know if our suspicions materialise.

Little Owl has been busy taking Big Dreamer’s mind off his bumps and bruises. As you can see he seemed to quite enjoy dressing up. Yes, those are cat’s ears.

Posted in Countryside, Family and friends | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pace Eggs

Here are our Pace Eggs for Easter. I always plan to be more experimental with them and try lots of natural dyes but never quite manage it. Next year, next year!

Little Owl had an Easter Egg hunt in the garden yesterday. I was a bit over optimistic as to her finding skills and we had to give her lots of help but she loved it anyway.

A big thank you for all the contact we’ve had about Big Dreamer’s accident. He’s well on the road to recovery now. Little Owl has taken him firmly in hand and he barely has a minute to spare!

Posted in Cooking, Family and friends | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment