new prints and old prints...

Spotters Guide

I had donned my summer plumage and decided to spend the next three months playing outside on my allotment, but I've changed my mind now.  I think I'll stay indoors with the stove burning and draw pictures of animals instead.

I've made lots of new prints in the last few weeks, and they are all off to my real life galleries this time - not website ones - although I might keep a few here for our local Arts Trail in South Bristol, which happens this weekend.

I'm also thinking about using images from old print editions and having some cards printed from them - partly because I just can't say goodbye to them.  How do painters who only have one image part with them??  I think printmaking feeds my hoarding instincts...

mousetrap

ready to go...

A happy day spent up to my elbows in bubblewrap and packing tape.  I'm sending out lots of work to galleries in the next couple of weeks, topping up my fantastic regular stockists and also (fingers crossed) trying three new galleries this Autumn which is very exciting.  I'll let you know who they are once the work is on the way...

Todays parcel is for the gallery at Snape Maltings, who have shown my work for quite a few years now.  If you are in the right part of the country Snape Maltings is well worth a visit, there is always something going on - farmers markets, boat trips, brilliant childrens activities - as well as the concert hall (and gallery!)

I'm sending a few framed and also a big batch of unframed prints - here a couple of my current favourites (are you allowed to have favourites of your own work?) "Malodorous animals" and...

..."Cat on Stilts"...

I can feel an early autumn giveaway coming soon too...

pets...

I'm enjoying doing a whole series of pictures of really not very cute pets, mostly just sketches but there is surely a place in the world for pictures of revolting dogs, cats up to mischief and problem hamsters.

The reality of keeping animals in my experience is that they are sweet and fluffy for a couple of weeks and then start working on a variety of ways of making themselves slightly repulsive (usually involving pooing somewhere very unsuitable or developing a curious medical problem which involves endless nighttime tending - rather like small children really).

I've already done a print called 'Malodorous Animals', focusing on the smellier species on the planet, which makes me laugh quietly to myself, but I suspect will never be a big seller - now I'm moving onto the pets and it is keeping me happily amused this week when I really should be getting ready for the glorious summer that is now finally within touching distance...

amazing things

often the smallest things, or the tiniest details are the most amazing and easily overlooked...here are some of the things that caused the most excitement here this weekend...

an unlucky dragonfly...

 now preserved in our newly established 'dead insect museum'...

it was found here, at Bristol University Botanic Gardens, well worth a visit if you are in the area...

a teeny, tiny quails egg ( and they are fairly small to begin with) - shall we fry/poach or boil it????

and 'Cabbagy' the butterfly has at last emerged in our bathroom, having been spotted ooching down the window late last summer, making his/her tiny cocoon just above the toothbrushes and then sitting out the winter...

...of course, I haven't done any cleaning for the past six months in order to preserve the perfect habitat and when released Cabbagy flew right over the top of our house and off in exactly the right  direction for our allotment...



I didn't take all of these photos - I was not present when the floating dragonfly was discovered...some were taken by Sam who is currently advertising me, what a happy coincidence!

no making...

We have hardly done any making at home recently because there have been no rainy days ...I'm missing it as I love a good joint project - you never know what you will end up with and everyone has really different ideas about what we should do.


Here are a couple of our old favourites, but i think it's time for something new soon...

favourite pictures

Have you ever seen the images that Edward Bawden created for the London Underground?  They are fantastic and we have a few prints of them around the house.  This is my favourite...

but there are lovely ones for London's Parks and Gardens as well - what a great advertising campaign.

In holiday news we are mostly eating!  It's nearly 10.30 in the morning, so breakfast is a distant memory for some and a feast of bagels and quails eggs is now being demolished.  Only a couple of hours 'til lunch when another vast spread will be needed...I expect we can fit snacks in around all these meals too.

works in progress...

I've been working on a few new prints this month and have printed proofs of the designs.  I love how linoprints look when blown up big and my teatowels designs are turned into screenprints this way to make the most of this....

here are a couple of larger than life sections of prints...

and in gardening news, our christmas Amarylis is finally about too open, having done nothing for ages and then grown two feet tall in the past month...I love them!