More work....

Well, the weather has been so atrocious this last week that I have battened down the hatches and got stuck in to work. I finally finished the Hare Wheel Quilt. I just need to find a suitable bony stick from which to hang it. I'll show you close ups next time. That is a Hare's head in the middle, by the way, not a tadpole, as my small son thought. He also commented that all the words go round and round in circles 'just like your words do when you talk, Mummy'. Hmmm, I'm not quite sure what to make of that!

Here are the fox and magpie, tricksters and lovers, spirits circling and dancing.

And some of the composition sketches, large ones by my standards, listed on Etsy, as I REALLY need to start paying the rent on the studio :)

Wings in the night

The fairies came to visit us last night. The owl daughter has had many wobbly teeth recently, and she writes great long letters to the tooth fairy. Her fairy delivers back, along with the 50 pence piece, a teeny tiny letter, just as the tooth fairies did for me, many years ago.

'The Owl Fire'
As well as drawing owls herself, the owl daughter asked me to paint a picture for her, specifically of her with an owl on each shoulder. This is what I have come up with :

This first one is in ink and watercolour, and is more 'sketchy' - part of my attempts to free up my working style a little. It's a good start, but I'm not satisfied yet. I love the colours, but feel it needs trying again, from a much higher viewpoint, with more of a sense of space. i can see it clearly in my head, so maybe I'll have time for another try next week.

This second one is a return to my usual style (and the one I think she will choose). I'm still feeling full of joy when I paint, revelling in the luxury of being able to paint 2 or even 3 versions of a picture!

A quick sale update ;-)

Thankyou to everyone who came to the sale this weekend, it was a resounding success! My little lavender owls sold like hotcakes, and I spent my time stitching more, and helping a growing crowd of children to make their own!

I have listed the remaining few on Etsy, as well as a couple of original miniature paintings, and have extended the discount code till midnight tonight , if you want to grab one :)
Just enter CHRISTMAS2010 at the checkout.

A Gilded Hare and an enchanted Forest

The Gold Leaf has arrived! I haven't yet dared to gild the great expanse on Freyalyn's painting, but I have begun to play and experiment with it. Here is a teeny tiny golden hare.

And in her room one night a forest grew ..... A dark and mysterious forest, hung about with owls, of mossy green and lichen grey, just right for a dark and mysterious daughter of the earth. Dogwood stars decorated with wooden beads surround a collection of unicorn paintings. A perfect space for dreaming, and writing, and contemplating the world which opens up before you.

I feel slightly covetous - MY bedroom contains nothing but an exploding mass of laundry - wet stuff draped around on airers in the vain hope it might dry, clean clothes in huge piles ready to be sorted, (NOT ironed - life is too short to iron things) and wobbly stacks of books, ready to catch me out when I creep out to answer Beetle's midnight mew.

You would think butter wouldn't melt, wouldn't you? Hmmmm, don't you believe it.

She wanted owls, not flowers

My house is filling up with little owls, lining up on curtain rods and mantelpieces. Their soft tweedy hooting whispers round my bookshelves and up the stairs.

I have been making these to string around my daughters bedroom. At her request it has been painted dark green, and is becoming a forest before my eyes. Originally I had planned to paint twining honeysuckle over the walls, but instead these owls appeared.
They just keep breeding and breeding - I can't seem to stop myself making them ( and I feel weirdly as if I have fallen into an Alan Garner story!)

Mostly my time has been taken up with ponies and children in the last couple of weeks. We have been lurching from one vet's visit to another, and I dread the arrival of the bill.
Perry and Kestrel have become firm friends, which is heartwarming to see.

Finally I have had a couple of days to myself and have thrown myself into the latest commission piece. These are not my dogs, though Lunil and Bil look remarkably similar to Daisy and Pie! This is one of my birthday trades, and it has been swirling around in my head for weeks. I have been itching to get started properly, but I suffer from the frustrating problem of not being able to be a painter and a mother at the same time. I just can't switch mindsets quickly, and end up spending large amounts of time doing both, badly. I get slightly panicky when real life commitments pile up, and I can't see clear days ahead for painting. Everybody suffers as I get snappier and snappier. I feel horribly guilty for saying it, but it was a welcome relief to have the children go back to school on Monday. I have had TWO whole days to paint uninterrupted, and it is wonderful!

This piece brings together several influences. Illuminated manuscripts and fairisle knitting patterns. And Gold. I have been wanting to work with gold for a long time now. I have never yet found a satisfactory gold paint, so I think the answer lies in Gold leaf. This is a new medium for me (and makes me rather nervous) but I think it is the only way to achieve the right effect. I have been studying pictures and puppets brought back from Thailand in my younger days, and I love the stylised images with beautiful detailed gold leaf work. The British Library has a fantastic digital collection of illuminated manuscripts online HERE

I am planning to have a gold background to the dragonboat, making this look like a page from a modern illuminated manuscript. The gold leaf is ordered, and I have been reading tutorials on technique, so I can't wait to start playing with it. Of course, the master of this technique is the fabulous Jackie Morris, whose watercolour and gold leaf paintings are absolutely exquisite!