Sketching wildlife.

Animals are still the favourite subject for my artwork. Although it can often be challenging to sketch them in the flesh, it's also very rewarding and helps you really understand the anatomy and character of your subject. It always pays to have a sketchbook on hand as you never know where and when you might get a chance.

Snoozing piglets in the home farm at Wimpole Hall 

I've never been on safari or had the opportunity to sketch wild animals in their natural habitat outside the UK, so taking photographs in wildlife parks is my only other option and it does often allow a closer view, which admittedly is useful when I want to see a lot of detail for making woodcut prints.

My lovely restored Albion Press for relief printing.

The conditions in wildlife parks and zoo's are greatly improved from those I remember seeing as a child in the 60's, but I still find it very sad to see wild animals in captivity. I hope to visit the Wild Place Project in Bristol soon, which aims to relocate all the animals from the old Bristol Zoo and offer bigger spaces that more closely reflect the animals' natural habitats whilst also increasing it's conservation work.

There are some fantastic conservation programmes nowadays and better enrichment for many animals, but it would be nice to imagine that one day we won't keep wild animals captive for our amusement or their survival.  

Experimenting

Lockdown gave me an opportunity to experiment with printmaking techniques and mixed medium work. I like the contrast of drawing and painting marks alongside printed surface, but it can be a delicate balance.

                                                              'Original Man' 

                                         Ink and pencil drawing and collagraph print

It was also a joy to document springtime in my garden and the local countryside in my sketchbooks and use different drawing mediums.

GRATITUDE IN ART

                                                   My design Beacon of Hope

Obviously the past 18 months have been incredibly difficult for many people due to the pandemic and it's been a challenging time in the Arts, so I was really delighted to have one of my designs commissioned by global public art producers Wild in Art for their latest and most heartfelt project 

This is Gratitude has been created especially to show our gratitude to NHS and other key workers for their amazing hard work and dedication throughout this pandemic. 51 sculptures have been designed and painted by individual artists and celebrate a wide range of themes around gratitude and resilience. Enclosed by mirrors on two sides, Gratitude creates infinite reflections of the stunning artwork highlighting the endless dedication of all key workers The wonderful Zandra Rhodes is the creative ambassador for the project.

My design 'Beacon of Hope', is a lighthouse, which is a traditional and iconic symbol of hope already used amongst some key worker organisations. The base has a design of rough seas and bears the inscription, 'your light shines like a beacon of hope on stormy seas'. It is dedicated to all key workers who have given everyone hope and support during the Pandemic. It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to show my gratitude by being involved in this project.

Having toured the country with exhibitions in central locations in Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh, the public art installation reached it's final stunning location of Southwark Cathedral last week. 

The artworks are now being auctioned online to raise funds for the NHS Charities Together which does vital amazing work to support NHS staff, patients and emergency support workers.

Anyone wishing to bid for an artwork and support the NHS can do so here.

FITZ STITCH

The Fitzwillaim Museum Cambridge have started a community needlework project called Fitz Stitch, during the current Pandemic, to create a quilt made up of squares, each sewn by different people and all inspired by different items in the museum's collection. The finished quilt of 48 squares will be displayed in the Fitzwilliam Museum when it reopens.

I feel very lucky to be able to participate in this positive and creative joint effort. There has been an interesting online group meeting with other participants, who shared their ideas and proposed methods and tips from textile artist Lucy Mazur and Museum Education officer Sarah Blake.

I have chosen to take the woodcut print 'Irises and Grasshopper', by Japanese master print maker Katsuhiko Hokusai, as my inspiration. This is for several reasons: having recently started making my own inks and dyes from natural materials, I had been reading about making both dye and ink from Irises and with a plentiful supply in my garden I thought it would be great fun to experiment with this. Also, although I don't really use the Japanese woodcut method in my own woodcut printing, I am influenced by Japanese Art generally and a great admirer of Hokusai's work.

More on my not too scientific dye making findings and progress on creating my quilt square soon!

A poem for winter

                                 WINTER GLOW

Bare branches spread in billowing clouds    all the browns     

russet and gold     in the glow of winter rays    forming cheer     

piercing the gloom    where sharp breezes blow  

beneath porcelain-cold clouds   over wings of the owl.

Happy New Year

                                           
                                     Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2020!

                                      Cradled in the curve
                                      low winter sun climbs to rise
                                      lights the bright waiting

The Owl and the Pussycat

My Owl and Pussycat themed Owl for Minerva's Owls of Bath this summer, has been enjoying all the many visitors who have come to see him in Southgate Bath.

On Tuesday 14th August,  11am-1pm there will Children's Poetry Readings with Josh Seigal in Southgate. Including of course, 'The Owl and the Pussycat' by Edward Lear

The Little Owl,Cat, Wisteria and Cherry blossom featured on my owl are inspired by Japanese screen paintings. References to the 'honey and plenty of money' mentioned in the poem are hidden in a special way!