Magic Lantern - (in a hurry)

The 1st weekend in December is always the Christmas Open at Brooklyn Studios where I work and I like to make my space look cheery and inviting.

Despite annual resolutions to the contrary, I end up doing things in a crazy rush every time.  This year was no exception and was further complicated by the unexpected early arrival of a huge old plan chest that needed to be assimilated into the very small space - necessitating complete upheaval and rearrangement of everything.

At one point of utter chaos I thought about just opting out and putting 'Police do not cross' tape over the entrance but eventually things got whipped into shape and I had just a few hours left to create a centre piece object.

Last year I put birds inside the slightly battered and cracked Moroccan style lamp that Cathy donated to the tabletop sale.  People seemed to like it, so this time I wanted to do something more spectacular.  All my plans came to nothing however owing to the lack of time and I just did a rushed job with some spare pages from my laser cut book 'Tree House' and a couple of sheets of coloured acetate sheet.

I love the magic you can create with just a bit of paper and some light - the final results were quite satisfying I think.

I've used Photoshop to remove the cable going in through the top and to play around a little with the colour of the ambient light. The final picture below has only had the flex removed.

Light Twite Ale - Moor Beer Please

I'm excited to discover the Twite woodcut that Pennine Prospects commissioned from me has been used on the label of a new beer called Light Twite Ale by Little Valley Brewery.  Not too sure about the purple colour and it would have been nice to have been informed rather than finding out from word of mouth.

But I like the idea of my work featuring on a beer bottle and really wish my dad was still around to see it.
I'll be off to the Tourist Information Centre in Hebden Bridge to buy a good few bottles

This is the photo and article from the Watershed Landscape website:

Born and Brewed in the South Pennines; Light Twite Ale

What have a brewery and our little feathered Twite got in common? Not a lot you might think but you might just be wrong.  Our favourite Pennine finch chooses the high moorland landscape near to hay meadows as its breeding ground and located right next to one of the Twite’s stomping grounds is the Little Valley Brewery situated high up on the Cragg Vale moorland above Hebden Bridge.

To help spread the word about the RSPBs Twite Recovery Project, the Watershed Landscape project have partnered up with Little Valley Brewery and created the Light Twite Ale from a tried and tested recipe.  A limited number of bottles of Light Twite are available to buy exclusively through the Hebden Bridge Canal & Visitor Centre with a percentage of the proceeds going back to the RSPB to help fund the valuable work they do to help protect birds and restore and retain their natural habitats.