July Flame

Something wonderful was nearly in my grasp.  I reached as high as I could go but somebody else was a little bit taller so it disappeared for ever.

Landmarks Exhibition

I have 5 of my woodcuts on show at the Water Street Gallery in Todmorden as part of the Landmarks Exhibition which is now open and running until 9th September.  This is a lovely exhibition with varied work by 25 different artists including Sally Barker who was involved with the Watershed - Inspired By Landscape Project I worked on last year.

If you have not been to the Water Street Gallery I can highly recommend it as a small but well laid out and friendly gallery with much to see.

More Flooding in the Calder Valley

Aaargh! after a lovely weekend of socialising and light hearts, hideous reality returned as the monsoon like rain attacked again on Monday and roared through the town. This time the studio cellar flooded like a swimming pool, we were down there bare footed, baling it out for about 3 hours and heaving buckets up stairs.  It came in so quick, just gushing in through the base of the wall.

Great team work saved the day and the musicians guitars and drum kit were saved although they lost their carpet.  Now all 's a bit soggy and whiffy, though only rainwater, not sewerage thank goodness.  Some of my furniture stored down there got damaged but nothing I can't cope with. We've had to drag loads of stuff up into the gallery to get dry, fat chance because its still raining.

I still feel lucky because I have a dry home to go to not like the poor unfortunates whose houses got swamped even though they live up in the hills.  Some people I know have both their home and their shop wrecked, its so sad.  And there's likely to be another flood alert on Friday...

Still flourishing at 92

I've shared this photo all over the web and make no apologies as I think its such a lovely picture of Joan my dear neighbour and Hebden Bridge Treasure.  It was taken in my abnormally tidy studio space, complete with flowers to help encourage the festival feeling in our Open Studios.

I had so much stuff to tidy away, I wonder how I'll ever find anything again as lack of time and rising panic necessitated the willy nilly ramming of things into any available hidey hole.  Oh well, it was worth it to ensure my visitors didn't come to any harm.

Hebden Bridge Open Studios 2012

I am based at Brooklyn Studios in Hebden Bridge and this weekend we are taking part in Open Studios, open 11 am to 5 pm.  Whatever the weather we will be there to offer a warm welcome to all our friends new and old so call in if you are passing; there's lots of new work on show and an opportunity to talk to the artists about their work.

The chickens have flown the coop

The dead ducks have departed the dovecote, the Godwit has gone awol and the owls have been out manoeuvred. In other words I've had to deinstall my bird skulls from the Grassington Dovecote as the festival has ended and they're now just a bag of bones back in the studio.

I have to report that the Tyvek has done a brilliant job.  The skulls have been outside for nearly 3 weeks in the rainiest and windiest June we've had in decades, and they are still perfect but with the addition of a few spiders webs - most appropriate.  I was really concerned that the InkAID assisted digital printing might wash off in the rain but its fine.  Isn't it great when things work out and materials live up to their promises.