Fallen leaves on puddles, duck weed and tarmac make vibrant patterns as the dark days draw near.
November Leaves
Fallen leaves on puddles, duck weed and tarmac make vibrant patterns as the dark days draw near.
Sweet Birds - New Card Set
Here's my latest card designs featuring the Sweet Little Birds. I'll be launching them for sale tomorrow when its my turn to do 'Meet The Artist' upstairs at Spirals, the brilliant Fair trade and world crafts shop on Market Street in Hebden Bridge.
I'm excited to be spending a whole day there surrounded by lovely things. I'll be selling a selection of my woodcut prints, mainly birds but townscapes as well, and working on my latest woodcut to demonstrate how its done. Do call in for a chat if you're passing, I'm there from 11 am to 4 pm.
Helen and Sarah, the owners of Spirals are committed to ethical trading and supporting local artists and are hosting Meet The Artist sessions every weekend up to Christmas. Spirals is a great place to find unusual and attractive gifts so check it out. They now have an on-line shop as well, see it here Spirals
Celebration
I celebrated my birthday with this bottle of 1995 Lalande De Pomerol which we purchased many years ago in the lovely fading town of Pauillac on the Gironde about 50 km North of Bordeaux.
All these years its been hiding at the back of our under stairs broom cupboard in Hebden Bridge and finally got dragged out, dusted down and transported to Burnham Overy Watermill on the North Norfolk coast.
I've no idea whether it had been kept too long or stored wrong, all I can say for definite is that its colour, fragrance and taste were delicious, a perfect accompaniment to the marvellous meal my sister Kate had prepared.
October Leaves
I'm still closely observing the floating leaves - the way they press down on the surface of the water despite being so light.
On the same bill as a certain Mr Hockney
How exciting, my exhibition is on the same bill as David Hockney!
Or put another way, the on-line listing for Bradford Museums and Galleries just happens to be advertising both exhibitions side by side.
http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/whatson/index.php
I think this just about beats the previous height of sharing the same page as Patrick Hughes in the Cow Parade Manchester 2004 Auction catalogue but its a close run thing.
Of course these tiny whiffs of fame from the top table only serve to remind us groundlings of the depths of our degradation ha ha.
However, apart from the fag* mania, I've always thought David Hockney seems a good egg and I've enjoyed a lot of his work - paintings, prints and writing on art - so no disrespect, especially as he's a fellow tree lover.
*clarification for USA readers, slang for cigarette.
Inspired By Landscape II Exhibition at Cliffe Castle, Keighley
The residency I've been working on all Spring and Summer has culminated in the exhibition at Cliffe Castle, and the well attended opening was on Saturday afternoon. After a lot of stress and effort the centrepiece large-scale drawings of reservoir valve towers with projected rippling water finally came to fruition. They are hard to photograph well. I've had to Photoshop this one. I'll try again soon.
The exhibition is on for over 3 months so plenty of time if you want to see it. Cliffe Castle is a quirky world all of its own which has kind of grown on me over the past few weeks. For more information about the residency and the Watershed Project visit my Catchwater blog here
Canal at Machpelah
Late afternoon sunlight pours onto the Rochdale canal just outside Machpelah's big windows. Disturbed by high winds the surface takes on an unreal solidity in these photographs, resembling shiny black obsidian.
More Machpelah Light
Two contrasting images of light in the big basement room at Machpelah Mill. The cast-iron fireplace is crisp and still whilst the reflected window case is shifting and undefined.
Dancing light at Machpelah
I've been working on 3 giant charcoal drawings for the past few weeks, for the Inspired By Landscape exhibition at Cliffe Castle in September. Each sheet of paper is 8ft tall and 5 ft wide. I've never done any drawing that big before and as my studio space at Brooklyn is very small, finding a space to do the work was a problem at first.
For a while I was stumped until colleague Lynda Thomas suggested I approach Trevor Smith who owns Machpelah Mill in Hebden Bridge. Trevor has been really great and is letting me use the basement room there. Its big and empty with white walls, a high ceiling and windows overlooking the shady canal so ideal for the job. I'm leading a monastic kind of life there, mostly silent, very peaceful and total concentration on the drawing process. I'm really enjoying it.
The only distraction if you can call it that is the dancing pattern of sunlight reflecting off the surface of the canal and projected onto the walls and ceiling, especially in the late afternoon. I've often noticed and appreciated this kind of thing on canal walks on the underside of bridges usually, and it also happened at the National Trust mill house we stayed at during May, in North Norfolk, when the brook beamed light up into the building.
Anyway, I find this phenomenom completely captivating, the liquid light intangible and transient yet so intensely present. Its the quivering movement that makes the magic, and as with so many lovely things, its simple and complex.
The moving image would best show what I mean, but until I get a video a still will have to do although its hopeless really.
For a while I was stumped until colleague Lynda Thomas suggested I approach Trevor Smith who owns Machpelah Mill in Hebden Bridge. Trevor has been really great and is letting me use the basement room there. Its big and empty with white walls, a high ceiling and windows overlooking the shady canal so ideal for the job. I'm leading a monastic kind of life there, mostly silent, very peaceful and total concentration on the drawing process. I'm really enjoying it.
The only distraction if you can call it that is the dancing pattern of sunlight reflecting off the surface of the canal and projected onto the walls and ceiling, especially in the late afternoon. I've often noticed and appreciated this kind of thing on canal walks on the underside of bridges usually, and it also happened at the National Trust mill house we stayed at during May, in North Norfolk, when the brook beamed light up into the building.
Anyway, I find this phenomenom completely captivating, the liquid light intangible and transient yet so intensely present. Its the quivering movement that makes the magic, and as with so many lovely things, its simple and complex.
The moving image would best show what I mean, but until I get a video a still will have to do although its hopeless really.
August Leaves
Leaves for a maritime climate. These are all from the Presqu'ile de Rhuys, a peninsula on the gulf of Morbihan in South Brittany. One of my favourite places, especially the beach and salt marshes surrounding the Chateau of Suscinio.
The top one is known as Salicorne in french and is a kind of Samphire. I can never think of this coast without picturing its lovely green flowers and unusual scent.
The top one is known as Salicorne in french and is a kind of Samphire. I can never think of this coast without picturing its lovely green flowers and unusual scent.
CATCHWATER - Blog for the Watershed Project
This is just to remind anyone who comes here from a link on Pennine Prospect's Watershed Landscape website, that my actual blog about being Watershed Artist in Residence in 2011 can be found here
Impressions - Printmaking Exhibition at The Gallery, Masham
Delivered a selection of my bird prints today to this lovely little gallery in the centre of Masham on the market square. I'm really pleased to be showing my woodcuts there along with four other women printmakers. Its all thanks to my friend and fellow printmaker Janis Goodman who recommended me to gallery owner Josie Beszant. Thanks Janis!
The exhibition is on for a month and the preview is on Thursday 14th July 7.30 - 9.30 pm if you are in that neck of the woods.
Hebden Bridge Open Studios 2011
Its Open Studios again this weekend. Brooklyn Studios where I'm based is now gleaming with freshly painted floors and everyone's studio space spruced up with work on display and a new exhibition in the gallery. I'm hoping for lots of interesting visitors and good sales. My Pennine Finch/Twite woodcut is featured in the second letter 'e' on the poster.
June Leaves
I've been neglecting Tumbling Hills these past few weeks; I knew it would be a bit of a struggle running two blogs but I still feel I need to keep the work for my Watershed residency separate. I've also been away to Cornwall for two weeks on my annual holiday.
Contrary to appearances I don't normally go on so many holidays, its just that this year they've been bunched together, partly to ensure I have a clear block of time for Watershed during July and August.
I've only been back a few days and I already feel knackered again, so in keeping with the post-holiday austere mood June's leaves are dried moor grass drifting on the peaty shores of Warland Reservoir.
Contrary to appearances I don't normally go on so many holidays, its just that this year they've been bunched together, partly to ensure I have a clear block of time for Watershed during July and August.
I've only been back a few days and I already feel knackered again, so in keeping with the post-holiday austere mood June's leaves are dried moor grass drifting on the peaty shores of Warland Reservoir.
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