I made this today...

'Bird' ear-rings and 'tree' ring set in a box = £10.00. Look for it in FOLIO at the HE Summer Creatives Show... V.I.P Open Evening Thursday 7th June @ 6.30pm, CCAD, Church Square, Hartlepool... and come and say 'hi'... 

a little bit on the side...

Not my main task of the month...just a little addition; along with my exhibition pieces I am currently designing a range of DIY products, not because I am lazy and don't really want to make 500 of some'thing' but because we all love to make things don't we? It's nice to be able to say "I made it myself' (if it's good). Here is a sneak preview of my (very easy) DIY Bird Bunting... soon to be on a shelf , or even downloadable mmm... now where's my glamorous assistant?

New old product...

This was not on my list but I did it anyway...  authentic, original vintage, French torchons (that's a tea towel!)...printed by hand on my pool table using my own (obviously) illustration of a Wyndham Bantam. I started collecting vintage tea towels a few years ago, always with the intention of overprinting my own design on them. I have to say they are more expensive than you would expect...  but anyway, obviously I only use those in the absolute best condition. I have made two, rush down to Croft Interiors if you want one... it's a very limited edition and what else are you going to hang off your aga?...

STOP...drawing!

I am aware I am not getting very far or being particularly prolific at the moment with this very important collection of work - i.e. deadline impending.
Due to reasons such as:

• other deadlines for other things that were earlier 
• application for funding to be filled in (feel a bit sick)
• tax returns (feel VERY sick)
• busy time at art college
• going to 'things'
• feeling sick

Anyway I have to keep stopping and starting, and to start means to draw (again)in order to FOCUS...and anyway there are more things to be drawn, so I chose to do a quick drawing (see above) so I can get on and start designing and then producing some final pieces. I am desperate to start those ... so once I have put a years worth of bank statements in chronological order I think I will... I definitely will.

nearly there website...

My website is almost there and revamped... although there are still some things to be tweaked, just minor hopefully... i.e. the image sizes, the contact link, shop, and some of my content!
I do need your input though because every monitor is different, as are browsers etc. and I would like to (with the help of my glamorous web designer assistant) try and make it as uniform and delicious for everyone as possible...so am politely requesting/begging you to :

• Please try and find me/ my site in google without using my name...if you can't then just use my name!
• Go to my website and have a little look around. 
• And if you can't find it on google just click here! 

PLEASE:

• comment on any aspect of it - what do you think?
• suggestions are most welcome
• also could you answer the poll question on the right regarding the font.

Thank you ever so much... 

Fabulousness...

This proposal was not that bad then as I have been selected to exhibit my (yet to be completed) work at the Contextile 2012 Contemporary Textile Art Triennial in Portugal later this year...so now I just need to get the work/collars actually finished and make them spectacular and then maybe take a little trip over. I must say it has motivated me to get on with it and injected me with some excitement but saying that the pressure is now ON. Fabulous!

WAR...sketchbook

Sketchbook...

So I know it's not perfect but this is one of my old sketchbooks, I plan to publish a few of these for my website, which you may or may not have noticed has recently disappeared... BUT it will be back, new and improved (eventually)...it is proving a little difficult - sigh. Those 'servers' have a lot to answer for.

urbex and illustrator

I can't do this Illustrator thing and I am now VERY annoyed so playing with pictures instead.

My list 'to do' today involves TOO MUCH...

'Talk the talk...' (PROPOSAL)

"Claire’s inspiration was the structured form and repetitive imagery of tower blocks and council flats in the UK, the beautiful line of French architecture (after a visit to Paris) and conversely the desolate and dilapidated interiors of abandoned buildings which Claire was drawn to primarily through their loneliness, their muted worn colours and distressed surfaces; this gives her work a sense of abandonment, abstraction and fragility. The geometric influences have naturally developed from the visual research she has analytically explored...the act of distressing once beautiful work to create something else, no less beautiful but perhaps more emotive was the initial idea of the techniques employed by Claire to emulate the ‘ruined’ and bereft feelings of hopelessness the interiors of abandoned buildings and homes can stir. These techniques include an element of destruction...the colours that have been chosen are unexpectedly varied upon closer inspection; candy pink, washed out so much that it is a mere shade above white that has been combined with tinges of the deepest cobalt blue and indigo; the overall appearance of the work is such that one must peer closely to pick out the shades of sage, turquoise and mustard ochre…"

Please feel free to pick to bits (comment!)...

Hi Honey...I'm home!

 
After a very long journey on a coach...I have returned. The Paris trip had it's ups and downs, the 'ups' being selling a lot of students' designs, gaining new contacts & placements, even a job. The 'downs' being having my iphone stolen (which I just can't seem to get over...I know - it's ONLY a phone but it did have my life on it) and also not getting my ten euro's back that I lent to the bus driver.
The new (to me) buzz shop in town is 'Merci', a concept shop with the most gorgeous products, but my favourite bike was 2,500 euro. (can you tell I don't know how to type the euro symbol on my mac yet). There's good info and photos on this blog here.



This is an image made up of vinyl strips just outside The Museum of Modern Art which was rather good, slight problem in that all the photo's I took inside WERE ON MY PHONE.
Back to work now and preparing for my working trip to Printsource, New York City... 

Found this...

Was so excited...

For yesterday...

From Paris.

before Paris...

I need to put in a proposal based on the yet to be completed project, read 'nowhere near completed' project... 2000 words plus C.V. plus images plus application form plus detailed description of each work (how?) I have 2 days. If I don't do it does it mean there is something more fruitful/ useful/ suitable/ relevant round the corner (i.e. when I DO finish it) delivered by fate? 
I have been waiting to take better photographs before I posted but as I have said, there are only 2 days until I go to Paris. So I am posting but with a limited number of images - that will be 1.
My title is 'Built Up, Broken Down' and when I have written my 2000 word essay on that and returned from PARIS, I will cut & paste some of it for your constructive criticism.
For now this is my concept/ mood board.

a right good textiles talking to...

I have been dawdling on with the collars project without a clear and in depth concept. faltering. therefore I gave myself a taste of my own medicine. a good talking to. I pretended I was one of my students and imagined what I would say to them if it was their work... I was harsh and almost made myself cry. points included:

• lack of direction
• lack of enquiry
• lack of focus
• lack of interesting visual studies
• where's my concept board?
• what IS my concept?
• what/who is my inspiration?
• what is my target market?

mmmm.

So I came up with a (limited) colour scheme (see above) and more interesting sketchbook pages in terms of composition but NO clear, well thought out concept.

lets have a brainstorm... I want to draw.

Valentines for cynics?...

I have finished my 'valentine' collection; a small collection of 3D paper 'sculpture' cards which are very lovely (I think) based on the sacred heart, one of my favourite emblems/logos.

And then the others... ' a card between 2 lovers' collection (I have just made that up), part of the 'stick your own sentiment' options. These are the stickers included so you can choose your own sentiment, some ARE nice, most are not SO nice. Which would you choose? (Answers in comments box please).

1. I disagree with the gross commercialism of Valentines Day (because I never get a card).
2. I bought myself this card …because you didn’t.
3. you have to love me…I bought you this card.
4. love’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
5. I hope you feel guilty now.
6. where’re my roses?
7. I don’t agree with Valentine’s Day …because I love you all the time.
8. guess who this is from then?
9. I love you Valentine.
10. What’s your name again?
11. you mean more to me than my car.
12. you mean more to me than my life.
13. be mine.
14. you're mine.

My own favourites are No.s 2 and 5. And very proud of those I am too.

I don't really believe in cosmic ordering.

my LinkWithin link (!) reminded me of this post from approximately 1 year ago... it is now time to publish my cosmic ordering-like results for 2011.

well not quite as many things came true/ to fruition as in 2010; only 3.5 things from my list of 10. and one of those was fulfilled but not how I imagined/thought it would be. this may sound a poor result but No. 3 was actually huge... it is enough to have made me write a new list, hidden away now until Jan 2013, however I couldn't think of 10 things this time, I don't know if that means I want less or whether I am being more realistic or only writing things that are easier to achieve in order to make my list of successes look bigger/ longer/better next year. deep.

who let the flags out?

another 6 cards down, I have moved my self imposed deadline back to Thursday midnight ...

14 to go... they shall be my 'Valentines' collection, I am in the process of thinking up apt slogans to use and am quite pleased with them so far: ' I strongly disagree with the disgusting commercialism of Valentines day, that's because I don't get any cards' and 'I will buy myself this card because you won't' and ' where're my roses?'

not expecting to sell many.

birthday anyone?

all in a weekend's work...

target= 30 cards (3 collections of 10)

obstacles in way= other things to do

deadline= midnight tonight

result= 10 cards (1 collection) + some unresolved idea's + stuff everywhere.

hopefully this limited edition of 10 cards made with gold scrap antlers (not real gold) from the heavenly RE will soon be stocked in FOLIO @ ccad. perhaps with another 20 (mmmm). so... if you have need of a slightly off the wall card for any occasion, look no further.

cheaper than most other imitations.

beginnings...

my job for 2012... well some of it.

this is the stage where one knows not where it will go and how it shall end up; the project and the year...

of course it's never how you imagine (and that's about as deep as I get).

It's happening...

finally...
because I got my new sketchbook - yey.

(thread by Chris)

At a loose end today?...

HURRY! Go to OUseburn Open Studios...

Update...

• Folio, Church Square, Hartlepool opens to the public this Thursday (with some of my things in it).


• Cobalt Studios, Newcastle are holding open studios at the end of this month 26th & 27th where you can buy quality products direct from the makers (with some of my things in it).


• And...some more of my 'things' are now firmly ensconsed in the DLI glass cabinet, just in case you're visiting that little gem.

I love my packaging

even if I do say so myself...

treasure

architectural salvage yard gorgeousness...