collage with thread

Well I am still recuperating from my foot fracture, thanks for all your well wishes, they really cheered me up.
Life on crutches is very frustrating and I have been looking for ways to fill my time that require minimal movement. Painting you would think would be simple with one leg, and it is! Cleaning up though is not so quite so simple!
 Crutches require both arms and hands, so cleaning brushes, emptying water, in fact getting messy is really not good. Collage making too, with glue and paper is equally messy and difficult.
Sewing however is not messy, It can be done with my foot elevated and pedal-less! I discovered my machine can be used without the foot pedal, using a switch on the machine instead... simple!! This made me very happy.. ;)

I made a stack of paper cloth over christmas which was fortunate and used stitch instead of glue to collage everything together,

This gives you an idea of scale, it is reasonably large.

you may also remember my ' cast off' crochet blanket, well it is growing slowly.....

It probably wont be finished by the time my leg cast is removed, however I am not expecting miracles and know it will be a little while till I can throw away the crutches, so I will be needing a sofa project for a wee while yet!

Linking up to

Paint party friday

windmills and teapots

What exactly is 'good taste' ?
Who decides?
I guess this little windmill teapot set could be described as 'Kitsch' and that is why I like it.
So much today is about clean lines, minimal colours and co-ordinating pattern, I'm not sure this little teapot would fit into many peoples lives.

I am a collector of things, if I like something, I like it, and often I can't even quantify why....
Usually the things I love are colourful
Colour makes me happy.

To many people still life paintings are DULL....

Depends what you choose to draw! I love this teapot because it may be many things but dull is not one of them!
 I think It was made in the 1930s and is known as a type of china called cottagewear. made by the Price brothers. It is wonderfully frivolous, rather impractical and to many it would be seen as 'bad taste',

Who cares? It is fun! ;)

I used neocolour crayons and pen and ink.

Happy tea-times.......   ;)
Hello to all those visiting from paint party friday !

Summer of color, week two: summer poppy

Summer poppy (gouache and ink)

Week Two of the Summer of color challenge and this week Artists and crafters from around the world were asked to use a limited palette of two main colours with an accent colour. The choice this week is

Teal, coral and white

As last week my inspiration is taken from nature and some of my photographs taken at Dunvegan gardens.

Last week my poppy was aqua blue, this week coral red!

Some of the poppies were a deeper rich red

Beautiful colour combinations can be found all around at this time of year.

A little pixlr magic accentuates the teal and coral colours of this Dock leaf.

I used gouache for my oriental poppy, not a medium I usually use, and because of the limited palette had to abstract and simplify the image more than I would normally. That's what I love about the summer of colour, it gets my brain trying out new things with both colour and form.

Linking up to the wonderful summer of color

Messages in the breeze

Messages in the breeze

My Island landscape is finished.
It is about having time,space and peace to remember.  In ancient folklore Dandelion seeds were seen as carriers of messages for long lost loved ones... a wonderful thought.

It is a mixed media piece on canvas.

 I added a piece of seascape into the corner to help with the flow through the canvas.

I also intensified the purples and pinks.

detail

I follow the wonderful Jane Davies blog  'collage journeys'. She wrote recently a piece on how do you know when a piece is finished? she wrote...

 " I am often asked the question:  How do you know when a piece is finished?  There is a long answer, which I try to give at workshops.  And as I give the long answer, I'm trying to find it for myself as well.  It is not a neatly packaged answer, but involves tangents and detours.  The short version is this:  you know that a piece is finished when it isn't bugging you for more development.  When the piece gives you that "a Ha" feeling, and there isn't one thing about it that is niggling at you, then it is done.  When the conversation is over, your piece stops "talking" to you and stands on its own two feet"



A wonderful description!
This piece has finally stopped talking to me! :)

linking up to the Paint party Friday.

Under the sea

More mermaids, or sea spirits as I call this pair!
this time on wooden panels

the mermaids made of airdrying clay were collaged onto the panels and modelling paste added for texture.

I covered the mermaids in kitchen foil.

They looked a little strange!

I added some copper paint over the foil to make them look weathered.

I didn't want pretty mermaids, I wanted them to look as if they were part of the sea. 

A few mirrors and shells added more texture to their watery world.

linking to collage obsession this week where the theme is' Under'

And also Paint party Friday Who are celebrating their 3rd Birthday!

Eagle of Storr

Eagle of Storr mixed media collage

I have been busy in the studio over the past couple of weeks so haven't had much space to blog, but back to normal now and I can post one of my newest large pieces.

My eagle is set in the beautiful landscape of north west Skye. Storr is a large mountain surrounded by large rock formations the largest being the rock pinnacle called 'the old man of Storr' It is a famous landmark of Skye and has been used in many movie scenes, you may recognise it!!
Eagles are said to nest in the rocky outcrops, I saw one a few years ago as I drove along the coast road . It flew over my car down the hills towards the sea, bigger than any bird I had ever seen, its wingspan was enormous!! The image has stayed in my head and I have always wanted to try and get it onto canvas.

Storr wikepedia commons

the wings are made from tiny scraps of paper, some found, others printed with my Gelli plate

I started by very loosely painting with a large brush the solid shapes I wanted to fill in with paper.

The Sky uses some paper I printed with my Gelli plate using Celtic stencils.

The bottom photo gives an idea of scale.

I am submitting the piece to the Skyeworks gallery for a forthcoming exhibition on Flora and fauna of the Island.

linking this week to Paint party friday

Skye bridge

I recently finished this piece as a birthday present for my daughter. She lives many miles away in England but loves to visit Skye whenever she can. The Skye bridge is a very familiar landmark and whenever I see it looming through the mist I know I am almost back on the Island!

The skye bridge opened in 1995. Before then the only way to the Island was by ferry. You may have heard the famous Skye boat song.

Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing
"Onward" the sailors cry
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye
  
 The bridge opening caused a huge amount of controversy as tolls charged to cross were the most expensive in Europe! A local protest group called Skat ( Skye and Lochalsh against tolls) fought tirelessly to have the tolls removed some even going to prison because of their refusal to pay the toll charges. the toll was abolished in 2004.

I think it is a very beautiful bridge. The old ferry was romantic but often frustrating with traffic queues and cancellations when the often stormy weather closed the crossing. So I thought I would do a small tribute to this very famous landmark.

 Collaged onto a piece of recycled floorboard.

If you look closely you can see I added fairy lights to the bridge. ( the bridge doesn't have fairy lights, I think it should though! )

I have also used lots of bright coloured papers.

Lots of gesso.

And had lots of fun :)

Linking to paint party friday