New Art Angel Cards

Art Angel card publishers will be at Top Drawer this weekend in London. They will be introducing a number of new products including note cards and three other new greeting cards by myself . See their website for more details http://www.art-angels.co.uk/cat/what-s-new  . Some really fantastic cards by Emily Sutton as well as other printmakers and painters, well worth a look.  

Peaches

The same branch growing on my studio, flowers in March, fruit in September. Not so many Peaches as last year, due to the lack of sunshine and to much rain, but I eat the first one this week and it was just delicious!

Tea Time Visitors

I have just finished a new print Tea time visitors. The  original block was done as an illustration for Garden's Illustrated a couple of months ago but I decided I needed to add more colour. So now all the colour work is done and I have started to add the main images. The print will be available from from most of my galleries once it is dry or from my website.

Rutland Water Artist-in-Residence

 In July I started a one day a week residency at Rutland Water. I will be drawing in the hides over the summer and plan to host an exhibition of the work at the end of September in my studio. It is the most wonderful thing to sit in the quite hides and just see what comes along. Swans, geese, Osprey and duck of every shape are just a few. There are two nature reserves at the water, one at Egelton and the other at Lyndon both a short cycle ride away. I have 2 sketchbooks O am working in and then back in my studio using them for reference for new paintings and prints. I will be posting more about this over the coming weeks.

Shropshire in the Sun

I have recently been staying with my father in the Shropshire hills on the boarders of wales. How lovely to see the sun again and have some time walking with my father who at 88 still walks every day. After recently losing his old dog I have been helping him settle in a new dog Slim who is a real gentleman of a dog.
Very inspiring to see the Shropshire hills again and the amazing views across the plain to the welsh mountains.

Wing Telephone Art Box

Wing village adopted the telephone box from BT when the phone was taken out several years ago . For some time it has been looking very sorry for itself and definitely in need of fresh paint. Mark my partner came up with the idea of using it as an art's venue ! He wrote to the parish council for their permission to launch the first event. This we did on June 23rd with an actor friend of ours Philip Norman who performed Alan Bennett's "A Chip The Sugar" which is on of his talking heads monologues. It was absolutely brilliant . Phillip is a great actor and had the 70 people who turned up spell bound. He used the phone box to make a couple of costume changes and the audience sat with nibbles and the odd bottle of

wine on the grass around the box. At the end of the performance we passed around a bucket which raised £260 plus we were given sponsorship from our local pub The Kings Arms, our local farm shop and Wing Hall cafe. We paid £48 to Mr Bennett for the use of the play, contribution to  the actor and the rest went toward restoration of the box. We were then able to get the box repainted and repaired .  Many thanks to Francis and Robert for their contribution for the paint. I contacted Richard Coltman who has a website dedicated to the British Telephone box. He was very generous in the information he gave about the correct paint needed. If you want to learn more about your phone box it is a great website to have a read through http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/
On July 20th we had event 2, Henry Jones a local singer and song writer only 18 but defiantly heading for great things. Over 80 people came and sat with picnics and drinks and all seemed to love the evening (no rain ). We also included an art auction to raise more funds. I asked 3 other artists in the village, Mary Rodgers, Ian Newsham and Alison Seviour  to contribute post card size paintings which we framed up and half way through the evening had a very exciting auction selling the work at £30 - £210 per work . I do thank the artist and all those who have made these events such great fun - We look forward to the next which will be in September - date to be announced.

Country Living Feature & Rose Nest

The May issue of Country Living is featuring an article about my work and goes on sale in the shops on April 12th. The process of being chosen for the feature started last year so it will be very exciting to see the magazine out in the shops.

Louise Elliott Chief Sub/Associate Editor, Country Living Magazine came out to Rutland to interview me in my studio last May. We spent the day together talking about the influences in my paintings and prints and how I arrived at being a full time maker. I found the chance to talk about my work very beneficial; it was good to be questioned about why I use the images I do. Louise was both a good listener and interviewer and made me feel I could talk with ease but still be challenged on my methods of working. We also spent some time walking with the dogs though the surrounding fields, which are the background to my work, as well as part of my daily routine, and working practice. Louise has produced a lovely piece of writing that I feel gives a real insight in to my painting and my life in Wing. We also managed to fit in lunch at our local pub The Kings Arms and a brief visit to our lovely farm shop at Wing Hall

The next part of the process was the photographs, so a few weeks later I met Laura Edwards one of CLs photographer’s. Laura was very relaxed and easy to work with. For the brief CL had given her Laura required of a number of specific shots to illustrate the text. One of the images needed was a close up of a bird, not always an easy thing to obtain. We stood in the kitchen chatting about the best places to go achieve this, and as if on queue, a beautiful male bullfinch flows into the tree outside my kitchen window. Laura was able to get some fantastic shots while still standing in my kitchen with the bird just a couple of feet away, one of these is in the feature. Laura took photos of me and my dogs round the village as well me  drawing in the farmland  and painting in my studio. She took a large number of shots at each location, explaining this was normal practice and that out of hundreds of shots they would only use 6 - 8.

 I have to say before meeting Laura and Louise I was very ignorant of the huge amount of work that goes into each issue and article. All the planning of locations and different makers and changing times of year. I would like to thank Laura and Louise as well as all the team at country Living for  just a stunning result. I do hope CL readers enjoy the article as much as I enjoyed taking part.

Rose Nest

Country Living have also asked me to produce a special edition original print as a CL readers offer. For this I have made Rose Nest, a lino and silkscreen, please see Country Living May issue for more details. 

BIRDSCAPES Arkadia Fine Art

Spring Exhibition  starts Friday 30 March 2012     

New work from Gallery Artists Mary Sumner / Angela Harding / Stuart Low and a selection of new Decoy Birds by Derek Richards

With the resurgence of interest in nature writing and the increasing number of artists and makers who are inspired by the natural world Arkadia Fine Art opened its doors in late 2010. Gallery owners Fabienne Fossez & Elizabeth Jackson have a passionate interest in and concern for the natural world. They wanted to share this enthusiasm with others and the gallery is a showcase for a unique blend of talents - from artists and printmakers to potters, wood carvers and sculptors. The gallery derives its name from the Greek spelling of 'arcadia', which in poetic fantasy represents a pastoral paradise. The use of the 'k' also makes reference to the 'Ark' and the plight of our wildlife.
The setting of the gallery is important: Arkadia Fine Art is located in a double-fronted Georgian house on historic West Street in Dunster - one of the best preserved medieval villages in England. A mile from the sea, and situated at the foot of Dunster Castle (NT) grounds and the gateway to Exmoor National Park.

Arkadia Fine Art, 15 West Street  Dunster  Somerset  TA24 6SN UK    T: +44 (0)1643 822 363  E: info@arkadia-online.co.uk

Spring in Wing

   

      

Just to much of a cliche I know but just too adorable - new lambs spotted this morning while out cycling, also a beautiful patch of spring violet and an old nest from last year . 

Spring getting closer

First day back in the garden after the winter, Hellebores and snowdrops in full bloom. Plenty to do as I am not a tidy gardener so jobs still left over from last year. New projects planned  - the much needed path to my studio  - new garden sheds now part made by Mark and ready to go up  - well hope to fill my blog with at least some of my spring enthusiasm fulfilled, we will see.    

Snow Bound Studio

I have spent the last two days screen printing in a very snowy studio  - sheep in the field over the hedge have been digging for grass. It should be gone in a day or two but lovely while it is here.

The Print Master

The Print Master is Stanley Jones in conversation with Susan Aldworth recorded at the Curwen studio, on Radio 4 Saturday 21st January at 3.30pm or currently available on iplayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019fwvx

Last year I was lucky enough to have been invited to work at the Curwen, co publishing Early Nesters - image above. I just loved the whole experience and found the studio a very inspiring, if not a little daunting at first to work in, as you were very aware of all those famous bodies that had stood on the same spot. But the warmth as well as the professionalism of all the staff soon put me at my ease. To view more of the work published at the Curwen Studio click on the link below http://www.thecurwenstudio.co.uk/

New Work for 2012

New work on show now at Bircham Gallery Winter show http://www.birchamgallery.co.uk/catalogue/, Albany Gallery Drawing exhibition http://www.albanygallery.com/ 

and Hornsey's http://www.hornseys.com/