Evening Sun

Waiting for a bus at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol at 4.50pm - the sun just thinking of setting....

 
I looked up and there was this amazing tree.  I was feeling a bit sad leaving my buddy in her bed, but thankful for seeing her.

There's really a lot to be thankful considering everything. 
A running theme for the last few weeks.

This time of year and being on the edge of the city, closer to the countryside, the quality of light. It throws it all into sharp relief, or rather sharp contrast. My biggest girl is back at school and we're all back to the same old routine.  Feeling a bit somber, but all in all perhaps its just a little bitter sweet.

Aaaaaargh. No more hangers!

More hangers?
Well that's it. The final comp. Probably the final colour too. It'll be about a foot square. Just got to source some paper now.

 The other one was a bit crap. Too messy.
Seems to be that as soon as I put anything up on here I go, "Oh I know, I'll do this instead!".
Well at least the blog is keeping me motivated.

I am struggling a bit this week. Its half term. I'm bloody knackered. Too knackered in the evening to risk wielding a scalpel! I'm hoping, this weekend for some time out from my lovely children to get some cutting done.

wondergirl

For my best friend who is unwell.
You are amazing and I love you xxx.

Be thankful

I had the idea to make light blue neon sign saying, "be thankful" about 6 months ago after a medium sized hospital stay. Its been a tough year for a variety of reasons and I want to be reminded of how lucky I am everyday.  

My daughter spent a night in hospital last week. After IV fluids and antibiotics, she is definitely on the mend. This is my next papercut. I'm forgetting the other stuff for now.

Today Bill, did a big tidy of the garden, cutting back all the dead stuff from winter. This fell from one of the trees...

Like a birds nest from your imagination.

So perfect - soft inside and the outside is glued together with clay. Its very light. After we all had a good look, Bill put it back in case it might be reused again, this year.

So there you have it, another corner turned. Spring's around the next one... 

St Valentine

This is my effort. Started it a couple of days ago with plans. Its wholly dependant on symmetry as I have no time to do both halves of anything today. Daughter still very unwell and I can't be ignoring my children in order to draw pretty pictures on my computer.

Feeling like a half hearted artist and a shitty mum. Can't do anything wholehearted today.

Sorry. Back later with some cheer, maybe.

London Plane

I lived in London for 10 years and I love these pompom trees, especially with only a few leaves left. Just a whole load of bobbles.

A ton of pom poms falling from the sky...

...well they don't actually fall off, that's why they're still beautiful in February.

Another paper cut or screenprint? The beginnings of something. I'm just playing. I'm also doing a lot of stuff with thistles and leaves too, and trees.  More like this. We'll see.

I was hoping to do more actual cutting this weekend but my eldest daughter is ill. Poor sausage. I hope she's properly on the mend tomorrow.

Hangers, hangers

I should be hanging up laundry. Instead I'm doing this...

 

 

...and to anyone in the know, yes, I am using Illustrator version 10! Hey it works. Will try and cut it out later if I can keep my eyes open after putting kinder to bed.

Vicx at Paper Village is going to show my stuff in her shop during the Bristol Southbank Arts Trail. I am very excited.

Anyways, back to the cuddling my children between mindless toil...

Hina Aoyama

Look at this...

Super fine paper cutting. There are a number of artists out there cutting paper right now.  Some good some not. A Japanese artist living in France, Hina Aoyama's stuff is uncompromisingly intricate. With paper cutting, one mistake means starting again. I'm astounded that she uses scissors.

Yep, scissors. Really small ones.

Hina Aoyama's Photostream.

For the love of Newtownland

A Valentines card to my hometown

I grew up in a Scottish newtown from age 5 - 18. It was a bizarre place in retrospect.

I love and hate it.

The first of 5 newtowns built in the 1950s, it embodies a utopian dream that the planners and architects had, but also some mistakes made by them in their first go at actualising it.

As Britain's first shopping mall, the original "Town Centre" really was, in my opinion, a building worth looking after.

the Toonie

Look at London's Barbican Centre or Southbank. 

Southbank

Barbican

The Town Centre was built in the wrong place - on a dreich and blustery hill.  Over the years, a series of bad planning decisions have left it crumbling and bookended by Tesco and Asda. The original building is more or less abandoned.

More on this stuff to come...

Woman's Realm

 My first attempts at cutting them out. The first one is best, I reckon. Although its photographed, stuck onto my kitchen door .

The bottom one's in an IKEA boxframe sandwiched between 2 pieces of glass. This is the general idea, although I'll make frames with just a centimetre or so depth, to cast a stronger shadow. Also the paper is wrong, and the green, and I've got to get better at doing it. And my photos are pish (great Scots word, there!).

Practice, practice. I'll get there. 

1st doillie

If you are a bit sick of silhouettes or circles, look away now.

Doilly version 1

More things on top of other things - draw what you know!
The idea is to cut it out of paper. I've done a couple of tests with smaller pieces (post on its way) and its doable. May just take a little while.  I'm going to do an edition of screen prints too.

This is not the finished version yet. Just somewhere on my way to it....
More to come.

F is for flowers

Fancy Font - First of February

After yesterday, I need some colour. 

I did this with daughter no.2 on my knee. Text added later. It looks like the BP logo and that logo pisses me off considering how much awful stuff they get up to.