Carving the Lino for Christmas

I find Britain quite different from New Zealand at this time of year. Firstly, it's freezing cold! I arrive into work with a red nose and rosy cheeks.

Christmas is such a bigger deal here and it the build up starts on November 1st! The Brits do it well though, department stores competing for the best snow scene window displays, German markets on the Thames, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, lanterns strung up lining the cobbled lanes. It's all terribly romantic and like something out of Dickens.

Full of inspiration, I've designed and carved out my Christmas cards for this year.

Choosing to try a lino print, I've been loving experimenting with one, two and three colour prints. Layering and layering. It takes ages!
But worth it.

Mixing up colours change the feel of the print, from cold snow scene to dark starry night sky.

And Finally..

Here they are, these are the pieces I put into the exhibition...

Both works are mixed media, using found textiles, papers, stitch and mono print. 

They are based on the sense of belonging which is an important theme for me.

Postcard with moustache lady

Part of the Widford Arts exhibition is to donate a small postcard sized artwork to be auctioned off on the opening night. Generous of me, I know.

I don't normally work at this size but I must say I really enjoyed the scale. It felt manageable, like an achievable sized work I could just whip up with ease.

So I started playing with some offcuts I had hanging around from my main works. Some of the map transfers, the impression plant prints, collage from newspaper and a mono print image of a girl...

Only problem is the girl looks like a man with long hair and a moustache. Somewhere along the lines, that print went very wrong.  Time to rethink using her/him! Shim!

Playing with the composition again, I hid the awful mono print behind the lovely print from my meadow plants. Ahhh, much better. Magical flower.

 This way, that way, until finally the final decision is sewn in place. It's done now, no turning back. And certainly no telling me you preferred the 2nd composition!

Field day

After 7 years of patiently waiting in the rain, I finally got a decent British summer this year. Every 7th one is a good'en apparently. Damn, should of got married this year..Anyway, the sunny mornings soften the hard fact I must get out of bed, and I have been strolling to work via the river and meadow route I found.

This is wonderful as I can delay the reality of the working day ahead and I pick myself some treasures up on the way. Plant treasures, just so we are clear.



The Widford Arts Exhibition is fast approaching and my mixed media prints are nearly complete!

Playing with plants and flowers found on my walk, I found that actually inking up the stems themselves works a treat! They create a delicate printed image on the fabric. The ink only touches the raised edges so it creates a stamp like look. I like this. Might have got a bit carried away with this.


These are some detail pics of just one of the final works. You can see the final pieces on display, along with other local artists, on opening night, Friday 6th September at Widford village hall, 7:30pm - 10pm.

work in progress

You may think I've been slacking off for the past few months but no! I've actually been beavering away, designing, sewing and working on my wedding dress! It's so exciting and I can't wait to show you but alas, you will have to wait another year yet...

So what else is new?

My next exhibition is coming up in September and I'm planning on contributing a piece based on their theme 'Hertfordshire Landscapes'.  Well, loosely based on this... A lot of my recent work has been exploring my Hertfordshire village, inspired by the stories behind all the old buildings and churches. My take on the exhibition theme is looking at my landscape within Hertfordshire and what I see around me on my day to day. No meadows and watercolours for me, yawn.





I've made a start..inspired by the colours in the sky outside my lounge. It's nice being on the top floor, not only do I get a good view of my neighbours and their fascinating living habits, I am treated to a clear skyscape (more like cloudscape, am I right?!).

On my morning walk to work, I pass several ancient wooden doors which I never see open. I love to imagine the life behind them or who has been smuggled in. I spot windows and doors that were once used, clearly still visible where they have now been blocked up. Secret rooms and passage ways? Forgotten spaces? Window taxes, Daylight robbery.
Every brick tells a tale.

Right now, I'm working with a mix of materials which include mono-prints, magazines collage, photocopies of previous works, maps of the area and of course my fave, stitch.

I'm still playing with composition and gathering everything I want in the work, so stay tuned folks for the next instalment!