Its been a while

Well it has been a long time since my last blog.  What have I been doing in that time? Creativity - mainly working on my latest commission that has been a bit of a stop, start affair.  Two free days a week get quickly filled with my daughters sports day, orthodontic appointments, making three cushion covers for a friend and the usual major de-cluttering of the house which is a constant battle! Nevertheless it's almost finished.  Cinzia (the client) wanted a few of the leaves coloured olive green and the names to have a little silver on them, I will complete these little bits this week. Cinzia requested an olive tree and the sun in her picture, she is from Italy so perfectly apt. All the names of her nearest and dearest amongst the branches.  The latin words at the bottom I added, which mean family, together, forever.

I've been looking into card printing companies again.  I have found a company that seem reasonable but again I find the scanning of the images so difficult.  The colours never look right on the screen, so an on going challenge for me.  I would gladly do a course in "scanning for printing" if one existed as it completely baffles me.  I am a trained Graphic designer but was trained pre-computers - soooo out of date.  The trouble is that it takes so much time!  I would like to get the cards printed soon also business cards or even better postcards.  Time, time, time is needed!

The Shell Grotto

A weekend down in Kent was primarily a family visit for my nieces naming day.  The rain didn't fall, the sun shone, just the wind blew.  A lovely Saturday was spent at my sister in laws home celebrating little Kitty.  I completed the picture I did for her last week, which I can now show.

23 x 23 cm

On the Sunday we took the train from Whitstable to Margate.  We were interested to see the new Turner Contemporary Gallery that has recently opened.  While we wandered through the old town I spotted a sign for the Shell Grotto.  It reminded me that I had seen a piece about it on the TV programme Coast a while back.  Intrigued we walked along a back street and eventually came to Grotto Hill!  Half way up the hill we entered the shop where the grotto is located.  At the back of the shop is an archway which you enter and then go down chalk steps.  Underground you are greeted by the most magnificent sight of thousands of shells decorating the walls.  It is unclear what the grotto was made for and unclear when it was built.  But the designs are very Pagan, the link is here as the website can give a much better explaination of the grottos known history http://shellgrotto.co.uk/history/.  All I know is it was an amazing place, unlike anything I have seen in Britain before. The photos were taken with my iphone so are not the best quality but you get a feel of it.  Well worth a visit if you are in the area!

The Turner Contemporary was good too.  Tracey Emin's exhibition She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea was great.  I was expecting not to like it ( never got the unmade bed thing) but I did.  I had to distract the eyes of my 8 year old occasionally from quite graphic sketches but really lovely fluid work in blue gouache. The building is great too, what a boost for Margate.

Learn to walk before I can run

Eventually I would like to earn some kind of living from my artwork.  I currently work two days a week as a child minder and one day in an office. My child minding career finishes towards the end of July.  From that time onwards my funds will be less but time will be greater to devote to my creative work.  This has been the plan and goal.  Its now or never to do what I truly love as a living! At the moment it sometimes feels as if I'm not getting anywhere, just an endless rush to complete creative work in between jobs, family and household work.  I have to stop and remember that at the moment I'm doing all the ground work for this time.  Doing website, facebook, twitter promotion takes time away from the creative time but it is all necessary.  This week I have been busy doing personalized cards for friends and family. This of course has taken time away from the promotion side.  Hard to balance it.

But on the bright side another commission is in the pipeline which is great.  Also an interest from East End Prints in Shoreditch that I have to follow up.  So really its all going well, I just have to remind myself of this and learn not to run before I can walk!

To blog or not to blog?

Its been over a week since I did my last blog - not good!  This is the first time I have felt a bit funny about doing the blog, part of me thinks, what is the point, does anyone really read it and does it really serve a purpose? But you know once I start putting these words down I begin to enjoy it.  It somehow releases the jumbled stuff in my head and puts the weeks creative events in some kind of order.  I often get frustrated when I haven't put pen to paper for a while and the longer that goes on the harder I find it to sit down and create - I get kind of scared of starting a project. This has been the beauty of doing the blog since January as it does put me under a little pressure to produce something.  I think we all need a little bit of pressure in life.

I have been busy with personalized cards.  One for my lovely Mr B, it was our wedding anniversary last week.  Just a small little card but heartfelt. The other one was for my dear friend Sarah whose birthday was celebrated on Saturday.  I got a wonderful response from friends who were there when Sarah unveiled her picture - even tears came to eyes - Wow!  I stupidly didn't take a photo of the completed picture that was framed.  The picture shown is pretty much the completed version.  The finished one had a few more branches , butterflies and birds around the edges. Through this I have been commissioned to do a personalized illustration for Cinzia and her family which I'm really looking forward to starting.

So yes to blogging even though it may never get read or may not mean anything to anyone else.  The key is it helps me in my creative development!

Linocut

Well as I mentioned in last weeks blog my friend had shown me a beautiful illustrated book that she had just bought.  The book in question is The Alphabet of London by Christopher Brown.  Christopher Brown is a linocut artist who I had never heard of before though I feel I should have. Such stunning linocuts of the not so usual and usual well known landmarks and figure heads. People like Amy Winehouse, Charlie Chaplin and Mary Poppins pop up as well as a zoo keeper from London Zoo.  Sorry no images to show you of this beautiful book (mine hasn't arrived in the post yet) but this link should take you to Design Week newsletter page which gives a lovely write up to whet your appetite http://www.designweek.co.uk/blog/an-alphabet-of-london/3034107.article

All this got me a little excited about doing my own linocuts.  I remember doing them at Art College and not being particularly good at it. I'm sure the linoleum that was provided at College was much tougher then because I have had a go and found it a lot easier than before.  The tracing of the image and cutting was all very straight forward but the printing was a little harder.  I didn't have printing ink so used Acrylic paint instead which didn't coat the lino well.  Julia came to the rescue with her pot of water soluble printing ink,  the result is above. Not perfect but a start.


Also as promised is Fish completed with water colour wash.

World wide web here I come

I have been inspired by my friend Julia's new venture www.becreativedaily.com. She is on a 30 day challenge to be creative everyday and set up a website promoting this (well worth a visit).  I decided to be brave and start work on my website, something I've been wanting to get going for a long time.  I think I must have spent all day last Friday looking into the best deal and best choice of designed templates.  I finally went with Moonfruit and have spent the majority of spare time changing and tweaking things.  I managed to get www.lambandfox.com as my name but as yet it doesn't come up when you google it so help is needed with this.  Also I need to connect Facebook, Twitter, beloved blog to the site.  I have asked my friend Tim who hopefully will solve these computer mysteries for me.  He is a very busy man so it might not happen soon. I do still need to upload all the prints yet
anyway.  It is very exciting and frustrating in equal measure
but I am enjoying it.



I had in mind that I wanted to do an illustration of myself for the 'All about Lamb and Fox" section.  Thought that would be nicer than a photo.  You wouldn't believe the amount of time I took doing the face to get a likeness.  I think it looks a little like me?  My girls seem to think so, Mr.B said it didnt do me justice - sweet!  I also did another one, the smaller one shown.  I got a bit carried away though and have ended up looking like a smiling Madonna!  I have a book of European folk art that I sometimes use for inspiration and had been looking at the Bulgarian religious icon section showing the Madonna with amazing rays coming out from behind her head representing light.  This made its way into the little portrait, I think its clear I was obviously feeling good about myself on Saturday!

A million things still to do on the website.  Last night I sat down and thought to myself I need to do another word picture as I'm in danger of getting bogged down with computer stuff.  So started on Cat, hopefully I will finish this for the next blog.  Also the thermo fax screen arrived this morning, testing will begin soon! Busy, busy, busy.

Avoidance

A strange uncreative week really.  I didn't have much time to sit down and create which is always very frustrating.  Also after sending the designs to the thermo fax screen company I was disappointed to be told the designs were not suitable as they were too, "fussy".   They needed to be more simple with cleaner lines to avoid bleeding.  I find it hard to do simple designs!   Also my dear friend Julia discussed with me the possibility of exhibiting my work at the Nellie Dean in Dean Street, Soho.  Available space from the end of May.  I don't think I could be ready for the end of May (panic seeping in just thinking about it!) So I have done the classic Laura thing of avoidance so not to face the problem (sorry Julia for not getting back to you about this X). When will I feel ready - most probably if I'm honest mid - late summer.

Anyway back to the thermo screens I managed to illustrate this, in between re painting floorboards (a true avoidance task!). Yes a simple design. Okayed by Claire, "perfect to be made into a thermo screen".
YAY - onwards and upwards.  Julia I will be in touch X