Hello...

I don't know where the time goes, it's an age since i last posted with all sorts of plans, which have been on my mind, but as usual life happened in between which couldn't be helped.

The workshops have finished here at Indigo Moon and we've been developing the Indigo Moon shop at full pelt, including extending some of the show room to the workshop area.  It's been a hard slog with huge amounts of work involved, but we're almost there now.

Gav has his workshop for restoration in the shop area and i have my own studio again, it allows us both to get on with what we enjoy.  It also means that Gav will be spending most of his time in the shop leaving me free to get on with the creative side of things.  More news on that soon.

I'm having a huge sale of 'older' work, unfortunately,  i haven't got around to putting it all in my Etsy shop as it was selling well here at Indigo Moon.  However there are still some pieces left which i'll photograph and create a separate page on here, if anyone's interested let me know and i'll check if it's still available.

In the meantime, in amongst all the chaos and mayhem i've managed to organise my studio and get on with some new paintings.

These are very small pieces and will be for sale unframed and unmounted.  I'd like to put together a series of small affordable art work.  It's been hugely cathartic getting back to painting, i've been experimenting with mixing acrylics, gouache and watercolour and playing about with collage.

I love working the backgrounds on these pieces, it's a technique well within my comfort zone...pushing the heavy rich paints around a substrate with anything other than a paintbrush, creating texture and a sense of space.  When i look at the background, i feel there is a vagueness, maybe silhouettes of people hovering nearby!

Some other new paintings i've been working on:

I wanted to experiment with bold lines and colours, i'm a great fan of brut/outsider art, and any sort of graffiti brings joy.  It's very hard to replicate, you have to have a command of 'unbridled' thinking (an oxymoron i know).  I just can't seem to let go enough, i get so far and then i have to 'tidy' things up, however it works in a 'sort of' way.  

I've also done huge amounts of work on my 'Boro' stitching and have now finished four scarves, "Part of your Story" 
but more on that soon.

XOXO

Bowie Houses...

David Bowie 1947 -2016

These small clay houses were inspired by the lyrics, performance and sheer awesomeness of the magnificent David Bowie and is my tribute to him. I wanted the design to be simple and look like a sketchbook full of drawings and words...as i can imagine his great songs once did before they came to the ears of his audience There are six in all: The Jean Genie (1972); Heroes (1977); Life on Mars (1971); Changes (1971); Lets Dance (1983) and Space Oddity (1969). 

RIP David, the world is a musically poorer place without you in it.

XOXO

Rainy Day Reading

It's a day of rain and gale's here in Montgomery and i'm snuggled up on the sofa with a coffee and some books/computer for company.  Perfect really. 

My thoughts are currently drawn to the success of the Indigo Moon Creative Workshops venture and to next years programme (found here but continuously being updated), my beloved father (who is always on my mind, i miss him more than i can say) and ongoing ideas for an art gallery/shop to be incorporated here somewhere.  It's all rather exciting.

As it was my birthday recently, these books arrived, i've not fully looked at them yet, i have a strange ritual to undertake before i can even open them, i devour the images back and front, and there's a touchy/feely/smelling thing that goes on....i still love my kindle, but these type of books are in a different league!  Anyway.

"Fabric Pictures".  Janet Bolton's artwork is soul stirringly wonderful, just looking at the cover inspires me no end.

Claire's book on slow mindful stitch is right there in my zone at the moment, i seem to be doing a lot of this is spare minutes, it's very cathartic.

I really like Cas Holmes' work and her thought processes for creating, i think i'll learn a lot from this book.

All i need now is to get all my chores done and snuggle up and open the pages...

so looking forward to it.

XOXO

Cover Girl...

Oh my...i just received my complementary copy of the July/August issue of Somerset Studio

...so thrilled with it...

jjj

XOXO

Foundations of Gold

So very excited and pleased to have my work featured on the front cover 

of the July/August issue of Somerset Studio.

 When they asked to feature my work i had no idea it would be for their cover.  Can't wait to see the magazine.

Still very busy here getting the workshop space ready to start in September, see the Indigo Moon Creative Workspace blog for details.  It's all coming along very nicely, just a few finishing touches here and there and a some painting of walls.

There are still places left on this years workshops, please visit www.indigomoon.co.uk for details and bookings.

XOXO

New Etsy listings over the coming weekend...

These are a selection of small affordable pieces on wood that will be available in my Etsy shop this weekend.  They are a continuation of my exhibition theme "Nothing but a House"

Each piece has been created with texture in abundance.  My aim was to create an old abandoned feel to the house, or a house that's been untouched for many years by it's owners.  The peeling paint and layered papers are perhaps suggestive of neglect, abandonment or perhaps sorrow.  These images give me great joy, i love the haunting eeriness of them.  

 Alternatively, a neglected house can also suggest the love of a home, perhaps a wish to remain in the past. bringing memories that may be forgotten otherwise, neglected in some people eyes but loved nonetheless.

"The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind."

- Khalil Gibran