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

Time...

Thanks to those of you who have sent emails and facebook messages asking if i'm ok,  i'm touched. Yes, very definitely all ok here, i haven't abandoned this blog again, i intend to do all i've said, i'm just need a little more time than anticipated!

There are some big changes happening here, a lot going on with the Indigo Moon shop.and as i've been wanting to spend some more time on my own art i've also been working on some new textile pieces (which I hope to show you as soon as i've 

decided on the framing options) and some paintings.

In the meantime here's a sneaky peak of some works in progress....

XOXO

Feature Friday...

Just a short one today....

Indigo

Mystery and Folklore

In researching 'Japanese Boro' for my workshop here in October, i've decided to make my first "Feature Friday" article about Indigo. 

 (Boro samples for workshop)

Many of the vintage japanese fabrics i'm currently handling in preparation for the workshop have been dyed with Indigo, the colours vary greatly, some have been lightened by sunlight maybe or may have not been re-dipped in the indigo dye to get the intense blue characteristic of the indigo colour.  

Indigo dyeing has been around for centuries and used worldwide "a vibrant colour laden with symbolic meaning; a commodity that was once central to international trade and colonial economies; and the reason blue jeans are blue".

There is much information about Indigo from books and from the wonderful world wide web and it was whilst flitting from place to place on here that i became aware that there was mystery and folklore surrounding this "Magical Dye".  

(photo from http://photos.ye-travels.org/keyword/indigo;guizhou/i-JR9vJ9n)

Extracting indigo, and then dyeing with it is akin to a conjuring trick.  The precursor to the blue colour is invisible and hides in the leaf of the plant until chemically transformed, it's no wonder then that many superstitions and rituals arose due to the mysterious changes that took place in the dyeing process and no wonder that it was used for ceremonial purpose!  "Myths about fertility surround the vats.  In some places pregnant women are kept away or talismans are added to the vats".

I could use up ten more blog posts to talk about the magic of indigo but 'Feature Friday' is not about blinding you with information (or science), i want it to be about drawing attention to things/people/processes that i find interesting or has influenced my work and my life.  You may find it interesting, you may not and that's ok too.

For those of you who are, i reccommend "Blue Alchemy: Stories of Indigo".  It's a documentary by film maker Mary Lance.  This website shows a trailer, you have to buy the DVD, but  it's well worth it.

XOXO

Growing thoughts in your brain....

Like many things, social networking can be beneficial to us all and whilst i understand that people are not perfect, indeed as it seems, none more so than when politics is the topic of conversation,  I have been shocked beyond measure at the number of people in my Facebook feed who have contributed nothing but negativity to an already uneasy situation.  Everyone has an opinion on the EU referendum results (both before and after) and that's ok, but there is absolutely no need for irresponsible behaviour and unintelligent and combative responses to open discussions. 

With that in mind i only want to say that it is best to be responsible for your own behaviour on social media, one day your words may come back to haunt you.

XOXO

Moving on...i can only say it's been a few months of turmoil here with one thing and another, not least with my back problem, my own stupid fault, as it was starting to get better and then i helped lift some heavy furniture again and i'm now back to square one...lesson learnt.

Despite all this i have been able to sit in the shop stitching whilst Gav works on the Indigo Moon website.  I'm fully focused on and busy preparing for my "Beautiful Boro" Workshop here at Indigo Moon Shop and Gallery, there is an ocean of stitching to get through and i'm finding it thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing.  I'm also working on the talk i'm giving at the start of the workshop, of which the research is proving to be quite fascinating and distracting (i have to be very careful not to overload it), and also deciding on the kits that i'm putting together.  All in all a very enjoyable task.

Everyone who attends the workshop will be making and hopefully completing a small coin purse through day, using authentic vintage japanese fabrics and they will also have a little kit (project yet to be decided) to take home with them to try another project on their own.  I am also putting together packs of scraps of  japanese fabrics for people to buy if they require extra.  It's all rather exciting and takes quite a lot of thinking about at a time when distraction is greatly needed to heal the soul.

I am finding myself more resolved to moving away from Social Media and reverting back to my blog.  This is for no other reason than that i find a blog easier to manage, i feel i can say more on here.  So, i will be posting regularly as i have much to say and show.  You will see changes in the design and content of the blog as my beautiful and clever daughter helps and advises me with the look and content.  Something i'm looking forward to.  And just to give you some ideas, i will be posting articles on other artists' work looking in more detail at some of those that have influenced my own life and work and those that haven't, but who's work is as equally inspiring.  I will also show you the progression of work for the "Beautiful Boro" workshop as pieces finally come together and my ideas for the changes i'm implementing here at Indigo Moon Shop and Gallery.  I will be reviewing and suggesting books to read, websites and other blogs to peruse, along with mini workshops and interviews with other people.  There will be posts and photos of this beautiful town of Montgomery and it's surrounding areas here on the Welsh/Shropshire borders and posts on my travels around this "United Kingdom" as we  (Gav and I) deliver and collect supplies and stock for the Indigo Moon shop.

I am taking nothing but positiveness from recent events and situations both in the world and my personal life, my faith in human nature has once again been severely tested but here i am dusted off and pushing on.

WATCH THIS SPACE and...

Yumminess

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