Saturday 23 January 2010

Who's dinner is this?


A plate of pincushions


Blue

My de-cluttering has not been in vain My space is much calmer, I thought therefore I would slip back easily into work but it has been a very slow process indeed. I cannot believe that the end of January is approaching and I feel as though I have not achieved very much so far, I feel cross with myself. I have so much that I want and need to do!
I have made one little commission piece this week, done two drawings for commission pieces and made a few little pieces for the Landmark Arts Textiles Fair which I am exhibiting in, in March, and it is not enough!!
I have been mulling over the drawings for a big commission piece, which I need to begin and a very big (well, big for me) piece for a touring show that begins in the summer. It is the first piece of a collection of 4 pieces which is needed for Easter when it is to be photographed for part of the publicity for the exhibition. I think this is making me nervous about starting to make it. Too much attention is already on it. I have been thinking about incorporating fabric and hand stitch into the piece, but am unsure. I then keep coming back to the theme of swimming in the sea. Rich wonderful blues, aqua and turquoise and sea greens, the colours that really are my favorites and that I want to use and work with all the time, but must stop myself and tax myself with the bigger pallet of colours that surround us all. A part of me just wants to be able to be greedy and indulge myself! is it the cold weather that makes me want to consume those sea colours so? like casserole, dumplings and rice pudding? on a winters night.
My friend the potter Linda Chew indulged me last night when she made Michael and I her wonderful Thia chicken dish, truly heaven on a plate.
I was very impressed to see that a recent simple and unpretentious dish that she 'had just knocked up' was holding our pre dinner hors-d'oeure. I was envious, not in a nasty way, I just envy how she can think three dimensionally all the time, and in clay too, how she uses her glazes then puts them all in the kiln and it doesn't blow up? her porcelain pieces are beautiful not only in shape, texture and colour, they are also blue too and I so hope that she gets her web site up and running so all can gaze upon them and visually consume them whenever so desired.

Wednesday 13 January 2010

All sorted and all starting

My big sort out and De cluttering was successful. I was ruthless and turned out years of stuff.

I managed to recycling some of it to friends, some ready and waiting for Children's workshops later on in the year and so far one box of magazines has gone to a local textile group. Although I still have 20 years worth of the Crafts Council-Crafts Magazine!

Getting rid of things that you have kept for years, because it holds sentimental reasons or because "that may just come in handy" or because you just like it makes it hard sometimes to get rid of. I had reached the point of no return and I managed to stop myself re-reading postcards, letters, trinkets and old magazine and newspaper articles and just boxed it in the 'appropriate' box ready to go.

I had an idea to make a piece of work with some of the sent cards and letters I had kept over the years, but then decided that I could never sell it as a piece of work and would rather watch all those thoughts, ideas, kindnesses and some sadness go up in smoke, too personal to go to the dump and too heart wrenching to make with.


My space is now much clearer and I feel refreshed. I can now begin the commission pieces that I have promised clients I would start in January.
The snow has managed to scupper my journey into the studio for a couple of days which was very frustrating but our snow is nothing to what some people have experienced around the country, it has been very picturesque though.

Monday 4 January 2010

A giant strawberry!


A New year begins

It has been a year now since I placed my first tentative posting on my blog and I want to thank you all for your kind comments and thoughts which have been very encouraging.
Words and writing is not my first choice of expressing myself, but you all have been so kind that so much so I shall carry on with a bit more! and before I do I would like to wish you a very creative, happy and peaceful 2010

Today was my first day back at the studio. I have had two weeks away and have been in blissful Christmas holiday mode, so it was a real shock to the system to go back.
I usually miss making so much that I get really twitchy a couple of days in to being away from my work but strangely this holiday time I didn't. I can only put it down to the fact that I had possible almost worked my socks completely off by the end of 2009 and needed a rest from it all.
I know that before I launch myself off into new making I need to de-clutter my space. I cannot believe how much "stuff" I have accumulated over the 5 years of being there, piles of it everywhere, made even more noticeable by my being out of my space for two weeks (how did I ever manage to move with in it before? let alone ever having the option if so desired to swing a cat) so I have made the bold and cathartic decision to get rid of all the surplus "stuff", I fancy the burning option, with no point of return. I am tired of keeping things "just in case they come handy" I fancy a big burning pile of redundant stuff with nothing coming back to haunt me in the future. Anything with I take as being anonymous I shall drop off at the charity shop which is near to the studio. I feel brave, a new and positive start to 2010. I shall then begin making new work in a new clean and tidy space. Oh wish me luck!