Art @ Advent : St John's CIC Peterborough

I'll be joining 20 plus other artists this year to create a very special Advent Calendar...images that represent the meaning of Christmas and associated themes. All ably organised by Vivacity's Keely Mills and St John's Artist in Residence Garth Bayley! My piece will appear around 20th December and is based on this watercolour 'Light of the World'. For me the names of Jesus, as written generations before his birth by the prophet Isaiah, encompass every aspect of Jesus, so much greater a picture than just 'a baby in a manger'.....

Design update

I've not posted for some months, which is highly unusual for me! Lots of things going on but starting with the annual PAOS exhibition in June which was really busy and successful in terms of good sales! There was the  added bonus of meeting many new viewers who decided to make a visit to see my work for the first time.
Exhibition take down was rapid due to overseas visitors and a large commission to design a range of fair trade products for Created, (formerly TearCraft), an opportunity to design textile prints, metal work and garden products which will appear in future catalogues. This has kept me busy for the past few months. Last year's design products feature in the current catalogue, look for my Vintage Kitchen textiles on their website https://www.createdgifts.org

Vintage style Apron

                                     

50's Lady Shopper

Striped Tea towels

After a busy summer in Cornwall, Wales and at home (lots of sketches and photos to work on this winter), painting is difficult as I recover from a car crash. This has really slowed production down but I hope to have a few sketches or paintings to put up in the next few weeks as I gradually get back to work!
Christmas Cards will be on sale in Art in the Heart, Peterborough,  http://www.artintheheart.co.uk next month! Here's a sneak preview......

Large Nativity

Exhibition in Queensgate, Peterborough

Two of these Mini Fragments will be part of a small exhibition in Queensgate Shopping Centre on May  18 & 19, to promote Peterborough Artists Open Studios 2013. Pick up an exhibition guide there and come and visit my exhibition! I'm No. 1 in the catalogue.....

Miniature 'fragments'
Mini Blue Paisley Fragment

Float mounted in white wood frame
Price: £55Mini Red Paradise Bird Fragment

Float mounted in white wood frame
Price: £55

Yellow Chinese Chrysanthemums : new work at Art in the Heart Gallery

This is a small 'frameless fragment' piece, my second so far, inspired by Chinese brocade rather than my usual Indian silks.  Using a layer of Thai paper over my own hand made paper has created a smoother surface to work on, so I was able to paint in more detail than I am normally able to on my 'fragment' pieces. My very favourite chrysanthemums are featured here along with some delicate lavender sprigs. One of my fabric sources for this painting came from a group of highly talented ladies in China, 'Dorcas Design', who make beautiful quilts and other articles from brocades and satins. I was given a bag of their sample fabric when I worked for TLM Trading and produced some product designs for them. They are a very special group of women, old and young, and are recovered leprosy affected or otherwise handicapped. I loved working with them on designs a few years ago, so this is a very special 'memory' piece for me.

 

Yellow Chinese Chrysanthemums
Frameless Fragment
Mixed Media
hand made paper, oil paint, oil pastels, enamel and resin
Height approx. 80cm
£170

A bit of technical information on this fragment: I have resined the back of this piece as well as the front and have backed it with a section of wood, on which the hanging fixtures are placed. The fragment hangs just proud of the wall, casting a short shadow. Like 'Love Entwines', it is really a thin paper and resin sculpture!

'Entwined' Fragment: sale at Art in the Heart

'Love Entwines Two Cultures'
H: 130cm x W: 36 cm
Oil paint, oil pastel, silver enamel, resin on hand made paper

This frameless fragment has just sold in Art in the Heart Gallery, Peterborough for over £450! I'm very pleased as this is a new departure for me and I'm happy that the discerning art public have taken it on! The piece is inspired by my mother in law's wedding sari which is unusually a pale eau de nil rather than the red or crimson traditionaly seen in Indian wedding saris. The sari has delicate silver thread embroidery and fine silk fringing which I have incorporated within the design. 

The title is a reference to two marriages, my father in law travelling from Kenya to India to meet and marry his bride, followed by a move to England to bring up his family in the West. My parents moved from Holland to Britain via the USA and Africa, finally ending in Scotland where my husband and I met and subsequently married. So it's really the story of 'love entwines many cultures!' 

Yellow Chinese Robe: more work in progress

A few more sections of the painting in detail....some more work to be done on the crimson flower on the right which I will work on in oil pastels.

Robe neck detail and Ceramic Plate

Robe neck detail and plate fragment

Yellow Chinese Robe: painting detail

Yellow Chinese Robe
Panel Painting
Oil, pastel and enamel paint on Thai hand made paper

This is a detail of the painting, due to be finished soon!  A few more additions and it will be ready to resin and then exhibited at the Peterborough Artist's Open Studios.  More of my work can be seen at the Peterborough Gallery 'Art in the Heart' at 47 Bridge Street,  http://www.artintheheart.co.uk.  Currently on show is my large panel 'Lata's Sari' based on a family member's wedding sari, and a large 'Fragment' piece entitled 'Entwined', also inspired by the pale silver embroidered, eau de nil silk of the same sari.