the show!

today is the big day;

Artwave Open Studios

it is even partly sunny out (well, not raining at least)

so I could hang a few of the aprons outside.....

hoping to lure in a few people to look at all the lovely things me and my friends have been putting together!

teacup candles and cakestands

aprons and beautiful felted bags

view from my desk

see anything you like?

more felted bags

(the colours are a lot more beautiful in person and oh..........so..........soft)

view from the door as you walk in

and; just to make it even more special; Morris Men at the pub across the street!!

I love me some Morris Men!!

seriously......I am serious.......am also not British - my British friends heap scorn upon them -

I think they are fantastic

(for you non-British people; Morris Men are traditional folk dancers that go around......usually to pubs and dance - they have all sorts of costumes, usually with bells on their ankles - some of the dances have them hitting sticks together..there is a hanky swinging one -not sure what that is all about)

but..it is just good fun!

hope everyone else is having a fun weekend -

Monday is a holiday here too, so seems as tho everyone is out enjoying themselves

__a

show in Brighton

I am trying to contain my excitement, but I have been asked to participate in a show at a gallery in Brighton!

I only know 3 others in the show, but one of them, Cas Holmes,

is someone who I have admired from afar for awhile now.

and now I, me........will be in a show with her!

the other artist is amazing too, Anne Kelly

(trying not to feel like an imposter...will wake from my dream any time now)

the third artist is Kate Wickham; a ceramicist

these artists are seriously GOOD!!

(ok, Anne..breathe)

so, tomorrow, I am taking my 4 pieces down to have them put up for the show.

rook

auntie jean

rose

and for the fourth one; I finished the red-winged blackbird and am having it framed as we speak;

just in time!

red-winged blackbird

however, this does leave some holes in my Artwave show

hhhmmm

so......have finished the goldfinch for Artwave

not sure what else I will finish in time for the Saturday opening

goldfinch

have been amusing myself today by listening to old radio detective stories

is it bad to say I am really looking forward to all this being over so I can spend some time (alone) with S?

we have a ferry trip to Dieppe booked later on in September

while we were in the States, we had our kitchen redone (looks good!) but haven't had time to get it back together - we still only have 3 forks in there........and don't get me started on how dirty the house is!!

but then again; being asked to be in a show by someone that just happened

to see my work and liked it has been such an amazing thing!!

that's two this year

so really, I am very, very grateful

and grateful to everyone who has come by my blog -

and especially those who have written nice comments

:>D

__a

oh! and I think it is a full moon tonight..

- would like to take a walk in the dark......

we'll see if I stay awake long enough!

makin aprons

I have been busy makin aprons.......they seem to be taking longer than they should; altho that might be due to coffee drinking.......gasman arrival-waiting.........gasman taking several hours to fix boiler.......checking emails.......chatting.......putting up flyers for the Artwave show......etc!

so, I just need to add a few more pockets to the blue ones and then maybe either add a fabric flower or some vintage buttons to the pockets - and they are finished

I also need to finish the red-winged blackbird and the goldfinch that I have started - and hopefully a few more by the time the show starts

in between all this, I have a big digital print job to do (which will pay my studio rent!) and another freelance job which I think will be easy to do while I sit in my studio waiting for people to come by

tomorrow, I have a meeting with a woman who saw my work at the Artist United show and wants to see more of my work and talk about participating in some exhibitions!

wow.........hopefully I will have some good news with that

hope you all are having some good weather and good inspiration!

thank you so much for your comments and coming by to see what is going on.......

__a

oh! I have one question; I have never seen these Nanny McPhee movies........but the little I have seen,

reminds me of my favourite books as a child; Mrs Piggle Wiggle

is there a similarity?

I actually started

well, have finally started on something in real life, not just in my head!

red-winged blackbird

so......that’s at least started and while I am not sure how to go forward with it,

I can start on the goldfinch that I mentioned days and days ago!

and also finish up the 3 aprons I have made so far and start on a couple more.......

still need to show some photos of those but will wait until I put the pocket on them -

and am thinking a few old buttons too

am also getting several design jobs coming in, which on the one hand is great because then I can pay my studio rent.....but looks like they will all come at once and are very time-consuming so my days of procrastination and dawdling might have to come to an abrupt end in order to get everything done

on a sad note; while in the States, I took some amazing photos of all these exotic looking butterflies that would come and flutter around my parent's butterfly bush (buddleia)

and now I cannot find them on my camera or on my desktop!! ooohhhhh........

I am thinking that doing some butterfly pictures would be nice and was going to use my photos for inspiration; not to mention putting them on here for you all to see!...oh well

I was wandering around various blogs this morning (see procrastination comment above) and came across this lovely video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7X7sZzSXYs&feature=player_embedded

thanks to Abigail Mooney of percy and bloom for sharing this on her blog, which is where I found it

I think it is a really beautiful piece - love the animation and the poem

I spend a lot of my time by myself........sometimes on purpose, sometimes not

well.........thanks for stopping by - I know it has been awhile since I have been blogging - but will keep it going while I get ready for Artwave, the local art trail/open studios festival

and also; thank you so much for your comments, I really, really appreciate them!

__a

sunshine hopes

and did I get caught up over the holiday weekend? of course not! how silly of me to think I would.......

I did, however, finish and send off my last two pieces to a frameshop/gallery in Kansas City where I hope anyone in the area will go by and see them! not sure when exactly they will be shown......the owner is going to frame them first.

S and I took a walk through the garden (unfortunately, this is not OUR garden!) in our town to see what spring flowers had arrived.......they do such an amazing job keeping these gardens looking beautiful all year round

today I am in the midst of sending off my application for Artwave 2010, which is the local Lewes arts festival which I opened my studio up for last year. I am also trying to apply for a few contests, call for entires and submissions to galleries, etc.........??

but, mainly today, I am thinking of my Dad

he was diagnosed with lung cancer a few weeks ago and is starting his treatments today. I will be going to the US in a few weeks to help out my family

so, I am especially grateful for the sunshine today which shines a bit more light onto my hopes

not easy being so far away sometimes........