St Bride's Day

St Bride's day today. The start of Spring. Apparently...
Sowed a few seeds today too, apparently an auspicious day to do it, so lets wait and see how they do, although last years crop that we sowed that day did really well in the end so perhaps there is some truth in it? Thought I'd draw the tulips just about to open, the start of things to come...

Tree obsession

 Think I have a tree obsession. Not sure how bad it is yet, but I've noticed, in the past 2 days I've done at least 5 drawings of them. This obsession came to light as I've been going through old drawings and photos of mine trying to find ideas to turn into etchings. Putting together several images, I realised two thirds of them where trees, or wood related.

 Very quick colour sketch, one day to turn into a proper painting, but I loved the way the winter light hit the bare poplars, with some of them in rich lilac shade.

 I love seeing how fallen trees carry on growing, their branches turning into trees themselves, carrying on despite the odds.

So, not sure where these drawings will take me, but I have an idea it could be quite an absorbing project ahead of me...

Wolf Alice

So this is is one of the things that I've been doing that is keeping me out of trouble till the wee small hours of the morning. (5.30am to be exact but nothing like a last minute panic to get the creative juices going...)

Managed to get three illustrations and an idea for a cover (above) done for an illustration competition for the Folio Society.  I love, love, love this publisher. They publish beautiful hard back, mostly illustrated books. All great quality, and its been one of my dreams to become one of their illustrators. Anyway, I heard about this competition only relatively recently, so once  I read the book -  'The Bloody Chamber' by Angela Carter, I couldn't wait to try some ideas. The book is a collection of short stories, all adaptions of fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood,  Beauty and the Beast, and Puss-in -Boots, but for adults. So some pretty interesting interpretations of the old favourites, which made it really exciting to try and illustrate. The one above is called Wolf Alice, about a girl bought up by wolves, and half 'tamed' and humanised by nuns but left to live alone with a werewolf in a castle. Great story.

So, now its a case of crossing fingers, waiting, and hoping to hear the results. But as they say, its the taking part that counts...

Weaving the Past

 So, here is one of the reasons that I've not posted in a wee while. Due to serendipity (I love that word) I got chatting to a lovely lady called Cheryl James and we got chatting about art and photography, and she mentioned that she was doing an installation in an old mill. I said how I would love to draw a place like that, and lo and behold, she said there was space for me to join her in her exhibition.

  Its an amazing mill, still using machines dating as far back as early 1900's, most are from the 40's and 50's, and if they could talk... One lovely guy working there, been working in the mills for 50 odd years, and only been out of work for 5 minutes. Said he got made redundant from one mill, walked down the road and got hired at the next mill. Had incredible stories, but getting him to stop...

 Each machine had beautiful parts, each one individually designed for a specific use, but taken away from its context a great sculptural work of art. Not sure that is what the engineer/designer had in mind when he made it, and not sure that I captured it, but I could have spent months in that place drawing.

So, many visits later, drawing the two men working there, the old looms, the weird and wonderful contraptions, I found myself putting up an exhibition with Cheryl. All crazy and usual last minute panic to get things done, but I did it. So, if anyone is in Selkirk, its on till the 20th December, at Andrew Elliot Ltd. Phew.

Secret beaches

Finally found this lovely beach in East Lothian near North Berwick. A few people have told me about it over the years but said I had to find it for myself as it was so special. So all I'm saying for those who care to find it, its east of North Berwick, and left down a little leafy lane, and down a bit...
Fabulous secret not so little beach, a few people there but all studiously ignoring each other pretending it was just there for themselves. Great views over the Firth of Forth, and Bass Rock covered in guano shimmers in the sun. Bliss.

Blaeberry's and wave chambers

Couldn't resist squishing the blaeberry on the paper to see what colour it was. Went down to Kielder Forest in Northumberland and came across a huge patch of them. Spent what felt like an hour picking them in the heat surrounded by flies and midges, and ended up with only a wee bag of them. Just enough for a pie, but oh what a pie! We were actually on our way to see the Wave Chamber by Chris Drury. A stone built beehive that you went in, shut the door and sat in the dark, until you realise that you're looking at waves on the stone floor. The hut is right on the edge of the reservoir and its a camera obscura reflecting the water into the hut. All you can hear is the water lapping at the shore, and see this reflection. Lovely meditative place. If I ever have a river or a pond, I would build one

To Tatamagouche

 So made it north after the Big Apple. Thought I'd try and draw all the animals I saw whilst up there - was dying to see a moose and a bear, but no luck. Or thought I saw a moose, but have a feeling it was just a deer. Definitely saw a beaver though, very exciting swimming alongside the road in a ditch. And a porcupine. Dead one, but definitely a porcupine.... But by far the most exciting one was what we think was a snowy owl.  Just above my brother's field, circling the trees, huge and beautiful. My brother and girlfriend moved out there last year and have started a flower farm, beautiful place, all organic and free living. Check our their blog if you get a chance, great reading about all their adventures in setting up a farm in a totally new environment to them. I'm so glad we made it out there, and great to be able to contribute my lil bit to their cause!

 Tried to draw the dutch barns all over the place, but this was done from the train across to Nova Scotia, so they flew past, so, I know they look nothing like the beautiful dutch barns, but wanted to capture the feel of them surrounded by thick snow and the water and hills beyond them.

 Jamie and Fay collected their own maple syrup, so exciting going down everyday to see what was in the bucket. Took hours to boil it down to anything remotely resembling the stuff you see plonked down infront of you with your pancakes, but so tasty, knowing you've collected it yourself.

 So many houses had these little lighthouses in their gardens. Loved them. Only managed to get three of them, but they had all sorts of different shapes and sizes.

This was drawn at Peggy's Cove, a beautiful place, a mecca for artists the world over. Not a great representation this as it was drawn in what must have been -10 degree wind chill, so no feeling at all in my hands, or brain, but one day I'll return in the warmth. It has a great lighthouse, and the whole village has been built on granite. William deGarthe, an artist, lived there and when he was 70 he started carving out a 30m mural on this granite dedicated to the fishermen. Amazing piece of work, but 7 years later he died, not having finished it. Amazing dedication to work on something that consistently, to still maintain that vision after all those years.