Little Sausage Puppet

Before I make a string of dancing sausages I have been trialing sausage design.
I have a few of these for sale at Venue 32 of the 2019 Cheltenham Open Studios. Preview tonight 6 to 8 pm and open from 10 until 4 from the 8th to the 16th June. What dance will he do for you?

                

A Cupboard of Pink Animals

2019 Cheltenham Open Studios begins this weekend the 8th of June and continues until the 16th. I am in Venue 32, the fabulous printmaker Sue Brown's home and studio. Open 10am to My Cupboard of Pink Animals pictured below I made from recycling pine tongue and grove paneling. It took me ages but I will be making more as I am so happy with the result. It is currently being exhibited in the window of Dodwells the stationary shop on the Bath Road as they are kindly promoting the Open Studios.

Pink animals 

Sausages on the side panels.

Cheltenham Open Studios 2019

I have just finished a prototype for this summers Cheltenham Open Studios 8 to the 18th of June. So here is a little taster of what will be there.

A Peculiar Practice at the ACP Gallery in Painswick, Gloucestershire.

Starting on the 4th of November I will be showing work in the Art Couture Gallery, Painswick.
I am delighted to be exhibiting with Sue Brown and Claire Baker.
Getting work ready for hanging tomorrow.

September American Exhibition 'Imaginary Friends'

From the 8th to the 27th of September I have an exhibition with a fabulous artist Kathy Beynette at Artists & Makers Studios, 11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210, Rockville, Maryland, 20852.

The opening reception is on the 8th of September 6 to 9 pm. 

The gallery is open 10 - 4 Tuesday to Saturday.

The exhibition is titled Imaginary Friends.

 I have been collecting imaginary friend stories for a couple of years and have drawn characters based on these childhood chums. These drawings have formed the basis of a series of hand coloured print works printed onto fabric.

IMAGINARY FRIENDS are Coming to America

I have been working on researching and documenting imaginary friends for an exhibition in Rockville, MD this September. Here is a little taster with more to follow.

Three Smoking Baby Automata

Come to the Cheltenham Open Studios and you can play with these very naughty toddlers!

Smoking Baby Automaton

I am getting on with making work for the Cheltenham Open Studios in June.

Just gluing on finishing touches.

Automaton Cat Mechanism Succeeds!!

It worked! The prototype cat and birds mechanism will move a puppet.
The little bird wing/hand things move up and down and lift and drop the strings.

And the puppet girl starts flying. 

New Automaton Experiment

A prototype frame in the form of a cat with birds sitting on his lap. This is the support for the crank shaft and followers that will be the mechanism that moves a puppet, that is if it works!

More Gum Arabic Transfer onto Fabric

Further Gum Arabic Transfer printing using photocopies of Biro sketches.

If you are interested in learning this technique I bought a fabulous leaflet explaining the process from Sue Brown. She also runs courses check them out here.

Mr Punch and a Cat.

New Knitting Girls

New knitters are on the way! Making hair today.

Makers' Play Day

My wonderful pal Sue Brown held a Makers' Play Day at her the yard: ART space in Cheltenham this past Monday. A fantastic gathering of artist/makers coming together to play, experiment and swap skills. I took some scrap fabric and a unsuccessful painting and after an intense few hours of sewing came home with.........

An Old Soldier

With a cat on his reverse.

I am going to resist cutting up more paintings but plan to try further experiments using my play day discoveries.

Gum Arabic Transfer Printing on Velvet and more!!

Mr Cat and Mr Rabbit both began life as flat prints on fabric that I have stitched and stuffed.

I learned the technique of Gum Arabic Transfer Printing from Sue Brown on a Makers Play Day at the Yard Artspace in Cheltenham. A fabulous technique for printing quickly onto fabric using photo copies of my drawings and that doesn't change the feel of the fabric. So many possibilities!!

Easter Chick Painting

I've been painting in acrylic so far but have just gone and bought some oil paints and very quickly relived every awful oil painting mistake that I ever made. I haven't painted in oil for 30 years!!!
I have got the painting to this stage and now I am waiting for paint to dry.

Mini Clowns

Had a go at tiny painting and may try some more but I am really looking forward to having space to cut wood and start making automata again. Not long now I hope!

Why I Love Embroidered Pictures!!

I have just been cleaning the glass of the first embroidered pictures that I ever got to study in close detail. Again these were my Grandma's. Every time I see them I want to sew.

A Painting is Happening!!

Although I may have peaked at this point and everything else will be overpainted or painted over.

A Fabric From My Childhood

I found these curtains forgotten in my attic! They used to hang in a bedroom at my grandma's house.

The knights look like women with moustaches!