Hens, Embroidery and Boats

Possible new banner design

Watercolour entitled "specked hens

My "three women in a small boat" sketch in pen and ink

Embroidered Panel by Beryl Dean from a series of the Virgin Mary - 1973.

I didn't really feel like blogging today because I have had a very nasty cold and sore throat for the past few days and I ended up feeling very sorry for myself. Then I looked at the date of my last blog and thought, yes, I must do a new one. It is very easy to get out of the habit of blogging regularly and that is not a good thing.

Anyway, here goes. I have been perusing some of my old textile and embroidery design books and I found a beautiful design I thought I might share. It is one of 5 panels created by the embroideress Beryl Dean and now hangs at Windsor. The panels are of the life of the Virgin Mary. The book doesn't show the others but this one is so beautiful. Although the photograph is black and white it is easy to see the wonderful decorative detail and quite contemporary design of the piece. I believe it was designed in 1973. I find designs of this type very inspirational for my pen and ink work. I bet it looks wonderful in colour and I would love to see the others.

I haven't done any more collage work since my one and only piece but I have been saving scraps of paper like mad and have quite a folder full now. I have posted a pen and ink sketch from my buff sketch book to show the design I am quite interested in recreating in collage. I tend to be quite neat and precise in my work and I think collage may enable me to relax and be a bit more expressive and less "neat"; similar to the way of linocut. I will give it a go anyway. The boat design was inspired from some work done by one of my favourite artists. I like the idea of people sailing in small boats. Needs a bit of water of course and could even have a dog in there somewhere....

The hen post is a painting that I did some time ago. I think I may have got carried away with the dots but then they are supposed to be "speckled hens". This little combo of hens has been used on quite a few of my pictures to date. I find it quite a pleasing little arrangement. I love using pen and ink decoration on painted landscapes.

I am finally getting around to changing the banner on my Etsy shop. I have never been very pleased with my present one as I think it is over designed but it takes quite a while to do a new one so I have put up with it. Now I am thinking of going for a bright red theme much like the image I have posted. It is a pen and ink drawing which I have coloured digitally. I will have to see if it grows on me....!