Looking Forward To Autumn

Well, that is my blog holiday over for the summer. I have missed everyone but I intend to catch up with all your latest bloggings this week. I have been quite productive too, which is a good thing. I hope you like my offerings in this post. I have found lots of wonderful new artists and craftspeople for your perusal too.

Enchanted

Listening To Silence

Ink and watercolour crab

I decided to prune the ivy on the old tree trunk in the garden yesterday and also to prune my hand at the same time. I was using the secateurs and they slipped and made a deep hole at the base of my thumb. You can imagine the scene so I won't describe it. It necessitated a trip to the local minor injuries unit, a few stitches and some antibiotics. The ivy got its own back.

Hurrah for black cats. This is the back view of one of our cats, Jack, who is a cutey. He is looking over the slightly untidy garden which is his domain.

and here is his front view which is even nicer I think. Isn't he handsome?

Here are two of Ian MacCulloch's beautiful etchings. I love the gorgeous ochres and golds he uses in his work. Ian is a UK artist, illustrator and printmaker with lots of strings to his bow. These images are from The Hayrack Gallery catalogue of his work and it is well worth a visit as they have an excellent display. If you love etchings of hares and trees go and have a look.

Leaping Hare

The Elm Path

Autumn is nearly here now. The nights and mornings are quite chilly and the leaves are starting to get that brownish tinge. I always look forward to the autumn. It is one of my favourite seasons because it is so beautiful. I love the sense of nature winding down and the mists and moisture around. The last of the roses are making a valiant effort before the first frosts put them to sleep till 2010.

I have had a book token burning a hole in my bag for some time now and finally I let it out (of my bag). I saw this wonderful book on butterflies and moths and couldn't resist it - in the name of artistic inspiration of course...haha. It is a beautifully photographed butterfly, moth and caterpillar extravaganza. I have included some images below but I couldn't scan it as it is quite huge. The photos are really stunning and all in full colour. Little text but masses of images which is how I like it. You can definitely expect some butterflies to appear in my drawings soon.

The beautiful images below are the work of artist Catherine Hyde. I first came across her work many years ago when I saw her prints and cards in a local gallery. I was enchanted by her mysterious iconic white hares and deer and other symbols of myths and legends which pepper her work.

Catherine has a website here and you can also see masses of her work at The Lighthouse Gallery here.

Catherine has also illustrated a lovely childrens' book which I was browsing through the other day. It is called The Princess' Blanket and is a lovely story written by Carol Ann Duffy.

The Silent Star

The Melting Hills

The Winter Solstice

I wonder if everyone has a dream home. Somewhere they would love to live if fate were to look kindly on them. I have always loved this house below ever since I lived as a child in the country village where it is situated. It is a Victorian vicarage and is a stones throw away from the church which was built in 1875, so presumably the vicarge was built at the same time. It is beautifully situated on the village green next to a sapling oak tree, the massive old one having since been felled. I just love everything about it. The wonderful, slightly haunted, gothic look. The interesting attic spaces which could be explored. The vicar relocated when I was a child, presumably because such a large house was too expensive for the church to run. It was sold some years ago for a huge amount of money. Ah well...I can dream.

These beautifully detailed etchings are by Orkney artist Louise Scott. Louise is inspired by the natural world and particularly birds. More of her work can be seen at her Inkstone gallery site here.

Hare Etching

Crow Etching

I love this sculpture by Ashot Tonoian called "Seashells". He is Armenian by birth but now lives and works in Norway. He produces mainly figurative sculptures and some of his work can be found here at the Russian Art Gallery.

These beautifully made brooches are all created by Etsy seller "designedbyjane". They are lovingly handmade from felt and embellished with applique, buttons and embroidery although Jane also crafts other items. She has a wonderful and varied range of designs and can be found here on Etsy. If you want to see what else she gets up to check out her blog here and her Flickr site here.

Summer Rain

Starry Night

Caramel 70s Design

Over The Rainbow

Vintage Bouquet

Embroidered Felt Butterfly

Retro Starburst

Red Hot Retro

Angels And Birds - What More Could You Want?

Quite late with my blog this week as everything seems to have taken ages to do. All that detail I suppose. Artists who draw minimalistic artwork must have so much more time for reading and browsing the Internet than people who like to draw detail.

Whisper A Secret - digital drawing

This is my latest pen and ink drawing which is unfinished. It is called The Voyagers for the moment but that could change. I still have quite a bit of drawing to do to finish the boat. I find that scanned drawings never look as good as photographed ones. You lose a lot of the detailed pen marks and everything tends to become greyed. I will probably photograph this when it is completed.

The rooks are finished now. I didn't add very much really because I didn't want to spoil them. It is so easy to spoil a drawing as I can tell you from experience...ha ha. I will be drawing some more rooks now I have the knack.

Pen and ink hare drawing which took ages to do and I am not 100 percent satisfied with it.

I received another lovely blog award from fellow blogger Kat of Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes. Kat is a cat loving (wouldn't you know it?) poet and writer and has a very interesting and entertaining blog.

I snapped this fellow turning over leaves on a wet day last autumn in Richmond Park in London. It must have been a fruitful exercise because there were several crows peering under leaves. The members of the crow family are fascinating birds. They are all highly intelligent and crows and rooks can learn to do quite amazing things.

I enjoy looking at crow and rook pictures and other black birds. Here is Valerie McLean's beautiful crow painting

These brooches are by jewellery designer Anna de Ville who is self-taught and is inspired by nature to produce her lovely quirky pieces. Her website is here and you can also find her work here.

Starling Brooch

Bird Brooches

Running Hare Brooch

I found these delightful artworks on the Flickr site of blueshineart here. I love the birds perched on her arms.

If She Could Fly

Mother

Girls and I

It is nearly Art In Action time again. This is a huge marqueed art and craft extravaganza which is held in the beautiful grounds of Waterperry House in Oxfordshire. (Rowan Atkinson lives in the village if anyone is interested...ha ha) I visited in 2006 and 2007 but I am not sure that I will be able to go this year. Just in case I don't I have posted below some of the photos from the 2006 event. All disciplines are covered and some of the artists are very well known as it is really the cream of the crop in the art and craft world. It is primarily designed for the artists to demonstrate their particular area of expertise although their work is for sale and there is a massive marquee selling their work.

If you enlarge the photos you can see the artists names.

This is in the textiles tent and this is tapestry artist Joan Baxter. Kirsten Glassbrook was also exhibiting at this show and it was lovely to see these two wonderful artists and their huge looms.

Joan Baxter demonstrating.

This is in the illustration tent and somewhere behind this press of people is Hannah Firmin who is a very well known printmaker and illustrator. She gave a fascinating display of linocutting.

This is in the stained glass tent.

This is in the Living Sculpture tent. The sculptor was a joy to watch.

If felt is your thing that you could do no better than visit 3FUN at her Etsy shop here where she handmakes her felt jewellery. Her work is beautifully bright, contemporary and fun.

Lush Line Abstract Flower Necklace

Tears Of The Phoenix Necklace

Purple and Green Bracelet

The images below are the paintings of Russian artist Alexander Anufriev. He was born in Russia in 1940 and educated at an art school for gifted children. In 1980 Anufriev emigrated to the USA and now lives and works in Washington. He is strongly inspired by Renaissance art and he says of his art "When I paint, I stand between the heavens and the earth trying to make the invisible visible. I find his pictures beautifully simple, mysterious and contemporary and could look at them all day. You can find lots more of his art at London Art.

Evening Harvest

Angel With Roses

Angel With Earth

Angel With Bird

Musicians

A Question

Untitled