"I begin with an idea ... and then it becomes something else"
~ Picasso

Saturday 29 November 2014

knitted tangles, beach ribbons and pebble textures

a day at the beach never fails to inspire ...
and you can never be quite sure what the sea will wash up for your delectation

one fine summer day this year ... I found fragments of tightly knitted tangles
perhaps a busy fisherman snagged his sweater on his boat 
I wonder at the journeys such items travel before they come ashore
entwined with beach ribbons of kelp and bladderwrack

this discovery ... made me want to unpack my needles and find winter grey wool
to knit a fine piece of grey knitting... just because I can

after moving house in the summer ... I am still slowly unpacking my materials
slowly finding some order in my studio and arranging my projects in a pleasing way
I am enjoying taking my time with this ...


pebble colours and textures continue to inspire and fill my thoughts
yes ... I am a pebble collector

I sent a pebble to a dear friend ...
a friendship pebble in a small collectible tin full of little treasures


my friend Cathy Cullis sent me this beautiful painting
from her "Messengers" series but painted especially for me ... 
it's called "the pebble collector"

http://cathycullis.blogspot.co.uk/

you can just see that lovely dreamer house so close to the beach ...
just like my new home ... only a few steps to the water's edge
in Mousehole


you can see my house in this photo ... it's not grey like Cathy's imaginary house ...
but mine is a dreaming house ... a forever house I think

Mousehole has to be one of the most picturesque and beautiful villages in Cornwall
I find it to be such a relaxing, peaceful place and I love my new home very much
gratefully, there is much to explore and photograph in 2015

the past few days we've had very strong southerly winds
throwing up very high tidal waves over the harbour walls


I love that changes in the weather mean that every day there are new things to notice
each and every morning the day starts differently
I find myself grabbing my camera before anything else
to capture the sunrise, the colourful skies, the colour of the sea
the changing tones of the lichen on the rooftops
the weather itself, the tides, the birds ... so much inspiration


beautiful in all weathers ...


I am still very much in touch with my beloved St. Ives and have many friends there
I can drive to St. Ives whenever I want and visit the beaches and galleries
I am still a member of St. Ives Arts Club and I am a founding member
of St. Ives Textiles (working out of Porthmeor Studios) from September 2014
... so I feel I really do have the best of both worlds


I am very happy to be a part of St. Ives Textiles
and we will be exhibiting in St. Ives during the September Festival 2015
to be held at {St. Ives School of Painting} Porthmeor Studios, St. Ives

I shall also be working towards a show of fine art textiles (all new work)
at St. Ives Arts Club in early November 2015
so there is much to focus on as we move into the new year


 at this time of year ... thoughts turn to new projects
and unfinished ones too!

 I hope to revisit and complete all the things I had begun to share here
and didn't get around to sharing (finished) for one reason or another


thanks for following along and for visiting today
I am truly grateful for your friendship
and I'll leave you with these tangles while I go and find grey wool

23 comments:

Debbie said...

Lovely beach images, lucky you living in St Ives and now Mousehole.

Angie Willis said...

How lovely to hear from you again. And how lucky you are to live in such a beautiful village and so close to the beach. Keep well and keep blogging - more frequently now please! (which is a bit cheeky of me considering my very low rate of blogs)

Carolyn Howarth said...

So lovely to have you back blogging again and sounding so happy with your new home.
I know I am not the only one looking forward to seeing your amazing work once more.
With love
the other Carolyn xx

Emce said...

Glad you are back, i want to visit st Yves again...

Carol Rigby said...

Oh! Carolyn, You have moved from one beautiful place to another. So much inspiration all around you. I wonder why it is that things that get washed up on Cornwall's beaches always seem to look beautiful.

Lululiz said...

It is such a pleasure to see your beautiful photography again, you are so gifted. Glad to see you so much happier again as well.

WendyK said...

How wonderful to see you blogging again,, and showing us such fabulous photographs. I will try to get down to see the exhibition next year. I too have moved, only further away from the sea than we were in Wales. I am still inspired by the sea, and when I have found all my art things I will do more to my book of the sea. I have already started collecting for the next book, this time it's trees.
Hope everything is going well for you now.
Best wishes, Wendy

Penny said...

Such lovely photos, glad you are back, such a beautiful part of the world.

Julie said...

I love all those beautiful pebbles. I wouldn't wish for destruction but I hope the sea saves some waves for us. We will be down for the Festival too :-)

TwinkleToes2day said...

Beautiful images Carolyn and what a fabulous view you have from your new home. It's fabulous to see your new photos ((hugs)) xox

Debbie Corke said...

I was only thinking of you yesterday and found your lovely blog.Lovely to hear your news and to hear you are settling in beautiful Mousehole. Very best wishes. Debbie x

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Fab news - seems far too long without seeing you! Love the wild sea pics. Lesley x

vintagerockchick said...

How lovely to see you back on here Carolyn, and that you have relocated from one wonderful place to another, I'm a teeny bit envious!
I had been wondering how you were and hoping that everything is right in your world. I think of you often, - I have my beautiful stitched hearts and my cosy gloves to remind me, Gill xx

Barbara Johnson said...

I'd just found you last year, read all your earlier posts and am so glad to now find you back! I've noticed that I typically read your posts with my chin resting in my hand and occasionally sighing while my heart beats faster in my chest...you know, sort of like a lovesick teen. Looking forward to your new chapters in lovely Mousehole. Your newest fan, Barbara Johnson...from Wisconsin

PS: watching for your Etsy shop to reopen <3

Sandies' Patch said...

Lovely post and wonderful photos!
Thanks for showing them to us. xxx

K J D said...

Such a wonderful post Carolyn....

I loved every single photo and word!

Thank you for sharing :)

Karen x

Hastypearl said...

So, the most wonderful thing happened to me, today. Want to know what? I found you back on your blog. What a treat. Maybe it will be often, and maybe not yet, either way, your presence for now gladdens me! Did you notice the little heart tendril in your second to last image. That was your treat to all of us....xo really...Laura

Anonymous said...

How can you not lve a village na,ed Mousehole. A nesting place with a name lime that fore sure, just like the bits of netting. We've moved into our old/renewed farmhouse and I've a river beach a bit on from the ocean but salty. I,love thst smell and have gotten some rocks lately. Lovely paintng by Cathy. xox

Catharina Maria said...

Thank you for these beautiful photos Carolyn .
Love Rini

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Lovely photos, lovely place. I hope you'll be happy there. I visited Mousehole about 20 years ago and bought a lovely children's book about stargazy pie!

ArtPropelled said...

I LOVED Mousehole when we were there several years ago. How wonderful to be living there! Enjoy!As a fellow pebble collector I am wallowing in your beautiful photos.

Morna Crites-Moore said...

I've been thinking of you quite a bit in recent days, wondering how you've been ... so I came visiting and found you ... blogging, recovering, emerging ... I am delighted to be seeing the world through your lens again ... you have so much to offer and you are so generous about sharing with us in cyberland ... Thank you, Carolyn! xo

Lynn Holland said...

It's like opening a favourite book again. I've lots of catching up to do and can't wait to get started.
I wish you love and luck in all you do this year Carolyn
Lynn xxx