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

Monday 16 February 2015

studio inspirations

last week was a very good week ...
 
my decorating got finished ... hall stairs landing and a bedroom
I finished up the five day art challenge
I got my wreck this journal pages and Tuesday tags finished
 
on Wednesday I had a Crow Day with friend Jo
to make plans and work through ideas for The Crow Show
and I began some more mini landscapes ...
 
 
I'm very excited about these colours and textures ...
 
 
and I quite surprised myself by introducing pinks and purples
as I wasn't planning to ....
 
 
I love them already ... even before I've begun to stitch them
 
 
the shimmer of the silk with the added gild and metallic paints
 
what rich little landscapes they will be when they grow up
 
 
I have the beginnings of twelve new mini landscapes in all
and as promised in my tutorial I am going to use them to practice new stitches
I will begin to show them soon ...
 
also last week I "fished out" my shells and pottery pieces and began work on new hearts
I haven't made any in quite a while
 
 
it was exciting to dig out my seaside fabrics and dream of stitching beach scenes
frothy sea foam, sand and sea ...
 
 
to handle the shells ... and dream of spring rock pools
 
 
also last week I had an art day working in my Dionne Swift sketchbook
with friend Margaret (St. Ives Textiles)
 
 
we both took Dionne's sketchbook workshop a couple of years ago
but it's a project that never gets finished as one thing always inspires another
 
here we are working on drawing exercises
continuous drawing without taking the pencil off the paper
drawing with the left hand and drawing with the intent of cutting negative spaces
 

exercises designed to free up the idea of drawing
concentrating instead on lines, marks and shapes
 
 
mainly ... letting go ... being free ... having fun
 
 
yesterday ... I enjoyed being inspired by little collections
little things I've gathered in my new studio room ... which I am loving so much
 
 
 
 
 
I'm looking forward to spring more than ever this year ...

 
 
these little collections bring me so much pleasure
 
 
 
 
I love a little bit of the seaside on my windowsill
 
 
 
and things found in nature
especially seeds and pods for St. Ives Textiles
 
 
this is a snippet from my current mood board on my studio wall
 
I'm loving soft tones of spring yellow, seaside blues with winter greys
that “in between the seasons” feeling
 
 
and always inspiration from St. Ives

 
more gatherings in my studio ready for the week ahead
 
these materials will be used to make my art tag
(with the theme of "text" for Tag Tuesday)
 
 
I've enjoyed sharing a glimpse into my little studio world
 
this coming week will be a good one too
there is a meeting of St. Ives Textiles tomorrow morning
and my mum is staying with me for two weeks
so we will get out and about for walks ... weather permitting
 
any spare time I get I will practice my stitches on the little landscapes
and share soon
 
thank you always for reading ♥

16 comments:

Angie Willis said...

How lovely to see you blogging regularly again - and better than ever! I took a Dionne Swift class a year or so ago (not sure if it’s the same one you’re doing) and found it moved so fast over such a short period that I couldn’t keep up. I may re-do it some time as I have more time available now.

Anonymous said...

always such inspiring photos and hints and tidbits. So happy to see you again like Angie above said, a sheer joy. xox

Diane said...

What an inspirational set of images. I love your collections. So glad to hear your decorating is moving on a pace xx

Lynn Holland said...

Oh Carolyn what a wonderful, inspiring blog page. It's so good to hear the joy in your voice and work again.
Don't be overdoing it though.
Love Lynn xxx

vintagerockchick said...

A lovely post Caroline. Your blog is like a seashell, I can hear the sea in it !

Carol Rigby said...

Yes Carolyn It's great seeing you back in the swing of things and loving it. Thanks for sharing these beautiful images with us.

epocktextiles said...

oh my gosh, i've had fun looking at your studio contents Love your special way of looking.

epocktextiles said...

... meant to say, I also did Dionne's sketch book class online, and its good to see some of the ideas again - always remember to go back to "old" ideas,and ways of pushing the creatyivity

Unknown said...

So great that mom is coming for a stay! So nice. Well as I read this (wonderful) post, I remembered something you once said which was to always have a book with you on your day's outing (to press the flower petals, leaves, etc. found that day) and after reading this post, I'm going to keep my eye out for seeds and pods as there's a wealth of them out there right now. Thanks as always for the inspiration dear Carolyn, Norma, x

TwinkleToes2day said...

Wow, what a wonderful post. Inspiring, heart warming, spirit lifting. All of the above.
The makings of new hearts made mine skip a beat. You know what I'm like when it comes to your fabric hearts, being the very proud owner of four of them. Well technically one is shared with hubs, but lets not quibble, lol. The colours and textures I could see are delicious!
Looking forward to seeing more of the allotment pieces and ANYthing else you do.
Ahh, it must be fine to be getting the decorating at completed stages. I keep putting it off, but we really should crack on. 'It won't do it itself' as 'they' say, lol.
TTFN Carolyn ((hugs)) xox

Anonymous said...

Carolyn, it's lovely that you are back again and up to speed - don't overdo it though, what an inspiration to all of us; enjoy the two weeks with Mum and all your lovely crafting; best wishes Sheila

Julie said...

Lovely sketchbook work, I enjoyed peeking through the holes and the way they echo the bowl. Lovely little trip round your creative space too. Lovely that you've had a happy creative week. That's three lovelies! :-D xxx and three kisses too :-)

Indianna said...

Wow you've been very busy, love all of these especially the texture on the little piece of pottery.

Andy Lloyd Williams said...

Beautiful blog , just the type of items I love to be surrounded by! Can't wait to see the miniature landscapes and how miniature will they be?!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

There was something wonderful in each and every photo in this post - too many things to comment on, so suffice to say - wonderful fun to visit!!

Cathie said...

So beautifully inspiring.. Your mood wall and bits.
We are traveling to London and touring Europe in the early summer. I'd love to see a friend in St. Ives.