Back to the jewellery

I've finally got back to the jewellery making, I haven't made anything for over three weeks, so I'm aiming for a brooch a night for the next few days. I work in fits and starts, but I get there in the end.
I've been asked to teach another Altered book workshop in August at Hann Made Studio so if anyone's able to attend I'd love to see you there.
Now I'd better get back to brooch making, the nights ticking away.

Quirky sheep and lollipop trees

I was sorting through photos of some of my paintings today and came across these three. They were part of a series that I did some time ago on quirky sheep (jolly jumpers) and cows. I was experimenting with lollipop and inverted umbrella trees. The series went very well, I ended up selling five in the end.

I received my 'Secrets of Rusty Things' book by Michael deMeng today. WOW what a fabulous, must have book, for anyone who collects found objects. The layout and photos are fantastic, the book is a work of art in itself. It's not a how to book, but Michael does explain things as he goes along. The eye candy and inspiration is incredible. Well done Michael.

Altered Book Workshop

What a fabulous bunch of enthusiastic ladies attended the workshop. It was go,go, go all day. There were twelve in the group and they all produced fantastic work. There are more photos of their work on my website.
It's very hard to gauge on the day what people actually got out of the class as it's very full on. We're now hoping to run an altered book night on the third Thursday of the month, at Hann Made Studio, where for a small fee, students who have already done the workshop, can come and spend three hours with us in the evening, to do their own thing in their books, and I'll be there to offer help and show other techniques available.

Altered Book Workshop

I've been so engrossed working in someone else's altered book over the past weekend, that I took no notice of the date or time.
It wasn't until I remembered on Monday night that it was my daughter's birthday on Thursday, that the penny dropped and I suddenly realized that I was teaching an Altered Book workshop this Sunday. They say we work best under pressure and that certainly proved to be the case, I've been creating, printing and collating every night this week and I'm almost finished. I like to hand out a workshop instruction manual so that students have notes to take home. I also include laser copies of my papers, clip art, old photos, fabric and my drawings.
This time I used A3 envelopes as covers. I decorated both sides then folded the envelopes in half. The manual is A4 so I attached that to the inside part of the envelope. I put the papers in plastic pockets and added them to the open end of the envelope. I decorated the flap, added eyelets, then tied them up with fancy yarns.
Now all I have to do is put all my materials together, luckily I drive a little 2 door Rav 4, so I can take the back seats out and load up.

The top photo is a new page from my journal, it's the first time I've used a face from a magazine and altered it, it looks nothing like the original, which was what I'd hoped for.

Paintings

I've just returned home from delivering three paintings I'm putting in an art show this weekend. We have a public holiday on monday to celebrate the Queen's birthday (which is in April, work that one out), they don't even have a holiday for her birthday in England, I'm not complaining though, it gives me another day for art.
Back to the paintings, the harlequin masks are done in pastel, with gold acrylic paint to highlight the edges and bells on the masks. The second one is acrylic and collage along the lines of my previous ones, I've sold three similar to this, so while on a good thing stick to it.

Mirror image

I haven't any art to show today as I've been so busy working on my book for our ABRR. While I was working I happened to glimpse the view out of my studio window, in a mirror I have hanging on my book shelves. It's funny how you see things differently in reverse, I take my view out of the window for granted, but in reverse it's like a whole new garden.
I can't show any photos of my book until it returns in November 2008, I hope it has a safe journey around Australia and the US, I'd love to be visiting some of the places it will go to, some of the stories it could tell, I'm looking forward to working in other peoples books too.