Intermittent breaks in transmission

Purple Podded Peas is experiencing some
intermittent breaks in transmission.

Magic Cochin promises that
normal service will
resume in late October.

Remembering

Today is a day for remembrance.

So many shocking and painful memories
for people touched by the events of 9/11.

14 years ago I stood with Cliff and looked out
at Manhattan stretching out below the towers;
they seemed indestructible.

My heart goes out to all those whose lives
were changed for ever on that day.

Celia

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The Church Street Gallery

I sell my work in a number a small galleries, the nearest one to my studio has been the Riverslade Gallery in Saffron Walden; the arrangement is that artists pay a membership subscription 6 months in advance as well as taking commission on sales. Earlier this year I decided that it was probably time to make a move to a different galley; I had to plan leaving to time with the end of my paid up 6 months and, because the Riverslade has been a lovely place to exhibit and has resulted in my work becoming more widely known, I didn't want to just suddenly walk out.

I agreed that August 2011 would be my final month in the Riverslade Gallery, and meanwhile I popped in to see Helen in the Church Street Gallery on the other side of Saffron Walden town centre, she had mentioned that she liked my work and I was very happy when she said that her gallery would be only too pleased to sell my linocuts and cards.

So, yesterday was the big changeover day – I trudged across town looking like an old bag lady, stopping briefly in Ladytron for a breather and to waggle my achy fingers while I looked at the fabulous new autumn stock and had a chat with Mr Tron. As you can see in the photo above, the Church Street Gallery is bursting with beautiful pictures, fabric, cards and ceramics. The line up of artists is impressive, so I feel it's a step up the ladder!

It was also a wonderful surprise when Helen handed over a cheque for sales after the A-Mazing Art exhibition where I'd shown my Saxon Labyrinth linocut – everything except a handful of cards had already been sold!

The Church Street Gallery
17 Church Street, Saffron Walden,
on the opposite side of the churchyard from The Fry Art Gallery

It is open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm
and Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Celia

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Drawing myself back on course

I feel becalmed – no pressing deadlines, most illustration commissions done and dusted, no linocuts in progress . . . I am even between galleries (I can tell you more about that later this week).

I need to do something about this and get the wind back in my sails!

Yesterday, while I was saving the roses from the gale, I found myself attracted to the seed heads in the garden borders – so I picked those too.

Back in the studio I got the tools ready – drawing pens (I still have a stash of these leftover from a massive illustration project a few years ago) and watercolour paints. No pencils. No rubbers. I needed to make myself look hard and make marks – there will be no such thing as wrong marks.

I taped a large sheet of lovely sturdy Fabriano paper onto the studio wall – I used to use this paper for life-drawing sketches in acrylic paint, it has a textured but not very absorbant surface.

I found that I was drawing the seed heads at very slightly larger than life size. I held each stem in my hand and drew quickly observing the strange shapes . . . and very slowly I began to enjoy just looking and drawing.

I added colour to the leaves and decided to leave the seed heads uncoloured – I can feel that I've started to move in a new direction (not sure where yet!) but it's good to be drawing again.

Celia

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Making Monday – mitts for posh paws!

At the start of each week Natalie of The Yarn Yard hosts "Making Monday" and puts together a list of links to lots of busy bloggers' projects. In week one I shared my knitted lace shawl made with some of Natalie's beautiful lace yarn.

I said that I had some yarn left over after finishing the Rock Island shawl – well, here's what I've made, and completing them has luckily coincided with Making Monday 6 . . .

Pretty lace mitts with jewelled edges – the pattern is called Lady of the Woods and it's available on Ravelry.

I can't say they were easy to knit! But I persevered and eventually I got there . . . then because I have two hands and I'm not one to give up, I persevered all over again.

They are very pretty (they don't really go with my printmaker/gardener fingernails, so that's why I've modelled them palm-side up ;-)

And there's still some yarn left over (Natalie – is this magic yarn that never ends?) probably enough to knit another pair of Lady of the Woods mittens . . . but I won't be doing that! I'll use it to make something easier. No, I've a better idea, I'll pop it into my stash box and wait until I find it some friends to knit a multi-coloured lacy something or other.

Now to start a new knitting project (I've slipped hopelessly back into knitaholism) with some cleverly shaded Kauni yarn – something big and easy – I can even manage without my specs!

Celia

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Whodunit?

Is this the opening scene from an episode of Midsommer Murders?

No of course not, it's our village Garden Bowls Tournament Final

which was this afternoon.

My bowling partner and I had, without conferring in any way,

selected almost matching toe-nail colours!

Was this a sign?

We did OK – that's me bowling a pretty straight ball
– right in line with the jack!

Not that it did a lot of good mind!
there were some rather cut-throat tactics employed
by the opposition!

Then there was a very splendid tea for players and spectators,
that walnut cake was spectacularly good!

Oh by the way, we didn't win.

We came 5th.

Out of 6.

Oh well, we'd only entered the first round to make up the numbers!

And the sun shone all day :-)

Celia

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