Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Wednesday 4 January 2012

2012 . . . off the blocks!

Here we are in a brand new year, 2012, and for many it means the culmination of years of planning – the Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics; and then there's the new calenders and diaries ready to be filled with appointments, visits and holidays. There's no time for denial, 2012 has begun.



But first, an introduction . . . meet Pearl . . . here she is posing prettily and waiting patiently for me to tidy the hen house and put more hem-core in the nest box so she has a clean and comfy place to lay her egg.


In the studio, my week is starting with a major tidy-up and tying up of loose ends and making plans. I don't make resolutions but I have sent myself some challenges (maybe that's the same thing, but it seems less of a commitment).

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– The small square linocuts, 'Love in the air', 'Night flight', etc have been very popular; so I'm planning to do more this year . . . maybe one a month.
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– My main project this year is to work on a series of multi-block woodcuts . . . I may even start a new blog about these . . . does that sound a good idea? or should they stay here mingled with everything else?
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– I'll continue the 'Mantel Pieces' project.
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– Something I must try to do better is keeping in contact with galleries that sell my work and regularly supplying new work – I need to set up a day or two each month to do this.
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– I've an urge to return to sewing – so I'm in the process of finding and sorting out my stash of fabrics; I'll sort out the wool stash too. Then I can start to make things.
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– It's high time this blog had a spring clean, so things might move around and look different soon.
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– There are other things I'd love to do . . . maybe if I list them here something might happen:
      •  fabric designs
      •  an e-book of walks
      •  illustrated magazine articles - recipes/henkeeping/gardening/walks/wildflowers
      •  work towards an exhibition – maybe of the woodcuts.
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Well, I'd better get on with it!


See you soon
Celia
x




27 comments:

  1. Sounds like a busy year, all good ideas, Pearl is divine!

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  2. Hello Celia. In my limited experience unless you have a good outlet for a new blog; linked well to on line shops for example, it might be best to keep everything here. It is part of your brand and how folk know you. I have a friend who helps businesses with their marketing and the watch-word for some time now has been to be a person as well as a product.

    Good luck with it anyway!

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  3. Busy, busy... Sounds great! Happy New Year to you!
    And to Pearl - she's rather an elegant lady. She looks so soft and strokable too...

    As for the printing posts, I think I agree with Bella, that they would be good on this blog, along with your other posts. After all, printing is part of your life, along with home, studio, nature, chickens (!), sewing etc... so why not mix it all up - it's so interesting that way.
    Why not give the posts a title that identifies them as a Series/set? Something like "Woodcuts: blah blah printing stuff... 1/2/3". Then it would be obvious to the reader that this was the next post about that specific series/activity. We'd look forward to seeing the next one and it might even encourage more regular visits from some of your subscribers, as they pop in to see if there's another interesting post about printing...
    Just my tuppence-worth!
    Does the sewing mean we can look forward to some hand-printed, hand-sewn items for sale in your shop?

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  4. I am in the "keep it all here" camp, you have a great blog & identity here and adding new bits into the mix will enhance it further.

    Pearl is beautiful.

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  5. I would keep to one blog- it defines your multiplicity of interests very well.

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  6. She is a stunning, stunning girl. Wow. Good company to see you through this ambitious year.

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  7. Celia - Pearl is really gorgeous. Okay. time for me to hunker down and attack 2012, just like you!

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  8. Ooo she's very pretty. She makes my ex-batts look rather scruffy in comparison. Good luck with your 2012 plans Celia - looks like you could be very busy!

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  9. She's lovely! I keep thinking of "Pearl amongst swine" -perhaps you need some piggies now! I'm with everyone else on the subject of keeping your multiplicity of talents all in one blog.

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  10. Such a lovely Pearl! A busy winter you have planned.

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  11. You need to calm down love. Sit down with a gin and stay there until the urge to do more goes away.

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  12. Pearl is gorgeous!

    I can't pass an opinion on things to do with your blog as I don't know about anything other than commenting. I shall be interested to see what you come up with in the fabric printing department. Good luck with it all!

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  13. Lovely to hear of all your new thoughts on work for 2012. There is something so special about a New Year !Thank you for sharing and here's hoping for another twitprint reunion !!! Happy New Year 1

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  14. Pearl is a pearl. Inspires me to get out there and sort out the space for the hen house.

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  15. Please please please - just one blog! You can also use tabs for pages to pull them together manually, for a quick overview/catalogue.

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  16. Happy New Year! Pearl is a beauty! Looking forward to seeing your blog changes!

    Mary

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  17. You better be careful posting goals on blogs, making them public means they may just come true. BTW She is one of the prettiest chickens I have ever seen. Don't tell my girls I said that.

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  18. Celia, you are so full of wonderful new year energy!

    I love all those ideas you've shared with us. And think that Pearl is a beautiful bird. Surely, she will be a fascinating model to draw?

    Hoping that you will keep your newest developmental reporting right here. The diversity of topics you cover here is part of what delights this particular visitor.

    xo

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  19. Wow Celia you sound like a woman on a mission. There's a positive energy to this post and I get a real sense that you will meet all these ideas head on and do them! Can't wait to come along for the ride and hope some of the inspiration rubs off on me!

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  20. Well! I didn't expect so many comments!

    The overwhelming view is to keep everything in PPPs and not create a new Woodcut blog. I see where you're coming from. My thought was that dedicated printmaking blogs may get added to links on gallery and art web sites - whereas a blog that waffles on about hens and peas as well as woodcuts probably would not.

    If it's quick and easy to do, I may compromise and post about the new woodcuts in two places.

    I too hope my drive lasts! The list is printed out and pinned to my studio wall! Last year I needed to stop free-wheel and recover from 2009 which was a tough year for us. Now I feel a need get focused again!

    If you're in the UK, I hope you and you're home survived the battering from the storm. Everything is intact here - and the power has stayed on too!

    Celia
    x

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  21. What a pretty lady you have there! And a huge list of plans for the year - good luck with them all ; )

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  22. Late to the party here, but how about creating a page for the new work here that galleries could link to, as an alternative compromise, although I like the idea of a new site as long as we can see those woodcuts too. Good luck Celia x

    Pearl is one gorgeous girl!

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  23. Celia,

    First things first; Pearl is stunning! Her name suits her perfectly. Will she inspire you to do a woodcut of her?

    I too am more into setting myself challenges rather than resolutions. Your list sounds inspiring and exciting. I vote you mix everything into the same blog rather than setting up a new one....

    I'm looking forward to seeing what you make of 2012.

    Happy, peaceful, creative new year to you.

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  24. Hi, Celia, I think Pearl is gorgeous! I'd love to keep chicken, yet at the moment there's no way I could do that - my goal for 2012 is to get a farm; probably an old house with a lot of land ant then... chicken, sheep... Well, I'm sure you understand me.

    I hope your goals will be achieved, please don't star a new blog - I want to see everything what's happening and it's easier to follow just one.

    P.S. If you're interested we would gladly arrange your E-Exhibition on decor-art.

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  25. I came to say just one blog please and found everyone has been here before me! Your aspirations for 2012 sound quite a challenge, in a good way. My resolution is quite simply to have more fun!

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  26. I know what you mean about keeping in contact with the galleries - that should be one of my resolutions too! I love the making, but the other stuff - well ....

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  27. Inspirational commitments for the year ahead, I wish you well with everything. Yes, I agree with the other commenters and would go for one blog - I've tried setting up different blogs for different things before and I ended up getting frustrated with them all, much happier now everything is in one place.
    Looking forward to seeing your art and projects over the coming year :)

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