Happy Easter with Hares and Flowers

The Easter holiday weekend came in like a lamb and is going out like a roaring lion!

Good Friday was a glorious Spring day and reminded us how lovely a sunny day in the garden can be. I worked hard clearing dead plant stems and weeding flower beds . . . with a little help from my under-gardener Ivy! 

Then in the afternoon I went for a walk along my new favourite route, I was joined by one of my Twitter followers and her family, she'd asked if I might let them join me to see hares  . . . luckily the hares obliged so everyone was happy!

The weather has been changeable, I hope you managed to dodge the showers! 

On Saturday we went to Southend-on-sea, the main reason was to see 'Out of the City', landscape paintings of East Anglia by the East London Group – and almost forgotten group of talented artists for the 1920s and 30s. Their work appeared on some of the iconic Shell posters of the time, I like the graphic, pared down quality of their landscapes. If you're in the area it's worth a visit.

It wasn't 'sea-side weather', it would have been madness to brave a walk on the pier! we had fish and chops in a characterful 'caff' and managed to walk back to the car park without getting blown off our feet.

Twitter is amazing for discovering things that are right on your own doorstep but somehow you've missed . . . and this was just what happened when I saw a tweeted photo of a beautiful field of flowers and discovered it was just off my route when I visit my Mum. So on Sunday we went to see the National Collection of Hyacinths . . .

It's in a field in the Fens near the Cambridge-Ely railway line. Behind the farm buildings are row upon row of perfumed hyacinths growing out of the black fen soil.

Delicate species varieties and rich deep coloured named varieties . . . 

We timed our visit between the heavy showers and when the dark clouds loomed again on the horizon we quickly made our way back to the car . . . getting out of the car park in a neighbouring grass field was an interesting wheel spinning and very muddy challenge!

We joined my Mum watching the Boat Race on TV. Well done Cambridge! and well done to the Cambridge girls for bravely carrying on rowing while almost sinking.

So, as Storm Katie still rages outside, stay safe and dry and enjoy the rest of Bank Holiday Monday.

Celia

xx

May Gardens Illustrated – and The Artful Hare

I've now completed three linocuts for Gardens Illustrated magazine . . . I work about two months ahead of the publication date. I showed a behind the scenes look at my working process last month, so I won't repeat that each month but I thought I'd show you my sketches and a few thoughts.

For his May article, Frank Ronan writes about leaving his English garden untended and the joys of May in England when every ditch, verge and hedgerow looks beautiful.

The heading 'Momentary Magic' alludes to Frank's mention of
"the 'little moment' that Shakespeare spoke of" . . . so, if like me, your knowledge of the bard's works isn't as in depth as Frank's; this refers to Sonnet 15. Before starting work on ideas for the illustration I copied it out in my sketch book.

I then spent a happy afternoon drawing detailed drawings of the wildflowers mentioned in the article.

I considered including a Dunnock (also known as a Hedge Sparrow) but he didn't make the final version  . . .

Yesterday Cliff and I went for a walk along undulating chalky/flinty paths on the West Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border. The verges were spangled with Stitchwort just as described in Frank's May article for Gardens Illustrated (there's a nice article about Frank in there too).

Early May really is a beautiful time to enjoy a walk in the English countryside, yesterday we walked through Bluebell woods and along field verges awash with Cowslips.

We were also lucky to see a number of hares, one was sitting washing its whiskers only a short way away form where we sat eating tangerines - and of course it was the day I wasn't carrying my camera! but we both had binoclars so we enjoyed quietly watching.

Which brings me onto this . . . The Artful Hare is a beautiful hardback book compiled by Alan Marshall, of images of hares by British printmakers

including me . . . 

Alan and Marion called in to my studio with some boxes of books which are available to UK customers only (sorry but postage costs don't allow for overseas shipping) via my online shop.

Wishing you all a happy May Bank Holiday weekend and if it rains the gardens and fields will look all the greener!

Celia

xx

Oh my ears and whiskers!

"If we get up now we could go hare spotting"

We drove to our favourite 'hare spotting' location and started walking, it took a little while before we saw one . . .  two, three, four! (And five! - one just out of shot.)

You have to know what to look for, a hare at rest looks very like a clod of earth.

Until they move to graze on the winter wheat shoots . . . then you can seen the ears.

No boxing this morning, they seem settled in pairs. 

Ears pricked. Whiskers twitching. We've been spotted!

Showing us a clean pair of heels as they race to the far end of the field.

A lovely morning to be out in the fresh air . . . a bright blue sky and white Cherry-Plum blossom.

Golden Kingcups on the pond edges.

Bright lime-green leaves breaking on the Weeping Willows.

'Bread and cheese' – Hawthorn hedges greening.

The Badgers have been busy cleaning and extending their sett.

9 a.m. beginning to cloud over.

Time to head off home . . . yes this is a footpath, the farmer has recently rolled the field to sow Spring Barley and will re-instate the track when the crop starts to grow. We are heading straight across to a small marker post on the wood edge.

Back home before 10 a.m. and sitting on the sofa in the sunshine, with a cup of tea and slice and toasted and buttered Barmbrack that we bought yesterday as a treat.

Celia

xx

Crepuscular spectacular

Yesterday I really felt that a corner had been turned, the wind was still chilly but on the branches leaf-buds are breaking and in the village churchyard the grass is full of newly germinated Sycamore seedlings . . . signs that nature is on the move.

Late in the afternoon the sun cast a warm glow across our garden, so we decided to go for a walk; we chose one of our favourite routes skirting a large wood, snow still lay in the shadow of the ditches.

It didn't take long before we spotted others enjoying the last rays of afternoon sunshine – a hare basks with his nose facing west towards the setting sun.

 

Hares are difficult to photograph at the best of times, but I managed to zoom in on this one – aren't its ears beautiful?!

And there goes another . . . racing along the skyline!

It was that time of evening when the deer come out of the woods to graze in the fields – a magnificent Fallow buck followed by three hinds.

In the fading light and against the brown fields they were difficult to see, let alone photograph. This group of female Fallow deer were on the other side of a tall hedge, I managed to find a gap through which to get a good view – they had spotted me!

You can clearly see the colour variation in the herd; the classic fawn and brown, and the very dark almost black 'melanic' variation.

The sky in the west was glowing brightly and we new we were in for a good sunset . . .

. . . gold . . .

 and then an extraordinary flare of colour – a Sun Pillar

Sun or Solar Pillars are the result of the Sun's rays being reflected and refracted by millions of ice crystals in the atmosphere.

You can read more about the hows and whys of Sun Pillars here.

A crepuscular spectacular! We couldn't have hope for more.


Celia
x


 

A new woodcut: The watchful hare

  

The watchful hare
Woodcut on handmade Japanese Kitakata paper

edition of 10  •  hand burnished  •  6 colours  •  30cm x 40cm

A late summer evening on the edge of a Suffolk barleyfield,
among the Rest-Harrow and Shepherd’s Needle
a hare quietly watches.
 

There's nothing like a deadline to speed up productivity! I was very excited when Helen at the Church Street Gallery in Saffron Walden told me about exhibition titled 'Neo Bardfield' that she was planning as the first major event for the gallery's partnership with the Curwen Studio; and I knew at once that the print that had been simmering on the back-burner in my brain for over a year (I know! I'm into slow-cooking of ideas) had to be finished in time.

If you follow me on Twitter you probably noticed the sneek previews as this reduction woodcut evolved; and although it was a challenge to hold my nerve through the 'when it's carved it's gone' process, I enjoyed every step and want to do many more.

I took photographs to record the process, because each step destroys part of the previous carving and the block is gradually reduced to just the few lines that print the darkest colour.

 

As well as 'The watchful hare', the exhibition will include my latest linocut, 'Up with the lark'; some of my other linocuts and cards will also be for sale in the gallery.  I hope that some of you will be able to visit the exhibition, you can read more about it on my web site, here.

Celia

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Leaping

There are hares leaping, dancing,
boxing and skipping all over
Magic Cochin's Emporium!

The 'Magical Hares' card bundles are back in stock and there's a brand new card design based on my new linocut 'March hares'.

 March hares

The rooks are repairing their nests high in the tree-tops, the buds in the hedges are about to burst and the 'mad March hares' are dancing over the field furrows. When I'm lucky enough to see the hares 'boxing' . . . the prancing of feet and flurry of paws, it never fails to bring a smile to my face because I know that the cold months are behind us and the spring flowers will soon fill the hedgerows.

This is a edition of 30 prints on Japanese Kikuchi Haini Kozo Koban. The image size is 15 x 15cm. Each print is named, signed and numbered in pencil by me. An unframed print costs £48 (which includes p&p to addresses in the UK mainland). The original limited edition unframed prints can be ordered by emailing studio@celiahart.co.uk


Celia
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Three in one field

I've been very busy getting ready for the Asthma UK House and Garden Fair at Chilford Hall near Cambridge. It's the biggest event I've attended with my work, it's also a bit different in that it isn't an art fair but an event similar to the Country Living Magazine Fairs, with a large range of stallholders sellers everything from handbags, tablecloths, cupcakes and iron gates!

Just in time for the stall I've completed a new design in the series of small prints on Japanese paper; this one is inspired by the intriguing fragment of glass in Long Melford Church which depicts three hares with shared ears.

The three hares symbol is a mystery – does it symbolise the Trinity or is it a much more ancient? one from a different culture altogether? There are many examples of the three hares symbol a long long way from Suffolk, in Devon; it is also found in Chinese, Iranian and Jewish art.


"Three in one", there's something special about seeing three hares in one field . . .

Three in one field

The original limited edition unframed print can be ordered by emailing studio@celiahart.co.uk
This is a small edition of 20 prints is printed on Japanese Kikuchi Haini Kozo Koban. The image size is 15 x 15cm, the same size and paper as used for the 'Love in the air' print. Each print is named, signed and numbered in pencil by me.
An unframed print costs £48 (the price includes p&p to addresses in the UK mainland).


I will be selling cards of the Three in one field design at the House and Garden Fair, and they will soon been available from Magic Cochin's Emporium.



If you live near Cambridge I hope you can come along to Chilford Hall on Tuesday 10 May, it's a popular friendly event and raises lots of money for a very good cause. There's lots of top quality stall and some lovely food too, so bring your friends and have lunch, and stay for tea too!

Celia
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