You never know who you'll bump into . . .

Today was the last day of Cambridge Open Studios 2010, so I decided to visit three studios a short drive away. My first stop was to see Robert Good, I'm familiar with Robert's realistic oil paintings and his more recent bright 'pop art' style paintings but to my surprise his recent work has taken a new route . . . and it was good to see him obviously excited by new challenges. We had a long chat about the inspirations and ideas in his installations. I particularly liked this series 'Sorted', recorded here in a set of cards. . .

Sorted © Robert Good 2010

My next stop was at Lorraine Izon's studio, she works mainly in ceramics and obviously loves textures and patterns as well as hares, owls and hens – I couldn't resist buying this blue glazed tile . . .


I then headed off into the edge of the Fens where the Devil's Dyke comes to an end on a little village green, right next to Emma Mitchell's cottage. Some of you may know Emma as blogger Silverpebble, walking up the winding garden path to the beach hut studio (which is full of wonderful silver and bead and vintage treasures) I heard gales of laughter and excited chatter . . . not only Mrs P herself but also two other bloggers – Just a Thimbleful and Dottycookie were in the hut along with some other visitors – yes, it was quite a crush!


Mrs P suggested that we settle ourselves at the little table – she bribed us with home baked biscuits, we had a good old natter and drank lots of tea


We even spotted some fairies ;-)


Thank you Emma for allowing us to have an impromptu bloggers tea-party in your pretty garden :-)

Cambridge Open Studios 2008 – weekend 3

The studio is open again this weekend. After a huge deluge of rain early this morning, the sun is out and it's a bright but breezy summer's day.

You'll have to imagine the sound and movement in this image - the miscanthus grass makes a fantastic rustling sound in the wind and the shadows cast on the patio are constantly moving. The tabby studio assistant is watching goings on, she'll disappear when a stranger arrives – but will be watching!


It's on sunny days like this that I love working in this room – with the studio door open I can hear the rustly grass and the hens quietly chatting to each other. The large frames on the walls display some examples of my digital illustration work – commissioned house 'portraits; one of my current projects, illustrations and diagrams for a GCSE Geography course; and some examples of work for a series of history books.

Cambridge Open Studios 2008 – weekend 2

It's the second weekend of Cambridge Open Studios 2008 and my studio door is open to welcome visitors . . .

The display in the wall explains the sequence of printing the blocks for the Fieldfare and Deer prints – for those unfamiliar with block printing this shows how the colours and textures are built up and the work involved to producing a finished print.

After a slow start and some very chilly weather and showers, I've had a steady stream of visitors, including some familiar bloggers – yesterday Rhiannon of alloment blog Green Patch dropped by accompanied by her husband and sons, they ventured through the green door in the wall to inspect the Purple Podded Peas and 'The Three Sisters'

Today the sun shone and it hasn't rained – I also had time for an early morning 'garden work-out' before visitors arrived. Among today's visitors were Silver Pebble, who introduced me to the adorable Miss P2, they brought me this beautiful posy of flowers from their garden.


Printmaker Tracy of Foul Bite called in with her husband and her son who's interested in experimenting with digital artwork; and later it was lovely to meet Canadian textile artist Smarcoux of Dangling by a Thread, amazingly she lives only a couple of villages away!

Thank you everyone for finding your way down the winding lanes to our corner of Suffolk, it's fun to share my studio with visitors, those who have been before and those who came along for the first time. My studio is open again next weekend, 19th and 20th July 11am to 6pm.

Cambridge Open Studios 2008 – weekend 1

On Sunday I took a break from preparations for my Open Studio next weekend and Cliff and I headed off into the fens to see Andy English in his studio. I've been following Andy's preparations for his open days on his blog, I also wanted to buy one his his beautiful wood engravings. We found Andy and his son printing bookplates on a small antique press in a tiny neat studio, wood engraving is a craft that requires precision and great skill – awesome detail! We were also introduced to two enthusiastic and friendly hens who are enjoying a happy life in the back garden.

Heading back towards Ely cathedral's tower rising in the distance, we stopped at Heather Maunders' studio. Heather's work is all about observing the subtle details and colours in nature – pebbles, animals and beautiful flowers from her own garden, it's no surprise that she trained as a scientist. Heather is opening her studio for the first time this year, I'm sure everyone who visits will enjoy seeing her watercolour paintings and seeing her garden and studio.

On the way home we took a short detour to Lyz Gardner's self-build home perched on the edge of a vast fen field. As you know if you watched the clash of the titans at Wimbledon, the English weather yesterday was "changeable" – a fen-blow lashed rain on the wall of glass but in the open plan living area it was warm, quiet and cosy. Lyz is intrigued with using different techniques to make lines and subtle colours, her new work combines colours created in batik with delicate sinewy drawn lines drawn with pen and dye to depict light dappling through leaves and branches. Cliff bought a pen drawing he'd seen when we visited last year - it's of Upper Langdale in the Lake District, a present for a friend who loves hill walking.

I came home with two cards of Heather's wonderful flower studies and one of Andy English's tiny wood engravings, 'Lettuce & Rhubarb, Felbrigg Hall'. When I opened the package this morning I discovered a book plate depicting Ely cathedral in winter – thank you Andy, what a lovely surprise!

Cambridge Open Studios 2008

This weekend sees the start of Cambridge Open Studios 2008, the guide this year lists 169 studios which you can visit for free over the next four weekends. My studio will be open on weekends 2 and 3, that's 12/13th and 19/20th July (number 160 in the guide and on the web site) so as well as doing some dusting and hanging pictures I hope to visit some of the other studios this Saturday or Sunday.


The room next to my studio will become a mini gallery for a fortnight, I've already started to tidy up and hang pictures. Here are three digital illustrations of some of my favourite vegetables from the garden, they are printed on 100% cotton, acid free, fine art paper, and I'm really pleased with the results from my new inkjet printer. However, most of my pictures are hand-printed limited edition block prints, the landscape above the mantlepiece is a woodcut printed on Japanese paper and is inspired by memories of the dramatic seaweed covered rocks on Eriskay in the Western Isles.

There's a feeling of anticipation with a tinge of panic preceding opening your studio to the public – so good luck everyone taking part this year!

Cambridge Open Studios Taster Exhibitions

Each year in June Cambridge Open Studios organises a series of 'Taster' and 'Preview' exhibitions to publicise members work and encourage people to visit artists' studios in July.

This year's events are well under way, and today sees the opening of the second Taster Fortnight at Williams Art & Antiques which is in that architectural gem, Dales Brewery in Gwydir Street just off Mill Road in Cambridge. If you live in or near Cambridge do call in and have a look (there's a little car park opposite and you can explore the diversity of Mill Road's shops and eating places – the multi cultural Cambridge that visitors hardly ever see). Two of my recent prints are in the exhibition – one from the new 'Hares' series and The Arrival of Fieldfares/Running Deer diptych.

Tonight is the preview evening where you can meet all the artists and enjoy a glass of wine.

My website makeover

I have just given my web site a makeover, it's cleaner and brighter and now includes an 'About Me' page and on the 'Gallery & Shop' page there's a link to my Etsy shop. In the 'News' section of the 'Home' page there's info about the Cambridge Open Studios 'Taster' exhibition and my studio's open days in July.

Diversity

Reach Arts Fair
Saturday 5th April 10am – 4pm

in Reach Village Centre
between Cambridge and Newmaket
near Anglesey Abbey (NT)

On Saturday I will have a stall at the Reach Arts Fair, previous fairs in this small village on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens have been a great success. The stalls are bursting with beautifully hand crafted things - pots, jewellery, basketry, prints, photographs and much more – not to mention the teas (the cakes alone are worth the trip!). Before, after or during the Grand National, the doors will be open! The cards pictured above will all be available from my stall, along with original framed and unframed limited edition linocut prints.

The "to do" white board in my studio office is full of lists and dates and the occasional red tick! The downside of being freelance is that sometimes work is slow to come in and then when it does there is so much the only realistic thing to do is to share the work with someone else or turn it down. This morning was one of those moments - I weighed things up and realised that with working on Saturday (Reach Arts Fair) and Sunday (Cambridge Open Studios proof-reading day) not an option, I had to say "no". I had to keep the existing projects on schedule. In the old days I might have worked through the night – these days a work-life balance is more important . . . which means that on Sunday evening I should have time to curl up on the sofa and loose myself in The Seeds of Kokopelli – a manual for the production of seeds in the family garden – a directory of Heritage Seeds. As Rebsie predicted (see previous post) the book didn't drop through the letter box - it's way too big! Derek the Postman rang the doorbell early this morning and handed over a large padded envelope. Inside was not only the book (440 pages!) but also three packets of tomato seeds, which I'll save to plant next year.

Cambridge Open Studios members' blogs

"Cambridge Open Studios exists for the purposes of promoting the making of original works of art and craft and to provide an opportunity for the public to become involved in the arts by meeting artists in their studios, seeing their work and how it is produced."

COS members' studios are open during four weekends in July, but by looking at these blogs you can visit these artist's studios 24/7 . . .

Gina Ferrari textile artist
Fan My Flame – musings of a textile artist
Gina creates exquisite colours and textures with machine embroidery – in addition her blog covers her love of sewing, knitting, gardening, cooking and drawing. Colourful and fun!



Andy English wood engraver
Wood Engraver
Andy is a true master of his craft, his blog explains the meticulous process of wood engraving and printing using his beautifully restored Albion press. A printmaking masterclass.


Karen Jinks artist and illustrator
Kala
Karen is a mixed media collage artist and illustrator, she creates subtle imagery using all kinds of creative techniques as well as photography, knitting, bookbinding and jewellery – Karen's studio is bursting with ideas and beautiful things.

Layers of colour

Layers are very useful when working on digital illustrations, and printmaking with multiple blocks is a very similar concept. So it is a natural step to use the "layers" in Photoshop when I am working out the design for another colour lino block for the Fieldfare/Running Deer print.

First I printed a proof of the black lino block and scanned it. I then "draw" the red block design over the top on a separate "layer" which is slightly transparent so that I can see the black design underneath. The next step is to print out the red block design, transfer it to the lino block and cut the design.


This is a detail of the 'Running Deer' red block printed over the pale blue oak wood block print . . .


I decided to soften the red and blue by over printing with a third layer of colour – the oak block this time inked with translucent pale grey. I masked the area over the sun so that it remained a strong red. When this layer was dry I could overprint with the black lino block. Of course not all the imprressions work out, and I was experimenting with the transparency of the ink and the pressure needed on the barren, but I had a three good prints of both 'The Arrival of Fieldfares' and 'Running Deer'.


I needed one image that represents the direction of my work in 2008 to go next to my entry in the Cambridge Open Studios 2008 Guide Book, this is the one that I selected. July may seem a long way off, but on Sunday the starting whistle blew for Cambridge Open Studios artists to prepare for opening their studios to the public in the summer. A well-oiled admin process got into gear; artists gathered to fill in forms and talk of marketing and websites and sales and stuff; and the show got on the road!

Across the Great Fen – Cambridge Open Studios 2007 : weekend 4

On Saturday we decided to visit some of the studios we hadn't seen before, and as it was such a glorious day we chose to drive to the north of Cambridgeshire and the village of Prickwillow near Ely, where there were four studios open. We approached Prickwillow via the Great Fen Road, coming down from the high ground (7 metres above sea level - you have to adjust to a different scale in the fens, the landscape consists of subtle changes of level and the sky dominates the views) we drove between the fields of black soil planted with lettuces, onions, potatoes, sugar beet and wheat, the road just higher than the fields, we were at sea level or below, 400 years ago water covered this land with only small low islands and ridges remaining dry. Today the water is channelled in a grid of deep dykes around the fields and into larger lodes and levels then into the rivers and out to the North Sea, pumping engines constantly working to keep the fertile land dry.


Prickwillow is at a junction of roads, dykes and the River Lark; the old Victorian steam powered pumping engine house is now The Fen Drainage Museum. The scene was bright and peaceful, the delicate man-made balance of water and land was tranquil today and in the sky a constant procession of fluffy white clouds were a gentle reminder that nature could take control.
We visited a pottery studio and learnt that by using the ash from different species of tree subtle colours could be created - my favourite was the walnut ash which gave the glaze a soft blush of pinky mauve. We went on to a sunny coservatory where we chatted to an illustrator, painter and printmaker whose use of colour and line reflected those in the surrounding landscapes; by contrast the next studio was a stunning modernist house/studio the huge windows shaded on the outside so that inside it was cool and airy, no wonder the artist was inspired by fen skies! Sharing this studio was a botanical artist who also worked in collage and created beautiful textured works inspired by bark and leaves. Our final destination was another surprise and in another amazing modern building, still being constructed this iron clad house looked out across the fields with a constantly changing skyscape, the artworks on display were inspired by forces of nature - rocks, fire and water in Iceland and the air, water and black earth outside the window.
It was the final weekend for Cambridge Open Studios 2007, but there will be exhibitions and events leading up to Christmas and then it will be time to prepare for COS 2008! The Open Studios yellow guide book is a directory of all the artists who took part this year, all the artists are happy to be contacted about their work whatever the time of year.

Thank you for visiting – Cambridge Open Studios 2007 : weekend 3

The studio seems very quiet this morning - I really enjoyed meeting everyone who visited, and I always learn things from the observations about my work. A few years ago a friend from the village who is a fashion designer pointed out little shapes and repeating patterns which recur in my prints, paintings and sketches. This year another neighbour (and hen-keeping enthusiast) observed that the background pattern in the Buff Orpington Hen print was a negative image of the background pattern plate used in the mix-n-match mini-prints – I really hadn't noticed! But I'm delighted, the little framed prints make perfect companions to the Buff Orpington Hen.


I sketched two more of our Maran hens for mini-prints, drawing directly onto a small block is great fun and the block is soon cut. I'm looking forward to adding to the series. All the new prints will soon be on the Gallery page of my web site and unframed prints can be ordered by post.

Mix-n-match mini-prints - part 2

Last weekend I started work on a set of small blocks to use for trying out various inking techniques. Yesterday I printed three versions of the Maran Coucou hen block: the first version uses the hen block on its own with dark grey, pale pink and red ink applied with a sponge and small brushes. Here is the result . . .



For the second version I inked the patterned block and then masked out the area under the hen. The hen block is then printed over the pattern. The third version has a lightly printed background of mottled light grey under the pattern - this gives softer grey tones under the dark grey of the hen. And there's just time to frame some of the prints before my studio opens at 11am.

Mix-n-match mini-prints - part 1

Here's another good outcome of the studio tidy-up - I found lots of small off-cuts of lino and decided that I should use them for some experiments on a small scale, and they would be perfect to have as "work in progress" over the Cambridge Open Studios weekends. I usually plan a print in detail before I start cutting, with the mini-prints I would try out various techniques I'd gleaned from looking at other printmakers work.

I chose two pieces of lino and cut them to exactly the same size 10 x 13cm. On one block I cut little lens or leaf shapes - subconsciously this shape recurs over and over in my pictures, it seems to have become my signature. Between the little "leaves" I cut swirling lines like the brush marks in a sky painted by Van Gogh.


I printed the plain block in a pale grey, dabbing the ink onto the block with a sponge (it was too close to opening time on Sunday to get out the sheet of glass and roller, besides it was only a tiny block). I pressed the paper onto the block using the palm of my hand. The result was a texture like lichen on old stonework.

I inked the patterned block with pale green and positioned the block exactly over the now dry grey mottled background. This time I pressed the paper against the block with the baren - to achieve a more definite impression. And here's the result . . .


On an even smaller lino block I did a little pencil sketch of one of our Maran Cocou hens who was standing by the studio door. I don't usually sketch straight onto the block as the result will be a mirror image and I like to visualize how the finished print will look. It was fun to start cutting the 'hen' block before I had any real plans for how I'm going to use it - but there are lots of possibilities. These are the start of my mix-n-match mini-prints series.

Open to visitors – Cambridge Open Studios 2007 : weekend 2

11 o'clock Saturday morning and I was ready to display the Cambridge Open Studios' yellow flag and open my studio door to visitors. There's a school of thought that says artists taking part in "open studios" shouldn't tidy their workspace as it gives a false impression to visitors – but I like to display my work well, so I did give the studio a spring clean. Not just for visitors - I like it tidied up - the fact the studio was to be open to the public was the catalyst which made me get down to sorting things out.

So for all of you who can't get along to the open days, here is my desk where I cut the blocks and do the printing.


And this is my giant plan chest for storing paper and finished prints, on the top is my toolbox, inks. Also displayed on the plan chest are sketchbooks, working drawings and trial prints.


The pictures on the walls are two ink paintings of coleus seedlings: Variegations 1 and 2; and a selection of watercolour sketches and photographs of the Western Isles from our holiday last September - beaches on the west coast of South and North Uist, studies of colours and textures. I am pleased that they are now on display - I'm sure having them on view will inspire some new work. Tidying up is not just for the benefit of visitors - it is good for the creative process too.

Artists and their studios – Cambridge Open Studios 2007 : weekend 1

Cambridge Open Sudios 2007 is now underway - there are studios open during 4 weekends in July. As my studio isn't open until this Saturday, I took the opportunity to visit other artists' studios. As well as seeing the finished work and the all the working sketches, tools and materials, I find it fascinating to see the buildings where people have their work space. On Sunday I visited a stunning modern artists house/studio, a collection of studios in a warren like building tucked away from "tourist-Cambridge", a redundant church at the end of a shady lane off one of the city's busiest roads, a little gallery in a village high street and a wooden summer house in a garden overlooking cornfields.

My studio was once a Victorian billiard hall, a retreat for the men while the ladies chatted and drank tea. The hall is now divided into smaller rooms, and the glazed porch which overlooked the croquet lawn is now a little corridor behind by studio - I've hung the walls with digital illustrations from the series of GCSE History books I have been working on. There were so many pictures I thought this way of displaying them will show visitors the quantity and diversity of images. A check through my job-sheets confirmed there were 367 pictures which had taken 600 hours work.

Art on show in Newmarket

This morning I was in Newmarket delivering some of my limited edition prints for displays promoting Cambridge Open Studios 2007. Newmarket is a lovely market town and well worth a visit whether you like horseracing or not; it has a unique character - there aren't many places with special horse lanes on the footpaths! The "Memories of Japan" print series will be on display in Scribbles - the lovely pottery painting shop in Park Lane. A selection of unframed prints as well as framed "Pasque Flower" prints are displayed in the Tourist Information shop at Palace House - the beautifully restored 17th house that was the Newmarket home of horseracing-mad King Charles II.

Cambridge Open Studios 2007 - Launch Exhibition

Lots of shiny cars accompany the artwork on display at this year's Open Studios Launch Exhibition. It's at the very stylish Jaguar Showroom (opposite Cambridge Airport) and is open all this weekend. So if you're near Cambridge and you need a wet-weather plan, please go along to see a selection of work by artists taking part in Cambridge Open Studios 2007. Visitors will also be able to watch demonstrations by artists on Saturday 23 June:
11 am - 12 noon Elisa Quevedo (textile artist)
Claire McGinley (painter)
2 - 3 pm Geoff Thwaites (glass engraver)
Mishtu Austin (batik painter)

Cambridge Open Studios 2007 - pick up the guide!

This year's Open Studio guides are here and being distributed all round the county and beyond. Find an artist whose work you like and plan your visit; look on the map and find nearby studios and find some surprises.

My studio is number 139 and is open on 14th/15th and 21st/22nd July. If you can't get hold of the guide look on the Cambridge Open Studios website (link on the right).

Count-down to Cambridge Open Studios 2007

This is the sketch for one of my new linocut prints "Spring Garden" - a typical scene in my vegetable garden on a late spring evening. The "Winter Garden" print is the image I chose to be next to my entry in the Cambridge Open Studios 2007 Guide. If you live in and around Cambridge you'll soon see the distinctive long, narrow, yellow guide books listing all the studios and exhibitions that will take place. It also has the contact details and an example of their work of about 250 artists working in all types of media, so it's a great book for browsing through.
The first date in my diary is the Launch Exhibition on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June at the Jaguar Showroom, Marshalls, Newmarket Road, Cambridge. This is a chance to see a selection of work from the artists taking part this year and perhaps make a list of the studios you really want to visit to see more.
My own studio will be open on 14th & 15th July and 21st & 22nd July as well as seeing all the paraphernalia that an artist accumulates, there will be limited edition prints (framed and unframed) and cards for sale. Click on the Cambridge Open Studios link on the right to find more information about all events and location maps.