January blobs of yellow

Hello, well here we are 2021 and it's good to be back here posting again.  

Today is about making a fresh start and finding I needed a refresher in both photo processing and website editing.  After a lengthy absence, so much has changed on my website platform.  I'm not sure that I'm able to update the layout very much now, for fear of disturbing what is already there, but I'm happy with the overall look of it so I shall be content to "tweak" and post.  At least it seems familiar and will help me to ease back into work again.

I'm looking forward to sharing new work in the making, new ideas and new ways of recording.  I'm also looking forward to sharing work from the past couple of years when I was working privately, just making art as and when I needed to.  There is still a lot to sort out and process.  It's been a long journey of healing and processing. So I'm not too sure yet in what manner it will all come tumbling out ...

So, there has to be a beginning and I don't know about about you but I really needed some blobs of yellow for cheer today.  It's very cold here in this part of Cornwall, much of the rest of the country has had snow.  I'm glad to not have snow at the moment.  I have had no heating or hot water since 19 December.  Talk about bad timing.  Funny how you acclimatize slowly ... and I'm coping, till I get a new boiler next week, by spending more time hibernating under my electric blanket.  It's utter bliss right now!

with best wishes to you all x

Cornwall colours and textures

We are almost done with February and I'm so glad to see the back of it.  Apart from one or two days it's been nothing but rain, hailstones, storms and news of Coronavirus spreading quickly round our beautiful Earth home!  And as I sit writing this now the rain is streaming down the window panes ...

I'm cosy indoors by the window looking through raindrops and I've had a lovely time going through photos, coming across work I had forgotten about.  At the moment, most of my art materials, fabrics, paints, sketchbooks and samples have been packed away in storage containers for over a year.  This house moving lark has been a long haul and I am going to be very excited to get it all out again.  No dates yet but soon - I hope!

I will have so many art projects and little works in progress to revisit.  So today I thought I would share some of the inspiration I find from my part of Cornwall, where I get my colours from and what inspires my textures.  I hope you may enjoy a few photos …

The last few photos are of recent textile work.  I've been enjoying working these very small hand stitched barnacles which I use with real shells, beads and little stitches on silk.  It's nice to be working on new things and I have more new work on my table which I hope to share soon.  Thank you for visiting me today.

February hearts

January gently passed.

In a tiny corner of my rented apartment I opened up a box of hearts and spread out with some carefully considered work I have yet to share.  I enjoyed the feel of the fabrics again, stitched with love and deep emotion.

Although winter remains my favourite season, I have struggled with the Cornish storms and constant mizzly rain of recent months.  I find myself longing for spring and light and sunny bulbs.  I find myself longing for yellows, soft blue greens and a home of my own, a studio to work in, space to spread out with my thoughts and a cosy armchair.  Things will gently fall into place, I'm sure.

These hearts are spring and summer … memories and hopes … of walks on the beach, little Cornish cottages and time spent looking for pearl shells and dark mussel tangles.

One or two of these hearts were featured in Maggie Grey's WOWbook 4.  I was very kindly invited by guest editor, Lynda Monk, to make some work for the alphabet series featured in this issue which was published in 2019.  "B" is for beaches and beachcombing (something I have always loved since I was a little girl) and there evolved twelve hearts, three for each season.

I very much appreciated being asked by Lynda to participate in this wonderful textiles book.  The invitation came at a difficult and dark period in my life, when I was doing very little creatively, and when my focus was simply trying to get through the days.  I look back at this collection of work with grateful thanks to Lynda and Maggie.

I would also like to take this opportunity to give many thanks to Anne Kelly for inviting me to share work in her book "Textile Folk Art" which was published in 2018.  Anne very kindly selected two stitched collage pieces, a nostalgic one called "the sparkle of the water" and a slow stitched piece called "faraway cottages" … inspired as always by the sea and the sky and the wonderful feeling of just being in Cornwall.  I will write a little more about these pieces and how they were inspired another time.

1st February 2020 - and I have a very busy week ahead, but my online shop will open today.  These hearts and other work will find their way there over the course of this week.  You will find I am still working at a slower place at the moment, there is no rush.  I am currently limited with space to work and also trying to buy a house/studio.  If you are interested in a stitched piece, please keep checking back from time to time and I will also post updates on FB and Instagram when work is listed.  I very much appreciate all interest in my work and wish you all a very good weekend - Carolyn x

the rain it raineth every day ...

It's a grey rainy day in Cornwall.  Very heavy rain and rather blustery as well.  I do love the weather here in this exposed part of the far south west.  It's always very dramatic and very beautiful.

I was supposed to be meeting friends for beachcombing and swimming on our favourite, secluded beach followed by a visit to Kurt Jackson's studio.  I was looking forward to taking my sketchbook, paints and oil pastels, making some little drawings using soil samples and having a go at a Cornish sound walk, similar to the one I did in Norfolk with Debbie Lyddon.  I'm hoping that this still happens … but maybe this time next week.

Instead, I am making the most of being cosy indoors, watching the sky and the light change over the bay, as I work on a few small things and sort out my photos. One of my very good friends recently suggested I could make a book from the photographs I take daily of the changing light and colours across the sky and how it affects the seascape and the landscape on the far coast.  It's a lovely idea.  But just to notice it, appreciate it and try to capture it in some way is enough for me.  The many shades of grey, white and blue with touches of Cornish gold inspire something deep within me.

Who put wisdom within the clouds

Or gave understanding to the sky phenomenon?

~ Job 38:36 ~ 

I started these small collage pieces inspired by Mousehole fish and starry gazey pies.  They are just small little things for my sketchbook, inspired by the rich heritage of this and surrounding fishing villages.

They are still drying off on my desk and the next stage will be to cut them into small pieces and work further into them with oil pastels and stitch. I will share the little silver darlings next time.

Also, taking my time going through my Workshop notes and the many photos from my recent trip to Norfolk.  It would be nice to get my pieces from the Workshop finished, photos sent to print, and some small painting and collage pieces done to remind me of my lovely visit to Norfolk and time with Debbie Lyddon.  I think Norfolk will follow little silver darlings (and whatever magical things happen down on the secret beach).  Thank you for reading.

away for a while ...

A collection of memories from summer days, time spent in St. Ives, Mousehole and earlier workings.

How quickly life can change and not always for the better.  In my last post I briefly mentioned my excitement at new hopes and dreams and time to expand my work.  Now, sadly, these plans are shelved again for the time being.  Due to family illness, I have decided to take an online break and review again in the new year.  I will continue to work in my studio when time permits but I'm sorry I won't be anywhere on the internet for a while and will have limited time for replying to messages.  Thank you for your understanding and hope you may enjoy following along in the future.  With love x

autumn on the beach

Today is the first day of October and the first day in a new phase of my life.  This sounds profound I know but there have been a lot of things happen in my life over the last few weeks and, indeed, the last few years actually.  I have been quiet the last few weeks, considering and reflecting, making life changing decisions and adjustments.  I hope these changes will mean I have more time to follow my heart, pursue new interests and progress my work.  It's really rather exciting to find myself on a new path ...

These photos were taken on the beach a few days ago when I was rock pooling with my very dear friends Julie and Stewart.  I love how the camera picks up colours and textures that are otherwise unnoticed.  I adore the peacefulness of beachcombing and always appreciate the inspiration that comes from such a ramble amongst the seaweeds.

Recently the coast of Cornwall has seen hundreds of Portuguese Man O War wash ashore, most probably due to the storms over the Atlantic in recent weeks.  I confess to not knowing very much about these beautiful creatures, other than they cause very painful and potentially very dangerous stings when touched.  It is tempting to want to get close to them and I very carefully turned one over with a stone to reveal their luminous, fluorescent blue ribbons (tentacles).  However, they should never, ever be touched by human skin.  I intend to read up and find out more about them.

In the days ahead, I will share updates, news and begin again with my projects.  Till then, I send love to you all x