winter into spring

rain

there are holes in the sky

where the rain gets in

but they're ever so small

that's why rain is thin

- Spike Milligan -

Mounts bay

with texture created by my talented sister Evelyn

after two days of fog and mist and generally rain, rain, rain

it is wonderful to see the sun shining this morning

and I am ready for spring ...

1.  beneath the cold, rain-splashed earth, spring is secretly stirring 2.  1955

3.  goodbye February! 4.  amour 5.  DSCF2738 6.  formerly Monday afternoon

7.  rusted paper 06 8.  winter daisies 9.  misty morning with text

10. sixty four colours : mac and cheese 11.  a new dawn  12.  shadow stones 13.  *

1. daffodils and snow 2. breakfast - wide shot 3. vintage rubber stamp 4. daffodil dissected 5. sea daffodil seed head 6. ca_20150118_012 7. frosty morning 5 8. little riffs 9. ink planetarium 10. on my easel mother and daughter 11. antique french wooden thread spools 12. studio table 13. studio table

1. Where have all the flowers gone?, 2. Vintage French Rubber Stamps, 3. daffodils and snow, 4. Breakfast - wide shot, 5. Vintage Rubber Stamp, 6. daffodil dissected, 7. sea daffodil seed head, 8. ca_20150118_012, 9. Frosty morning 5, 10. little riffs, 11. Ink planetarium, 12. On my easel, Mother and Daughter, 13. Antique French Wooden Thread Spools

yes ... spring time

I welcome your warmth, sunshine and brightness

summer on a spring day

I had a wonderful day in St. Ives on Monday

 

the day started out very misty in St. Ives but by lunchtime it had cleared and

after our session at St. Ives Textiles a few of us went for lunch at Porthmeor Café
 

I discovered these lovely seedheads outside Tate St. Ives

 I had to grab my camera ...
 

 

we had a very good session at St. Ives Textiles ... playing with markal oil paint sticks

 

I mainly used the metallic and iridescent oil sticks with stencils on paper

and rubbings on thin cotton fabric

 

 

this is a stencilling on paper using a limited palette of black silver and copper

 

 

and this is a relief print from a rubbing on paper

 

 

a more colourful rubbing on paper which I will work into with watercolour later

 

 

and a bluebell pattern rubbing on cotton fabric

 

 

once the oil has dried out sufficiently and the fabric has been heat pressed

I plan to over dye the cotton and hand stitch into it

 

these are all samples for my current sketchbook

 

 

I will be sharing the group's session with markal oil sticks on the website next week
 

I've already posted "seeds and pods" to the site this week (an earlier session)

you can click on the link below if you would like to follow along ...

 

St. Ives Textiles

 

in my garden ...

my bluebells are not quite flowering yet ... but it won't be long!

 

 

meanwhile ... I am enjoying a blue haze of grape hyacinths and forget me knots

 

 

 

 

for quite a while I sat on the steps in the sunshine

watching a pale blue butterfly flit in the dappled light

(I wasn't quick enough to capture it)

 

 

I sat there doing nothing ... just closed my eyes for a few moments
and all I could hear was birdsong and the cry of the gulls down in the harbour

it was utter bliss!!

 

 

forget me knots with their sunshiney middles

are such friendly little chaps nodding in the breeze

 

they like to muck in and mingle with other beauties

and I think they are "up there" amongst my most favourite flowers

 

 

 

once the Cornish mist lifted it was like summer on a spring day

and you can quite see why I've been distracted by the garden this past week!

 

before coming in to sew ... I pressed a garden full of wild flowers

in my big flower presses and between the pages of a big book

they will make me smile when I rediscover them again in winter time

until the sun disappears behind the trees

 

I've not had all that much time to be online the past week ...

long, long days gardening until the sun starts to disappear behind the trees

I've lost track of time ... hope to catch up this week but it's looking busy ...

 

today ... work with markal oil sticks at St. Ives Textiles

Tuesday and Wednesday ... work for Coast

Thursday ... a textile art crow day with friend Jo

 

will take photos as I go ...

 

have a good week ahead ♥

joyousness of a springtime

"I have always tried to hide my own efforts and wished my works to have the lightness

and joyousness of a springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labours it cost"

Henri Matisse

 

 looking forward to spring and moving the clock on ...
have a good weekend ... with love ♥