Paths through the forest
November 5, 2011
working with colour, different mediums, different methods, felt very fragile when completing this. Been a difficult week, last night just wanted to get out some paint and let it happen. Feels in some way like a journey the forest, flickering shades of autumn, the sun dancing on fiery leaves.
Seems I was inspired by my early morning nature walks………now these are the real thing ! Autumn leaves are so beautiful now, deep cherry reds, corals and oranges to deep purples and pinks and yellows
Sunshine and Paper
July 31, 2011
Todays creative outpouring, sculptural paper curves
and then the heat of the sun turned up the colour volume !!
veggie
July 26, 2011
trying to maintain a vegetarian diet without getting bored and having to eat bowls of beans has been a bit of a challenge of late. Being a carnivore most of my life. one day I just awoke with the need to stop, something was telling me that my energy was too dense, that I needed to feel lighter, and so I just stopped munching the flesh. I wasnt’t that I was a huge meat eater, but I think it was more out of habit and the need to eat protien. Why this need suddenly dissipated is a mystery, but I do feel better for it for sure. The only thing being, is that pulses and grains leave me feeling little bloated, so have to be a little more creative in the food making stakes…………….. tonight efforts centred around kirsty’s homegrown veg, fresh from her garden, some rice, nut kind of loaf mix formed into burger shapes with red peppers, spring onions and flat leaf parsley. they were tasty but a bit mushy, but the rosemary roasted potatoes went down a treat.
Eggs and cheese I am reducing too, I was beginning to OD on these, every breakfast in fact, omlettes, scrambled, poached and fried ! not anymore, porridge oats cooked with water until thick and creamy, scoop into bowl with a spoonful of cream on top !! Thanks Andreas Moritz for letting me know a little cream and butter are ok !! I purchased and carried out a liver flush from his now famous book.
Wow, where did all the time go?
July 16, 2011
I cannot believe I have not posted in such a long time…….. It wasn’t conscious decision however not to post, but it has been a time of being with me, processing life. With my move to my new office, life has taken on a different pace, my old routine has gone out of the window and a new “place” is taking residence within. Been busy finding “homes” for everything, keeping it streamlined and creating a light inspiring space within to provide an environment that doesn’t feel like the normal” going to work” . I think its working……………. My day starts sitting here
Having a coffee, checking to see if there is anything that I need to know before I start to answer emails and get down to business here
Afternoon tea, is sitting here,
or perhaps sharing on our large central table here
How magical
June 12, 2011
imagine just floating
Ballet Russe
April 4, 2011
Thanks Mr Bowery, it was because of you I came across this image, I thought it was a costume of yours, but then I read it was in fact a costume for the Ballet Russe designed back in 1935 !
Leon Bakst drawings I have always admired, and recently when I watched the Chanel / Stravinsky story my interest in the Ballet Russe became more prominent in my life again. I find the colours so inspiring. Diaghilev was a very clever man, he put together composers and artists the most avant-garde of their time, Braque, Stravinsky, Chanel, Picasso, Matisse and Nijinsky the famous dancer and produced the most inspiring and challenging ballets. He was not at all afraid to break with convention and his passion paid off, however at his death it limped along but was never the same again.
The boldness, the colours, the loose shapes, ballet costumes had never been seen like this before. I just love them, the colours sing out, I so would love to have been around to see their opening nights, especially THE RITES OF SPRING, apparently this caused a riot and they had to close down the theatre!! It’s hard to believe that now, but here is a collection of some the hundreds of costumes that were designed and made especially for each ballet.
Could they be transformed into paper sculptures, could the colour combinations be transformed into my design work and paintings, somehow they will have an influence, my creative mind is like a sponge, its absorbs everything around me so that one day it will be expressed in some form again as I continue along this creative path
sunset and sea
January 16, 2011
I enjoyed a most creative day with a dear friend of mine in her studio. She is a felt maker, and we sat together , chatted about our creative endeavours, and what was inspiring us, we pulled out lovely coloured wools, my selection inspired by the beautiful sunsets down at the sea that I had been photographing over the month I had off from work. I had gathered a stone that was really special to me and the sunsets themselves so significant. So away we went, laying out the strands of wool in the sunset hues, soaping and rubbing. I knew I wanted some kind of tendrils, not sure why, but now I can see. My finished pouch that holds my treasured stone has taken on the life of a sea creature, perhaps an anemone e or a squid like being. I am so pleased with the piece, it feels so special and has become a very treasured object.
another day at the beach
December 27, 2010
Feel so drawn to the sea at the moment, and yesterday it was so calm down at Normans Bay. Seeing the waves lap gently on to the pebbles, almost like the water is swaying, rocking, so comforting……………. Just the the four of us, Kirsty, Yao and myself and dear sweet Pasha. She had a sore foot from the icy weather so Kirsty ended up carrying her back to car. We watched the skies as the sun slowly began to set, the apricot ribbon like wisps of cloud reflected in the pond like surface of the water. Another day drawing to a close as we raced home to jacket potatoes, lashings of butter, a tasty ham, cold roast beef and a big bowl of salad…. yummy especially as it was washed down with with a glass of mulled wine. Another day closing, and getting close to another year closing, so much has happened to sharpen my focus, and feel the urge to start writing it all down…………
The passing of another day, another life
December 25, 2010
Its been awhile since I posted, in fact it was in the early hours of December 8th. the day a very close and dear freind, my ex husband died, It was to be only a few hours before I received a call to say to get to the hospital straight away, his vital signs were dropping. We were with him to the end. The funeral was yesterday, such a beautiful service where my children and I paid tribute to him in the best way we knew how, and that was to reflect his big laugh, his ability to tell a wonderful story and his very engaging personality.
Although we had gone our separate ways some while ago, whatever it was that connected us all those years ago when I met him at 16, it was still there at the end, guess its true, that love never dies. Living with Bruce was an amazing roller coaster ride, when the ups were up they flew into the cosmos, when they were down, it plummeted to amazing depths. Life is more stable now but I am trying to remember all the good times of our earlier life together and the more recent times. It was only a few short weeks ago we were sitting in the early winter sunshine sharing a coffee and a sandwich and chatting about old times, it bought a smile to both our faces and we laughed together. Death is so final, it was such a shock and so quick that I am still coming to terms with it.
Watching this incredible sunset last night I realised how beautiful an ending can be, for in a few short hours the sun will rise again, Bruce will rise again on the next part of his journey, I like to think he is travelling back into the cosmos, his souls purpose now over on this earth and he will shine down on us, a beautiful star in the heavens
Rest in Peace dear Brucie
The seeds of our becoming
November 25, 2010
this is the time of the year to start thinking of those seeds growing within, deep within . They are resting, storing up their strength for that big push……………. Vivid thoughts, make them real
Oil pastels and paint, created by self !
Remains of the Day
September 12, 2010
Bright sunny morning, Sunday and a day with no schedule, bliss……….. just me and breakfast, two fabulously juicy oranges, yummy. Thought I would dry the peel to use to infuse future cups of tea. Adding some dried peel to a pot of brewing tea leaves gives it a really refreshing flavour.
So arranging them on a plate to dry in the sun they seemed to form a shape, low and behold a lobster !! Not sure where that came from, although yesterday I finished reading about Isobella Blow and Phillip Treacy’s amazing hats, issie wore a lobster hat!!
Its all in the detail, or is it?
May 28, 2010
These shoes are my pond life shoes, fit for a prince of frogs, the detail is so intricate its amazing, click on the image for a larger view
Details, details, been a strange couple of days, the full moons energy has sure created a little turmoil in my life
I have spent hours and hours detailing furniture and lighting layouts and then coming home and spending hours and hours putting together a newsletter I send out on the full moon. Editing articles to make sure they fit, sizing images, trying out different typefaces and layouts, which colour scheme, what words to say……………. then come the day of the full moon, first the newletter file became corrupted and couldn’t compress for sending, that made me late and i had to rush for the train to London to attend a meeting and slipt over, twisting my arm and and leg and bruising everywhere!!. The meeting was successful and long and then a trying evening resulting in a situation that seemed so out of proportion to the the actual circumstances. I have always felt it was necessary to say what is on your mind, good or bad, I know sometimes this has not served me fully. But bottling things up is not a good idea either, its best to be able to bring up what’s on ones mind before it gets all out of proportion and then forces itself out like an exorcet missile !!! I didnt “react” but it left me feeling a little sad.
Today I could go over all the details again and again, but NO, details have there place. For my work as an interior designer, attention to detail is what creates that “effortless” look and find this quite “effortless” after all these years, but in day to day to living, the detail just ties us in knots, what mattters is that we live in the present, find joy in the day, in the minute. Today has been like that, seeing the big white jug of “pinks” in my kitchen and breathing in their heady perfume, hearing my cat purr, seeing my “happiness” plant with a new leaf bud, feeling the sun on my face. A peaceful day and everything is just as it should be.
The “Dada” paper shoe” no. 5
September 16, 2009
Todays shoe was inspired by dear friend Analu in Rio. Her Dada workshop produced so many colourful images on flickr that when I started working with crepe paper I just had to dedicate this shoe to her. THANKYOU ANALU!!
I cut strips of crepe paper and “twirled ” into long spirals, then glued them onto the shoe upper shape. After finalising the pattern I then completed glueing the upper to the sole……….. Cannot wait to produce shoe no.6 … what to do with them all I ask myself
Flickr: Your Photostream.
shoe no.3 apricot
September 15, 2009
this is in its original colour. Made with Gloria Doublette Crepe Paper, quite thick and different colour each side. It comes in more subtle colours but only managed to get it in rather garish colours in the uk. Its from Germany and cant seem to find a german website that sells it, I can see the shade card but thats all. I used white paper to cut our the sole, upper and heel part, then covered with crepe paper, frill I just folded and glued, same with rosettes. The shoe part is coming along, getting better on each one, but the heels posing problems, anyone out there made heels who is willing to share?
colour……… not sure
September 13, 2009
Colour, working with colour I find difficult in a paper context……….. to me white on white is magical, ethereal, ghost like. Its simple but has great strength, its architectural, its my choice for paper work, feels more structural, captures the essence and feels like a design and not just decoration.
However I thought I would try colour and try crepe paper…………… I enjoyed cutting and crimping, progressing from the photocopy paper prototype of last week. However, it feels frivolous, decorative, like icing a cake and not the same as working in white
What does this mean? its something very powerful, brings up many emotions, something I want to explore over the coming weeks.
