Needing inspiration!

I dont know if it's the grey, dull and damp weather that's doing it but today I have been feeling distinctly lacking in inspiration! So I've been looking through lots of art books, reading old copies of New Scientist (especially articles on the brain) and looking at pieces of work I made previously to try and recapture a spark and be re-ignited. I thought I'd share some of that work with you. Above is a detail of "Reawakening" and below are "Sac" and "History".


















Finally the two images below are of "Genetically Yours."

Crafting Birthday

Recently it was my eldest daughters birthday, this year she decided that she didn't want a themed fancy dress party but would rather have a crafting party. So with the help of two of my dear friends, Nicola and Sam, we had 8 teenagers making three projects. The cake, as you can see above, I decorated appropriately for her party.

The first project was this very cute elephant brooch. I had all the pieces of felt cut out ready and the girls had to sew them together and put in the toy stuffing, sew on bead eyes and finally a brooch back. 

The second project was these gorgeous little strawberries filled with lavender and sand, they can be used as pin cushions or lavender bags.

The third, and final, project was these lovely padded book covers  that the girls embellished. I made the plain covers as pictured at the top and then using all the beautiful ribbons, buttons, roses and scraps of fabric they added their own stamp on their own book. Best of all they each had three handmade items to take home in a drawstring fabric party bag x  

Rural collusions update

SWT Lackford Lakes- I was contacted last week to say that the trees my bracket fungi were on had been ear-marked for pollarding any time soon and so I would need to remove them. I managed to convince them that they could be moved onto other trees not too far from their current position, so I went on tuesday to move them. The  photo above left shows them in their new position. I was pleased to see that they are beginning to weather and degrade, which was after all intrinsic to the project. The insect and fungal life on them was a joy to see too, there were numerous woodlice, spiders and beetles living in and around them and green and black moulds appearing on them as you can see below.

As for the puffballs they look remarkably untouched, the colours have drained from them slightly but little else has changed. I'm not sure if that is good or bad?!

The reeds, I had been told, had been destroyed in the high winds but when I collected them I found they had not, in fact, broken but had fallen over and laid over the fence obscuring the path. For this reason they had removed them!! I am in talks with them to try and find an alternative site for them (within the reserve) where they can continue their degradation without interference?! We'll see what happens.

Thornham Walks-   The weaving is holding out quite nicely although I did notice it had snapped on one side but someone had tied it back together. There are a few gaps along it now, I hope this is where birds have plucked yarn out to use for lining their nests but unless the wardens find the nests later we'll never know for sure.

The moss carpet has become even more organic in appearance as debris like leaves and twigs have gathered on its surface and begun to decay. The most exciting thing of all is that real moss has started to grow on it too! I count that as a success, nature is colluding by adding moss to my moss.

The leaf litter has become so entwined with the environment that it was quite difficult to see but as you can see they are again beginning to degrade and show signs of mould.

The tree veins have started to blow out of the trunk but to be quite honest I was surprised to see anything left at all and as for the mushrooms, they look to be in exactly the same condition as when they were installed, but their position has changed. From speaking to the warden, it appears, someone had pulled them off the trunk and then later someone else picked them up and hung them over a branch. Its rather nice to think that some of the public care enough about the work to try and repair it and put it out of reach to prevent more damage. I am trying to decide whether or not to put them back on the trunk but just higher up out of easy reach?

The Beauty of Barcelona and the gorgeousness of Gaudi!

I haven't blogged for over a month, how very remiss of me! It has been fun with my girls being on school holidays but better still I've been away for a few days to Barcelona- it was definitely a work trip, research and inspiration all in one! I spent lots of time just taking photo's of all the amazing buildings and sculptures. 

The area leading up to the National Museum of art was particularly beautiful and impressive. The area pictured below is actually flowerbeds and fountains.

However, the Gaudi architecture was my absolute favourite- there are hundreds of photo's I could show you but here is a taster....

Sagrada Familia outside and inside (above)
Dragon gate Guell estate (below)

Casa Batllo (above) and Parc Guell (below)

My youngest daughter thinks this building looks like the perfect gingerbread house.

We had a wonderful time at the Joan Miro foundation too. Although I was unable to get a photo of it, his large wall hanging/weaving was incredible. Barcelona rocks! I hope you all had a good summer too.