First Frost...

Today was beautiful in so many ways, the first of which was our precious Sun shining as if pure gold was spreading across the fields and woodlands as I set off on my way to my first gardening job of the day. The light made me feel so calm and peaceful, I was in awe of the silent beauty of the pure Autumnal sunlight. Every tree glowed a different shade of red, yellow, orange and gold…

The ground was coated in a thin layer of frost, the first of the year.. the sunlight made the ground sparkle. As I arrived at my garden I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The beautiful place that I am blessed to call my workplace is the most spectacular garden, surrounding a beautiful old manor house. The lawns glittered in the morning light, dots of colour just visible through the glare from plants still holding on to the last of the warmth and light of the year..

My job today was to finally do the Dahlias, to lift them, clean the tubers and store them safely over the cold winter months until its time to pot them up again….I hadn’t the heart to throw the fading blooms onto the compost heap so I decided to save several of the now very delicate Dahlia heads, contemplating how to photograph them in a way that justified their beauty…In the end I just lay them all out and held them, the contrast of petals brushing against the skin of my hands and forearms…Dahlias can perhaps feel like a fair bit of work to grow but they are so worth the effort in the end…

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The Festival of Crafts

at The Farnham Maltings

The Festival of Crafts is an event absolutely packed full of talented makers from all aspects of the art & craft world from weavers to jewellers, painters to ceramicists. I had a fantastic time on my stand at this festival and met some inspiring people. Many people were really interested in my process and what the medium of Silverpoint was. It was lovely to explain my process to people who were truly interested in it and to inspire others to give it a go.

I brought with me a selection of my brand new range of Botanical cushions, handmade wreaths and cards, alongside my original framed Silverpoint drawings…I was absolutely overwhelmed with the responses I received and am extremely excited to say I sold all four of my original drawings. I cannot express how happy and excited I am.

As soon as I returned home I ordered myself a brand new pot of Silverpoint Ground so that I could start getting all of my new ideas onto paper…watch this space!

Drawing with silver.

Using the stylus I scratch away at the surface…

Nigella and Gypsophila

Whilst looking into the iconic sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci, I came across the ancient technique of Silverpoint. Up until now I have used pencil to create the detail I want in my drawings, but I have discovered an even higher level of detail can be made with this traditional technique. Instead of a pencil, artists of old would carry with them a stylus with a piece of metal wire, silver, copper or even gold within. This allowed them to draw without the nuisance of having to use a knife to sharpen their tool. One of the beautiful things about this technique is that the medium tarnishes on the page, therefore slowly changing colour as time goes on…Since using silverpoint my drawing style has developed a deeper sense of detail, I look even closer at the objects I study for my drawings. The tiny spines running down the length of a stem, the delicate web of veins across a leaf or the tiny holes in a flaking dry Hydrangea petal…

In my previous blog entry I touched on my love for dried flowers, this has become the subject of my artworks in silverpoint. I feel that the intricacy that silverpoint allows truly compliments the beauty and fragility of dried flowers. Silverpoint is not a medium to be rushed, it takes time, a lot of time. I have had to really practise patience to enable me to reach a point where I am happy with my drawings. With a one year old son I have to ensure that I use my spare moments wisely but this is why I must be patient with myself and my medium, time is scarce at the moment, life is ever busy. But the hectic nature of life with a toddler really makes me appreciate the little moments of quiet, the hour where there is stillness and calm. In these moments I can get in touch with the part of me that is not just a Mother, the part of me that makes me, me. I get so absorbed in my drawings now that it is almost like being in another world, a world filled with fragments of botanical detail and natural beauty, so close and magnified before my eyes. 

As some may know, alongside my artistic career, I am currently working as a private gardener and studying Horticulture. I am immersed in nature every day and it has completely transformed my artwork, it inspired me constantly. Being outside is where I always wish to be, where I am surrounded by beauty in its most naturally varying forms and I am absolutely adoring every step of the adventure. My gardening work and my artwork have slowly begun to intertwine with one another in a way I could never have planned and I feel more inspired than ever…

Foliage

Gather, collect, forage…

A bouquet of beauties, ready to be made into wreaths for a 80th Birthday Celebration…

During the Christmas period I created a variety of seasonal decorations for our home which have now become an all year round adornment, to not just mine but the homes of my family and friends. Every time we go for a walk I end up with pockets stuffed full of twisted twigs and clumps of moss. Whenever I see a Hazel tree with fresh shoots, bendy and pliable I remember where it is and return with my pocket knife to trim them down in order to create the bases of my wreaths. Contorted Hazel, Willow and Cornus, with its brightly coloured stems are my favourites. Using these stems I curve and twist them into a hoop on which I adorn with a variety of collected natural material. I have a strange fascination, or perhaps obsession with lichen, there are so many types and I am always mesmerised by the intricacy of every little clump. I decorate the hazel hoop with beautiful gathered lichen and then comes my favourite part.

I absolutely adore flowers of all forms however my favourites are those that dry in beautiful ways, those that hold their shape and structure after their blooming days. I love the subtlety of Eucalyptus, the delicate frothiness of Gypsophila and the elegant beauty of a white Rose. These plants are glorious in their prime however I find them even more special when they have been dried. Roses seem to change colour like an old painting, they soften even more and their leaves curl in on themselves. Eucalyptus seems to change to either a beautiful pale skin like colour or even forms a silvery tone that looks as though it has been painted. Gypsophila seems to shrink and become even more fragile, but this I find beautiful. I absolutely love flowers that die back and produce unique seed pods, like Papaver and Aquilegia…Structure and architectural forms are just as important as the softer, more delicate touches. Drying flowers is something I love to do, my studio is too cold at the moment so our home is filled with hanging foliage. From the beams of our little barn I have strung up bouquet of Nigella orientalis, Gypsophila, Roses, Lavender and many more, they not only smell lovely but also look rather charming, I think anyway. All of these beautiful natural forms come together in harmony to form my unique hoops of foliage; my natural, hand-picked, handmade wreaths.

I have always adorned our home with foliage, gathered from our garden or from walks in the countryside that surround us. Bringing the outside in seems to make our home feel like home. The decorations change with the seasons and act as a real celebration of the beauty to be found in the natural world around us. My handmade wreaths are not just to be enjoyed at Christmas time but to be brought inside and hung somewhere to be admired all year round.

I will be creating a selection my wreaths for Lingwood Samuel Art, a gallery and studio space for Arts and Crafts based in Godalming, Surrey. The gallery will be taking part in the Godalming town Spring Fair. We will be holding a stall on the high street where you will be able to see me working on my Silverpoint drawings. If you wish to enquire about a handmade wreath please get in touch via the contact page on this website and thank you for reading this post.

The Nursing Chair...

As I grow older I have realised that I have gathered together a large amount of precious items of furniture. Amongst these pieces is a humungous dining table passed down to me from my Grandfather. Every Christmas we would all gather around this spectacular table and an array of marks and scratches show its use over the years. These little marks are marks of love and happiness, made at a time where we were all together, growing and making memories. My son will one day have this table in his own home with his own family, there is something quite moving about that. 

I recently discovered a beautiful chair at Ardingly Antiques and Collectors fair, I looked at it and thought it was just right for a nursing chair. My Mother in law bought it and went on to re-upholster in with one of my hand drawn insect designs. We used a beautiful natural linen that is so untouched you can still see the little grains of flax within the fibres of the fabric. I love the texture of linen, its little bumps and imperfect structures. 

Within the chair lies a secret letter, written to my son from his Grandmother. One day, either he or his children will discover it and find out what it says. How magical is that…A beautiful piece of furniture, filled with love throughout its creation. A simple chair has the ability to comfort one’s soul and capture precious family memories, carried on to the next generation. 

In dreams...

Our little slice of woodland is so beautifully overgrown at the moment I could not resist using it as a source of inspiration for something a bit different. Cow parsley and ferns dominate the wilderness, towering over even my partners head, walking off ahead I completely lose site of him in the thickness of white frothy clouds. The river is low as the weather is hot, still I hear the cooling sound of the water softly flow around the bends that surround our tiny forest. I stumble upon a flattened path, not made by man, that makes tracks through the bracken. I follow the squashed wild flowers to discover a nest of three perfect white eggs, I imagine they belong to a pheasant. Quickly I turn back, leaving them undisturbed going no closer.  The wilderness in our garden provides so many creatures with a safe place to make their homes and care for their young, insects, birds and mammals. 

I turn back, leaving them undisturbed and go no closer...

My recent drawing encapsulates the wild and free growth of our wilderness, the cow parsley in the foreground, almost concealing the main event.  Soft tones of grey create a wondrous dreamlike scene, a huge bear looms into the clearing carrying something mysterious upon his back. The little figure lurks peacefully in the darkness, waiting to be brought forth into the light. 

Into the Woods...

Today we explored, we didn't go too far from home, just as far as the woods beyond our garden walls...These woods form part of the grounds of a large manor house, it is split into residential properties now but many years ago it would have been a great house to a wealthy family. I love the feel of history in the area we live, our little barn would have been the property of the family who lived in the big house. I wonder who lived there? Who worked in our little barn? The gates of the big house loom eerily aside the winding driveway, aged brick pillars coated in lichen and spiralling vines of ivy. The wrought iron gates haven't been moved in years and sit dorment, gathering moss and spiderwebs. The webs hold little balls of dew and glisten in the morning light. We step through the ancient gates and continue on our adventure into the meadow before us. We spot a giant tree, laying forlorn on its side, split violently in two at the base. We are trespassers on this old land...

The fallen tree is like the broken arm of a giant, fallen from the sky. Baby and I clambered underneath it and through to the other side of the massacre of broken branches, bracken and twisted roots. I think to myself what a magnificent discovery we have made...

Moss, Ivy and Ancient Walls

Today has been what I have gradually discovered is a perfect day for baby and I…We went to our exciting music class in the morning, Mama got to do her yoga whilst baby had a snooze and then we went on a lovely long walk, straight out of our door, through the gate and into the woods…

The stream that wraps its way around our little barn has filled right to the brim and is about to burst across the woodland at its banks. The water is so thick and it oozes like chocolate milk round the twists and turns, there has been lots of rain recently. Baby and I wonder through the dangling ivy vines and clamber up mossy tree stumps to get a perfect look at the river with its pretty little red brick bridge passing over it. We follow the woodland to its outer edges and as it clears we see beautiful mushrooms growing in a spiral shape upwards to the sky on the surface of a lichen coated tree. We hear a woodpecker, tapping his beak into the trees above. The other birds sing around us, blocking out any other unwanted, unnatural sounds. The roads and cars are hundreds of miles away now. I have learnt to block out background noises that are unwanted through meditation and yoga. Spending lots of time honing in on the sense of my breath, passing unwanted thoughts in one ear and straight out the other, working to keep my mind clear and focused on the here and now. I feel this sense of being in the present as often as you can, physically and mentally is so important. Don't dwell in the past and stop working so hard on the future, just take it a little bit slower, if you ca, obviously life doesn't always work out that way. 

We live in the same farmland as a humungous manor house that is situated a little bit farther down the lane from us. The beautiful old house is hidden behind a very large, ancient brick wall, coated in moss and falling apart in places. The wall is so beautiful, I place my hands onto the rough bricks and imagine what lies beyond within the courtyards of the great house. Is there a secret garden? Or a kitchen garden filled with gorgeous fresh herbs and vegetables? I love that sense of the unknown, I am free to imagine the beautiful things that could lurk behind that looming wall. You can only get a glimpse of the grand house, its beamed exterior and mighty chimneys are stunning. I wish I could have a peek inside but that will never happen! I love exploring historical buildings and I of course have a National Trust card! There is nothing I find more inspiring than exploring ancient ruins, castles, stately homes, ancient parkland and forests. The many memories and events that may have taken place within them make my imagination run wild, conjuring up my own made up stories from the past.

How do you write a children's story?

I sit down at my table, tea brewing at my side and pencil in hand, posed to write...but then all of a sudden I stop. My mind is not necessarily blank, rather it is completely and utterly full to the brim with ideas. Too many ideas, too many things to get across, where to start?

From the moment that I discovered that I was pregnant with my first child in the Summer of 2016 I wanted to create artwork to inspire my baby as he grows. During my pregnancy my work transformed, it became less eerie and more whimsical, inspired by children, dreams and fairytales. One day I looked at the drawings on my studio walls and I figured out my plan, a new dream. I wanted to write and illustrate my own children's story book. A real book for me to read to my son.

So I discovered that starting to write a story in what I imagine is the usual way (sitting at ones desk pen in hand), is completely impossible for me. So instead I decided to make a start by drawing, doing what comes much more naturally to me. I have massed together an array of sketches of initial ideas for characters to detailed parts of the story. Everything is a mess of ideas, a literal mess in my studio, bits of sketches stuck to the walls next to torn pieces of old maps. 

Watercolour drawing of a Mother sperm whale and her baby..potential characters in my story.

Finding the time to get creative is nigh on impossible with a 9 month old. Baby Nuri has just learnt to crawl and is on the move every waking moment. In the time it takes for me to gather my thoughts and put my pencil to paper he wakes from his nap, ready and raring to go again. So writing my story has become very tricky which frustrates me, a lot. Nuri is fast asleep as I type this, I doubt he will sleep long so I thought I better focus on something I know I can complete quickly. Rather than getting lost in my artwork for 5 minutes only to be abruptly brought back down to Earth by baby's cries! 

Since my pregnancy and the birth of my baby boy I have started to really enjoy writing down the memories that we are making. I keep looking back through them, even though they are only recent memories.