Exhibition: MK Art

I went to see New Art MK at the MK Gallery.  It was great to see the work of local Milton Keynes artists, in particular I liked the cross stitch work of Jamie Chalmers aka Mr X (1), the beautiful photographs of Kamil Szkopik (2), Laura Keeley's beautiful paintings evoking dreams or half remembered memories (3) and Emma Wilde's delicate pencil drawings (4)  Pics taken from the MK Gallery website, which you can visit for information on the exhibition.

Seeing the cross stitch stuff made me remember that I really want to have a go at making Emily Peacock's 'Kiss' cushion, its so lively with lovely colours, originally seen on Kirsty's Homemade Homes.  I found Ruffles and Ribbons blog very informative with good tips for making it.

Dressmaking: Chic bike bag

Made from my own drafted pattern, denim and printed canvas cotton.

Appliqued bike motif, before I really knew what I was doing :).

Snazzy handle and covered button.

Thank goodness its Springtime

Some bulbs from the garden, not sure what this flower is 

Lovely daffs their bobbing bright yellow heads never fail to cheer.

I love these smaller daffs, they're so pretty, I had completely forgotten I'd planted them.

In amongst the Heather.

Outdoor cyclamen

More pics

I couldn't resist adding this, the crow in his tree surveying the sunset and his territory (unfortunately that tree is now long gone).

And a cool snail I found while tidying up the garden at the weekend.  How do I know he's cool, well with a shell like that how could you not be : )

Pics of seed heads

Inspiration: print making, Angie Lewin

I really love Angie Lewin's prints.

She has inspired me to get out taking photos of seed heads before the new spring growth. I’ve had a play about drawing my own graphic style seed heads, and have done some watercolour paintings of my own. It made me realise that although her work looks simple with a limited colour palate, its incredibly detailed and precise, from the stones and leaves in the background to the balance of colours and graphic elements.

I had a go at three mock up paintings over the weekend, I was pleased with the simplified seed heads but my colour tones were way out. I had far too many colours and colour clashes. Ahh well something to play about with next weekend!  Eventually I'll post any that come out well.

See here for details of Angie's book.

Update on flower corsage workshop

The flower corsage workshop went brilliantly well, I had five lovely attendees, including someone who had never sewn before.  It was a really fun morning and everyone completed their corsages.