Busy, Busy BEES

bee mosaic 

mosaics inspired by cartoons drawn by the children

'things you find in the garden' mosaic

How gorgeous are these mosaics? 

I mean who would not want the busy bees mosaic somewhere in their home or garden? These photos are of an Art Project my Mum has just completed in Gladstone, Australia.

Mum has been working  for the last several months creating and facilitating this exciting project. She worked alongside the  children, staff  and my sister (who is a group leader) of Rainbow Valley Early Learning Centre for children. The idea was to design a new, curvy path around and through the children's play area and sandpit and inlay the path with small coloured concrete inserts and feature mosaics. The children were involved in making designs, helping with the coloured inserts and even mapping out the route of the path. Because the children are so young they could not  make the actual mosaics themselves however Mum created the mosaics in direct reference to the cartoon drawings the children created. It is a wonderful example of how, even at a young age, we can encourage children to put a stamp on their environment and through art, help map the world in which they live.

'birds'

feature mosaics

part of the curvy, winding path

Pop ups

Love the shape of these poppies once the petals have dropped off. The pods seem in such stark contrast to the delicate, silk-like petals they support, which seem to only last a few days and drop off with the first gust of wind.
Yesterday I was talking with a fellow jewellery designer and we were discussing the idea of a pop up shop over Christmas. We are part of a larger network of designers all based in north Wales and we feel it would be  really beneficial to have a group show in the lead up to Christmas. Galleries are a little difficult to secure in this area and so we thought about staging a  pop up shop.
Pop up shops seem to be a current trend and a clever way of cutting overheads and making a strong impact if done correctly and with enough marketing. I am sure there must be plenty of information online but if any of you have been involved in, visited any pop-up shops or come across information about them will you please share?

Pippa Small Jewellery

Several years ago I tore an article out of a magazine featuring the work of Pippa Small. I have since visited her website many times, admiring her style and intrigued by the way she works. Originally she trained as an Anthropologist and then moved into jewellery design. She chooses her materials based on her personal ethical and moral convictions and  has worked with many Indigenous communities around the world. 

Her philosophy and approach to her designs and the materials she uses is really inspiring and finally I was able to see her work in the flesh at her London shop. Alas the pieces were a little out of my price range but I was able to salivate over the gorgeous, organic pieces on display. If ever you get a chance her little shop is worth visiting as it gives you a real insight into her personality behind her brand. (she also has shops in the USA) 

we walked and we walked and we walked

4 days of a lot of walking and we covered a lot of ground. Old stomping grounds, parts of the city never explored, the usual tourist route through Covent Garden and the West End and a lot in between. Walking a city is the only way to get a feel for it, to soak up it's elements and appreciate it's shiny, shiny surfaces contrasted with the poorer suburbs and the areas they prefer you not to see. London has such a vibe to it that even though I have not lived there for over 10 years, the minute I get off a train, ascend the never ending escalators and hit the streets above the immense underground I am instantly drawn back to a place so familiar that if I concentrate too hard and try to focus on where I am, it feels as though it may all disappear. 

As we walked we were reminded of friends, places of employment (some we prefer to forget), clubs and bars we used to frequent. Suburbs and streets where we or friends used to live, places that had mutual meaning in our lives and others that were completely foreign to us. 

You either love it and embrace it for all its grittiness, history, grandeur and immense scale or you hate it and want to leave instantly. I doubt I could live there easily again but I do like to visit and to  know that it is still there, throbbing away to it's own, unique hum. 

Lovin' Lime & Turquoise

Ok I have started to play a bit more with my circle serious - inspired in part by the amazing pebbles on the beaches and coves of Penmon Point, here on Anglesey. They are all so perfect, with smooth grey, black and charcoal surfaces delicately laced with the most amazing white lines. They look as if a master Artist has sat painstakingly for hours, decorating each and every one, until the whole beach is covered in  these magic works of art. It is those lines which I find amazing and now the lines of my circles are starting to morph slightly. Getting flatter and squarer and a little optical.

So the photos are not so clear but I have finished a few pieces which will be in Janet Bell Gallery by noon.

Also the lime green and pale turquoise beads are striking a cord - perhaps because it is Summer and the colours are fresh - a little like the weather!

Best of all tomorrow we are off to Lovebox Festival in our beloved  Londres. Roxy Music, Grace Jones, Empire of the Sun and Hotchip are on our list so far. A quick  make that long outing to the Borough Markets , Thai meal with friends and general walking around in awe at all the people,  buildings, shops and culture (we are a little isolated here) should stem our cravings for a while.

Texture, Tone & Colour

                            

                            

I have always been drawn to the effects of time and the elements on painted, wooden surfaces. I love the patina that is left after years of rain, sun and wind has made it's mark. Boats are particularly prone to the elements and for the old wooden boats that are not kept spick and span like the fancy yachts, time shows on their hulls in layers of peeling paint, worn wood and rusting metal. 

Our local boatyard - perched on a tiny bit of land jutting into the Menai Strait - is the perfect, exposed location to find these beautiful effects. 

If I could have walls painted in these textures I think I would. 

Beauty for only 99p

These gorgeous flowers have made me happy all weekend - they were marked down to only 99p for 5 stems and I could not resist. I thought they were only going to last a day or 2 and not really open at all. But each day more and more of the flowers are opening, exposing the most beautiful soft pink, pale yellow and peach colours. They are a bunch of exoticness, quietly demanding your attention and keeping you fixated once you lock eyes on them. Sometimes I truly wonder at the design, colour and form of the natural world and wonder why I bother making anything at all!

2 new Galleries

I have been working steadily all week making 2 small collections for 2 new Galleries.
They are both situated in the south of England,  Baxters Gallery in Dartmouth and  Cry of the Gulls in Fowey, the little Cornish fishing village that is very dear to my heart. It is where my Grandparents lived and my Aunt still lives. I have always loved visiting Fowey and its surrounding coves and coastline - to me it is the true quintessential Cornish village and I urge you to visit it at least once in your lifetime.

Beach glass

We went to one of our favourite coves on the north of the island on Saturday, hedged in by rocks on both sides and open to the pounding waves and blustering winds makes it a perfect glass combing spot. I found a good haul for an hours work - although I could not really call it work. With the sun on my face, perusing the tide line as the waves recede, looking for little, glistening, coloured gems, is hardly my idea of a hard days work! 

Beads on a wire

some new test colors fresh from the kiln - still on the wire 

The Good Life.....

We have had rain, and our allotment vegie patch has literally exploded in the last 3 days.

For more images follow this link to my Flickr account