Studio Notes no. 153

winter tiny landscapes, embroidery, spinning and stories

Hello Everyone

Photo: recent sketchbook pages - I have made a new brown paper sketchbook for wintry ideas

I hope you have had a good week. We have had mixed weather of frost and darkness, a sprinkle of sunshine. The horse chestnut tree by my window is just about naked. Here we are at the start of this last month of the year. December is like climbing an old, gnarled bare tree toward a star. Here we are at the foot of the tree trying to not slip on the mossy roots - getting some kind of grip - knowing if we can just make it to the top there will be more light. Or at least I try to convince myself there will be more light - maybe after January, February…

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Shop News

I have my final two updates before Christmas

Today I am launching my winter landscape lucky dips - more on these below. They will be available from 12 noon (UK)

Then, Wednesday 4th December - I will be adding a collection of smaller embroidery portrait brooches to my shop. You will be able to preview them all from 4pm. It’s been a pleasure to be working on these small yet detailed brooches and I hope you enjoy seeing them all.

photo: one of a new collection of smaller embroidery portrait brooches

Orders for Christmas

Please order asap for Christmas, especially if you are overseas. If you are in Canada you will know that there is a postal strike - I am happy to hold on to orders for you if you would like me to do this - and I will send once Royal Mail state on their website that they are accepting mail to Canada.

I will be accepting lucky dip orders throughout December. Please bear in mind I ask for one week to put your order together - so factor this in when placing an order.

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Sending to the EU

Many small businesses, including artists and makers, have been concerned about changes coming to further compliance/requirements if sending orders to the EU. It is certainly causing some anxiety. I am sorry, but due to these changes and the fact that my business is small, I have decided I must suspend accepting orders to the EU from December 5th.

Thank you to all customers based in the EU who have purchased my work in the past. I am grateful to you for your interest in my artwork. I do apologise for any disappointment, I do this reluctantly, but it is beyond my control.

Overseas orders to other countries outside of the EU are not affected - I will continue to accept orders to the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand etc..

If and when I can resume selling to the EU - I will certainly let you know here.

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Winter tiny landscapes

photo: a new winter tiny landscape - lucky dip

It really is a pleasure to be painting winter once again. I love to paint winter - even if I sometimes struggle with the darkness of the season. Painting winter helps me through the darker days, in many ways, so I am once again embracing the snowy landscapes of my imagination… From today (midday) you are welcome to order winter tiny landscapes as lucky dips from my shop. These will be available to order until the end of February.

photo: a new winter tiny landscape - lucky dip

This winter season I have decided to focus my lucky dip paintings on ‘pure landscape’. This means I will not be including figures in my tiny landscapes - at least not as a main focus - there may be the odd glimpse of someone, and possibly a few snowmen. I am looking forward to exploring the textures and contrasts of winter. And yes of course there will be birds.

If you are unfamiliar with my lucky dips - offered seasonably - please do read the description in my shop. Basically you are sent a painting picked at random.

I will be painting winter scenes featuring people - but these I will offer when I put together new collections of tiny portraits. There will be new tiny portrait collections coming in the new year.

New winter lucky dips available from midday today (Sunday 1st December).

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photo: one of a new collection of smaller embroidery portrait brooches

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Advent

For this Advent I have made myself a spinning advent! You may know that spinning with a spindle is a hobby of mine. I like to spin for relaxation and quiet reflection, mostly in the evenings. I love to spin British wools, especially those I may have not heard of before - breads like Hill Radnor and Black Welsh Mountain. I have dyed wool with plants in the past and still have some of this wool yet to be spun.

So I decided this year to make myself a little advent calendar, of sorts. I weighed out approximately 7g of wool, different breeds and colours. Some dyed, some undyed - and as I found some silk fibres in a box I added a couple of packets of silk into the mix. The fibres are in glassine envelopes with brown paper labels inside with a number/date and also info about the wool. The labels will come in use once the wool has been spun, so that I can label it up. I hope to knit the yarn - perhaps a scrappy shawl or scarf. My calculator tells me I should have about 168 g of yarn - so not much but I intend to spin it into quite fine yarn. I like fine spinning.

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A few small stories

Path

I have been inside too long - time for a stomping walk in the park. When I moved over a year ago, I found myself haunting a different part of the park to the one I had enjoyed for many years. I missed the many young and old oaks, the sluggish streams and woody thickets. At this ‘new’ end of the park there are wider paths, more people - but I have got used to this now and the trees are becoming familiar friends. End of November and the beech trees have a metallic, majestic glow of copper, the light reflecting off their distinctive leaves, when and if the sun appears. Walking along, taking a moment to enjoy each tree, is like visiting a neighbourhood of cathedrals. Of course I pick up sticks, examine them for buds.

A woman comes jogging with child in a rugged pushchair. Tell them thirty nine and no more, we have to stick to thirty nine! She says to whoever she is having a conversation with in her ear. Her child waves a hand and grabs at leaves: Mummy, Mummy the wheels are getting muddy! The woman steers back to the path and the child relaxes. I hold the number thirty nine as a mystery in my head for the rest of the day.

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Door Furniture

Heading to a supermarket, taking a different route, just for a change. I walk along admiring stained glass and doorknobs, as one can along these streets of small town cottages. Distracted by a distinctive silvery knocker - not sure what it depicts - a fox? I find myself stepping down into a void - it takes me a few seconds to stop myself from falling. For a moment there I had a flash vision of sitting in the x-ray waiting room. But I am fine. Just must remember not to get so distracted by door furniture. I hope no one saw my glorious wobble.

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Joker

Waiting to be served in a coffee shop, an older couple are discussing the dreaded Christmas plans - they refer to them as such. We need to talk about the dreaded Christmas plans, the man says and the woman sighs. I accept, she says, we need to invite your brother now he’s alone, even if I think his humour is medieval. The man laughs. He shakes his head and pays for their coffee, says: Don’t elevate his humour to something as an historical thing, he’s just an old rotter! Well I am glad we agree on something, the woman says, choosing a table.

photo: a new smaller embroidery portrait brooch - this new collection will be in my shop Wednesday at 7pm UK time (preview from 4pm)

Thanks always for reading here, for your kind comments and lovely support. Please do leave a comment and if you would like to support my writing then perhaps you might like to become a paid subscriber or buy me a coffee - much appreciated.

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