Stumped

These little guys are my first attempt at stumpwork. They are 1.5cm (less than 3/4 of an inch) long and consist of a padded body (felt that is then embroidered in satin stitch) and a set of wire and fabric wings. I used to embroider quite often but it is not something that I have done for a while. It was very relaxing. But, as the old story goes, there are so many things to do and so little time to do them all.

I have also added pictures of a little inchie book and a card topper using my own design and cut out. The inchie book has been work in progress for some time. I painted the papers as an experiment. Then I made a cover for it and kept it for something special. But I have recently seen people storing inchies in these little hand made books so I thought that should be the purpose for mine.

Bunny fluff

The field in front of my house is full of eager young bunnies, kicking their heels up and dashing about like things demented. I wish I had half their enthusiasm today. The older bunnies have been feeling the joys of spring too. I can practically hear the Barry White music coming from the field. Love is certainly in the air. As I was out walking this evening I came across a cute, little bunny sitting by the side of the road. I passed withing two feet of it and it sat there watching me. The little guy in the picture, although not the one I saw, is very like him/her. Cute or what?

Boxing clever

I experienced a magical thing the other night. For the first time I saw hares boxing. This is a practice that involves female hares 'boxing' the males around the head when they become too amorous. It is documented on every wildlife programme, magazine article and book about them but I had never seen it in action. This is mainly because the hare population lives on the hills surrounding my house. I do not climb up there very often so opportunities for watching hare behaviour were always limited. These hares have now moved to lower ground, perhaps indicating a growth in local hare populations, so I was able to see them in action. It does not matter when or how I see new things in terms of wildlife, I always get a chill up my spine. It feels like a privilege to see these things. The first time I watched a badger cleaning out it's sett I was on a high for days.

This picture is a little pen and ink sketch of a brown hare that I was inspired to draw after my experience.

Town of the origami cranes

If you want to read a charming little story about one of the mysteries that show the quirky generosity of some folk take a look at today's post on Gurney Journey. It is as story of origami cranes that appear from nowhere to bring smiles to the faces of those who meet them. One theory is that they symbolise peace, another that if you fold a thousand cranes you will be granted a wish by a crane. I have say, if it happened in most places in the UK they would probably meet a horrible, crumpled end. I had an origami crane sitting on my computer for a long time but have only just realised that it has gone. It must have flown away.

Doggy doodles and pandas to boot

Here are a few pieces I have been playing with over the last week or two. The dogs are, of course, Stanley. I was trying to figure out the tonal values of his fur. Unfortunately the paper was too grainy to allow nice blending. I cannot say that I am overly happy with my sketching technique. I look at some artists' sketching and they can convey so much with just a few lines. I tend to hold on tight to my pencil and scrunch as much detail into what I am sketching. Oh, for a wild and free technique that allows a good standard of detail. Am I asking for too much? Probably. Anyway, I am hoping to work on a painting of Stanley soon.

The two pandas were also just excercises. I love pandas, they have such cute faces (but big teeth). The one with the bamboo was meant to show a technique that suggests the shape of the panda rather than dictating it. It shows white fur on a white background but the shape is filled in by the viewer's brain. It probably has a technical name but I have forgotten it right now. However, I think my detail radar has sneaked in there and added a few brush strokes around the head. The second one is cute but verging on the cartoon style. He was causing me trouble and I ended up over working him.

Welcome to the cheap sheeps

OK, I know the plural of 'sheep' is 'sheep' but I thought the title was rather humourous. Over the years I have tried very hard to conquer painting landscapes - or at least make them look as though they are more than just a pile of mud. As a result I have quite a few small, landscape excersises lying about with nowhere to go. It always seemed rather pointless and wasteful to leave them sitting in a box but I had nothing else to do with them. They were never good enough to frame, sell or give away - they were just excersises in paint manipulation. However, it recently occurred to me that they would work well as ATCs. With a little humour and the help of some sheep cut from scraps of watercolour paper (the cheap sheeps!) I recycled them.

A little treasure

One of my daily blog checks is Past Horizons, an archaeology blog that keeps me up to date with research, finds, courses and all kinds of exiting things. Today it reports that De Beers, the diamond mining company, has discovered an 'ancient' ship wreck complete with treasure. Eat your heart out Indiana Jones. Actually, as an ancient historian I have to take issue over the term 'ancient'. In reality it is the Middle Ages or European Rennaissance. Not ancient enough for my tastes. Still exciting though. More can be read here.

Always let your conscience be your guide

More and more I am hearing stories about unscrupulous people stealing art from the internet in order to produce consumer items. China seems to be the biggest culprit for this, having factories set up were artists can reproduce other artists' work and sell it on. In other words - fakes. Designs and images are being used on everything from plates and rugs to actual paintings. However, where we all think we are protected from this kind of thing by copyright, these people have other ideas. Roadblocks in the official process for prosecution are commonplace, not to mention the time, money and language barriers that are involved. In short, they get away with stealing artists' work. Another example crossed my path this week concerning a book called Colorful Illustrations 93°C. The full story can be found here on Darren di Lieto's blog . This is an expensive book ($100 or about £50) so it is unlikely that there will be a mad rush to buy. But if you are so inclined remember that the book is plagiarised and none of the artists are getting paid. Then let you conscience decide what is right.

Historic Linton

Just a few pictures from this week. Some interactive inchies, hand carved rubber stamps, a couple of cards and a painting of the local church. The photo does not do the painting justice I'm afraid. It was too big to scan so I had to photograph it instead.

I have lost count of the number of times I have painted this church. It is very picturesque and had an interesting back story. It dates back to at least 1127 and is said to be Scotland's second oldest church. The sandy hill it stands on is rumoured to have been built up by two sister nuns. In atonement for their brother's sins they were ordered by the Pope to riddle the sand into the mound. However, the more logical (and less romantic) story revolves around the fact that the hollow where the church is built used to be a loch (or lake) and the sand migrated there due to the action of the water. I prefer the story about the nuns.

The whole area has a great deal of history surrounding it including a myth about a Medieval worm (as in dragon type worm, not an earthworm) that laid waste to the local countryside. Just like the story of George and the Dragon, a laird, William de Somerville, dispatched said worm and freed the region from terror. The worm's lair is said to be in the hill just behind my house but no one has ever excavated the depression the ground said to be the entrance. Evidence of prehistory, the Roman occupation, the arrival of Christianity and the influence of the Normans can all be seen here. There are even rumours of a secret tunnel under the church. It is certainly not lacking in interest and I can even see the 15th century Cessford Castle from my window. Unfortunately there is a lack of local archaeological digs, historical study or protection of the historical sites in this area and it is only a matter of time until there is very little but myths and legends left. 

 

Update: 26/2/21 - updated link to Cessford Castle information.

Wild 'n' wooly weather

This week has been rather odd in terms of the weather. One day I was reading out in the garden wearing a T-shirt. Two days later it was snowing heavily. Many of the usual garden insect species had poked their noses out of their hibernation spots on the warm and sunny day. Goodness knows how they dealt with two days of chill Wild winds and snow. The leaves on the trees are already bursting out (two weeks earlier than in 2006 & 2007) and many of the roadside flowers are in bloom. So to be hit with a second winter came as a surprise to me, never mind the wildlife. Today is another warm, beautiful day. Will we see another return to the cold? Quite possibly. There is a spring related saying in Scotland: Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is oot. Translation: Don't take your thermal underwear (or winter clothing) off until the May blossom (or hawthorn) is in flower. That usually happens at the end of May here. In the past I have seen snow on the hills behind the house in June.

I have added a photo of the commission I am working on. This is just a partial picture of one of the cats as I am still working on it. It has been very challenging but I have really enjoyed it. I feel that my painting has improved over the last year. Amazing considering I have not painted or drawn anything in that time. I find that when I do take time away from my art I notice an improvement when I do go back. This is one commission I am very pleased to have as it stimulated my desire to paint again.