CHOCOLATE!

It's been an incredibly busy few months with very little free time, but Sam and I decided to treat ourselves to a rare day off- we went on Jacqueline Keenan of La Fleur de Chocolat's chocolate making course!

Chocolate Goddess

We know Jacqui from a few of our regular markets and I don't think I've ever managed to resist not going home with (most likely an empty) box or bag of scrumptious treats made by her.

To say I was in my element during the day would be a huge understatement. I LOVE chocolate.

Jacqui welcomed us all with proper hot chocolate (the best I've ever had) and delicious nibbles. She taught us all about how chocolate is made and then had us taste a variety of different chocolates. This was fascinating and it's amazing how many different flavours you can taste in the real deal when you have an expert guiding you. I've never been wine tasting but I imagine it's a similar experience.

What shocked us the most was how unpleasant the supermarket brand chocolate tasted to us all after trying so many fine chocolates. I didn't think I liked dark chocolate before but Jacqui was absolutely right that we just hadn't tasted the right sort!

During the rest of the afternoon, we made our own fruit ganache to fill a tray of decorated chocolates, as well as three chocolate lollipops. My favourite part was the decorating and I'd love to have another go at it! I tried creating all sorts of detailed designs but I think the simpler, more abstract ones actually looked the most effective.

Painting chocolate designs

Sam's designs

My filling of choice was raspberry and framboise, while Sam opted for mango and passionfruit so between us we had a good selection.

You have to bash the tray with a rolling pin to line each chocolate mould

I knew chocolate making involved a great deal of artistic skill but hadn't realised what a scientific process it is too, and how exact temperatures need to be reached and cooled to in order to temper your chocolate properly and give it a wonderful shine.  

I absolutely loved how messy it was as well- such fun!

We had a wonderful day with Jacqui- she couldn't have been more welcoming and it was a real pleasure to learn more about the greatest thing on earth from a passionate expert. We were also allowed to taste everything throughout the day (which of course we did) so I was on a sugar high for the majority of the afternoon. I can't recommend the experience highly enough, so if you're looking for the perfect gift for the chocoholic in your life, head on over to her website!

Lollipop toppings

Sam's chocolates

My Christmas themed chocolates

Lollipops

Our lollipops all set to go!

In the Forest of the Night Exhibition

I'm absolutely delighted to be in the Art in Action Gallery winter exhibition entitled 'In the Forest of the Night'.

I really admire the work of Catherine Hyde and Flora McLachlan (the other two artists taking part) and am honoured to be in their company for the exhibition. I've seen Catherine Hyde's stunning work at Blue Ginger and bought some of her cards at the final Art in Action show. Her paintings are like scenes from stories of myths and magic of old. See more at her website here. I first saw Flora McLachlan's work through the Art in Action Gallery. It's hauntingly beautiful and makes you feel like you've stepped into a fairy tale. Find out about her here.

'In the Forest of the Night' is running from the 5th November to 24th December. The Art in Action Gallery (open daily) is a charming converted barn amongst the grounds of Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire. There's also a gift shop and tea room, so it's well worth a visit for an autumnal or wintry day out.

The exhibition will feature original artwork from my 'Winter' collection as well as a good selection of prints and cards.

'Dashing Through the Snow'

This painting is inspired by the deer seen on a wildlife tour in Ardnamurchan off the west coast of Scotland.
 I visited during the summer, but couldn’t resist the idea of turning these magnificent creatures into a wintry scene.

'Winter Moon'

There are stories linking the hare and the moon from all over the world.

The hare was believed to be the sacred beast of an Ancient Saxon goddess, Eostre. 
These mysterious creatures come out at night when the moon is full and became
 associated with life and re-birth.

'Midwinter Messenger'

There are stories linking the hare and the moon from all over the world.

The hare was believed to be the sacred beast of an Ancient Saxon goddess, Eostre. These mysterious creatures
 come out at night when the moon is full and became associated with life and re-birth.

He was thought to travel between worlds under the cover of darkness when the moon was full.
 In some stories he is seen in a positive light, and in others as a trickster.

'Mr Fox'

There are folk tales across Britain of a cunning foxy gentleman who tricks a young lady 
into agreeing to marry him with his elegance and fine manners. Little does the lady know that 
Mr Fox is planning to murder her. Foxes often represent male predators hunting female prey in 
these stories. Thankfully in most of the tales the lady is usually more cunning than sly Mr Fox.

'Robin Redbreast'

During the Victorian times, postmen wore red tunics as part of their uniform and
 were nicknamed Robin Redbreasts. Postmen delivered cards and presents 
over the Christmas period and the robin was used on cards to represent these 
bringers of festive cheer.

'Mab’s Mischief Maker'

Squirrels have long been associated with faeries, particularly Queen Mab. Mab was queen of the faeries
 according to British folklore and was believed to be accompanied by a bird and a squirrel on each shoulder. 
She was thought to be fond of mischief, including swapping human babies for changelings (faerie children).

Christmas is Coming!

We've had a fantastic h.Art, and that can only mean one thing…

Christmas is coming!

I'm in full preparation mode for some very exciting events to close the year with. Firstly though, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to support us during h.Art. We really appreciate it and couldn't have done it without you. It's very special for Mum and I to be able to take part in these events together and we're already looking forward to our Christmas Open Studio.

Here are just a few photos of our lovely visitors this year.

I'm currently feeling a little like Home Alone's Kevin as I prepare for my first ever show at the NEC, Birmingham- Crafts for Christmas.

This will be far and away the biggest retail event I've taken part in and is the biggest stand I've ever been able to fill. I'm at the scary stage of ordering vast quantities of stock, display materials and stand decorations and hoping it is all worth it!

Crafts for Christmas is a fantastic show. Alice and I have visited the last two years for 'research' purposes and have been thoroughly swept up in the festive atmosphere so I decided it was about time I had a go myself. 

The show is on from the 3rd to the 6th November 

9.30am-5.30pm (5pm Sun)

Click here for tickets which are £12 for adults when booked in advance.

Your ticket actually allows you entry into 4 shows on the day: Crafts for Christmas, The Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycraft Show, Art Materials Live and Cake International.

You can find me at Stand C04 where I will be demonstrating!

I will also be taking part in another very exciting event which I will be able to tell you more about at the end of the month.

The other main places you can find me before the end of the year are:

Saturday 29th October, Hereford Art Market, High Town 

Thursday 3rd-Sunday 6th November, Crafts for Christmas, NEC Birmingham

Saturday 12th November, Malvern Arts and Food, Abbey Road

Sunday 13th November Teme Valley Market, The Talbot at Knightwick

Saturday 26th November, Malvern Art Market and Christmas Lights Event

Saturday 3rd- Sunday 4th December, h.Art Christmas Open Weekend at Goose Farm

Saturday 10th December, Hereford Art Market, High Town

Sunday 11th December, Teme Valley Market, The Talbot at Knightwick

Be like a Swan!

Do you ever have one of those periods of time where it just feels like everything is going wrong?

This Summer has certainly been one of those. Firstly, I lost my beautiful cat Mia to foxes which left me heartbroken and feeling completely uninspired, particularly by the fox I'd only recently painted.

After months of living in a very wrong-feeling house, we decided to adopt three rescue cats, including an only five week old kitten. They are wonderful but two had cat/kitten flu and needed treating for that including some very gunky eyes dripping all over the house. Then somehow they also managed to get fleas despite not going outside yet! 

They have fully infested our bedroom so I can no longer lie on the floor with my yoga mat because they have been crawling out of the floorboards. We've been using every treatment we can find and although we seem to be making a little progress, the little delights just keep coming. 

The poor cats have had to be quarantined in the (thankfully large) bathroom. We chatted to the vets on the phone and found out we're doing everything right by combing them as often as possible and keeping them away from the main infestation in the house. We can't use any other treatment on them yet as they had already been treated. I've become an expert at extracting fleas and drowning them in boiling soapy water. I've never been so well acquainted  with my hoover and I've discovered a strong obsession with steam cleaners.

It's a horrible feeling when you can't relax in your own space or even work productively because you're constantly worried about where the little critters are coming from next although thankfully we haven't had any jumping on our bed recently.

My usual go-to is to have a bath when I feel a little overwhelmed with everything and it really helps me wash everything, mental and physical, away. But I can't do that at the moment and I must admit, it's really getting to me.

Last night, the lovely Whisper decided to completely miss the litter tray and we ended up with cat pee EVERYWHERE including up against the wooden cladding of the bath tub. It's taken a lot of cleaning up (mostly by wonderful Sam because I was teary tired by this point) and the smell is still lingering. Any flea and cat odour tips gratefully appreciated!

The cats are all absolutely gorgeous though and such a great mix of personalities. I cannot wait for the day when we are flea free and able to cuddle them all without immediately washing our clothing and getting into the shower!

I had perfectly timetabled my summer so that I would be well ahead of schedule for the rest of the year and have written so many blog posts, but thanks to this curveball that hasn't really happened. We have two days until one of our busiest weekends of the year. I had my stock all ordered and ready but had some damaged mount boards which were very promptly replaced. I'd kept these safely in the box until today when I discovered that they'd been dropped in transit by the courier and were all unusable. Steve from Cotswold Mounts is fast becoming my hero because he is sending some replacements out to me for tomorrow.

I'm writing this on my lunch break from our final two days of prepping for h.Art. It's been a bit of a rush, and I keep remembering things to add to my to-do list but I'm sure we'll have everything ready in time... I'm channelling my inner swan- serene and graceful above water, but paddling furiously underneath!

Dratsie

My latest work features an otter, or ‘dratsie’ to use its Scottish name.

Otters usually offer help to humans in folk tales by bringing food so are usually considered to be animals symbolising joyfulness, playfulness and happiness. Their Anglo-Saxon name was the ‘water-snake’ and in Celtic folklore they are referred to as ‘water dogs’.

Irish and Scottish highlanders believed that otters had other-wordly powers and that they secretly lived as part of kingdoms, like humans. Their rulers were called ‘otter kings’ and were thought to be accompanied by seven black otters. It was thought that the Otter king’s skin was magical and could protect an entire household from harm, but this came at a price. The person or beast who killed the otter king would die shortly afterwards. Legend says that the few surviving suporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie at the Battle of Culloden were all carrying king otter skin to protect them from harm.

This new design will be available as cards and prints at my open studio as part of h.Art from the 10th-18th September. Please see details below.

Making a Living from Art is Tough: Why I Support the Just a Card Campaign

Just a Card is a fantastic campaign which was started by Sarah Hamilton after she read this sad statement from an independent gallery owner,

“If everyone who’d complimented our beautiful gallery had bought just a card we’d still be open.”

This is something which will resonate with all of my artist friends, particularly during the quieter summer months.

Unfortunately, due to the current economic climate, it's increasingly difficult for artists to be able to make a decent living from their work. Gallery and shop owners, as well as event organisers are suffering the same effects. When I attended BCTF earlier in the year, many participants commented on how much quieter the show was than in previous years. My very favourite show- Art in Action had its final event this summer after 40 wonderful years and I've just read that Treefest at Westonbirt Arboretum will also be finishing this year after 25 years due to falling visitor numbers. The Arter in Stratford (a wonderful supporter of the Smiths) was also forced to close earlier this year.

Making for a living is such a rewarding job but it's not an easy one. Taking part in art markets and larger shows can cost anything from £50 for a single day into the multiple hundreds and even thousands. That's before taking into account buying in enough stock, travel costs, promotional materials, packaging, display materials and even accommodation for artists travelling further afield.

During h.Art, I always like to bake a cake and offer it to our visitors free of charge. I'm always a little disheartened by the number of people who arrive, help themselves, even send me off to make them a cup of tea, stay for half an hour or more wanting to know all about how we make our work, insisting on a tour of the farm animals and then leave when just a single card could help us cover the cost of their visit. We even had a man say goodbye, get into his car and then run out to grab a handful of cake to take away with him- in my best Miranda voice, "Rude!".Thankfully, these visitors are outnumbered but not by as much as you'd think.

I've seen the same happen both with myself and other makers at art markets. You'll have a lovely visitor who wants to learn everything about your work and doesn't stop telling you how beautiful it is, how clever you are and how much they are absolutely in love with it. They usually even come back for a second visit. If this is you, why not consider buying just a card, or small product, from the maker? It will have their website on so you can look up more of their work when you go home- you won't forget about them and will have helped them cover the cost of their pitch that day and, fingers crossed, tip them into earning a wage for their work. Every purchase is much appreciated.

According to Sarah Hamilton's research, the buying public often said they were embarrassed to make a small purchase, fearing that it appeared mean. I, and so many other maker friends, have had so many markets where this small purchase from all of the people who loved our work would have totally transformed our day. I'm not talking about the people who have a quick look and walk by but the ones who are genuinely interested in what they are looking at and comment on how much they either like or love it.

Of course, not everyone has bags and bags of cash to splash around. Why not just choose your top few makers at a market, or even just one, and make a small purchase from them so that they are able to return to subsequent events? 

I do practise what I preach here, and have a drawer full of artists' cards recently purchased from from Aquarius, Iapetus, Catherine Hyde, Jane E Hall and Nicola Taylor. I keep some for myself and put them on display, always have a stash for birthdays and thank you cards, and even stick them into my diary and use them to write checklists.

Just a few from my card collection. Work by Sally Anne Lambert, Catherine Hyde, Jemima Jameson,
Stephanie Cole, Angela Jayne Latham & Jane E Hall 

 Just a Card is supported by the magazine Mollie Makes as well as The Design Trust (a fantastic resource for any artist). You can find out more by reading the flyer below which will be proudly on display at our open studio during h.Art.

My Final Fox Design

Earlier in the year, I created this new piece of work entitled 'Mr Fox'. Foxes are very much out of favour with me at the moment after losing my beautiful cat Mia to one a few months ago. Unfortunately, I don't see myself painting any more for the foreseeable future but 'Mr Fox' was already finished and in my batch of recent work to be scanned and made into prints.

'Mr Fox'

There are folk tales across Britain of a cunning foxy gentleman who tricks a young lady into agreeing to marry him with his elegance and fine manners. Little does the lady know that Mr Fox is planning to murder her. Foxes often represent male predators hunting female prey in these stories. Thankfully in most of the tales the lady is more cunning than sly Mr Fox.

This picture is now available as a greeting card and print and is the second fox in my collection along with 'The Kirtlington Vixen'.

In British folklore witches were rumoured to be able to turn themselves into foxes, amongst other creatures.

According to the story, there was once a vixen in Kirtlington, Oxfordshire which no huntsmen were ever able to catch. Once day they finally tracked her down with their hounds and chased her for many miles. They thought they had her trapped when she ran inside a small cottage. By the time they reached the cottage, the only living thing they found inside was an old woman, slightly out of breath.

Please visit my Etsy shop or get in touch to order any foxy related products from me. I always have them with me at art markets too. The next one will be the Teme Valley Market at The Talbot at Knightwick on Sunday 14th August.