March 2015.

We thought we were busy last month but this month we've had to find yet another gear to keep up with everything on our 'to do' list.

The reason for the extra hours spent in the Studio is due to our portfolio of print work being successfully chosen to appear in the Printmakers fair at the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield on the 21st and 22nd of March. Over 50 printmakers have been selected from around the UK, not just linocut printmakers but also other print mediums including woodcuts, screen prints and textiles, it's going to be a colourful, arty event full of wonderful prints! 

We have spent the last couple of weeks choosing which prints to take with us, printing more stock and carefully mounting and packing up each image, we will certainly have lots of choice for everyone attending the event including a couple of our new pieces. Gary's latest print is a reduction linocut print of a still Barn Owl perched high in the branches of an Oak tree. This was the print that visited the press more times than was first anticipated and we were both glad when it was finally deemed as finished.

Barn Owl - 'Deep in the Oak Wood'.

My latest print is the third in my floral series, this time capturing the sunny yellow trumpets of Spring Narcissus flowers. It is a limited edition of just 30 prints.

Sunny bulbs heralding the return of Spring.

Both new prints will be appearing on our stand next weekend.To read more about the event please click on the link here: http://www.hepworthwakefield.org/printfair/


All thoughts of gardening have been put back for a couple of weeks due to deadlines. Although we have used a couple of our lunch breaks, (when the sunny skies just couldn't be ignored), to go outside and tackle those jobs that really needed attention. So we now have the greenhouse ready and waiting for seeds to be sown thanks to Gary cleaning it until the glass sparkled like new. And I tackled one of the raised beds, clearing it and then planting out Shallots and Onions. I also managed a few minutes sowing both saladings and flower seeds in trays which are now being willed into growth in the warmth of the clean greenhouse.

Elsewhere in the garden all the spring bulbs are putting on a growth spurt and it shouldn't be too long before the Narcissus in the garden look like my print.

Allium bulb with a hint of the colour to come...

The Honeysuckle about to start it's ramble...

So it will be another weekend busy in the Studio for us, which is just how we like it!

Enjoy your weekend.


'Life is like a camera. Just focus on what's important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things don't turn out just take another shot.'
Anon

February 2015.

Have just checked and it's a month since last visiting this blog. It seems 2015 has been turbo charged to race on regardless of whether we can keep up with it's pace! The last month has been filled with long days spent in the Studio, both of us feverishly creating and putting our trusty press through it's paces.

All this means the garden has been left to it's own devices, thankfully it doesn't need us to help it wake up from it's winter slumbers. Signs of Spring are starting to show with fat furry buds decorating the Magnolia tree and the green speared tips of Narcissus planted last Autumn breaking through the soil. We must set aside a couple of days to tidy up out there. The greenhouse still hasn't been cleared and there are trays of young perennials bought last year as plug plants and potted up which are now bursting their pots and really need introducing to their permanent home in the flower beds.

Signs of Spring

Magnolia buds - Soft as a kitten's ear

In the kitchen, I have had renewed success with Sourdough bread. All last summer I tried with the same 'chef' starter, the bread it produced was very hit and miss and in the end I gave up on it. But missing the flavour of Sourdough I decided at the beginning of the year to make another starter. In the past I have managed to keep them going for years, the longest lasted 5 years and only ceased because we moved Countries! So far we've enjoyed 3 large loaves of bread from this new batch and it's flavour develops more with every new bake. It's especially good toasted and topped with a couple of poached eggs from our local farm shop.

Fresh from the oven

In the Studio I have been working on more floral ideas, taking inspiration from what grows in our garden. The latest addition should really come with a scent too!

Inking the plate

'Sweet Violets' - limited edition print

Gary has been working on a countryside piece which has taken up all his time. So far it has visited the press 6 times which means 6 different inks and there's still more to be added. He's using the reduction method so all these pressings are from just one linoplate which is slowly being carved away to almost just a couple of strands left on the plate. Hopefully it will be ready for it's big reveal in the next week.


We decided that this year we would get out and about more with our work and so we are over the moon to find we have been selected to show some of our prints at the Saltaire Inspired Art Trail and Makers Fair. We will be part of the Open Houses event where home owners in the World Heritage site village open up their own homes as temporary art galleries, showcasing various artists work. The event covers three days at the end of May so we are busy getting organised and need to start thinking about framing the chosen prints. Once we know where we will be appearing we'll let you know, it's all very exciting!

Yay, it's Friday, time to chase your tail!

Enjoy your weekend.


'With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?'
Oscar Wilde.

First blog of 2015.

January always seems to gamble past with great speed. The 31st of the month appears and I wonder where the month went. Consequently the 'to do' list never seems to get shorter and must do jobs get their deadlines shifted further back. And this January is turning out no different from any other and so this is the first opportunity I've had to sit down and work on a blog post.

To catch up from just before Christmas... we had a peaceful Christmas spending it quietly. Having family members scattered across the globe, large family gatherings are not the norm here, I have to admit we prefer the peace and quiet!

Finding ourselves living in a tiny Yorkshire Wolds village a few years ago we decided then that Christmas Day would be a great day to explore the Wolds Way, anticipating that we may find we would have the place to ourselves. So every year since we have pulled on our walking boots, packed a Christmas picnic and set off to notch more miles off the 76 mile national trail. Other than the year the path took us through the medieval village of Wharram Percy we find we are the only souls about and just love feeling that a small part of the world is ours alone. This year we found ourselves above Pocklington enjoying the long views in cold but clear weather. Spending the day walking the hills builds an appetite for Christmas dinner and the reward of sherry trifle consumed guilt free!

The winter fields with the fine lace tracery of the hedgeline

York Minster just visible on the horizon line - centre of photo

A red kite, one of a pair catching the thermals

The hedgerow decorated for Christmas

Evening light and long shadows - looking south

New Year found us back in the Studio, heads full of new print ideas. To make room for all the anticipated new artworks we decided to have a tidy up and clear out of the old. We had a number of small prints which we found useful to have at fairs but not having attended many events recently we thought we would put them in our 'Studio Clearout' in our Folksy online shop. There are a number of original prints on sale there, it's well worth a wander over...

Seedheads - on sale!

Garlic Mushrooms - in our Studio Clearout.

We have both been busy putting down all our ideas. Gary is working on a very complicated linocut which will take some time to complete, all I can say at this stage is it will fit nicely with his other wildlife prints! I have been working on another floral print which I wanted to complete as speedily as possible with it being so relevant to the season. It is a four colour limited edition linocut print of... *drumroll*...

The first ink plate...

And the final ink plate...

..and the finished print - 'The first Snowdrops'

I'm really please with the finished print, it is a short run of just 30 prints, supplied in a cream mount and would make a lovely gift for any garden lovers. I will be starting on my next floral edition to accompany this one hopefully later on this afternoon.

The Snowdrop, Winter's timid child,

awakes to life, bedew'd with tears.

Mary Robinson

Christmas Past

Christmas eve has stirred up so many memories this year. 

It's been a difficult year, loosing Mum in early February has weighed heavily on the year. Even though she was about to get the all clear from cancer the endless chemo and radiation therapy had left her body too weak to cope with much more, by Christmas last year she weighed just 6 stone. So when her kidneys gave out there was little to do and thankfully she left us within 24 hours of getting really sick. We hope that having finally packed away her house earlier this month that time will start healing the gap that she left here.

Christmases have never really had a pattern here and all manner of events have marked the day. From huge family gatherings attended when very young. One memorable occasion happened when elderly relatives plied me with too many sips of sweet sherry and I ended up asleep at the table, head resting in my Christmas lunch!

Other festive family gatherings included raucous house parties held up in the wilds of Scotland where my Mother's brother lived the 'good life' in a tiny Croft. Water was from a spring further up the fell, Christmas tree was cut from the land and uncle would arrive from the shops with a car boot full of wooden crates of satsumas, bottles of sherry and vast boxes of liqueur chocolates. The day was filled up with laughter, so much that by bedtime stomach muscles ached with the endless jollity.

Gary and I have enjoyed German Christmases where the generosity of neighbours have led to many attempts to recreate delicious rumtopfs they used to ply us with. We've had Christmases enjoyed in France, spending the day cycling for miles along the quiet country lanes with the odd passer by shouting 'Joyeaux Noel' in our direction.

One of our most memorable French Christmases was the first year we spent at our little farm. It took over three months to purchase the place and we finally found ourselves sat in the Notaire's office to sign the final ream of paperwork on the 23rd December. I had the most dreadful cold and it had taken all my strength to help Gary pack up the caravan and awning before we rolled off the closed caravan site, (where the owners had kindly allowed us to stay until our farm was ready). So on the 24th December, with the keys to our new home in our hands we hitched up the van and set off to start yet another adventure. 

Before the renovations started...

The house wasn't habitable, with a colander for a roof, no heating other than an ancient, wood guzzling stove, a sink in the living room and an infestation of woodworm that meant in the evening light it looked like it was gently snowing within the house.

The wood monster that gave off no heat at all!

On arrival there we tucked the caravan into the corner of the courtyard well protected from the east wind. By this time all I wanted was my bed, so as I climbed into it with our well travelled tabby cat for extra warmth, Gary set about putting up the awning single handed.

As Christmas morning dawned the sun shone down with welcoming warmth in it's rays. As I lay coughing and snuffling Gary set off, camera in hand to walk our land. We had acquired a mixed number of acres of French countryside, which included pasture, assorted fruit trees and a couple of acres of mixed woodland. The land rose and fell steeply offering us breath taking views of the Pyrenees to the south and the glimpse of  bastide villages perched on distant hills.

View of the nearest Hamlet

The eastern slope

Our wood in summer

Our view of the Pyrenees chain

When Gary returned he downloaded the many photos he had taken onto the laptop and as I sat up in bed taking in the views he donned his apron and started our Christmas meal. In a tiny caravan kitchen he prepared a chestnut and apple pie, along with an assortment of roasted veggies. (We'd had trouble sourcing Parsnips as no-one had heard of them in our region but had stumbled upon a bunch at the market being sold by an enterprising ex-pat). Even though my appetite wasn't up to much the effort that had gone into the preparation of our first Christmas meal in our new home spurred me to make a dent in the plate Gary served up for me. 

And so another Christmas memory was made...



And now the kitchen is calling here, the tree still isn't decorated and there are presents to wrap for Santa to look after. So we would like to wish all of you lovely people who took time to stop by here a very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful and Happy New Year.

Our two furry girls awaiting Santa

Take care and see you all next year!

Seagulls and packing tape...

.. It's been another busy week here with lots of packing, quite a few trips to the Post Office plus a day off of sorts to Hull. More of that later but first as it's Friday it just has to be ..

 .. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

As the Festive season fast approaches we thought we'd take the opportunity to showcase gift ideas found on Folksy and so this week the theme is gifts for the men in your life. Do try and find time to delve deeper into these gorgeous shops, their shop url's can be found under their photos.

  Gifts for men

Twit Twoo

Beautiful Barn Owl, made with such attention to detail, it would look wonderful perched high on an old beam. Lee specializes in capturing wild birds in her magical carvings, her shop is a 'twitchers' paradise: 
https://folksy.com/shops/LJBirdCarving

Brew time

This stylish looking travel mug comes with a handy lid and is just the ticket for holding a hot brew. It is constructed of black Walnut and Maple and has a real Retro feel to it: Ben also makes these handsome mugs in Cherry wood for an equally stylish finish:
https://folksy.com/shops/CreationsByBen

Pin striped 'Pinny'

An Apron with a hint of the city gent about it. Crisp pinstripes give this artisan apron a masculine edge for all those aspiring 'head chefs'. Lisa's Folksy Shop has aprons for both big and little boys: 

https://folksy.com/shops/adoglikesparky

Shampoo in a bar

Scented with Citrus and Clary Sage this solid Shampoo bar is suitable for both men and women, so you might as well order two to go! Melanie's home must smell fabulous with all her traditionally made lotions and potions containing such heady scents as Jasmine, Cedarwood and Bay Rum:

https://folksy.com/shops/TraditionalCrafts

We found ourselves in Kingston upon Hull on Wednesday. The real reason was to have our car serviced but it did give us an excuse to explore the city and perhaps get some reference shots for future artworks. We found ourselves in the old part of the city which surprisingly still contains Tudor buildings that managed to survive the heavy bombing the city withstood during the second world war. 

Tudor bricks on the old Grammer School

As the weather was behaving we made our way to the banks of the estuary, which even though is only a couple of minutes walk from the heart of the bustling city is a place of peace and quiet, we could stand on the foreshore and listen to the lap of the tide.

Gary took lots of bird reference shots and while on one of the jetties spied a solitary red shank feeding on the estuary mud flats. Such a delicate bird with a busy habit, it's foot prints left in the mud looked like a complicated dance move!

Can't go to the sea without spotting a seagull

Red Shank looking for lunch.

Another Shoreline bird feeding...

There will be more on Hull in a future blog, but until then, enjoy your weekend.



'Travel and change of place import new vigor to the mind'.
Sebera

Nearly 'that' time of year ...

.. The supermarkets are starting to fill their shelves with Christmas items and the TV festive ad campaigns are well underway so it must be getting to the time of year when decorations get sorted, lists get made and cakes get baked in preparation for the holidays. We took delivery this week of packing materials and picture mounts so we are primed for the festive flurry. But before we get 'snowed under' we better get on with the very last Alphabet themed Friday picks, it's time for ..

 .. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

 'Z' was as difficult as we knew it would be, but we did manage to find a handful of items, all we can say is thank goodness for zombies and zebras!. If you would like to see more from these talented crafters, their shop url's are under their photo's.

  'Z' is for...

Hand carved heart

Z is for - Zebra wood. This pretty pendant is hand carved from Zebra wood. Mark's Folksy shop is filled with 'beach' inspired items including surfboard clocks! https://folksy.com/shops/OceanArtsNorthDevon

  

Stripy buttony fun

Z is for - Zebra buttons. Lorraine's Folksy shop is an online haberdashery store, just the place if you are on the look out for buttons and bows! https://folksy.com/shops/SewWhoAreYou

Woolidermy!

Z is for - Zombies! Laura is the designer and maker behind this zombie squirrel head trophy. Her quirky, fun soft sculptures range from festive mince pies to human hearts, so if you are looking for something unusual then drop by her Folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/shops/lostinthewooddesigns



Here in the Studio we have been stock checking, re-printing and making space for packing up prints. We have a World map on the studio wall and place stars onto all the places where our prints find new homes, it's great fun seeing stars glittering from around the globe. New stars this week have been added including twinkles on New Zealand and California, just wish we could deliver them by hand!

'Charlie' - off to a new home in New Zealand

We also had friends around for supper midweek, they are jetting off soon to their winter home in sunnier climes so it was our chance to say bon voyage to them. They supply us with wood for our log stove, fruits from their garden and plants too. The latest plant gifts included some soft leaved lamb's ears, these plants have always found their way into our garden designs and I have been known to use them as cat substitutes, imagining their soft leaves as cat's ears on the rare occasions we have had no feline friends to share our home with. 

pink flowered lamb's ears

The evening went well and the pudding especially was a great success. I decided to attempt chocolate fondants, even though all the talk surrounding them makes them seem an impossible culinary feat. Happy to report they were simple to make, turned out as they should with a silky soft, gooey chocolate centre and we even have two spares sitting in the fridge for a treat over the weekend! Just wish I had thought to take a photo before eating them...


Enjoy your weekend.



'Those who do not think outside the box are easily contained'.
Anon

First Frosts ...

.. Within a matter of days we have gone from warm sunny days to our first frost of the Autumn and what a shock it was. The garden is looking very autumnal apart from some brave Cosmos that just keeps on flowering. This weather does act as a reminder that Christmas is just around the corner and this week's finds would all make great gifts for someone special. So here we go with..

 .. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

 'Y' is the letter of the week and has offered up some lovely, Autumn themed items. Do pop by the shops, their url's are under their photo's.

  'Y' is for...

For your log cabin in the woods

Y is for Yew Clock - This slice of locally sourced Yew tree makes a very handsome clock face. Paul searches local timber yards for wood with interesting forms to turn into his unusual clocks, lots more back in his Folksy shop: 

https://folksy.com/shops/WoodlandClocks

Woolly brooch for knitting fans

Y is for Yarn - In the form of a tiny pair of knitting needles with a ball of yarn which is actually a cute brooch. Such a fun gift idea for any knitting mad friends. Max's Folksy shop is filled with lots of craft themed jewellery:

https://folksy.com/shops/MaxsWorld

A home for your yarn

Y is for Yarn Bowl - Think these are such a great idea. Instead of chasing your yarn around or even having to wrestle it off the cat it will sit securely in this purpose made bowl. Especially like the glaze used here, it reminds me of roast chestnuts. Gary's Folksy shop has pots for all sorts of occasions:

https://folksy.com/shops/ThrownInStone

Autumn leaves are falling

Y is for Yellow leaf - This delicate leaf is crocheted by Kasia and can be used as a table doily, perfect for this time of year. The fine detailed work that goes into the crafted pieces is wonderful, lots of time and patience has gone into every one. Find more of Kaisa's handy work back in her Folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/shops/OhMyCraft

As this week has used Y for inspiration we couldn't miss the opportunity to feature one of our 'Y' for York prints.This is one of Gary's linocuts featuring York Minster, the tracery of the heart shaped window casement to the bottom right of the print is known as the 'Eye of York' as it looks down onto the great city.

The Medieval Cathedral of the city of York

When we first moved to York I decided to train to be a tour guide for the city. This entailed attending night school classes, lots of training and sitting exams. But I loved it all and really enjoyed the job itself, although after talking non-stop for 5 hours left me feeling more than a little hoarse!

York was home to Guy Fawkes, who found infamy by being part of the great gunpowder plot. The city goes to great lengths to celebrate the anniversary of the failed plot and the 5th November sees great firework displays taking place. Although we didn't get to see any fireworks this year the date did conjure up memories of 'bonfire nights' attended as a child and how my Nanna would always bake homemade Parkin for the night. We both love Parkin so I dug out a recipe and made a great slab of the gloriously sticky cake. Think I might have been a little light of hand with the black treacle as it isn't as dark as I remember but it still smells delicious and it contains lots of ginger and oatmeal. We are being very patient and leaving it for a couple of days in a tin to get even stickier before we take our first bite, can't wait!

Sticky, oaty treat

The 'tease' last week showing just a corner of Gary's latest print can now be revealed. Here it is, titled 'In the old Elm tree' it is an image of two magpies perched high in the branches of an old Elm tree, both on look out duties. It is getting lots of favourable comments since we listed in our online shops.

Two for Joy!

Enjoy your weekend.

'Autumn carries more gold in it's pocket than all the other seasons.'

Jim Bishop