Vibrant

At the weekend I was in the sunshine at the Wirksworth Festival in Derbyshire. It's an annual pilgrimage and this year we took friends who hadn't been before so saw the event through fresh eyes. Favourite artists were James Green and Rachel Grigor, We stayed in the town and so enjoyed a more leisurely pace on the art and architecture trail with breaks at music venues and the Wirksworth Brewery. I met up with other lovely artists and makers and bumped into lots of people I've met since I've exhibited at Wirksworth and Melbourne Festivals. We discovered that this amazing venue was for sale, it had a magical garden with livestock and a veggie plot...utterly magical. Sunshine, art, beer, chips and the company of good friends....a perfect end to the summer.

Melbourne Festival 2014

Don't forget that I'll be at the Melbourne Festival this coming weekend 13th/14th September. It's a showcase of the best of Derbyshire's artists and makers and I'm proud to have been selected. I've got new originals, my limited edition prints, new vases and.....drum roll please....two tea-towel designs to launch exclusively at the festival (pictures soon!). There aren't many tea towels, so please form an orderly queue! I'll be at 16 Church Street and doors are open 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. Be sure to bring the sunshine with you!

Faded Summer- detail from new original

from a selection of vases

'grow' from a selection of mini prints

And so it goes.

Suddenly it's September. This year is flying by. I've not known what to expect of myself this year. I've taken a step back from teaching workshops to try and get a bit of control over my life and business and to try to make a going-forward plan. I started to come to terms with life and then the Summer came and my role as a Mum had to take centre stage, and now I've forgotten where I'm going! In amongst the holidays and play days I've managed to get some new vases designed and fired and a couple of new originals finished and framed ready for the Melbourne Festival on the 13th/14th September. I'll be in the same, beautiful venue as last year, at 16 Church Street. I've realised how interlinked the different areas of my life are and how my garden feeds me, both in the literal sense and in providing me with inspiration. I often feel that it's not work to be gardening but it's an intrinsic part of myself and my creativity. So this Autumn, when the boys go back to school, I've resolved not to be quite so serious about 'work', to feed my soul with the things that inspire me, and to allow some play back into my creative life. What's on your Autumn Manifesto?

Manifesto Autumn 2014

Live Simply

Learn to play again

Garden-it's my inspiration

Remember the rainbow

Eat simply and healthily

Take time off - book it in

Read about Tibet

Photograph/collect

Read to the boys

Make a pile of blankets ( and sit under them!)

Glorious Technicolor

We just got back from a family holiday in Anglesey. I know I should have been out there with sketchbook and pencil but the truth is, I really needed a recharge-the-batteries kind of holiday. And I got one! Blessed with daily sunshine, the island of Anglesey seemed lit in Technicolor and each landscape and garden visited trapped in a time warp taking us back to the 1940's and 50's. We had a gentle holiday sitting on the beach, eating dairy ice-cream, collecting shells. The evenings were spent sharing good food and playing Monopoly. Just what I needed. Though now I'm back I need another holiday with a sketchbook under my arm!

Website update!

If you've not noticed yet, my website has had a makeover! With the confidence I got from doing the Photocraft course I was able to see how I could use photography to communicate a bit more about my ideas and inspirations. My colour has come back and I'm looking forward to seeing that in some of the new originals I am planning. The website and blog are now linked in to all my social media so whether you're on twitter, Facebook or Linkedin you can keep in touch with me at the studio.  It was a labour of love putting the site together with wonderful technical support from David Hallows.

Colour Happy

Today I have been featured on the Photocraft blog for their Kitchen Table Diary. It is lovely to see a reflection of where I am right now, and just how far I have moved forward in the last two months. I've been able to look to the future and make a plan for my business and creative growth.

Full colour

Doing something new can be very refreshing. This week the Photocraft online photography course that I am doing will come to an end. It has been such a life saver in helping me move forward in my business. It has opened my eyes to new possibilities and helped me see my own creativity with fresh eyes. Completely unexpectedly, it has made me paint my wall beetroot!

New ways of working and playing have reinvigorated me and I'm very proud that I'll be featured in the new Photocraft tutorial on creating inspiration boards. You can see a trailer here....

This week I'm learning about styling shoots so have been out collecting props. After a week of pinning style inspiration on Pinterest, I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I got to Homebase! I'm loving the Habitat ranges there. I think I might be a rainbow when I grow up!