Whoo whoo!

It's been a busy week!  I've been getting design work ready for my agent's trip to the US next week, curating the Folksy blog (see below), starting some new work for my exhibition next month, AND, working on my new website.  David has worked at record speed to do all the coding in Dreamweaver.  Lots of late nights, but here's the fruit of our labour..... (gallery pages still to be added).

If you need a website to match your blog....or vice versa....get in touch.  David is great at interpreting what you want, can use all the visuals that you create, and charges really favourable rates!

Camping!

We've just arrived back, soggy and depleted from a week camping in the Lake District.  Such a beautiful place ..... but so wet!  We had a great time.  The boys loved camping; being outdoors, collecting pebbles from streams, fishing, and all the rainy day activities.  I loved setting up camp; hanging the bunting and sitting on a hot pink sun chair.....with a blanket!  We drank hot chocolate made from Green and Black's, topped up with brandy to keep us going.  The walks were magical, short but invigorating, the wind taking your breath away and filling up your soul with freshness and purity and space to think and breathe.  I don't think the boys knew what to think when I stood, leaning into the wind and shouted "I'M ALIVE!" for all the sheep to hear.

Folksy Friday .....sorry it's late!

Kirsty Elson Designs striped cushions Myrtle House daisy chain bracelet Curly Top placemat roll

Tea and Crumpets camp kit The Sunroom crochet throw Katie-sshed caravan cushion

Forest Flower mini-bunting Bow legs strawberry hairgrips A Tall Order log cabin throw

Worldly goods

I've been feeling very unsettled.  The election result has put me on edge.  I'm feeling really unrepresented and very dissillusioned with the main parties.  The financial problems in Greece, volcanic ash, a soon-to-be-out-of-work-husband and I'm feeling rattled.  So I'm having a sort-out.  One of those big sort-outs where everything comes out the back of the cupboard and then you wonder what the hell to do with it.  I read this blog entry (scroll down to May 16th) and felt the need to do the same, or similar.  My studio is small and a dumping ground.  The way I work has really changed over the last few years and I'm filling space with millions of things I don't need.  I've been reading about living a more simple life and so I'm off-loading.

The Squirrel and the Bird. HH 2001

So here's a giveaway from my old stash of work.  It's a small felt applique and it could be yours!  Leave a comment and I'll randomly select a winner from the comments using a very sophisticated selection system!  You have one week.

Good friends

Yesterday I sat in the Victoria and Albert Museum cafe with two of my favourite people drinking coffee, talking about art and books and life, and generally feeling that life is rather super.  It's been a long time since I have been to London and I have filled my mind, camera and notebook with shapes, colours and ideas......all will be revealed.

I travelled back up the country mindful of the book of paintings by Eric Ravilious that I had seen.  The landscape was still held back by this cold spring.  The green intensifies but the trees stay bare and brusque.  Just the odd tree was graced with acid green leaves, there hasn't been enough sunshine for full photosynthesis to occur.  Due to an error with my ticket I was upgraded to first class.  I would much rather have shared Ravilious' journey in this third class carriage.

Windy day

I love this blustery image by Sybil Andrews.  It has so much dynamism to it.  I bought it as a card published by Art Angels.  It's an image from the collection at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Canada.  I really like this and this.  Sybil Andrews (1898-1992) developed her style in the 30's, influenced by Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism. 

I'm liking alot of printmaking at the moment, I also bought this by Linda Farquharson.  Oh no!  I've just discovered she's Scottish!  I'm not doing this on purpose I promise!!  I'm sure there are some wonderful artists living and working outside of Scotland!

I've been tracked down by a lady who is opening a gallery in Derbyshire later in the year.  She's asked if I'll do some work for the gallery and also if I can teach a workshop which is all very exciting.  It also means, I have to stop showing my inspirations and navel gazing and knuckle down to some work.

Wish you were here

"To be an artist is to believe in life."

Henry Moore

I received these two postcards this week, sent from the Henry Moore exhibition at Tate Britain.

This picture?

This picture in my studio is by my fantastically talented husband.  His website features his illustration work but he is an amazing painter and this piece called "Wales" is one of my most treasured possessions.  And you can see from the juxtaposition of our work what a strong visual influence he has on me.

                                   

I've been in my studio making slow and steady progress on my tapestry weaving.  In my "How, why, when" post I didn't deal with why I weave.  You have to be nuts to be a weaver, see Monty Don's excellent programme on weaving for evidence!  It's a slow, often tedious process but it is true that the amazing sense of creating cloth from spools of yarn is very rewarding.  And creating cloth that has a narrative, even better.

In response to featuring Scottish artists I was reminded of the work of George Birrell.  Again a strong sense of colour and pattern prevails.

Back to the loom .....not much left to weave now.

First day of Spring

It's the Spring Equinox this weekend when the days are now as long as the nights.  Heard the birds singing at dawn this morning and could feel the energy of the world.

I love white on white and when Selvedge magazine arrived I had to post this egg image by Katya de Grunwald.  So beautiful.

Happy Spring.

How, why, when?

Thanks for such a positive response to my website!  I've felt a bit vulnerable this week letting people know about the site and knowing that they've been clicking into my blog and the inner workings of my mind!  I've felt creatively supported and also feel that I can be more honest about who I am.  There have been lots of how, why and when questions that I thought I would try and answer.  I must admit to a bit of stage fright knowing that new people are tapping in to follow my creative journey.......hello.

I've already covered how I work in other posts on this blog, but I've not really covered how I research and collect inspiration.  Obviously, I'm an avid blog reader and that introduces me to other artists from all around the world.  I also sketch when I can, though mostly that has become the jotting down of a visual idea, an aide memoire of a visual experience.  I also keep notebooks of ideas, cuttings, postcards, tickets: anything that inspires a colour or technique.

Because of the eclectic nature of my work, I'm a bit of a hoarder.  I collect fabrics and cottons, tapestry yarns, papers and books.  I commit the sacreligious act of cutting up vintage books.  I love the weight of the paper and the matt finish on the print.  I scour car boot sales for vintage childrens' books and hardbacks with interesting jackets and endpapers.  The backgrounds of my collages are pastel paper, sometimes watercolour paper.  I find these are heavy enough to stitch into without creasing and tearing.

I'm very fortunate to have a room to call my own.  It's a box room and is referred to as "That room that Mummy makes things in"!  Also known as my studio.  I've always had my own creative area and this is probably the smallest I've had, but I love it.  It brings me a sense of calm to go in there, even when it's in a mess.  It smells of old books and I like to feel the textures of the things that are in there, personal treasures and photos from my life.

Why I do my work needed a bit of reflection.  All the way through childhood I made things and loved to draw.  I was supplied with materials and encouraged by my Mum.  She taught me to sew and we made bags and clothes.  When I was seven, my Mum and Stepdad made me a portfolio out of gingham fabric with pockets filled with art materials.  I was in heaven!

I grew up near London and trips to galleries were a frequent way to spend a Sunday.  First stop for me was the shop.  Even then I needed to buy postcards to put up as inspiration.  I think what I'm expressing is that art has always been a huge part of my life.  It's right there in my soul and has to be expressed.   I loved art college, especially my foundation year for the way my creativity was nurtured and challenged.  Later I specialised in woven textiles which gave my creativity discipline and the ability to see a project through.

Then came real life!  I realised that in order to live and work creatively, the work needed to be commercial, so I changed tack and sold designs for fashion, stationery and homeware.  I sold work, earnt an income but didn't feel that I was expressing myself.  That's when I found The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: that became my bible!  In that I found the spiritual strength to express myself and to value my creativity.

I think that's a long winded way of saying I do it because I have to!  Because if I don't I feel empty.  Because when I create I feel a resonance with the universe and feel confident in myself and my place in the universe.

That doesn't mean it's always easy to get to that place!  I have a physical space to work in and a spiritual goal attached to that creative work.  I've manage to create spaces in the week for creative time, two mornings and one day on alternate weeks.  I work as quietly as I can when the kids are asleep and I blog when my youngest has his nap.  The reality is it's a juggle.  My house has huge dust balls roaming around it  (often mistaken for cats!).  I'm getting better but I have periods of time where I'm deeply frustrated.  I have the support of a wonderful husband and family.  They all realise that I'm a better wife, mother, person when I can be me......and oh I love them for that!

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier.  The way it works is the reverse.  You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do in order to have what you want."

Margaret Young

Heralding the arrival of ....

A little bird would like to tell you that, with a trail of stars and space dust, my website has been launched into cyberspace and as dawn breaks this morning you can find me at http://www.helenhallows.com/.  Hope you like it! x

Spring has sprung

This lovely fresh, Spring image arrived on a flyer from St. Judes Gallery.  It features the work of printmaker Penny Bhadresa.  She has great compositions.  I like how she plays with scale and space.

Cultural challenges

It has become very easy to get my creative inspiration from tried and tested places.  I love it when Selvedge drops through my door every other month, I know that in AN magazine I'll find work that's conceptually challenging and my guilty pleasure is Country Living Magazine.  Then there are the galleries; I know where to tap into my comfort zone and see a reflection of my own work.  More recently, unless something is going to look pretty on my blog then it's not worth looking at!

And so it was a New Year resolution to seek out new experiences and new places.  Following on from seeing a BBC4 documentary about the Cuban music scene, I got last minute tickets to see Danza Contemporanea de Cuba at Nottingham Playhouse.  Wow! What an experience! 

Contemporary dance isn't normally my thing and for a few minutes I did think I would get the giggles, as I did when I saw a contemporary opera.  But I was blown away.  It helped to be watching twenty one of the world's most beautiful and talented dancers.  I was taken by the mood, the colour, the strength and beauty of the dancers.  In three acts; the first was intense and discordant,  the second lyrical and passionate and the third dynamic and powerful.  Infused with global dance traditions, it was utterly compelling.  I've not felt a part of such a responsive audience for a long time.  A standing ovation was given to shouts of  "Viva Cuba!"

So now it's Monday and I'm back in the studio with the pressure of producing some new work for the Beetroot Tree Gallery.  In my minds eye there's the colour and movement from the dance, and also the colour and movement from the stained glass artists featured in Monty Don's BBC2 programme on Master Craftsmen.  One experience from the comfort of the sofa, one from outside of the box.

Pilchards!

Just a quickie!

I also came across this which reminded me of the idea of museum collections discussed below.

Oh, and I love this!

Snow blindness

I woke up to this!  No Spring yet then.

Finally managed to get to the Tarpey Gallery which opened in September.  Beautiful space for contemporary fine art.  Featured artists included Joan Ainley, David Manley and David Ainley.  Have just read that Joan Ainley only started to work in the visual arts in the 1990's after having her sight restored.  I am trying to think how amazing it must be to open your eyes to the visual feast that is our world.  It is one of my greatest fears to lose my sight and yet as a visual person I sometimes feel so over stimulated and wish I could switch off for a while.  I suppose that is why I like the snow, it is like closing your eye lids on the world and then when it melts, you can see the world afresh.

Blue to Red

Nottinghamshire has a rich history as the Dukeries and is packed with stately homes that have been renovated and remodelled as galleries and art workshops.  Among my favourites are Rufford, Thoresby, and Staunton Harold Ferrer's Centre (ok, that's Leicestershire).  One that I've been meaning to discover is the Harley Gallery near Worksop.

Tipped off by Maebh Warburton's blog about the current exhibition, "Follow a Thread", we combined our visit to Thoresby with a stop at the Harley Gallery.

                                     

Where Thoresby is stone, highlighted with blue paintwork, the Harley is highlighted with red.  It's a stunning gallery space.

The exhibition featured the work of six artist-makers from Edinburgh, each specialising in contemporary tapestry.  My favourites were Jo Barker and Linda Green.  Having started to weave tapestries (okay.....tapestry.....still on going)  the technical control and ability of Jo Barker is outstanding.  Her ability to paint with thread and keep the surface alive is beautiful.  Like a true textiles groupy I couldn't help sneaking a look at the back of the tapestry and loved the hanging threads and rich pallette.

Jo Barker tapestry

Jo Barker tapestry (detail)

Linda Green's work was inspiring in a different way.  I loved the way she's challenged notions of cloth and weave and created a mini-museum of samples that push the boundaries of fibre art.  These tiny pieces (10cm to 30cm tall) reminded me of anthropological finds from Africa or the Far East that could be musical instruments or jewellery. These pieces led  me to challenge my own assumptions about what a tapestry should be and what it should be constructed from.

Linda Green tapestry studies

I'm looking forward to returning to the Harley Gallery for the Slow Craft exhibition at Easter.

Out and About

Luckily we've seen some first inklings of Spring sunshine and I've lifted out of my gloom.  The sun didn't follow us up to Thoresby when we had a day out to drop off my work.  As we went north, the weather closed in, thick fog swirling across from the forest, driving through layers of grey.  Occasionally a splash of heightened colour, a pistachio coloured field or richly painted house, would awake the senses and shock the monochrome landscape.

I dropped off two pieces for the Snowdrop exhibition which starts on the 27th of February.  This one is called "The Robin and the Snowdrops", to complement "One leaf left".

Workshops and Gallery at Thoresby Hall.

Home truths

Like the rest of blog-land I seem to be melancholic.  I'm not good with endless winter.  I like transitions: daybreak, sunset, the first warmth of spring.  Oh, for the first warmth of spring. 

I thought this blog would be purely about my work, a voice for me, away from family, where I can live out the fantasy that I am really an artist and forget about the million other responsibilities that come ahead of my creative time.  In my endevours to march on creatively, and now that school runs mark out the pattern of my days, there's not been so much time for family creativity, or to stop for a moment in the intensity of daily life and breathe in the smell of warm boys and have fun!  So, today (yes, I know it's a day late) we made a Valentine garland, with hearts for all those we love and once I was strung up there on my own heart, surrounded by drawings of family and all the pets and little people who fill my daily life I felt a bit better.  But please, please roll on spring. x

"Earth we thank you for this food

For rest and home and all things good

For wind and rain and sun above

But most of all for those we love."

Waldorf traditional blessing from "The Creative Family" by Amanda Soule

Cup of tea?

These started life as ideas for Christmas presents and as they were so well received they have now found their way into my folksy shop.  Two themes, sun and moon, sold as a set or separately and bound to bring harmony and spiritual contemplation to your tea ceremony.