Norris and the Flamingo

Wire Masterpieces on Display

2012-01-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

In its last week, I thought I'd attempt to record my 10:15 Club's work on display in the ongoing Flux, Flow, Flight exhibition at Orleans House. It was hard to photograph due to the spotlight, but I'm really impressed and proud of their wire work.

A Quick Linocut

2012-01-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

A quick linocut ... printed onto tissue paper and used to adorn a vase along with the prints of my colleagues, a gift to our departing Schools Coordinator.

Mixed Media Wishlist

2012-01-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

Art Club are exploring their dreams and aspirations in a mess of mixed monochrome media ... these are they!I believe we have a flight, a guinea pig and a cat, artists to be confirmed.

The gigantic visions of Sean Michael

2012-01-10T04:11:00.000-08:00

Recent recruitment for freelance artists allowed me to soak myself in creative inspiration as I browsed numerous portfolios and dreamed up infinite new projects. One that caught my attention was Sean Michael, builder of enormous collaged landscapes that make you feel you are living a fairytale.
And, as much as anything else, I loved the concept of a '40 hour drawing' ...

Grown-ups can have fun too

2012-01-06T02:23:00.000-08:00

We finally held a long-awaited skill sharing day among the Education staff at Orleans House. We had much to report back on, from the inspirations of the Engage conference to the aims of the Challenging History project. But then we were allowed to play, and at last Rachel could show us the fun she'd had with the team from Quay Arts, who led a workshop at Engage.

Potatoes! Who would have thought they could lead to such creative freedom? These little, non-descript roundish-but-not-round-enough objects generally used to introduce tinies to printmaking. Also commonly used for eating. And, as it transpires, distinctly useful for infinite creative purposes. We found ourselves using them as joints in willow structures that reached the ceiling, and we found ourselves dipping them in paint and rolling them across the floor to create a plethora of twisty, turny patterns (and a lot of mess).

More Christmas Crackers

2012-01-03T02:19:00.000-08:00

Having made over a hundred crackers in workshops, it was an easy step to make eighteen of my own ...

(Belated) Christmas Greetings

2011-12-30T02:15:00.000-08:00

Cracker-Fest

2011-12-20T04:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a serious cracker-fest this year. We've made Christmas Crackers with four Art Clubs, Santa's children, and finally I managed to bring crafts through the doors of Bishopsgate Institute, as we got the volunteers making crackers at their Christmas Party, suitably supported by wine ...

A Felted Advent Calendar

2011-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

It's something of a work in progress, but I thought I'd share it while the season was still festive! Here's my felt advent calendar, made in honour of our house warming and filled with fortune cookies. Each guest was invited to choose a significant number and take the cookie within. Next year, I hope the numbers will be attached through a decorative array of textile beads ...

Collograph Christmas Cards

2011-12-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

I indulged in the glories of Paperchase textured wrapping paper with Heart young parents group, to make collograph Christmas Cards. It was hard to bring themselves to print with such exquisite papers, but they did it! Here is Rowan's.

Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven

2011-12-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

My recent visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery was not only for the reunion with old masters, but to see the Painting Canada exhibition, featuring Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. My Canadian Mr Liam has talked of these paintings ever since we met, but what I thought was a journey as a surprise for him, turned into one of the most inspirational gallery visits I’ve made this year. Pictures in books and calendars had seemed vaguely reminiscent of the fauves and Cezanne, and I wasn’t sure what new discoveries I’d find.

But these guys were amazing. They did something right in capturing the ethereal wildness and ‘otherness’ of extreme wild places. It was the boldness of colour that somehow never lost their realism. The bravery of painting one piece almost entirely in pink and mauve, without it ever looking feminine or delicate – merely evocative of the mysterious sunsets you find when surrounded by water and mountains (see above: Evening, Canoe Lake, 1915-16). And the contrast that I have long loved in some of Kandinsky’s ‘Murnau’ paintings – of very, very dark against deeply rich colours. Managing, somehow, not to look false, but to capture my favourite moments of sunshine, in September as the sun lowers and the shadows become long, and the grass reaches and impossible shade of green.

I’ve not worked much with landscapes, and this is something I’ve struggled with since my trip to South America, where the landscapes hosted my most profound experiences. Group of Seven challenged me to open my paintbox and try again, revisit my sketches and my photographs, tackle those colours and take them further …

Bassie's Signature

2011-12-05T03:24:00.000-08:00

Bassie is a member of Octagon Club, the Orleans House group for teenagers with disabilities. Every time I meet him, I am mesmerised by Bassie’s artistic intelligence. He reminds me once again of the purely contrived boundaries between ‘professional’ and ‘naïve’ art, as he intuitively applies ideas and concepts to his projects that career artists might think of using as identifying features for making a name in their own work.

In this case, Bassie eats a bakewell tart each week during the break. And after the break, he finds a way to include the foil case of the tart in his work, making it an intrinsically distinctive, original ‘Bassie’ master.

During my recent collograph project, therefore, Bassie cut up his wrapper and added it to the complex and dynamic collage he had already created. Here, you can see the original collage alongside the prints which he took from it.

Return to Dulwich

2011-12-02T00:29:00.000-08:00

It’s been a goodly while since my last visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery, and what I hadn’t realised is that finding myself back in that place, among such familiar paintings, would be like a reunion with old friends. In my excitement over more contemporary art and illustration, I’d let myself forget what an incredible array of paintings lives within the cosy walls of DPG. It was a unique tour of nostalgia, from the earthiness of Murillo’s peasant paintings (see Two Peasant Boys and a Negro Boy, above), and the elegance of the Gainsborough’s Linley Sisters, to Rembrandt’s Girl at the Window and the drama of Boats in a Storm by Backhuysen, evoking memories of thrilled classes of 7 year olds creating the sound effects for the painting … the swish and the swoosh of wind and spray, the cries of ‘help’ and the heaving and hoeing of ropes and sails.

Those Magnificent Kids and their Flying Machines

2011-11-28T01:50:00.000-08:00

I gave them all the fun things we forget to play with these days ... post it notes (every shape and colour), sticky dots, letraset, marker pens ... and a few ordinary things. I asked them to let their imaginations go and invent a flying machine ...
Children's imagination is so liberating. I wanted to show you all their machines but here, for now, are Daisy's, Gaby's and Josephine's.

The Latest in Textile Discoveries

2011-11-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

I spent two glorious days at Morley College, learning how to 'bond papers and cloth' ... I had no idea what to expect but I'm always excited by the idea of discovering something I'd never dreamed of. And so it came to be; as if by magic, you can bond a sheer fabric to a photocopied picture and remove the paper from behind it. With all sorts of other side options, of course.
I should confess, neither of my experiments were free from struggles but I'm full of excitement about the possibilities. And I came to discover the full potential of heat transfer inks, something I've dabbled with but never really appreciated, along the way!

Textile Extravaganza

2011-11-19T05:57:00.001-08:00

My 5-8s spent the first half of this term exploring famous artists through textiles. Can you spot the inspirations?!

We looked at Kandinsky, Picasso, Van Gogh and Matisse, and used a different textile technique to explore each ...

Collographing Movement

2011-11-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here are the final collograph prints by my 10:15 Club in response to the Flux, Flow, Flight exhibition. It's the second time I've worked with collographs with this age group and limiting the textures available helped enormously to avoid some of my previous problems.
Not all the prints were blue, incidentally, but these were the most effective! Here are works by Felix, Leonie and Sebastian.

Felted Treasure Hide-Outs

2011-11-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

The therapeutic effects of felting ... Half term saw two blissful two-hour workshops in which we made felt pieces with hidden pockets, and trheaded beaded treasures to hide within.

Mum's Birthday Card

2011-11-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd take a risk and share my Mum's birthday card before she's even received it! Mum and I have a long tradition of making each other's cards. But for me, I confess it usually means a last minute scan of the house for inspiration ...
This time I stumbled across an old brochure for Kerala, picked up at a Destinations Exhibition. It seemed a stunningly visual opportunity to play with pop up. Techniques brazenly imitating David Carter's 600 Black Spots.

Galerie Esperluette

2011-11-04T02:25:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to be living in the home of Gethan and Myles while they take their creative adventures to Marseilles. And there, they have set up a gallery in the window of their house. Easiest to peruse if you speak some French!

Pop-Up Madness

2011-11-01T02:12:00.000-07:00

A fantastic day with an amazing bunch of 9-14s exploring pop-up. After going technical in the morning, learning how to create a range of folds, wheels and other surprises, we took to the spontaneity of collage in the afternoon before turning our extravagant backdrops into 3D scenes through pop-up.
These are the works, from top to bottom, of Isabella, Jesse and Andreas. Sadly it's hard to capture the 3rd dimensions of pop up in a quick photo at the end of the day.

The Magic of Movement

2011-10-29T02:01:00.000-07:00

It's always a good challenge to undertake a more technical project with 30 6-9 year olds in one day flat. And this was no less of a challenge than usual, but we made it, thanks largely to the stoic determination of my amazing interns. Flying creatures, with wings that flap through a kind of chop-stick motion.
The current exhibition at Orleans House, Flux Flow Flight, celebrates the capturing of movement through every form of art. With this as a basis, I remembered the butterfly puppets that flew through the puppet shows in Val Paraiso. They seemed so simple at the time!

Halloween or Picasso?

2011-10-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

In a challenge to imitate the styles of different artists through a range of textile techniques, here is Flossie's Picasso-esque portrait. I think it came out brilliantly, but it's sinister teeth do seem rather apt for this time of year!

Capturing Movement in Monoprint

2011-10-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

My 10:15 group at Orleans House Gallery are working on printing projects in response to the new exhibition, Flux, Flow, Flight. Last week, we used monoprinting from photographs to see if we could create the effect of movement.

As always, I was impressed by the varied and experimental responses. Here are pieces by Leonie, Micol and Amber.

Penelope and Mariana

2011-10-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

Moving house has kept me from drawing for a bit but I did spend a leisurely hour with my friend in Derbyshire, drawing from photos of her daughters. I'm not sure this is how I want to be remembered as an artist, but nevertheless, here are Penelope and Mariana ...

Board Games and Beyond

2011-10-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

The first night of Board Games and Beyond, a board games evening hosted by my friend Charlie Fish at the Ritzy, and I was mesmerized by Dave's contribution; as fun, playful, and inspiring as I might have expected from Dave. You won't be surprised to know that we can rearrange the letters as we like ... hours of fun to be had!

Adventures in Blogland

2011-10-10T03:33:00.001-07:00

I found this I-want-to-touch-it illustration one of those adventures in blogland, where you follow link after link and find yourself in an unknown landscape of glorious illustration. I will probably never find my way there again, but I thought I'd share my destination! This is In Disguise by Silje Nilsen.

Revisiting my Childhood

2011-10-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

In the throes of moving house, I crave a few familiar comforts ... so it seems a good time to revive one of my childhood favourite illustrators, Babette Cole. Most famous for Mummy Laid an Egg, our childhood evenings were filled with The Trouble with Mum, The Trouble with Dad, and the rest.
More recently my mum gave me the books they had from the time they knew Babette in Botswana, filled with stories of Nungu, surrounded by the exotic animals that filled my childhood dreams. These days, the Nungu books are my favourite of all. Perhaps they scratch my travel itch!

Working with Wire

2011-09-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

For a display alongside the upcoming exhibition, Flux, Flow, Flight, at Orleans House Gallery, I was asked to make wire sculptures inspired by the lesser known works of Alexander Calder. Enthusiastic about the challenge and the opportunity for my gang, I was nevertheless a little apprehensive that it might prove a tricky way to start the term. Once again, however, my teenagers came up trumps and produced an incredible array of wire creatures, demonstrating their total versatility and willingness to try something new.

Here, you see pieces by Oliver, Isabella and Leonie, from top to bottom.

Su Blackwell

2011-09-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Continuing from last weeks post, Mysterious Paper Sculptor, I was moved to look up Su Blackwell, mentioned in the original article. Another mesmerising, fantastical creative who literally brings fairytales to life from the pages of books. This one is called "Out of Narnia", but I highly recommend visiting her website and losing yourself in this utterly magical world. I really would love to spend a weekend crafting from books ...

Rebecca Rabbit

2011-09-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Agatha Bibabbington, by my friend Rachel Craddock, I made a sock rabbit for my friend's daughter Sophia ...

Mysterious Paper Sculptor

2011-09-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

It seems that Banksy has taken to the delicate world of papercraft! This amazing artist has taken to leaving anonymous gifts carved into books, in the libraries and cultural institutes of Scotland. I know the idea of cutting into books pains some people, but nobody could be anything but delighted with the intricate beauty of these masterpieces, each bearing a subtle message in defence of the fragile future of libraries.

Fimo Fairytales

2011-09-13T04:52:00.001-07:00

A glorious day bringing fairytale characters to life in fimo, with cute backdrops in which to make their homes. Above, the three bears outside their castle; below a fortune teller at work...
(We won't mention adventures with interns, burnt fimo, toxic fumes, fire engines, ambulances and new ovens, except to say that all's well that ends well!)

Fabric Sketchbook

2011-09-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

With a week of Welsh camping ahead of me, it occurred to me that it might be fun to create a sketchbook that didnt die in the rain. And so, my fabric sketchbook, quickly put together from scraps of fabric along with a little set of threads, waterproof pens, acrylic paints and, because I love them, luggage tags.

Woven Wonders

2011-09-05T03:15:00.001-07:00

Something I've wanted to do for ages ... get children weaving into household objects. But space and storage issues so often intrude into workshops that I had to wait until a full day with a large room and lots of children. And then we got going. Linking to the British Tapestry Group exhibition in the Stables Gallery, my 5-8 and 8-11 year olds explored a range of approaches to weaving and wrapping, including a collaborative project with objects ranging from lampshades to bins, and umbrella and a spatula. Here is our final masterpiece!

Jackie Morris and the Seal Children

2011-09-02T09:25:00.001-07:00

My recent (extremely lazy) holiday on the glorious Pembrokeshire Coast allowed the discovery of Jackie Morris, exquisite writer and illsutrator now living in the area. She, too, is drawn to fables and folklore and the richness and depth of her paintings makes me determined to persevere with my novice ventures into watercolour. This illustration is from The Seal Children, my holiday souvenir. I am also drawn by her blog, Drawing a Line in Time ...

Talent on fabric - Heat transfer inks in action

2011-08-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Exploring the vivid magic of transfer inks during the holiday workshops, I was particularly inspired by the creativity, vision and experimentation of two sisters. here are the fabric landscapes of Beth (above) and Kate (below).

Printing the Torres

2011-08-16T09:26:00.001-07:00

As I collaged my photos from Torres del Paine the other day, it dawned on me that the shapes I was cutting would also 'feel' rather landscape-ish ... and so, even as I tried to embark on a new technique, I found myself once more building a collograph. And the 'quick prints' I intended to make turned into epic adventures of intaglio exploration.

Above, the traditional black intaglio print; below, an initial experiment with black and white onto sugar paper. It's not a good print yet, but I'm rather excited by the effects and colours!

Earth Sculpture

2011-08-15T03:57:00.001-07:00

Another day of elements, this time, Earth Sculpture ... With my 6-9 year olds, I felt they had used clay plenty of times so was out to try something new. Thus, the messiest day (well, another messy day) in Orleans House history, as we explored ways of using kinds of earth to make sculpture. Compost, the original earth, secretly embedded with seeds that, fingers crossed, will spring into giant bean stalks. And sand, the one material that every child already sculpts every summer, without an atom of encouragement ...

Characterising the Winds

2011-08-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Summer Holidays again, and a week of activities, 'Elements of Art'. So with the teenagers (well, 9-14s), we printed air, so to speak. I've long been drawn to the characters of the different winds as expressed in fables and drawn into the corners of ancient maps, so I asked my groups to think of how they could characterise the winds in the collographs. From the aggressive north wind to the cheeky east wind and gentle west wind, we had a lovely selection of plates to print from.

As is often the case with collographs, some got luckier than others in the final prints they achieved form their plates, but here is one print and one plate, to give you a taste ...

The surreal landscapes of Torres del Paine

2011-08-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

I thought it was high time I shared something I'd been up to myself, so although it's very early stages in my latest project, here are today's collaged landscapes, using photos from Torres del Paine. This may, eventually, lead to a back drop for my condor box... one of my seven intended 'bird boxes' inspired by the birds of South America.

Home for Orphaned Dishes

2011-08-02T04:29:00.001-07:00

I found another incredible exhibit at the Whitechapel and it made me smile. Alan Kane has collected the rejected pots from charity shops, and displayed them as you would archaeological relics. They look amazing. But not only that, he's opened up half the space to be filled by us, the junk-shopping public, and the relics we find in charity shops. What fun! So, I'm off to trawl the dusty shelves of Balham's charity shops ...

Yayoi Kusama ... in Spain

2011-07-31T05:04:00.000-07:00

A week in Spain ... I could write about Guernica, Prado or Thyssen-Bornemisza, about Guggenheim, Frank Gehry and the wealth of art in Spanish permanent collections.

But I'm sure you can find that somewhere else if you take a look. I was inspired by a thousand things. And at the Museo de Arte Reina Sofia, before I even found Picasso's Guernica, my imagination was full to overflowing, by the exhibition on Yayoi Kusama. I think she's even been (or going to be) in Tate or Hayward recently, but my appreciation had to wait for me to visit Spain.

Yayoi Kusama is the polka dot lady. But her epic, evolving career has taken her through west and east, through Miro-esque (but, seeing them for the first time, infinitely more beautiful) paintings of delicate natural beauty (my favourites), through a multitude of textile phalli, all white, explorations of the self, nudity, mirror mazes, lit by a thousand tiny lights, and back to painting, on a huge, vibrant scale.

I like seeing such a long journey, all in one place. I hope my journey is as diverse as that!

Ocean Deep

2011-07-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

At the end of each term, we give our Art Clubs the final challenge of coming together in a short hour of total mayhem, inviting parents and siblings to come along too and contribute to a sponatneous display. This time, we went underwater, and created fish galore, along with a strange series of creatures that are believed to live at the bottom of the ocean ...

The Magic of Thomas Struth

2011-07-19T02:24:00.000-07:00

I have just met the photographs of Thomas Struth at the Whitechapel. I don't often have the patience to take in what is unique or creative about the photography of professionals, but I find myself rather bewitched by these. Is it their size? Is it merely a cheat that he blows the photos up so large that they become mesmerising? But it's not only this. There's something in the clarity and balance of light that is ... well, perfect. Consistent clarity and brightness in what should be a dingy photo of electricity cables.

Something else. There is something disturbing, or rather intriguing, about the special relationship between myself and the buildings or people in the photos. They feel so near, so close, and yet he fits so much into the picture. Then, the lining up of vertical lines with the edge of the picture is impeccable. If I did that, the lines would inevitably converge. It is a kind of technical magic that mystifies me on both a visual, responsive level and on a logical, investigative level. My camera doesn't do that.

Jack-in-the-Box

2011-07-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

My 5-8s Art Club have been working on their own creative interpretation of Jack-in-the-Boxes this term. Here, at last, they are. The hardest bit was finding suitable springs!

Brixton Art Gallery

2011-07-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

I've often observed, as I'm sure have many others, that Brixton is the kind of hub that ought to have an Art Gallery. I have my eye on the closed 'Rest is Noise' pub, or one of the closed shops down the road behind it, I don't really mind where. Brixton is enough of a social, creative and commercial hub that it simply ought to accommodate a Gallery of some description. Probably quite an eccentric one.

Well, it transpires that there was, indeed a Gallery, between 1983 and 1986 - a dynamic, active, thriving community of artists with a physical hub and a broad programme of exhibitions. It's quite a nostalgic experience to dig through their online archives and discover what was here, not so very long ago...

Hennie Haworth's Magic

2011-07-08T04:48:00.001-07:00

When I need cheering up by the inspiration of colour, decoration, line, sheer beauty ... I pop by the website of Hennie Haworth. Everything leaps from the screen in life, detail and pattern. This is her work for Porthcurno Telegraph Museum.

Penguin Opposites

2011-07-04T02:03:00.001-07:00

As I reach the end of a course in Children's Book Illustration with Dee Shulman, I bring to you the next phase in my penguin journey ... some ideas for a little book of opposites ... and my very early adventures in watercolour.

... And also, a trial for 'big and little', which didn't work quite so well for that theme, but I thought I'd share nevertheless ...

Amber's Marine World

2011-07-01T02:09:00.001-07:00

Last week I shared Micol's textile adventures. Now here is one of Amber's - her marine explorations into playing with plastic bags and meltable fabrics.

Newspaper Challenge

2011-06-28T07:08:00.001-07:00

I spent an adventurous day in Bishop Perrin School making sculptures of local wildlife from newspaper. I invited the children to use all their problem solving skills to build the shapes they wanted, and I was really impressed with the positivity and creativity with which year 4 tackled the challenge. Here then, are a few of the outcomes. My apologies for the poor photography!

Bad Hair Day

2011-06-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not the most efficient blog follower, but every now and again I visit my friends' blogs to see how they're getting on. And Naomi Sloman's blog always makes me smile. The eccentric, but utterly believable world that her characters occupy often seems to make me rather grateful for my own world - and, for example, glad that I cut off my hair! Here's her Bad Hair Day.

Teenage Adventures in Textiles

2011-06-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

My 10:15 club and I have been enjoying a textile extravaganza this term. Each week they try a new technique, or return to a piece from a previous week and build on it with threads, beads, pens, glitter, or the sewing machines. Chaos for the mess we make, but it's fun to see who takes to which techniques, and where people go with their chosen themes. Sebastian is adicted to the sewing machine. Isabella and Milly are absorbed in fabric pen work, which Leonie creates meticulous illustrated pieces.

This is Micol's elephant masterpiece, as she explores everything to do with Sri Lanka.

Dixit

2011-06-19T01:41:00.001-07:00

Last week, I was introduced to the prize-winning board (or card) game Dixit. As much as the game itself, which is like a visual Balderdash (and suits me perfectly), I'm bewitched by the dream- landscape of the illustrations on the cards, designed by Marie Cardouat.

Surely this would be a dream commission for any illustrator - er, please can you paint me 100 beautiful, surreal and entirely unconnected pictures? Just follow your dreams into a million little worlds ...

Music (and Art) in the Garden

2011-06-13T04:02:00.001-07:00

I have a small exhibition with Wendy Horler and Ivan Cartwright, to run alongside the Music in the Garden season at The Stables in Wavendon near Milton Keynes. I'm showing (and selling) my prints inspired by South America, including the final jungle collograph in an intaglio and relief blend of greens and yellows.

The Moods of Mr Penguin

2011-06-10T01:36:00.000-07:00

Here's my new friend ... Mr Penguin, four drawings of many to date, and I suspect, many more to come before I quite manage to capture his highs and lows, joys and troubles ...

Miro at Tate Modern

2011-06-07T03:05:00.000-07:00

An exhibition about someone as famous as Joan Miro ... well, you think you'll be visiting only old friends, but there are always surprises! Sometimes I feel as if I've spent so much time appreciating Miro that I'm tired of him, like over-listening to a favourite CD. But at Tate Modern, I discovered the joys of his early works, falling somewhere in the ether between the naivity of Rousseau and the bizarreness of De Chirico. This is 'Vegetable Garden and Donkey', painted in 1918.'Barcelona Series' made me long for a day to examine these alone - always my challenge in big exhibitions. And I had never come across his 'Burnt Canvases' before. Somehow the gaping spaces work well for Miro, as another kind of flat shape amongst the ones he is so famous for. And to finish with a bang, he painted the windows of the Association of Architects. So in his lengthy career, he clearly kept up with the times!

Fawns and Fairies, Witches and Wizards

2011-06-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

Holidays again, and this time we invented and made an array of magical creatures, before photographing them and then taking them on a journey through mysterious, vibrant landscapes ...

Here, the masterpieces of Kate, Maria and Tao.

Lauren Child

2011-05-31T06:40:00.001-07:00

It’s probably a bit of a cliché to follow the work of Lauren Child but I guess a popular author must be popular for a reason! I’d always noticed Lauren Child’s work, and was standing in ‘Tales on Moon Lane’, when I became completely bewitched by her version of ‘The Princess and the Pea’, alive with stage-set backgrounds, and her usual heavenly mix of drawing and collage characters. Amazing how such simple faces can catch so many people’s attention. Anyway, I’m inspired by her resistance to commercial fame, and determination to use her work for the benefit of the global community, by this article which I came across in my colleague’s Baby London magazine.

3 Flat-Pack Flamingo Boxes

2011-05-27T02:26:00.000-07:00

I was nattering away about my ideas for birds and boxes from South America, when Beth caught me off-guard by asking me to actually MAKE one of the boxes I described, for her to give as a wedding present. The criteria: small enough to travel to Romania; acceptable for 'him' on the outside and as flamboyantly pink as possible for 'her' on the inside. That's all. Free reign. The budget was tight, so I decided to make the most of the time I was devoting and build three boxes. And here, at last, they are, before one makes its journey to Romania.

The Art of Hendrick's Gin

2011-05-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

A little excursion to Brighton this weekend brough me into contact with Brighton Fringe, and in particular, an 'event' organised by Hendricks Gin. It fascinated me on every level for bringing together all the art forms in such an eccentric and creative way - exploring the curisoity train was truly an adventure, and as you can see from the artwork, they have clearly engaged involved some brilliant illustrators in creating an eccentric, old fashioned and inspiring 'look' which flows from the advertising and the website right through to the train and the costumes of its staff. Hop on board for an interactive play, or book yourself in for some 'bibliotherapy', or simply explore the curiosities abourad the train. But above and beyond this, they had found the perfect key to engaging adults and persuading them to participate ... write a short and utterly eccentric story, read it to the barman and then exchange it for a gin and tonic!

Monoprint Mayhem

2011-05-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

I have often used a form of monoprinting with groups at Orleans House, ever since watching Sally Cutler at work with schools, back in the Dulwich days. But I've been increasingly fascinated by the other ways of monoprinting, the expressive and experimental forms that I see in exhibitions. And, well, what better way to try out a range of effects than with 15 small children? We made the most incredible mess!

Hand-Drawn London

2011-05-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

The Museum of London is currently showing an amazing array of hand-drawn London maps, which make me long to map my life in creative and obscure ways. A little biased perhaps, but I still think the Brixton Tree by Liam Roberts is a quirky stroke of genius ... it makes me wonder how many other streaks of nature we could find in the meandering journeys of London's roads.

... Inspired by many of them, its hard to choose which maps to show here. But this map by Flory Leow inspired me for the way the map tells a story. The touching story of ordinary life, love, and all their discoveries told, not in a linear way, but through the twists and turns of mapping.

Sock Monkeys

2011-05-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be fun to make a sock monkey for the new baby. And then I realised, it would be even more fun to invite said baby's mother round to make one herself. Thus, the re-installment of 'making things days', an amiable tradition of crochet, paint, cutting, tearing and general mess making in the company of wine and chatter.

After a slightly-less-leisurely-than-usual day of stitching and stuffing (soundtrack: "if I have to stuff another leg..." and "it looks more like a cow than a monkey"), here are a few finished sock monkeys - by Christine, Hannah and myself. More to follow, perhaps ...

Morley Gallery: Draw More

2011-05-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Quito Cathedral is in the Draw More exhibition at Morley Gallery from 11 May to 11 June ... do have a look if you get the chance (but do also check the opening times first).

Flamingos

2011-05-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

I continue to use the inspiration of the birds that marked my trip through South America. Watch this space ... this print is will one day become a flamingo box!

Lessons in Lino Print

2011-04-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

My first steps into two-colour lino printing ... as my friends populate the next generation, I thought printing would be the perfect way to welcome their little ones into the world. Aiming to finish for the arrival of the Brixton Penny, little did I realise that a) she'd arrive early, and b) I needed to allow for well over half to be well below gift-standard.

Here are a few things that may, just possibly go wrong in your second lino layer ... take a deep breath ... second layer not quite lined up with the first; too much ink; too little ink, the tile somehow moves under the press; oil mysteriously appears on the tile (okay, not mysteriously, from your fingers) and causes a resist; the chiselled-away (white) areas turn out no longer to be chiselled-away enough ... to name but a few!

Easter Illustrators

2011-04-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

Glorious sunny Easter weekend, and off we all go exploring ... My adventures took me walking from Faversham to Whitstable, where en route I found a pub full of prints by Emily Smith Polyblank ... fresh and fun and full of the textures of wood ...
And meanwhile, my parents were ambling around the New Forest when they found Susan Steggall and thought of me. A lady with a great deal of paper patience, methinks, since it's all made from collage...

After the Freud Museum

2011-04-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

Holidays at Orleans House again! This time, on the theme of 'Tomorrow's World', we dreamed up objects of the future. Here is Alexander's shin pad which communicated to the referee whether a player was fowled, and Rhiannon's banana phone - use it and then eat it. Genius! Then, inspired by Susan Hiller's After the Freud Museum, created our own 'Museum of the Future'.

The Collector of Rhymes

2011-04-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Today, as I continued to find my way around my new role at Bishopsgate Institute and consequently begin to sink into the fascinating world of the East End, I was mesmerised by the discovery of Dan Jones, a vibrant local painter (and local legend, I would guess) who collects Children’s Rhymes from around the world. I think I would like to meet this man! Check out the interactive singing playground he created for the Museum of Childhood.

The Baby

2011-04-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

I thought, since we might be spending some fair time cooing over the baby, now she's arrived, that maybe I'd dedicate a sketchbook to her and practise my baby portraits while she sleeps. Here she is, Penny at 5 days old.

Brian Wildsmith

2011-04-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

I finally visited the Illustration Cupboard a few weeks ago, saw lots of 'old friends' and found a new one. Somehow Brian Wildsmith has escaped me until now, though of course now I've 'met' him I see him everywhere. But I'm full of admiration for his glorious pages of colour and texture, and for his lively animal worlds, and his fascination with birds of all shapes and sizes.

Penguins and Peacocks

2011-04-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

A bird in a box ... I'm not sure why the idea caught my fancy, but it did, and so my glorious teams of 10-15s have plugged away at their own explorations of this theme this term. I could have shared several, they are all so uniquely impressive, but here are Zoltan's penguin and Amber's peacock. Watch this space (for a goodly while) to see my own birds in boxes...

Pregnant

2011-04-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

The joyful privelege of drawing from life. My very pregnant friend, inspired by a painting by Lucian Freud, invited me to spend an evening sketching her. Any opportunity to practise ... especially with such an unusual model!

Oliver's Heroes

2011-03-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

I continue to find my days cheered by the spontaneity and imagination of children's drawing. This is Oliver's sketch of himself as a King, clearly conducting a lurid battle. I particularly fell for the horse, entering right stage ...

Going on a Bear Hunt

2011-03-25T01:10:00.000-07:00

We're going on a BEAR hunt ... ... we're going to catch a BIG one ... ... I'm NOT scared ... ... Oh NO ... ...
An enormous pool of slirpy, sloppy, soggy water ...

A twisty, tangly jungle ...

Ah, the bear ...

Phew! And home ...

A two hour workshop with toddlers to turn Heathfield Children's Centre into a stage set for a Comic Relief Bear Hunt!

Artists Boxes

2011-03-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with the idea of an 'Artists' Box', as a development to an 'Artists' Book'. I'd like to to develop boxes which reflect each of the birds I fell in love with as I travelled down South America. Today, in checking out what other people have been up to in this area, I came across John Dilnot, who is similarly intrigued by both birds and boxes. I like the combination of paper illustrations and real trees ...

The Infinite Possibilities of Polyblock Printing

2011-03-11T02:19:00.000-08:00

When my teenagers played briefly with polyblock printing a couple of weeks ago I was really impressed with the way Lucy turned a very primitive, if effective method into something really beautiful, simply by layering prints in different colours over the top of each other ...

Jungle Collograph

2011-03-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

This is the result of one of those lucky moments, hopefully familiar to us all, where in the excitement of a reasonably new discovery, we embark on a massively ambitious project. Dream about it day an night, injure our necks from leaning over it 12 hours a day, and suddenly realise when we've nearly finished that this was really rather stupid because it will probably all go horribly wrong. Well it didn't go horribly wrong, thank goodness. Inspired by the dense foliage of Ecuadorian Jungle, this is a work in progress, with a happy start!

Golden Swans and Blind Vultures

2011-03-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

Last week's Holiday Activities at Orleans House saw my 9-14s group creating illustrations of Indian Folktales inspired by the enormous, eccentric works of Piyali Ghosh, which form part of the Journeys exhibition.

In a day which used printmaking, collage, painting and drawing, as well as getting to know their folktale of choice, we had a grand old time! Here are illustrations of the Golden Swan and the Blind Vulture.

Lino Envy

2011-02-27T03:35:00.000-08:00

Richmond Printmakers have an exhibition in the Stables Gallery in Richmond. I am suffering lino envy; awe, inspiration, a kind of wistful nostalgia at the elegant beauty of three (well, one has disappeared by being sold - my favourite - someone had good taste) enormous lino prints by Tessa Charles, which explore the graceful lines of plants and birds. It's something to do with the balance of white spaces and dark spaces, and simple, elegant patterning in keeping with the themes. And the colours - not as simple as black and white, but at the same time discreet, harmonious and unintrusive to the elegance of design.

All very timely, since I'm playing around with jungle-inspired prints at the moment.

City of Wood

2011-02-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

Look at our city! Inspired by a collection of scantily painted blocks of wood in the Museum of Joaquin Torres Garcia in Montevideo, and tying in nicely with the development of a small model set of Richmond buildings, my 5-8s Art Club have spent a glorious few weeks turning scraps of wood into their own imagined city. With a train track and train, river and barges, disco, flower shop, hospital fully equipped with helipad, police station, fire station and fire engine, I believe this city is ready to go!

Artist in Residence at MI6

2011-02-21T02:57:00.000-08:00

Imagine getting into MI6 as an artist! Believe it or not, MI6 has indeed had an artist-in-residence, James Hart Dyke, and now we can see in, through an artist's eyes, to the world of intelligence, I-Spy, and always-looking-over-your-shoulder-ness. As an eternal fan of drawing, the spontaneity of the above is unsuprisingly one of my favourites, but others remind me in some ways of Victorian London, or of Renoir and others who captured the gloomy winter greyness of nineteenth century streets.
Since knowing Alison Drewitt, I've increasingly been inspired by the idea of artist residencies, and of getting to know a place so intimately that it becomes a part of your identity. Alison is the Queen of Brixton Windmill!

An Ambitious Week of Printmaking

2011-02-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

Every class of the Unicorn School came to visit Orleans House a couple of weeks ago, and we decided to give each class a different experience of printmaking, in response to the Stables Gallery exhibition by Richmond Printmakers. It was an ambitious task, screenprinting with 22 seven and eight year olds in 90 minutes, but they did an amazing job!

... And finally I was able to share my newfound passion for collography with a class of Year 5s. Once again, time was tight, but we all learnt a lot and they produced some stunning pieces. I particularly liked this one, and I hope the artist prints it again, as we found that one or two of the plates had begun to dry out by the time they reached the printing press.

It's all about the Sketchbook

2011-02-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I went to see Manual Setting, an exhibition at the Danielle Arnaud Gallery, in which my friend Ivan Cartwright was exhibiting. It was a supremely interactive exhibition - hardly an exhibition at all, more a gathering of assorted, laid back discussions. And a glorious opportunity to delve into the 'secret life of artists' as the exhibition centred on artists' sketchbooks. Given free range to flick through the sketchbooks of four artists, while the artist sat and watched, only able to explain the work if I asked a question. Aside from Ivan, who fills his sketchbooks with dense, inspiring inks, photoshop experimentations and entertaining diary-esque narrative, I loved the work of Dino Alfier, who somehow gave me permission to be meticulous in my own work, with his, intricate, delicate sketchs.

It was inspiring and motivating for my own sketchbooks, and encouraging too ... the contrast in styles between each artist's approach to the sketchbook seemed to tell me that anything goes ... Well of course it does. It's a sketchbook.

Lessons in Relief and Intaglio

2011-02-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here at last, are the glorious joys of Collograph.

Above, printed in relief, made by rolling ink onto the surface and printing it.

Below, printed intaglio, when you press ink into the plate and then polish the surface, leaving ink only in the cracks to be pressed onto damp paper.

I didn't expect the relief print to work as it's a very subtly textured plate, but I'm remarkably pleased with both!

March of the Penguins

2011-02-04T03:53:00.000-08:00

I'm feeding my new-found fascination with birds to my 10:15 group at Orleans House. Safia insists she can't paint, but I thought she did a wonderful job with her penguins, and waltzed into new realms of imagination when we discussed March of the Penguins, and the fact that penguins trek for miles across Antarctica and then huddle together to stay alive through the coldest winds and blizzards.

Fairytale Linocut

2011-02-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

I have returned to the physical satisfaction of scraping out lino tiles (but secretly I'm enthralled by the infinite possibilities of collography ... watch this space!)

Printing Fairy Castles

2011-01-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

I've started a printmaking course to keep me warm in London after the sunshine of South America. For now, as I experiment with drypoint and collograph, lino and aquatint, I am using the above sketch of a Montevideo magical palace (or administrative building). Below, a play with drypoint ...

Flying Clocks

2011-01-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

A happy hour spent sketching the eclecticities of a cafe in Buenos Aires ...

The Cultural Mile

2011-01-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

Cordoba's Cultural Mile wasn't quite the bohemian mish mash of art, studios, galleries and noise that I'd expected, but it's final museum, the Museo Emilio Caraffa, was a creative highlight of my journey. 4 floors of mesmerising, contrasting art. From the mysterious, slightly sinister and occasionally even horrific photography of Marcos Lopez, I passed through a room of surreal paintings by Ezequiel Linares - his painting style reminded me of a purple and emerald Frances Bacon, but I fell in love with his sketches on paper - reminiscent of Toulouse-Lautrec, but a world of tango rather than the Moulin Rouge.

My mind was already full, but the peaceful tranquility of and visual simplicity of Raul Diaz got me again, especially since his exhibition was themed 'A Walk on Water' ... water has been a guiding theme of my travels, I think.
And finally, a textile group, La Rueca, in case I had forgotten, reminded me of the joys of texture in all things.

Oh. And the Education Space, with it's cushions textures, and entire dedicated, visitable, participative space on the way through the galleries, was to die for!

From the Sketchbook: Glacier Perito Moreno

2010-12-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Memory and Imagination: A visual diary

2010-12-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

Uta Sanders, full of thoughts and ideas, shared with me her idea to draw her travel diary.

Her idea reminded me of how inspired I was by an exhibition of Bobbie Baker's diary at the Wellcome Collection, and how I intended to draw a diary from then on. Neither of us had managed it, but we agreed it would make a wonderful project for our four days of trekking in Torres del Paine, southern Chile.

I should mention that I have always felt incapable and intimidated by the idea of drawing what's in my head, rather than what I see in front of me ... but finally, I really enjoyed the challenge!

This is my diary. I hope to share Uta's with you next time!

Haunting Figures

2010-11-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

I spent a morning in Santiago playing with photocopies of my sketches from the Museum of Precolombian Art. I was magnetised by these wooden funerary figures, who were displayed under a powerful light, which cast shadows that were almost eery.

Avalancha de Caos

2010-11-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

Santiago's Museum of Fine Arts was mainly closed for a changeover ... but, completely different to my usual choices, I was captivated by Norton Maza's 'Avalancha de Caos', 2006. First thinking it was an extremely clever painting in the traditional styles, I realised that it's a photographic construction of the most incredible model, and referencing every apocalyptic painting of history. It would be AMAZING to make a scene like this ... I see the potential for artist photographer collaborations!

From the Sketchbook: Uyuni Cemetary of Trains

2010-11-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

Uyuni's Cemetary of Trains, spread across a remote desertscape, has an eery magic that would keep me happy with my sketchbook for hours. On the other hand, it has the potential for a trail of fun and adventures. And on the other side again, it is strewn with rubbish that makes me long to base myself there and invent creative ways to clear the ground.

Blurry, Stripey and Spotty

2010-11-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

These shells were given to me by an avid beach comer in Mancora.

They seem to hold the potential for great adventures.

Blurry, Stripey and Spotty went for a walk ...

Recycling in Pisco

2010-10-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Pisco was destroyed by an Earthquake in 2007. Three years later, its streets are still broken by holes and heaps of rubble as, piece by piece, people attempt to rebuild their homes. I spent a week with Pisco Sin Fronteras, an enormous team of volunteers who are doing their bit towards the reconstruction. I quickly realised I could be more useful with the children of the 'Ludateca' than by trying to learn to build a house within a week. And so I pooled my recycling imagination, begged, borrowed and stole plastic bottles and bags from all the volunteers and worked with the children to make braided jewellery and woven pots.

From the Sketchbook - Huascaran National Park, Peru

2010-10-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

Playing with everything in my pencilcase, to capture the (or try) the magic of the mountains.

From the Sketchbook - Mancora, Peru

2010-10-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Watercolours are not my medium. Water is not my theme. Still, when confronted by the crashing turquoise surf waves of Mancora, I can't help but try to capture that moment ...