Wednesday 4 May 2011

Midday

 Once I'm on a roll there's no stopping me. 
 Al the lovely comments from the last post encouraged me into production.
 'Noon a purple glow' is done.
 Does it work?
Click and click again to view large.
Its certainly different to 'Veils of Morning' but a suitable companion piece for an exhibition.
I really feel as if I've stepped up a notch with these because they are not like any piece I've done before but at the same time small motifs are what I'm used to. 
To have allowed the small to become the large has been a bit of a leap if not of faith, then of hope. 
 Its like 'take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves' ...or 'Many a mickle makes a muckle'. 
Well I hope my muckle has been made. 
 I enjoyed making these little seaweedy pieces, making the purple glow but still keeping the lime and aqua.
 Another piece that I have shown in progress is finished too. Its on the same sized canvas, but is all one piece of felt made first with prefelts, then stitched and not cut out!
 This is 'Where the cricket sings'. 
 It has a 1950s look. I like that. I got very excited by the leaf shape in the left of centre when I'd done it, and also if you look in the top left you can see where the seaweed began. 
This is how it happens for me. Accident, serendipity ..whatever.

We had an afternoon out on monday. We found what we called, when we were little, 'The Cows Mouth'. 
Since no one we ask has ever heard of it I can only think it was a name my dad made up. We went there on many a sunday afternoon when we were little, and played in the streams here and on the bridges.  Here's my mum having a bittersweet moment, remembering happy times.
My parents also took our children there and my Mum showed me where she found the younger son  hanging by his fingertips from the bridge over deep fast flowing water when he was about 6. 
(He always came home from walks soaking wet.)
On the way home we stopped in a very pretty village called Scorton where they were having a bicycle and barrow event, and there were lots of bikes and wheelbarrows about, decorated in various ways.
The village was so pretty but  the white noise of the adjacent M6  spoilt it for me.

My own gardening efforts have taken a turn for the worse. 
I saw a beautiful red beetle so pretty I just couldn't stand on it. On further research I find its a scarlet lily beetle...right next to my fritillaries. No wonder there were only three flowers this year. I have taken the GQT advice given to Clarrie Grundy and squished the eggs.
I got all the snails off the hostas and threw them in the electricity substation land at the back of our house...but not until I'd painted them  each with a yellow spot. 
I'm looking to see if they have homing tendencies. 

40 comments:

Jennifer Tetlow said...

Heavenly, so glad you have gone into a creative frenzy - it feels brilliant doesn't it! So interesting too that a small shift, lots of small to make big, in working, makes for such a revolution and growth.

Heather said...

'Noon a purple glow' works a treat Jackie - it's stunning - and I love 'Where the crickets sing' too. The Cow's Mouth looks such a beautiful spot and the decorated bike is lovely. Lily beetles belie their appearance and need to be squished - they do so much damage.

Allabitrandom said...

I hate to tell you , but if your substation is less than 300 metres away you will be welcoming your friends home soon enough! see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8004453/Snails-have-homing-instinct-amateur-scientist-discovers.html I bet she can't do embroidery like you though! Love your new venture into seaweed!

Carol said...

Oh my word these are just stunning :) love the circle piece and the stitched and not cut- just gorgeous stuff :)

Helen Smith said...

It certainly does work! Both pieces are gorgeous.

It will be interesting to hear whether your snails make it home...

Anne B said...

Oh how I love "Crickets". Very graphic - definitely 50's look. Lovely

Jacqui Chimes said...

It works beautifully - I love your work and have followed ever since the retro article in QA - I made some of those!

JP said...

Jackie - it just gets better and better - so guess that is aslso true of you too so I am glad

jennyflowerblue said...

Your seaweed is swimming and swirling before my eyes, this has such magical movement, caught in an eddy. (if that is how to spell it?) x

menopausalmusing said...

Beautiful work Jackie. Just beautiful. BUT.......... the minute I read about the scarlet beetle I thought "lily beetle". Pounce on them carefully, for they tend to fall and they somehow, once fallen, just disappear.... honestly, it's like nothing you can imagine. However, if you DO manage to get one, do as Heather advises and squish them. HARD.

Lynn Cohen said...

Love how you are making these into wall hangings. Just beautiful!!!

I like that bike with the flowers too. May I show it to a friend? She has an old white bike on her property and might like this idea!

Erica said...

The colours work so well together in 'noon a purple glow'; the whole piece has a wondrous swirl about it - like when you lie on your back on warm grass and look at the summer sky. Love the felt piece too and know that if I was in its presence I would just HAVE to stroke it.
The Cow's Mouth looks like a perfect picnic spot and obviously has special associations for your family.

Kim said...

This post has made a happy start to my day. Im smiling big time. love the name and the bike tickled my fancy. thank you

Monica said...

I am still laughing at the bugs with the painted yellow spot. maybe you can freeze them and add them to your creations.

Jill said...

Love the work, especially the stitched felt.
Painting the snails made me laugh - last year we had hundreds, we used to put them in the garden waste wheelie bin, too many to paint and hopefully the council compost heap too far away for them to return home. At least this dry weather has kept the numbers down.

HollyM said...

I like the seaweed piece. Living 5 minutes from the ocean, I'm always collecting it.

Elizabeth said...

Oh JAckie You ahve certainly found your art groove hear!!! I am drooling with the beauty of this fabulous piece!!!! Youa re an amazing fiber artist and I am so thrilled that you are happy with your work , because of all us who see it love it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The greens and purples combo is lucious and so very magical!! Love your stories about being kids in the streams- that wsa always onf =e of my favorite acrtivities as a child and my daughter still looks for brooks and streams to frolic in!!!!

Big Happy hgus to you dear girl!! Onward into more gorious wool and velvet!!!!!

Joei Rhode Island said...

Well, my dear you are back with a flurry of wonderful creative energy. And humor!! Marking snails with yellow dots! Indeed! =-)

Erica said...

Jackie these are just stunning, love love love them,

will wait to hear about the return of the spotted snails - my daughter throws bugs over the fence into the park next door, I'll have to tell her to paint them first!

Thimble Fingers said...

I spat my cornflakes over my computer screen, laughing, when I read about painting the snails. Never heard that before, but thought it so funny.
Your work is like no others, so unique, so uplifting and inspiring. I love it. THe colours work brilliantly and its great to see you evolving again - there's such an abundance of creativity and imagination inside of you, its enviable.
Good luck with the exhibition, I'm sure with pieces like these, you will be a great hit.

Kate said...

I too spat tea all over my keyboard laughing at the notion of yellow dotted snails making a bee line straight back to your garden. The wall hangings most definitely work - the colours you've chosen are absolutely glorious!

silverpebble said...

Your new pieces are truly breathtaking. The colours are my very favourites and it makes my eyes very happy to see them. It's fabulous to see your slightly new direction.

Anonymous said...

Lovely work, I love the subtle colours :) The stitched felt is great too :)

Annie and Lyn said...

Go for it Jackie! Hope 'the roll' lasts ages for you. The small pieces 'made large' on the canvas work so well.

jeanette, mistress of longears said...

Fantastic new work and as for "luck" and "serendipity", I believe those are things that happen only to the very persistent, hard-working artists! You would not benefit from these happy accidents if you were not already investing copious time and energy! Both pieces are a fantastic leap forward! Congratulations!
And do report if any of those painted critters make it back to your garden!

Jane said...

You know those snails will come back to haunt you - and bring all their mates. I have often wondered if all this snail throwing we do is encouraging some sort of natural selection. Soon all snails will have rubbery shells and be able to bounce straight back. I love your new pieces especially 'Where the Crickets Sing' - the shapes and colours work really well.

lynda Howells said...

everyone has said everything l wanted to say..so all that is left is....gorgeous!x lynda

Twiglet said...

How glad am I to see you back to work and producing such beautiful pieces. The shapes, colours and textures really do make me think of seaweed.

Rachel said...

Great signs of inspiration flowing, and a very successful pair of pieces.

Michala Gyetvai (Kayla coo) said...

Hi Jackie,
Your wall hanging is wonderful and such beautiful colours.
M x

Carol Q said...

OMGosh - wonderful Jackie - has such a lovely feeling of movement to it. I'm now using it as my desktop background (hope that's okay!) Completely different but just as enjoyable to look at is your felting.
Ugh - lily bugs - have lost so many to those little buggers.

Sweetpea said...

I want to be the cricket that lives in THAT felt...cannot stop looking at it...

Iz said...

Love the whole felt piece - fantastic.

GerryART said...

Homing tendencies?
Hmmmm
hugs,
Gerry

lilylovekin said...

Did you really paint a spot on each snail?

artymess said...

Jackie you are really on a roll ...great to see you so creative .......i knew you would ...lovely work .......can't wait to see if they are homing snails ....x

Rosie said...

My great-grandpapa was born in Scorton. Just a little bit of random information for you! Loving that your creativity is back in full measure - have you seen mine?

potterjotter said...

Have just found your blog and you already have so many followers, I hesitated to comment, but your work is just lovely. The 'seaweed' reminds me of a traditional paisley pattern, somehow. Beautiful.

kitchenaid mixer sale said...

thats quite the masterpiece

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I'm really liking what you're doing right now - combining 'littles' into a bigger piece is a great idea. I think that the white background sets them off beautifully too.



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