New art...and a rock star

My computer seems to be working now, at least intermittently.  It takes about three hours for it to get started but it works on occasion.  Gav is on the case for a new one but i can't make up my mind whether, firstly, i want one and/or what to have if i do.  We have three in the house so at least i can use the other ones (even if they are slow).  Someone (my lovely sister, Karen) recently referred to computers as "time stealers" and it got me thinking.  I have my computer in my art room and when i have a creative blank or am waiting for paint/glue to dry i tend to reach for it and browse far too often, usually finding that before i realised it i've spent an hour or more doing nothing and what i should have been doing, or at least what would have been far more constructive, was to be preparing the backgrounds on my next piece of art work.

So...that's my dilemma.  In the meantime, here's what i've painted recently whilst i've been trying to decide:

This one is on canvas, which is something i never work with usually, it was just hanging around so i thought i'd give it a go.

It was fairly easy to work with but i must admit that i prefer a wood substrate which, i think, is a lot more forgiving.  It wasn't as easy to rub back the colours and the backgrounds took longer to do.

I really like this piece, there\are lots of layers in the background, i've used old book pages, maps, wallpapers, ephemera and lots of colour.

This next piece is on wood, i finished it over the weekend and i love it.

I love the colours in this one, i played for ages and it was only when i added the distress inks at the end that i knew it was perfect.  It doesn't have the background layers that most of my collages have so required more work with paint, but it was nice for a change.

So...Monday today...our day off...and Gav and i have decided to do nothing, absolutely zilch.  It's past midday and i haven't even dressed yet.  I'm going to have a long soak in the bath later, i need to be lazy today.  We've had a busy weekend with visits from friends on Saturday.  Our middle floor corridor became a filming studio (Effigy Music) for an hour or so to film an interview with Deke Leonard about his new book.

Some of the Effigy team at lunch in our kitchen

L-R top Gav, Tony

L-R bottom Gina, Deke and Nick

Gav went to a boot sale on sunday morning at Churchstoke, and came home with this kitchen dresser (always amazes me how people fit these into their boots).  Actually it got delivered later in the afternoon, he was a bit worried that i wouldn't like it, but it's gorgeous, very old and very suited to our ever-changing kitchen.

I've also managed to fill my Etsy shop with some new items, and i have a few more to go in today, have a look,

"Human nature is above all things lazy"

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Slower than the proverbial...

...slow boat to China..

My computer died, it just gave up on me and left me bereft and wondering whether it was the the glass of red wine that i tipped over the keyboard or the glass of Baileys that Nicci tipped over it (Nicci's wondering too!!)

Either way it's stopped working and now i have to look for another one, in the meantime i'm using the one in the shop, which is.... oh........so....slow.....like wading through treacle.  So, i've not been able to show you the art photographs i've taken or the latest ones of the shop, so bear with me.

However......I am so loving this furniture...

I could find somewhere to put all of this in the house!

(might have to chuck a few things out mind you)

These bits and pieces of furniture are what Gav and i are thinking of collecting and selling at Indigo Moon, we've seen some really nice cupboards recently and there are only two problems! one is finding room in the shop and the other is whether i could bear to part with them!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Gorgeous new stock...

We've had in some lovely new door and cupboard knobs/handles at Indigo Moon, it's taken ages to open all the boxes up and check each item for damage, and that everything has been delivered but we've done it.  Now all that remains is to find room in the shop!!!

...Easier said than done methinks!

Enjoy:

...and these lovely rustic spice boxes

 shelving

We've been a bit busier in the shop today, quite a few people in and all seem to be buying, which is good for January/february.  Gav is on the last day of tax returns and should be finished later this afternoon, poor love has been holed up in his little room glued to online tax returns, and up to his eyes in receipts and invoices but, hopefully it should calm down for him after today.

We'll be getting the middle floor corridor cleaned up later now that all the painting has been done, the floorboards need a good clean and the carpet/runner should be arriving this week - i'm so excited.  That corridor is a major part of the house and it's always looked like a store room, it's exciting to see it, at last, looking part of a proper cosy home.

I decorated some moleskine notebooks yesterday for my etsy shop and real shop!  I didn't have time to put the photos on but i did get one on Flickr... http://www.flickr.com/photos/18810514@N05/6790547697/in/photostream 

have a look!  I did ten altogether, all with different pictures on them, they also have part of the story on the back.  I got them from an old 1940's/50's bedtime annual, the book was of no value in that most of the pages were missing, scribbled on etc, but they look great like this.  I'll photo the rest in my next post.

Have a nice Tuesday everyone

I predict a riot...

A riot of colour...

I've had a brilliant weekend (and even managed to do some more work on my collage painting through the week)

 The highlight was seeing the Kaiser Chiefs play in Llandudno on Friday night...they were amazing.  We booked into a hotel next door to the venue and as Nicci was looking after the shop for us and gave us strict instructions not to rush back we did a detour on the way home to pick up some Ebay bargains in Stafford and spent the rest of the day in Leek looking around their gorgeous antique shops and having a nice lunch....very relaxing.

odeon antiques 

...and the market

ART WORK

Pencilling in the flowers

 Painted flowers

 close-ups

it's not finished yet, i have a few more layers to do, but have some other works in progress.

...like house painting.  This is what the middle floor corridor now looks like, bright white and looking lovely with the faux panelling removed, gav fixed the architraving around the doors and we did the painting between us through the week.  The carpet, or narrow runner (it would be a shame to hide these gorgeous wooden floorboards, which are very old) will arrive later this week and we'll try and find time to put up the curtains (Gav's busy doing the tax returns/accounting at the moment so he's flat out).

 A glimpse of the bathroom, i painted the "red" bath a lovely "Steel Symphony" grey and the feet silver.  The wood panelling is only on half of two walls and matches the bath, the rest is bright white - can't find the curtains i want though.

 I also finished my stock of hand made business cards through the week, it's great to get all these things done, customers pick my business cards up all the time in the shop so it's nice to have a huge stock of them ready to put out.

 and I recieved this gorgeous piece of artwork from Micki Wilde, in a mail art swap, i love it.  Thanks Micki xx

Hope you've all had a good weekend.

Creative fun...

Here are some of the felt brooches i've been making in my kitchen and at the shop counter during these quiet(ish) times.  They're all for sale in the shop and look stunning together.

 and...i'm still unpacking art supply boxes that have been sealed up for nigh on three years, it's like christmas.  I've found some fab supplies that i'd forgotten i had, like these lovely pastel chalks.  I love using these in my paintings, i lay the colours down and brush over with water, the colour is so intense, although you do have to seal with fixative, but it's well worth it and they go a long way, best results are on watercolour paper.  I invested in some really good ones and chose the colours carefully (most of the yellow one is over my carpet, which is a no no, as it makes a right mess and is difficult to get out, goes well with the pencil sharpenings though.

 ...and my bird stamps i bought from Waterstones, in another life.

 ...my Caran D'ache colouring pencils which i used on all my collages before i packed them up, the colour blending on these are superb.

 ...Dr Martins concentrated water colours - i got these at "Inkspot" in Cardiff, i have a yellow one somewhere...no doubt it'll turn up in one of the boxes soon.

 ...Stuart Gill paints, these are wonderful and can be used on fabric too, they can also be heated for different textures.  I've used the silver one to paint the legs on my bath (i'll show you soon when it's all done, silver, bright white and steel symphony, it looks great).

...more boxes to unpack soon, can only manage a few at a time.

The new shelving in the shop, i think it looks great with all gav's treasures on them, especially the phones.

view through the shop, it's full to the brim