Jane Ormes-Printmaker

Print and Pattern

2012-01-25T12:51:00.001-08:00

The lovely Bowie Style has given me a wonderful mention on her fabulous blog,Print and Pattern.She is very complimentary about my M and S work on their Easter confectionary.
Read her lovely comments here.
Good god,I m even on the chocolate lollies.
Spring sprung on January 2nd -that s when this lot was spotted first !!Now i just need to go and lie down.I ve blogged about 4 times in a week.It takes it out of you you know.

Ha!

2012-01-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

Oh yes my friends.I made it into the fabulous Print and Pattern 2 book by Bowie Style (aka as Marie Perkins).It s lovely and well worth a look.A couple of double page spreads - i m a lucky girl.

xmas card workshop

2012-01-23T02:27:00.001-08:00

Meant to blog about this before it happened but you know me.A fabulous xmas card printing workshop at the amazing Spike Island and run by the fabulous Simon Tozer and Chitra Merchant.

Took a couple of friends and their daughters and a good time was had by all.

New things for sale !

2012-01-22T03:13:00.000-08:00

Pheww.I have been making,making ,printing,a bit more making and now i m exhausted.Take a gander at my notebooks,flying birds and wooden brooches.Oh and framed goccos.£35 for a framed gocco.Superb.
Screen printed lovelies to adorn your clothes.A snip at £9.50 and come in a lovely screenprinted paper box !
3 birds ready to dive bomb you in the living room.£25.Marvellous.
Notebooks to write endless to do lists in.These weigh in at £9.50 i believe.

Contact me via my blog or email if they take your fancy.Not on my website yet.But soon my followers,very soon.

Marks and Spencer !!

2012-01-22T03:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year followers !! I m back and am vowing to blog,blog,blog.Yes,i know i ve promised this before but i really mean it this time.
Yes yes yes.My work has made it to M and S.Back in April 2011 i was approached by Marks and Spencer to illustrate their Easter confectionary for 2012.It was highly top secret but now it s out there i think i can spill the beans.Impressed to say it was in the stores on January 2nd.Way to go M and S.I particularly like what they ve done with me rabbits.Obviously i had to sample each chocolate item and i m pleased to say it s of an extremely high quality.Thank goodness for that.
More packaging to come as they roll it out gradually towards April.

Despair

2011-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Hmmmphhh...lovely children s tv presenter Steve Backshall has removed his single status from his facebook page indicating that he is no longer single.That s him above ,topless and brandishing a moth.Goddamnit -first Daniel Craig gets married and now this.

new goccos for sale !!!!!!

2011-12-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

Dearest followers.I have let you down badly.How can i even call myself a blogger when i blog so infrequently?I am shocked and dismayed but worst of all i ve let you all down and let myself down in the process.Now i will promise something rash such as blogging everyday from the New Year but i think i ve done that before and it was a disaster. So followers,please bare with me.....i will get better !

So,new goccos are available on my etsy shop .All £15 ,we have a heron,cockerel,cat,a pair of owls and a ptarmigan ( i ve always been partial to the name ,pronounced pertarmigan ).
I have been very busy in the last couple of months.Preparing for an arts trail,christmas shows ,and life in general.
Above,The One That Got Away.Dark blue heron with a slippery fish.
Owl with a scowl,note the lovely use of lettering beneath him.
Owl number toowit totwoo -get it ?Please feel free to visit my little etsy shop or contact me by email for purchases !janeormes@blueyonder.co.uk.

Vegas,baby !

2011-08-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

O.M.G.Las Vegas-beyond words.Volcanos you can set your watch by,lions in a hotel lobby (boo),the Eiffel tower,Venice and Rome all in a mile long road and seering heat that could melt your shoes.Even at night.Bonkers.
The buffets; they were to be my downfall.My record was 4 desserts but they were small,mind.
After struggling in a 110 degrees of heat i ordered Ruby a large coke in the Coke store(shaped like a coke bottle obviously) and this is what arrived.We didn t know whether to drink it or paddle our feet in it.
yes,it s the Eiffel tower ofcourse.In the Venetian hotel and casino you could go on a gondola and get married.In Caesar s Palace you could see the Trevi fountain.In Luxor you can walk round the great temple of Rameses .You can win a car on a slot machine.And you can see Celine Dion every night of the week.Barking mad .

Still california

2011-08-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Sequoia National Park to see huge trees and black bears but only actually saw their droppings.I had previously watched several Deadly 60 s with the lovely Steve Backshall to prepare myself for meeting these bears.(look as big as possible-no difficult after all the peanut butter-throw rocks at it s body-don t run).I did learn from the lovely Steve that they have an amazing sense of smell which is why they would rip the top of your car off to get to one tiny crumb of bagel stolen from the Bellagio buffet the previous night..
We visited the aquarium at Monterey which was a visual feast.Tanks so huge they had massive shoals of fish swimming in mesmerising circles and glinting like jewels.
There had to be stacks of campbell soup tins !
Evidence that we never got the hang of living out of a suitcase.We may as well have just tipped it all out onto the floor every day.

Californ I A

2011-08-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

Yes,followers,I am returned from the United States of America.Oh and we had a great time.Firstly i managed to eat my own body weight in peanut butter.People keep asking if i was inspired when we were out there.Oh yes,my friends ,I was inspired by the massive packets of peanut butter m & m s (yes such a thing exists)-inspired to eat them that is.Evidence below..
Ofcourse there were crazy shaped booths,and churches for birds (below) and you could have botox literally on the pavement .You can take literally any leftovers home from a restaurant but you can t take your own food (peanut butter m & m s )into a cinema.You can get around anywhere on one of those crazy segways and you can literally be the only person on the sidewalk(pavement) because no one walks anywhere.They think you re lost.And no we are not from Australia or Down Under.Neither do we know Pippa Middleton (which we were asked).

Framed and ready to go !

2011-07-21T04:59:00.001-07:00

Been to the framers today to pick up these lovelies.Especially pleased with my B is for Bear that can stare,above.He is £95 unframed and £145 framed.

Fictitious Bird only found in Westbury Park,(above).They ve got a really 1950 s feel to them ,these new bird prints.I looked at Lucienne Day s colour palette for inspiration.
Fictitious Bird only found in Bishopston.My favourite.

goccotastic

2011-07-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Battery charger was never located .Ended up buying a new one and ending the misery of every drawer being tipped out.

Here are some much better images of my new goccos .All available on my Etsy shop ! Above,Tweet and Chirp.
Above we have Tailtastic !
Feast your eyes on Flight of Fancy,above.
Hare that can stare,;i m not wrong.

Below,Fox that rocks.My personal favourite and the leader in the sales stakes so far.

All available now on Etsy !3 sales already and one to the USA-have i gone global ?

Battery charger misery !

2011-07-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Excuse the rubbish fuzzy picture-i have turned our house upside down looking for the flippin battery charger for my cameraand to no avail.Rubbish i phone picyures for the time being i m afraid ,lovely followers.....

New prints in hd !

2011-07-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here are my new beauties in high definition !I m printing 3 other birds to add to the range.Very excited and completely bowled over by the simplicity of printing only 2 colours-such a joy !

Etsy shop now up and running (well,sortof.....)

2011-07-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

I ve wrestled and wrangled and finally i ve set up an Etsy shop to sell my little gocco prints from.Follow the link here.Hoorah !

gloom

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

Seems i m not his friend at all-Steve Backshall ,how can you toy with me like this ????Do you know what witty comments you re missing ????

B is for Bear

2011-06-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

I love my little bear-B is for Bear that can stare.Am reprinting him with a little turquoise bird in the tree.

Oh and Steve Backshall , my latest crush,has accepted me as a friend on Facebook.And I m going to see Bridesmaids tonight.And we re taking a giant bag of Maltesers........

A golden day

2011-06-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yowzah ! New print alert.Had a lovely day printing at Spike Print Studio today.Finished my B for Bear print (more of that later and experimented with this bird and printed him big,big,big.A2 actually.

Fresh at New Leaf Gallery ,Monmouth

2011-06-09T17:18:00.001-07:00

After all the excitement of finally blogging after months in the wilderness i should have mentioned this,first and foremost !

I have a show on at the New Leaf Gallery in Monmouth that runs until the 8th July .It features me ,(i m upstairs and hung floor to ceiling i think ),and the delightful works of Hannah Nunn and Clare Mahoney.(I have some of Clare s tiles in my kitchen that i bought in St Ives a couple of years ago.)Go and have a look-it s a lovely gallery in a a street that is packed with boutiques and a tiny theatre and cinema .

My trip to the deliver work to Jacqueline was only marred by my satnav going bonkers -round and round i went like a top.Great shops in the high street there and a lovely,lovely drive back to Bristol ,through Tintern .Am i selling it to you ?

Royal wedding nuptuals

2011-06-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Forgot to mention the Royal Wedding.Well ,a good time was had by all at my friend Alison s regal bash.Sadly it was to end in tears for me as i was off my head on bucks fizz, (someone had messed with the ratio of champagne to orange juice),and i was very quetly ill at about the point that Kate and Wills were shaking the hands of all the foreign dignitary people that they had never ever met before.(About 12.30).This was a first for me -being hammered before 6pm.This is why most of these photos are blurred.

Look at that bunting-Alison made it all herself you know.

wow

2011-06-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

I spent a lovely week recently just looking at stuff.Old books,blogs,websites,sketchbooks etc.I think as a designer you can t afford to stop looking and searching for inspiration.Otherwise you re stuffed.

I discovered this beautiful children s book from 1965 about Noah s Ark and i adore it.Every single page.

It has some of the same qualities that Brian Wildsmith s illustrations have .So i scuttled off, (i scuttle when I m excited),and bought a lovely new sketchbook (something else i do when I m excited) and just drew and doodled and then did some potato printing ! Basic to basics-fantastic.The most basic form of printing but so satisfying .

Doh !

2011-06-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

Doh ,forgot to add this one !

new goccos ahoy !!!!!!

2011-06-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

So I dusted down my wondermachine,the gocco printer,and produced this range of 4 prints .I managed atleast 55 of each design before i ran out of paper.They re available for an impressively £15 each (unframed) and £55 for all 4.Soon to be available on Etsy once i pull my socks up and get organised otherwise contact me directly !Each one is signed by me and likely to have a bit of cat hair somewhere on it as Hilary ( our black cat who features quite heavily in my work )was lurking near by.I beavered away to get 4 framed up and on the wall at Fig and pretty pleased with how they look hung together.

Just about to start working on my ABC of prints -a for arctic fox wearing socks is first to be printed;and quite excited about c but you ll just have to wait won t you.

I also realised i failed miserably on the blogging- every- day -challenge.Goddammit.

Shameful

2011-06-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

I m not sure if this is a blog or an endless list of apologies for not blogging.I shall set myself a challenge.To blog everyday this week.Let s all hold hands and see if i can manage it..........

Did i mention i went to see Kylie ???

2011-03-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable !Never seen a show like that.Fountains,gold chariots,flying angels,levitating,rotating stage.

royal academy summer show

2011-03-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

My little print is lying in the bowels of the Royal Academy now.Despite some last minute barcode shinnanigans.Haven t got a chance in hell but you ve got to be in it to win it apparently ...

Travels oop north

2011-03-29T11:01:00.001-07:00

It s amazing what you can find on some of Britains finest beaches.Here s a few Anthony Gormley s ; what i believe is called Another Place.Crosby.

I expect no other quick witted wag has dressed them up.

Elbow (not the tennis type ,the singing type)

2011-03-23T10:55:00.001-07:00

Followers-apologies to all 39 of you.
I have been a terrible blogger.
I have been doing an exciting job that i can t really talk about as it may be something or nothing (so very cloak and dagger) but all will be revealed soon.....
Off to see Elbow tonight in Cardiff;it s so long since i ve been to what s known as a "gig" that i m not sure how you re supposed to behave.Needless to say i m wearing comfortable shoes and packed some sandwiches.Rock and roll.

Nerve racking stuff....

2011-02-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

Today i have to transform this blank sheet of paper into the idea for my print that i m entering into the Royal Academy summer exhibition.Cripes -i m scared ....

P.S for all of you that have been worrying about the state of my hair ;relax.Finally got it done.

Lovely sunny cornwall.Not.

2011-02-26T10:36:00.001-08:00

So dearest followers;we were promised pasties,we were promised cream teas and i m sure someone promised us lovely sunny walks on fabulous shining sands with sparkling seas.Wrong.We were in a giant cloud all the time.Quite atmospheric actually.Very Poldark.Got to be a bit creative on the beach though.Think it s technically known as flotsam and jetsom.

Double hoorah !

2011-02-15T01:08:00.000-08:00

Hoorah !2 new followers !!!At this rate i ll be up to 40 !

Note to self-must stop using exclamation marks-it s alarming !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Plan for today :

Reprint spring;dog who s bitten off more than he can chew.

Go to framers with my friend Chitra.

Reprint red camper van print.

Have mri scan on ropey knee.

Make hair appointment -it s beyond a joke now.

List of things to do....

2011-02-12T02:39:00.000-08:00

1.Create a children s memory game with my images.

2.Wall decals

3.Range of ceramics

4.Bags

5.Cushions

6.Teatowels

7.Childrens book

8.Make a hair appointment

9.Bedding

10.Royal mail stamps

11.Stationery

12.wallpaper

13.empty dishwasher

Things that are on my mind....

2011-02-11T00:51:00.000-08:00

1.Getting rid of that horrible wardrobe in my bedroom.

2.Stop fannying around with eggcups.

3.Do some new bloody work to enter the Royal academy Summer Exhibition,get selected and then start world domination.

4.Possible knee replacement -this could cock up the world domination bit

5.Stop fantasising about lovely children s wildlife tv presenter Steve Backshall.He would never be interested in a married woman with only one good knee.

6.Decorating Ruby s room.We have the decals.We nearly have the paint and we ve had the clear out.

7.Sort out my Not on the High St page-for goodness sake it can t be that freakin difficult.

8.Kick the cat out of the bedroom at night-woke up thinking i was wearing a busby but it was the bloody cat on my head

9.Clean the car.Too horrible to even really consider.

10.Do more jigsaw puzzles-can you get ones with more than 1000 pieces ?

11.Get me hair done.It s an embarassment.

Snap

2011-02-11T00:49:00.000-08:00

Do i keep mentioning Snap ?That s because it s brilliant.They put on a lovely private view last night.Thank you thank you.Here s my friend Dan checking his emails infront of some of the work.You are so busted Dan.

stirfry self portraits

2011-02-11T00:44:00.000-08:00

If you look closely these are not just filthy plates.No,they are self portraits by my daughter and her friend Daisy.Crafted from left over stir fry.
Think this one s a bit Mick Hucknall.

SNAP !!!

2011-02-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely followers.Great news -my show is up at Snap !
Snap is a fabulous printmakers co operative in the heart of our fair city,Bristol.I have some good friends at Snap so i knew they d do a good job but i didn t know it would look as lovely as it did.Just check out the fancy window decals !The show is on until the 2nd April and there s a private view this Thursday from 6pm to 9pm.Kir Royales and the much more rare Cider Royale will be served as well as some free tattoos which will be applied by a skilled tattooist hired for the night. (naaa they re transfers !)There s some truly fabulous work on show so do come and have a look.Snap s a bit of a gem really.

2011-01-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Well i will not give up with my quest to produce my work on ceramics.I ve managed these sweet little eggcups so far-the test will be the dishwasher.I ve got 50 more of them to decorate so i d better get them right.
In the background is the cockeril print that i managed to get onto a mug.I will not give up !!!!

2011-01-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Whoopdeedoo - another new blog entry.What s come over me ?Anyway here are 2 of my newish gocco prints.They re postcard size and a very affordable £15 each.Available from Fig only.

a walk down memory lane...

2011-01-14T03:58:00.001-08:00

I often have a look at Jane Foster s blog (she s a daily blogger unlike myself) and a while ago she had some photos of a 1960 s memory game she d bought for pennies in a charity shop.

It jogged so many memories for me and my sister as it s a game we used to play with my mum and dad all the time when we were small.

My Dad died a couple of years ago and it s only now i realise what a good dad he was.We had our moments but he always wanted the absolute best for his daughters and encouraged us no end in our schooling and education.I remember us playing scrabble the morning of his dr s appointment when they told him he had advanced cancer.We played lots of board games and Dad kept everything so when we couldn t find this game anywhere at home i was determined to buy one.A lovely lady in California sent me this.I m having them framed so my sister and i can look at them .Bizarrely i think they look a lot like my work.

china in your hands

2011-01-14T03:52:00.001-08:00

Look at my cups and saucers ! I ve invested in some porcelaine pens and i m loving it.Baking them in the oven after to make them dishwasher proof.They ll retail for about £35 for a cup and saucer -not bad i think for something that s ben hand drawn.Only available from our shop,Fig,in Bristol.I ll post up some new photos of our new layout there at the moment.

popeliness, fire engines and claustraphobia

2011-01-14T03:37:00.000-08:00

Hail followers !!!!So bad have i been at blogging that i m now going to cover the last 3 months so we can get up to date !!!

Well-a trip to Barcelona with the girls in November was hugely enjoyable and not without the odd incident.We had no idea his popeliness the Holy was in town at the same weekend and look how close we got -unbelievable i know.
Sadly the night before we saw him we had somehow got ourselves trapped in a lift in our apartment block.Fuelled up on cava and cheese ,we didn t see the 4 people lift limit and managed to cram 7 of us in.Well, imagine our suprise when it shuddered to a holt and went dark.Fortunately ,due to some quick thinking and luck,Fran,our leader,managed to phone the emergency services.We think it might have been the fact that she mistakenly told them there were 7 young maidens in the lift and not infact 7 middle aged women who can t take their drink.Which is why they turned up super quick .Think this picture captures their disappointment.

2010-12-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

Note to self--blog more or you ll lose all your followers,every single one and then you ll only have yourself to blame ......Merry Christmas followers !!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

Late Autumn (as in it s now winter so i m late)

2010-11-21T10:25:00.001-08:00

Spent a lovely day at Clivedon during the half term.Can t remember why Ruby was laughing.Possibly because i was constantly playing with my Pantone app on my phone-it s genius !!!!!

New prints alert !!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-21T09:06:00.001-08:00

I have been very naughty about blogging recently-i m suprised all my followers haven t cleared off in search of more interesting and current blogs.But hey,let s make up for it -new prints alert !!!!!!!The print above is March hares in mid-June and it s my favourite print for ages.I m going to do a series like this based on the english countryside.yeh,that s what i always say.....It s £265 unframed and measures about 60cm x 60cm.

This beauty is called Clucking Hell-more eggs.It was a pig of a print to do-just ask any off the other printmakers unfortunate enough to have been in the vacinity when i was working on it.It weighs in at £265 also .Lovely for a kitchen i thought.Both available framed and unframed from Fig .And soon from my online shop on my website.

Mad men or land of nod ??

2010-09-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Can t make a decision-do i watch the 30 mins of Mad Men that i missed last night because i fell asleep on the settee until 1 am after a night out and only 2 glasses of rose or do i call it a night ?Got to be up at 7 -but still need to iron school trousers,tidy kitchen,make a packed lunch,sew on some scout badges and read my new Marie Claire -oh ,and damn,just seen that Batman with George Clooney s about to start .....

New prints alert !!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yes-it s finally happened-new work !I m trying to print for England at the moment.Numerous Christmas shows are just around the corner and they want new work !I was a bit nervous of printing this cockerel but it s turned out well and I m going to print a large one too.Called Clucking hell.
I ve been experimenting with layering foliage again and this print s going to feature some rabbits some how or other.
Yes,always slightly behind-as we head into autumn and winter i finally get around to doing a butterfly.I m going to do a gianormous one in a week or so -who says size doesn t matter.

This weekend the first Devon Art Fair is taking place in Torquay .I m being represented by Hybrid ,a lovely gallery in Honiton.Be sure to pay a visit if yur in them parts.

Fame at last

2010-09-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well excitements of all excitements.My Daniel Craig card was mentioned on Radio 2 by Lynn Parsons at approximately 6.43 am on wednesday morning.A friend of hers had given it to her.She even read out the verse and everything !!!!!!!!!!!! Such thrills !!!!!!! I m sure there s a way to have it here so you can listen to it but i ve not got a clue...........

Boo hoo ...

2010-09-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

I seem to have lost a follower !! Were there not enough blogs ?(Fair point).Were they dull ?Not enough pictures ?Horrible to think someones not interested in me any more....and then i looked today and there s a lovely new follower-thank you Fiona Chapman Jewellery !!!You have restored my faith in the blogworld.

Had a jolly good clear out at Fig today.I was like a woman posessed -tearing up cardboard,shredding paper-even sweeping the floor.It s a goddamn palace in the cellar now.Even found my lost scalpel in amongst the grime.Hoorah !!

Got 3 parcels in the post too so am feeling very smug.Off to see Eat Love Whatsit tonight-roll on a giant tub of minstrels.And maltesers.

2010-09-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here s a new idea of mine -need to get printing for all the Christmas shows in the pipe line.It s rather cheekily going to be called " Clucking hell-not more chicks" or something in that vein.

Had a good day at work today.I ve moved downstairs at our shop Fig so that a)i ve got loads more space to spread all my papers and b)i don t have to listen to endless Radio 4(Jemima and Kate s channel of choice) which quite frankly makes me feel sleepy.I mean,i caught these girls listening to the Budget once,yawn......

Barcelona,butterflies and birds printed by gocco !!!!

2010-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

I ve been a very brave girl and broken in my gocco ! Not a great start when i wasted 2 of my precious bulbs by using artwork that didn t contain carbon (despite having read and reread the manual ).But then i got cracking and have produced this simple little print called Birds without a clue.
I ve embellished them with origami paper and am selling them for only £15 exclusively at Fig.They re not quite as crisp as a screenprint but i quite like that.I managed to print about 40 of them.Much excitement and itching to have another go !Loving the flashing of the bulb when it exposes the little screen.

Goccowoccodoodaa!!!!!

2010-08-21T04:01:00.000-07:00

Much excitement-i have purchased a gocco print machine-can t wait for all my packages to arrive from Japan-!!!Much nervous tension when i use it for the first time !!!Anyon got any tips ?

My wife went to the carribean .Jamaica?No St Lucia actually.

2010-08-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

One thing about the Carribean is that you get the most amazing sunsets,night after night.This picture doesn t do it justice at all.
I found this angel fish woven out of banana leaf on the beach-beautiful.
Using the fancy hipstomatic app on my iphone to capture ruby cartwheeling on the beach.
This hardly ever happens-a printmaker with clean nails-it won t last.
And finally ,below,my super dooper expensive sandals- flippin uncomfortable !!!!!

Back to Blighty.....

2010-08-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Back again ! Just flew back from 10 days in St Lucia.Lovely.Hot.Warm sea.Cocktails.Don t need a cardi in the evening.Lots of shifting around on sun loungers ,trying to tan your inner thighs.I have come back with a few holiday rants though........

1.Towels at dawn-people were creeping out at 5 am to reserve their lounger.We witnessed 2 arguments involving the French (I ll come to them later) over sun loungers.Great entertainment for the kids.

2.Women wearing those weird diaphonous, floaty kaftans over their bikinis.They look like nighties so STOP !

3.People who are too brown-they just look leathery.

4.French women who are clearly older than me but much thinner than me- totally not fair in any way shape or form.

5.Cakes for breakfast - WRONG WRONG WRONG !!!

6.Flip flops-flip flop flip flop -i don t want to hear you coming!!!!And wearing crocs is not the answer !!!!!

Thank goodness i ve got all that off my chest.I feel better already.

Here are some photos of palm tree leaves -just lovely.

hoorah hooruh new work for you ....

2010-07-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

Yes people,it s new work.Not yet on my website but new all the same.This one on the left is called 'Don t worry, he got away ' as i decided to many people would be traumatised (like the beginning of Finding Nemo).

Here we have 'Carrot thieving rabbit struck by the almighty beauty of the setting sun'.Note to self-shorter titles required as it is no fun whatsoever writing that 50 times.

And here we have 'Birds in fear of shrinkage'.I ve always told my children that our cats don t like the rain because they were worried their fur coats would shrink.

The summer holidays are now upon us so the blog may fall silent for a while due to general relaxation and picnics.I asked my kids to write a list of things they d like to do and my son wrote in big capitals-ALMOST ANYTHING BUT NOT NATIONAL TRUST.I ask you......

Drizzle and dancing.....

2010-07-16T04:54:00.001-07:00

Well lookey here-here i am written on another window-a snap of Snap,a wonderful printmakers co operative in Bristol which includes several of my friends.I have taken part in the mini print exhibition where you can snap up a print for £25 from 23 other printmakers .Get down there and make it snappy (see what i did there ?).

Little bit wiery today-went to see JLS at Warwick Castle.Oh the irony when they sang Umbrella while we all danced in our kaguls and attractive plastic capes as it lashed down.Thank you to our 3 nine year old girls for accompanying us there.Hilarious scenes ensued as we tried to get the girls on our shoulders unaided.

Here s a pic of the girls relaxing during the riveting support band .And thats a picture of my dear friend Alison reacting to the support bands band.A good time was had by all though .Thanks to Alison for driving us all there and for giving the man who was selling dodgy JLS merchandise off the bonnet of her car a real earwigging.

Meibh s dog-atlast.......

2010-07-16T04:18:00.000-07:00

Goodness-here are my menagerie of cardboard beasts !!Starting with a carrot thieving rabbit named after a new print .And here are my fox terriers- Meibh at Iota (a fabulous shop on the Gloucester Rd in Bristol)asked me many months for one of these and i have finally got on with it!!It s good news for her and great news for me as i can start going in her lovely shop again instead of avoiding her ........hoorah with a capital H !!
Here s an army of them -available in our little shop, Fig ,exclusively now !
This one s for Meibh and is called Laverne-hence the pink ribbon -a special detail for someone who s waited for 4 months.

EXcitement beyond excitement !!!!

2010-07-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentleman i have been featured on the fabulous Print and Pattern blog !!Very thrilled and excited -hoorah hoorah hoorah.This makes up for the fact that i have been diagnosed with inflamed tendons in my elbow (tennis elbow it s known as) and Doctor says I m not to print for a month or so -boo hoo and sob-i m hanging up my squeegee for a while....

Come on England ! (oops ,too late,they re out)....

2010-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

Just thought i d share this patriotic window display from our local hardware shop-particularly enjoying the white rubber gloves being set off nicely by the red ketchup dispenser-inspired!

Look-10 lovely followers !!!!!!!!! There are other people who fritter away endless time reading other peoples blogs -it s not just me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back from a short holiday....

2010-07-13T01:42:00.001-07:00

So,a week ago or so i had the lovely Jess working with me as my print assistant and PA.Jess was doing a weeks work experience and i think she had a good time.She certainly worked hard and let me tell you it was about 90 degrees at Spike Print that week -so she had her work cut out!I had her mixing inks,cutting paper,coating screens etc etc.There should be a pic of her print too.I ve just come back from a jaunt to Jersey for my Mum s 70th birthday.It s a confusing place where you feel like you re in France or Spain but there s a Dorothy Perkins on every corner.And I didn t even have a Royal Jersey potato !!!Boo hoo !

Journey to the big bad city.......

2010-07-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello people.I am pooped.I went up to London yesterday to see the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and meet up with some chums for a posh tea.Lovely.And we saw Boy George ! Here are some snaps of what i saw......Starting with my friend Chitra s print at the Royal Academy-look at all those red dots -super !!!!My Mum and i then perused Fortnum and Mason s-check out the sweet counter -and in the food hall downstairs they sold chocolate covered ants and healthy baked scorpions ( not fried you notice).

In Piccadilly I passed this amazing japanese sweetmeats store-i have no idea what these creations are made of but they were so beautifully packaged in tissue -they looked gorgeous.The japanese really know how to package things well.

Charlotte can work miracles...

2010-06-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here s an amusing shot of me and my lovely hairdresser Charlotte -i seem to have a strange spike growing out the top of my head -but thankfully it s gone now.Oh we did laugh.....

my final deadline.....

2010-06-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yup,I m sort of winding down work wise before the summer holidays kick in and my last project has been the Snap print exchange.Here they are in all there glory-40 little beauties to be hung with the good and the great.It s called Australian birds unaware they d flown to Saffron Walden.No idea why i chose Saffron Walden.....

horns a plenty...

2010-06-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

My husband went to the World Cup in South Africa and all he brought me back was this lousy collection of vuvezelas...

Feeling hot hot hot...

2010-06-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well look at that -I ve not been going much more than a week and i ve got 2 lovely followers-thank you mystery people!

It s been scorching hot again today.Scorching hot means my lovely gold Dune sandals.Here they are in all their goldbaubliness (excuse the chipped nailpolish).

I am having to crack on with my piece for the Snap print exchange.Snap are a great little printmakers co operative based in Bristol city centre .I have been asked to take part with 24 other printmakers including Anna Marrow,Simon Tozer, Lucie Sheridan,Johnny Hannah and Katy Chard.I need to print a no smoking sign for the shop and so i ve got this thing about a cat smoking going round in my head.And then i remembered i d seen this fabulous vintage matchbox illustration-DAMN !!!Back to the drawing board....

A strange and beautiful day....

2010-06-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Mmmm,the day didn t start promisingly.Awoken by my cat,Hilary,being sick onto my bed at about 2. 30 a.m.Not nice.

Then Ruby ,my 9 year old said she was off colour and would definately need a day off school.She doesn t look too bad does she ?We had to go to the print studio to print the Father s day portraits and they ve turned out well.Ruby was a bit disappointed at how much washing,scrubbing and wiping was involved with printmaking.Aren t we all.Anyway,what could any father want more on father s day than 2 pictures of him by his children and a giant bar of toblerone.?

I have been featured in Artists and Illustrators magazine this month.It s a small questions and answers column about my show at the Rostra in Bath.I thought i was witty enough.

Got to retire to bed now-an awful camping trip is looming -I HATE CAMPING- it messes with your head.All that scrabbling around on the floor and the deafening dawn chorus-moan,grumble,winge.Well atleast you get to eat marshmallows .........

Hip hip hoorah

2010-06-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well , here I am again .I should be ironing,making packed lunches and catching up on Junior Apprentice but I need to blog.Much excitement today -my lovely friend Chitra Merchant,a fine and talented printmaker has had a print accepted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.Here are a few of her wonderful pieces.She s moving in to Fig this month and we ll be very happy to have her in our little shop.Unless she outsells me ofcourse and then there will be trouble.....

A blog too far ?.....

2010-05-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

Am i mad ? I ve gone blog crazy and started my own blog - the other being for our shop,Fig, on the Gloucester Rd in North Bristol.So I m going to have work twice as hard to make my life and work sound interesting and happy and generally rosy and lovely.