The Circus Horse...

After I made my customised book cover at the fabulous Lisa Stickley workshop at Hope & Elvis, a little story began to formulate in my head...

(Thanks Louise from Hope & Elvis for taking this photo.)

This collaged lady is hidden inside the book...

On one side of the book there is the circus horse, and on the other side is his 'shadow'.

The elements of this little piece had no forward planning, and evolved because of the beautiful materials available in the Hope & Elvis studio and the inspirational techniques and encouragement given by Lisa Stickley.

The Circus Horse.

There was once a magical circus that travelled far and wide.

The performers would amaze the audiences with their skill and daring.

One night, Miss Aurora, the horse riding ballerina, fell in love with a young farm-hand in the audience.

They would meet secretly after the shows, and they vowed to elope the very next night before the circus had to leave town.

However, Miss Aurora's father, the Ringmaster, heard of his daughter's plans and made the circus leave that very morning.

Miss Aurora's trusty horse escaped with a note tucked into his mane.

'Giddy up. Giddy up'

Aurora whispered in his ear before he set off.

But the journey was far and the horse became tired, and he knew it was his time to sleep in the heavens.

And as he closed his eyes he turned into a shimmering constellation of stars.

The young farm-hand saw the message in the sky and he found Aurora.

And very soon they were wed in a midnight ceremony illuminated by the circus horse up above.

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Lisa Stickley At Hope & Elvis!

A couple of weekends ago I was lucky enough to be going to a workshop held at the fabulous Hope & Elvis, taught by the amazing Lisa Stickley.
We were asked to bring in our favourite toy from our childhood, and so I brought Gol Gol (I'll tell you more about her at a later date, I think she's worthy of a post of her own some day, bless her.)

My friend brought in her horse called Miles, and I must admit he caught my eye and became my muse for the day.

(Sorry Gol Gol!)

I brought my trusty art supplies pouch, which was made by my lovely friend Deborah.

(The fabric is printed with one of my paintings and it has beautiful hand stitching on it, I will treasure it forever.)

When we sat down for a gorgeous dinner by Magie, I noticed this coaster which was propping up the table leg, (how Hope& Elvis is this!!!!!)

No photograph can do Magie's cooking justice!

After dinner, some fabulous work began to emerge in the room...

Here's Louise, enjoying one of Lisa's stories.

I really enjoyed mono-printing, and I liked the 'ghost horse' that had been left behind by my print.

The lovely Louise Presley was also there, working in her beautiful atelier studio.

She very kindly let me swooosh about in the net petticoats that she is going to re-fashion.

(Thanks to Louise Asher for letting me use this screen shot of the boomerang film she made of me whilst in full swooosh!)

Fabulous darling!

Lots of art-action going on!

A Gol Gol close up.....so that she doesn't feel left out!

Lisa's work is stunning and so witty, I love her drawings and characters so much and her books are a joy.

My horse started to emerge from the creative chaos...

This is the inside of the 'book' that I collaged...and a little story began to formulate.

Awwww...look what I found on my trusty Pritt stick!

This chap is Louise's treasured toy, you can tell he's a real character!

More Lise Stickley lovliness...

Unfortunately I didn't manage to photograph everyone's work, but the variety was amazing.

I loved this 3D collage.

More fabulous work, I love the mark-making and how the characters have been captured.

And this is my favourite photograph of the day.....

Lisa Stickley drawing my Gol Gol!

Eeeep!

(I did turn a bit fan-girl at this point!)

Thank you Lisa, I will treasure this forever.

It was a truly inspirational day, we were treated like Queens all day (thank you so much Louise Asher and Magie, cheers Sam for all the cups of tea, and thank you so much Lisa for sharing your skills, knowledge and laughter.

If you'd like, I'll tell you the little story that I made up about my horse next time...

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It's The John Leggott Art Foundation Exhibition! (Part Three!)

Here is the final instalment of the exhibition, I hope you enjoy our last foray around the gallery...

Keir wanted to create a sense of mystery and claustrophobia with his display.

His atmospheric photographs celebrated the work of Agatha Christie.

Not only did Keir produce a beautiful book and series of photographs, he also created a stunning set of embroidered mixed media images.

Emma's work explored the issues of body image and eating disorders.

Her sculpture was so impressive and well constructed.

Emma also explored a wide range of disciplines, including 3D, film and painting.

I loved the shadows cast by these fragile and delicate wire sculptures.

Megan explored the issue of self love within the LGBTQA+ community.

She created a fantastically illustrated zine and a range of promotional merchandise.

I love these stickers so much!

Saskia created a stunning display of machine and hand embroidered portraits that explored the complex issues of the many layers within our personality and persona.

The embroideries were strung up from the ceiling to the floor, and as the display was carefully lit, it looked so dramatic in the private view.

Mirante's beautiful textile designs celebrated the culture of Thailand, and challenged how designers should respect the belief systems that they obtain design inspiration from.

I love Mirante's fashion illustrations and flair for pattern design.

Emma's designs and stunning textile wall hangings were inspired by the natural world.

As you can see, her display was carefully co-ordinated and evoked the sources of inspiration perfectly.

Just look at these gorgeous cushions!

There was so much work involved in these pieces, the textures were just beautiful.

Chloe's Amazonian women greeted the viewers on entry to the exhibition.

Girl power!

Chloe researched classical goddesses, and addressed the issue of female empowerment in contemporary society.

As you can see,  they proved to be the perfect backdrop for photo opportunities.

It was brilliant to see so many past students, (here's Anastasia Tasou striking a pose!)

And here are the artists themselves...

Congratulations Class of 2018, you are just fab my chickens and I will miss you all very, very much.

Thank you again to all the staff at John Leggott College and Cafe Indie for all your hard work, and thank you to all the friends and family who supported, cheered on, and helped these wonderfully talented artists and designers.

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