ALTERED BOOK

6 talented artists, 12 months and 6 random books equal an extraordinary altered book project which has now sadly come to an end.

But we all own a wonderful artifact full of treasures.
I launched this project 12 months ago with the challenge...alter a page and send the book on, take 2 months to do the next section and send the book on.
Everyone approached the project in their own style, trying out new things.

Playing and experimenting. Having fun and challenging themselves. The deadlines were strict, but communication allowed for flexibility.

We all have busy lives and this project was out bus mans holiday.

Every other month the postman was anticipated excitedly.

To mark the end of the project we met for tea and cake yesterday to hand over the books in person, except for our book mate in America who was with us in spirit and the gorgeous pages of her contributions to the project. Daunting and stimulating in equal measure.

The project punctuated my year, which has not always been straight forward, with a sparkle of creativity which would otherwise lie dormant.

It has been a joy to share this project with such a lovely group of creative people. Thankyou for my book.

ENAMEL EXPERIMENTS

I have spent the day in the shed experimenting with my newly acquired enamel grade steel.
The exciting thing is that it does not need sand blasting to degrease it and I may even get away with not grip coating it if the experiment on the right is anything to go by. I really like the look of the burnt metal. I have been playing with black, white and flux. Layering, scratching and stoning back. A little bit of sifted enamel in orange and brown has been added here and there.

Being fairly new to enameling it has been so valuable just to spend an afternoon doodling. The greyness looks so English, I quite like this shabby chic thing though.

PRINTMAKING PANIC

I have had some very exciting news, I have been selected to show at Printfest. This is an exhibition of printmaking in Ulverston, Cumbria, Saturday 31st April to 1st May,www.printfest.org.uk for more details.
It has put me in a bit of a panic as I have been neglecting my editioning duties and stocks of work have got a bit low.

So this weekend I rolled my sleeves up and set too. I now have available supplies of Two Winter Birds and Three Winter Birds.

Maran II

Lakenvelder

Leghorn

Light Sussex

and Guinea Fowl

Three Coots is a new image in my portfolio,

so is Mute Swan. They are all collagraphs, tile cement, card and wood glue are some of the materials used to make the plates. But after this weekend I can safely say that my career as a nail model is well and truly over!

ENAMEL IDEAS

Less is more, keep it simple, advice I hear myself offering all the time. Do I take my own advice...very rarely. In this case I think I might. It is tempting to add moths or crows to these screen printed enamel transfers, but I like the clean lines and the image continuing on the spoon. I am fighting that little voice that is saying it was too quick to make. But I have to remember that I took the photograph, I made the screen and printed it onto the transfer paper and it has taken me months to learn how to apply a smooth thin layer of enamel onto a steel surface. So half an hours enamelling, months of preparation to get there! Too quick?

ENAMELLING EXPERIMENTS

I have at last found time to complete this enamelled concertina book.
I set myself the challenge of combining transfers with drawn images and experimenting with a variety of contemporary enamelling techniques. The construction was also a challenge, making the hinges and riveting the black moth onto the piece.

The copper is first etched in ferric chloride and the wings are cut with a piercing saw.

With so much going on with the shapes, textures and drawing I thought it would be best to keep it all simple and keep to black and white. I am so relieved that it all folds flat on itself.

It is the little triumphs that keep me going!

SKETCH BOOK EXPERIMENTS

Finally I have found a couple of days to work through some ideas in my sketch book.
When I am really stuck I start the blank page with a gum arabic transfer,

then using acrylic, ink and pencil work into the surface.

Metallic oil pastels add glamour, but tricky to photograph.

I have also spent some time creating enamel work to show in the Cheltenham Open Studio event at the beginning of June. It seems along way away now, but time soon passes so the more I can get done now the better.

A FLYING START

For a couple of years now I have had a strategy in place to beat the post Christmas blank page. In the build up to the festive season making plates and deliberately starting work that needs to be finished goes hand in hand with my mince pie and decorating routine.
I am pleased to report that it still seems to work. I timetabled days in my studio leaving family to do creative things with left overs.

This left me time and space in my head to rework and resolve these crow collagraphs.

A family trip to Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust fired me up to create more bird compositions.

I even had the energy to do some experimental enamel. I received some eBay purchases of pocket watch parts before Christmas, so I have been itching to make things with them.

With steel moths and an etched copper disc I experimented using my new riveting skills.

I am finding if I look at something long enough ideas pop into my head, so using small but powerful magnets I attached this moth construction to a previously enamelled fork. If I add text to the cutlery and do a little more work on the moths I may have a set of work I could use...can I hear you saying spoons?

With a brisk return to college in the first week in January I have been able to start a new enamelled concertina book. Very much a work in progress, but again all the components were prepared before Christmas, so I just have to continue rather than try to start again, psychologically it works for me.

Happy New Year everyone and here's to a creative continuum.