We have a special offer on our website throughout November

FREE DELIVERY ON ALL ORDERS!

And as there are only two weeks left of the month (how did that happen?)

I'm just reminding you before time runs out................

www.uysgallery.co.uk

New Monoprint Off The Press

I have been working on this monoprint for a few weeks now, down at the Porthmeor Print Workshop. I needed to inject a bit of colour into my work! I used Speedball water based inks.......just as well as this photo was taken after pull number 7 where I nearly lost the lot due to not checking the tension of the press........

.......luckily Michele Wright was quick to help out, she helped me recover, and after one final roll through the press, here is the final piece drying. Now all I have to worry about is the framing........

St Ives Well~Wishers Textile by Andrea Carr

I was pleased to be able to give a piece of artwork to be included in this large textile piece by St Ives artist Andrea Carr. She had collaborated with a friend of mine Jo Mayes to create a performance art piece based around St Ia Well, close to the Tate Gallery and Porthmeor Beach.

My children often play in the well water as it falls down on to the beach to create a natural waterfall and pool so it is a place very close to my heart. The textile was used to make a beautiful dress which was worn by a dancer who walked from this sacred site down to the waves.

It is currently hanging in St Ives Library alongside some collagraphs made by a handful of local children who were lucky enough to enjoy a printmaking class by Rachael Kantaris at the Porthmeor Print Workshop. I think she had encouraged their use of colour beautifully.

My Entry

Now the St Ives September Festival is over I can catch up with a few updates I have been planning to do, this was my entry to the annual "Spot The Artist" event which has become so popular. I heard that some people were so determined to get their chosen *bargain* (each anonymous, unsigned piece sells for £35) that they chose to spend the night outside the Arts Club, ensuring their place at the head of the queue when the doors opened at 9am!

Eek, I just posted my (late) entry to the annual "Spot the Artist" event, organised by the St Ives Rotary Club. If I'd looked at the names of some of the other artists who donate work before I posted the envelope I would probably have changed my mind!

Last year the event raised over £6,000 for local charities, including Shelterbox whose work I very much admire. Unsigned, original works of art are available to buy at just £35 each.

The event takes place at the St Ives School of Painting. Viewing will be on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th September with the sale itself on Sunday 12th September from 9am - 12 noon. I can't wait to see the exhibition.

I'm delighted to say that a drawing of mine (left) has been selected as part of the St Ives Well Wishers Project ~ it will be included in a procession as part of the St Ives September Festival and as far as I can gather it will be presented on the train of a tailor made designer dress!

Find out more at St Ives Well Wishers ~ I will tell you more as I find out myself!

The drawing itself will be on display in the gallery throughout the Festival as part of the Open Studios Programme. Many thanks to Andrea Carr, Elise Langley and Jo Maynes who have worked so hard on this idea, I remember chatting to Jo about it well over a year ago. It will be very exciting to see the results and I LOVE the fact that the kiddies will be so involved.

"Aching Wing"

I just finished a new linocut which kind of sums up how I'm feeling at the moment ~ the town is so full there is no room to spread out!

We all suffer from aches and pains in our lives and this is my response to that. Gravity pulls on our bodies throughout the day and this is a reminder to myself and the viewer to take care of ourselves.

The Smallest Studio in St Ives?

I have been thinking about the St Ives September Festival and have decided to be included in the popular Open Studios event this year, more details to follow as I get more organised. I do, however, have the tiniest space......... maybe I should use this as a Unique Selling Point! This photograph was taken standing in the doorway after my big print~off last week.

"Sulking Mermaid" and "Moody Angel" are continuing to sell really well through the gallery and can also be purchased from the website, click here if you would like one for yourself.

"Filigree In Blue" (SOLD) and "Filigree~Adagio"

I've uploaded a new photo of these pieces as I don't think I did it properly last time! Thanks for the nod, Lesley! St Ives is PACKED with visitors and it's turning out to be a very busy season. I hope you are having lots of sales and interesting conversations down at the other end of the town as well!

http://www.artspace-cornwall.co.uk/

http://www.uysgallery.co.uk

Commission in Blue

A customer asked me if I could make her a piece of work the other day ~ it feels like my first commission in a looooonnng time! She saw "Filigree and Shadow" (complete with red 'sold' sticker) and liked it so much I could only say 'Yes!' She had a very definite idea of how she wanted it to look, so it took me three attempts to get it right.......... She even chose the stamps she wanted me to add to the finished piece. Here are the works in progress......

The finished monoprint "Filigree in Blue" is now wrapped and awaiting collection. I have also framed another "Filigree ~ Adagio" and it is currently on display in the gallery.

"Girl with a Bird"

I'm so excited to have finished this today ~ A portrait of my eldest daughter inspired by a recent outing to our local sanctuary,

Paradise Park.

I must have taken about 10 proofs to come to this, unusual for such a small linocut (it's only five inches high) but I was very definite about the expression I wanted to capture ~ halfway between joy and mischief. I love the way they are really looking at each other. Despite it's public title, this one will always privately be known as "Maia and the Bird" in my heart.

"Filigree and Shadow" (SOLD)

Monoprint and Collage

"Filigree and Echo" (SOLD)

I've been trying something new this week and have been startled by the effect of the subconscious mind on my art. I spent some time in the hospital last week with my youngest daughter whilst she had an ultrasound on her heart. Obviously an emotional thing. Then, once in my studio, I found myself making an intricate heart shaped linocut.

I then began playing with drawing inks and what was incredible was the marks that were appearing on the pages. As I let the two different coloured inks run over the page, they began to mimic the shapes of the chambers I had been scrutinising on the ultrasound screen.

(Added 2nd September 2010 ~ I just sold this piece of work to a young couple from New Zealand,

they particularly liked the tight curls which reminded them of Maori tattoos ~ LOVE IT!)

"Filigree and Gold" (SOLD)

Monoprint and Collage

"Five for Silver" (SOLD)

A photo of the finished collage before I put it into the frame ~ I'm so glad to have finished it before the Bank Holiday Weekend as we are expecting a lot of visitors to St Ives.

The magpies are collaged, the tree ended up being collaged too, as the charcoal didn't look strong enough. I used coloured drawing inks to colour vintage music paper and a watercolour wash in the background. The silver twists through the tree represent luck, spring and blossom and are made from sweet wrappers that have been pressed inside a book since Easter.

In the Window for Beltane

"Five for Silver" as it looks hanging in the gallery window, in time for May Bank Holiday Weekend, I hope you all have a lovely Beltane x

"Five for Silver"

I've started a large scale piece today. I found this collage I made a while back and I want to scale him up and reproduce him five times. I'm not sure how I'll do that, either by collage or linocut. It feels like a good challenge, though. I've made their new home, already, a large, bare~branched charcoal tree over sheets of vintage music paper. The finished piece will be about 30" square so it is a move away from the small cards and lino's I've been working on for a while.

"Red Fish, Blue Fish"

"Old Fish, New Fish"

"Moody Angel" and "Sulking Mermaid"

Linocut made a while ago, that I'm just beginning to edition

New Linocut finished this week

"Big Breeze"

Party Bunting

Ooh look what I found ~ bunting know~how!

Hearts and Websites

I've been busy making valentines cards to sell in the gallery ~ I feel right at home working with hearts and love and all that ~ so all is flowing well in that corner of my world

I have also been putting together a website for my husbands ceramics, we often sell his work via e~mail so this site will make that a lot easier to do. I have control over the site so I can update the images as new work comes out of the kiln.

www.uysgallery.co.uk

"Tattoo Heart"

Stitched Heart

Layers of collage over a love song

"Reaching Out"

Small collage using collagraph