Make Some Noise

Having hoped for an improvement in the weather now that my studio scaffolding has come down, I have been bitterly disappointed.  August has been really rather poor from a meteorological point of view.  As I sit here and reflect on the past month, it is September 1st and there is a decidedly Autumnal feel in the air.  We are beginning to baton down the hatches for Winter already.  Even my colour palette is sensing the change - as I move more towards Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber and Copper.  Of an evening, I am already smelling woodsmoke on the air here in Gloucestershire.

But the past month has certainly not been without spectacular moments when I have, as Nathalie Marchant once sang, felt a shaft of light make its way across my face...

On August 15th, I traveled to London to see Big Big Train play live at the prestigious Kings Place.  I have had the great honour and pleasure of working with the band, on their artwork, since late 2014.  And I had been waiting for this day to come for a long time.  

Oh my, the band did not disappoint.  It was a truly magnificent performance and a very special evening indeed.   To coin the cliche "there was a lot of love in the room" would not be inappropriate here!  

There was obviously one particular song which I was waiting for - Wassail.  What I did not expect was to see my painting of the Green Man blown-up to epic proportions and used as a back-drop for the song!  It was a huge moment for me - and I recall looking up to see Kathy (the very lovely wife of Greg Spawton, band founder member) grin and give me the thumbs up!  I bit back tears and the word "proud" doesn't even come close.

I had the great pleasure of meeting many of their fans (or Passengers, as they should be referred to) - what a super bunch of people.  I also had the chance to catch up with Greg, Andy, David and Danny from the band.  Alongside Kathy, they all made me feel such a part of their BBT family.   You know when you think back upon something and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside - well, that. 

Fabulous photograph taken by (c) Willem Klopper 2015.

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The other warm and sun-filled moment of August was being able to announce that I have a new art-related "family" in Scotland : Robertson Fine Art.  Robertson's have galleries in Glenrothes, Dollar and Dunfermline - and are about to open a fabulous new gallery in Edinburgh at the end of September.  They are also super active within the Scottish interiors market and can often be found attending events.  For example, they will be launching my work at the Aberdeen Art Fair (Sept 4-6, Music Hall, Aberdeen) and have other outside events planned over the coming months.

I have already sent a number of pieces up to Gordon Robertson and his team - and of course am really excited to develop the relationship further.

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Well that's it from me for another month.  My September will be focused on preparing work to supply to my galleries in readyness for Christmas.  Yes, it will arrive frighteningly quickly! But in the meantime, keep your eye on my Etsy shop as I have a few new little gifting items which will be going in over the next few weeks.

Have a wonderful September.

Love, Light & Peace

Sarah x

Audiobooks I have enjoyed in the studio this month:

- The Final Confession of Mabel Stark : Robert Hough

- The Lovely Bones : Alice Sebold

Sounds of Laughter, Shades of Light

It is the last day of July.  Summer seems to be slipping away very quickly this year.  If you were happy, wrapping yourself in the blissful warmth of the summer sun, only to find it swept away by driving rain and autumnal temperatures, you can probably blame me.  We had scaffolding erected at the start of the month, to carry out works on the roof and dormer window of my studio.  From that moment on, the weather has been unpredictable and disappointing.  Sorry.

Looking back, it has been a really busy month for me, with lots of getting out and about, which I love.

July has brought sunshine in other ways.  You might recall that I painted a ceramic hare for the Cirencester Hare Festival (currently on display in Framemakers Gallery, in the town).  Well I was lucky enough to attend the opening night of The Names of the Hare exhibition at the New Brewery Arts centre. The exhibition features work from some of my favourite artists ( Catherine Hyde,  Hannah Willow, Tamsin Abbot, Karen Davis, Celestine & The Hare and Gloucestershire's own fabulous Dinny Pocock).  

But I am sure the other ladies wont be offended if I were to say that the real star of the show was, of course, the amazing Jackie Morris. During the evening, Jackie treated us to a reading from her brand new book, The Wild Swans (a companion piece to East of the Sun, West of The Moon). She shared some of her new, beautiful illustrations and anecdotes upon life as a writer, illustrator and artist.  I even got the chance to leaf through some of her sketch books.  What a treat!  

The exhibition really is stunning.  I would highly recommend going along for a peak.  The atmosphere is warm and magical and the work is simply gorgeous.  I cannot sing its praises highly enough. It runs until September 19th.  So plenty of time to get there.  Cirencester is a beautiful town too (okay, I am pretty biased, I know...)  Here is a couple of photos of some delicious Tamsin Abbot pieces, which I covet badly. Badly...

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This month also brought an unexpected but lovely invitation from Gordon and the team at the Prema Arts Centre. 

Gordon got in touch and asked me if I would like to come and visit, meet his team and consider the prospect of an exhibition with them.  The centre is in the next village to me, Uley, and has an enviable nationwide reputation for staging some amazing live music events, exhibitions and workshops. Housed in an old methodist chapel (and currently under-going some incredible refurbishment), Prema really is an amazing space : workshops, studios, a breath-taking exhibition space and a fabulous cafe.  I had a great morning with Prema, they were welcoming, warm and collaborative.  So now I just have to get my thinking cap on : I know the where, I just have to work out the when and the how!

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Much time this month has been spent hand embellishing the Green Man prints in readyness for the Big Big Train  concerts at Kings Place, London, next month.  In fact the last of these prints  will be taken down to my framers this afternoon, to be put into their mounts.  

They are a limited run of 25.  Each print is unique in some way and all have been signed by me and come with a certificate of authenticity.  Once in their mount, they look really great.  I do hope the BBT fans like them! 

Note: at the end of August, I will be running a competition on this blog to win an Artist's Proof of this print. the competition will only be available to members of this blog.  So don't forget to sign up!

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New collections of my pieces have gone into Framemakers Galleries (throughout the South/South West) and also The Acorn Gallery (Pocklington, Yorkshire) this month, which is great.  It's so nice to refresh my displays with new work.  I have launched a number of smaller pieces, which I am hoping people will respond well to.  The new works are primarily 8x8" or 12x12" (image size).  This makes them not only easier to find space for on your wall, but they also retail at sub £500, which has got to be a good thing.

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So I am currently working on a selection of new pieces for a brand new gallery chain in Scotland (more to be revealed on that very soon).  

I am also turning my thoughts towards Christmas (yes, a bit of a swear word when you consider it will be August tomorrow!).  However, I have to plan early and am scheduling new small gift pieces (hearts, pebbles etc) for my Etsy shop (nice stocking fillers) and also working up some Christmas Card designs.  I would really like to have everything in my Gifting line in my shop by mid October. We will see!!

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I can't let my round up of July close without mentioning the most fantastical, magical night I spent at Giffords Circus - who decamped on the village green at Frampton On Severn yesterday ( just up the road).  Giffords is a wonderful old-fashioned Victorian circus, without the animal cruelty.  As soon as you step on the the site (let alone into the big top), you are whisked away to a simpler time, a magical time, a place from somewhere deep in your memory.  Here is a quote from Nell Gifford, which says it all:

"I held the jewel of my childhood up to my eye,

and through it I saw ponies and a dressing-up box

and a tent.

And that was Giffords Circus"

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So that's it from me for this month.  Try and enjoy the moments of sunshine, where you can (don't worry, the scaffolding comes down on Wednesday.  Summer will return then!).

Love & Light

Sarah x

Audiobooks I have enjoyed in the studio during July:

- A Boy & A Bear in A Boat - Dave Shelton

- The Behaviour of Moths - Poppy Adams