Well here we are at the end of September and my world is still very much the same as it was earlier this year. I'm spending most of my time at home going out walking when I feel its safe but mostly keeping busy around the house and garden.

With no shows and no galleries currently selling my work I've been free to try out all sorts of projects that have been on the back burner. I've been working my way through a great book called DRAW PAINT PRINT like the GREAT ARTISTS by Marion Denchars.  Its designed to loosen you up by trying different methods and using different materials. There are a series of exercises to do and I'm loving it, just like being back at art college. 

Heres my first attempts at monoprinting.

Since my last entry I've also got out the watercolours and finished a map showing all the places we have visited in the last 4 years to try and complete Rob's quest to photograph all of Britains Butterflies. Its now proudly hanging in his home office.

This month I finally got the clay out and made some Green Men in preparation for a project with our local church and today I have been back on the wheel. Well it was more like mud wrestling and I'm covered in clay but hey it was fun.  Planning on making some porcelain jewelry next, depends on space in kiln.

So like lots of people this year, well almost all of us, my travel plans have not happened. We should have been on our way up to Scotland to see the Gannets at Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth, but I'm still here at home looking out at the pouring rain which we badly need after weeks of glorious sunshine.

So I'm doing the next best thing and reading about it in Adam Nicholson's wonderful book  The Seabird's Cry. thankyou Martin & Lucy for sending me this. I have to say the chapter on Gannets was slightly gruesome. They are natures killing machines and very aggressive to each other. Still extremely beautiful though.

I also found a cardboard kit that I had bought at an RSPB shop years ago so I've made that up and photographed it hanging in front of a fabulous pastel painting called The Storm by Vincent Neave.

model designed by Deryck Henley

Vincent is a Marine Artist living in Bristol. We became friends when he owned a floating Gallery in Bristol harbour a few years back called The Glevum, you can read all about him here. https://vincentneave.wordpress.com/about/

So thats my holiday from home this year, now I'm off to read about another of my favourite birds. The Puffin.

I've put off writing in my blog because quite honestly I have been lost for words. The world has changed so much since my last entry and I, like many craftspersons I have had to make some difficult decisions about how and if I can carry on making.

I have decided to take a break as no one can predict what the new "normal" will be like and my circumstances have changed in the last year so this seems like a good time to stop and reflect, catch up with other projects and hopefully start up again in the near future with a clearer idea of what I want to do.

I plan to revamp my website and keep you up to date with whatever projects I am working on.

Thanks to all my customers who have supported me in the past, I hope you all stay safe in these difficult times.