Regards Croises: France - Grande-Bretagne. Bella's Book

It's great to be asked to take part in a project, so when Sarah Bodman sent an invitation to make an artists' book on the theme of 'Regards Croises: France - Grande-Bretagne' I was very pleased to participate.

We had been asked to make a book on our ideas of France, for exhibition in Saint-Etienne and later, the UK. 

In 2010 I'd made a tiny concertina book about tramping in the Haute-Savoie and I found myself looking at it again. It was the first totally digital work I had made, quite a departure for me and I feel the time is right to explore digital further. 

I keep a small sketchbook by my bed - if I can't sleep I like to doodle - and this little character (Bella) runs through it. I think she's my alter ego. Sometimes she's a child, sometime my age, and sometimes 60 plus, she holds a running commentary on Life, the Universe and Everything.

This is the first stage for working out the flow for this book. Working from my scanned images I add colour and resize, before printing out, then it's a session of cut and paste and re-cutting and re-pasting.

I like this stage, there is time for reflection and the idea is still in its infancy so there is plenty of room for growth. I find this is an exciting time in the development of an idea.

By the end of the week work is complete and ready to be posted off.

A little postscript

I blogged today using Mr B's computer, mine has curled up its tiny toes and died. The book for France is a totally digital being, and exists/ed on my computer - I hadn't backed my work up for a while (I know, I know) so, if you haven't backed up yours . . . . . 

Open Studios 2012

Jeannette and I are taking part in the West Berks and North Hants Open Studios scheme this year and will be exhibiting a range of glass, prints, books and cards over two weekends in May. So do come along if you'd like see what we do, or to talk to us about the courses we run. 

Other artists opening their studios in the area at the same time include: Arran Miles and Sue Kirkman, Normandy Barcelo-Soto and Diana Devonshire, Diana Barraclough, Mandi Bainbridge, Ann Richmond, Gill Reeve, Sue Lashmar and Meryl Ainslie  

Such a lot of talent a small area, making it easy to plan a route for a great day out!

The Yorkshire Wolds

Today I received the booking confirmation from Discovery Travel for accommodation (and baggage transfer!) for our summer walk - The Yorkshire Wolds Way - so, no going back. . . . 77 miles in a week and actually, I can't wait!

The seeds of this idea where sown back in January when Country File featured the Yorkshire Wolds, and consolidated when my friend (Ms D) and I saw the Hockney exhibition in March.

Irresistible, Fortnum and Mason, opposite Burlington House. Oh the joy of a smart phone, as needless to say I'd left my camera on the kitchen worktop in my haste to get to the station in time for an early train.

Typical London street scene - apart from the blue skies and sunshine, before the hosepipe ban of course . . . . ?

Hockney's work is so luscious.

April 2010 I fell in love with the Yorkshire Dales, so how could I not want to see the Yorkshire Wolds for myself?

Save our ancient woodland

The loss of our irreplaceable ancient woodland (and mature trees found outside the woods) is disgraceful. We rely on our woodlands for so much, namely clean air and clean water.

Despite MP's claiming to value our irreplaceable natural habitats and promising to protect them, it has kept a clause so subjective that destruction could very easily continue. Can we really just allow our ancient woodland to be grubbed up?

I know you are bombarded with requests to sign this or look at that . . . . . . . but,
please check out the links, and if you would, sign the petition.

Sister, dear sister.

I'm really quite glad that there was a delay in receiving the lino for this project. As a consequence I started work on another piece and in the meantime ideas for Sister scuttled about my head, reforming themselves in the recesses of my brain.

And, although I had intended to let folk art influence this project, when it came to planning out the ideas I didn't feel that was the best direction to take it.

So I stared again . . . . . using ink, type and working from photographs

and my lovely new soft cut lino.

Needing to take a proof - I just happened to have Rose Pink on the go 

Slightly more sober colours - now where to place the text?

Chroma exhibition

Last Thursday I trotted off to Bristol with my image for the Chroma exhibition at Spike Print Studio.

I wasn't completely happy with what I'd done so took a back up print, knowing I would make up my mind as I handed it in.

Playing with the composition hadn't helped . . . I still felt that this image wasn't totally successful in a single colour and needed 'something else'

I had tried various colour inks over different papers - but still had a nagging feeling that something was missing.

And, when I arrived at Spike I presented a text piece. 

Like this, but printed on khadi paper .