a beautiful morning...

...apart from the snow, which i hate!! Just a reminder that the sale in the Restless Things shop comes to a close this weekend, this is your last chance to get many of these items.

i'll be freshening up the look of the shop and blog over the next week so apologies in advance for any technical blah in this space.

what?

28th january: a modest construction...

pencil and gouache on book page

it's friday already? i cannot believe where this week has gone - i had such great plans for getting loads of drawing done but nay! It is not so. Just lots of rubbish drawings this week. I did manage to give my website a little spruce if you fancy a peek?

i really enjoyed reading about erie basin and their lovely jewelry...

enjoy your weekend!

caroline slotte

I can't for the life of me remember where I came across the link to Caroline Slotte's work. I think I was too overcome with excitement/awe/inspiration to make a note of it. Her work with found objects is remarkably understated. I recommend you pay her website a visit to see more beauties like this one above...

a little more love...

got pointy hats? check!

got a chamber orchestra? check!

got amazing songs? check!

you must be efterklang then...

good morning!

this is why efterklang are one of my favorite bands: modern drift (from the forthcoming album 'magic chairs').

19th january: never forgotten...

pencil and gouache on hardback book cover with found notes

Have a fab weekend, I'll be back with some words hopefully next week...

beach house, i think i love you...

(image from bella union)

i've seen quite a lot of online chatter this week about the new beach house album 'teen dream'. the previous 2 beach house albums have been ok but I can safely say since procuring a few tracks from it yesterday out of intrigue that i may well have a new love...i practically melted onto the floor in pure and utter joy at the sound of this wonderful luscious music - need I say more?

stream the entire of the forthcoming album 'teen dream' here...

weekending

saturday was rain and cold with lack of sleep making the brain all fuzzy and eyes all scratchy. obviously a good day for mugs of hot hot tea and curling up in bed with a cheesy film...

here's a nice moment from sunday however. the sun came out for the first time in what feels like weeks and warmed up my studio for a little while.

i've had a little change-a-round. gone are all the bits of inspiration all over the wall. too busy. keep it simple i said to myself. a simple crate, a few objet and some tools of the trade. much better.

thoughts

14th january: makes my hands shake...

pencil and gouache on book page

My mind is too busy with ideas and plans, the day, well, week really has whizzed by and all I've done is a lot of thinking. It's a shame we can't measure thoughts so it looks like we've done some work...

Have a lovely weekend whatever you get up to!

11th january: the past tense...

pencil and gouache on book page

Hernan Paganini...

sunrise

nostalgia

fungus

I just discovered that Hernan has a new shop! Above are a few of my favorite pieces.

His new project Proyecto piel looks pretty interesting too, check it out!

5th january: humbled by insignificance...

gouache on salvaged paper

Thanks for your thoughts on the 'sketch' dilemma. I'm going to stick with the general 'drawings' term for everything. After playing about with things for a while this seems to suit me best.

And you're all right - it doesn't really matter what I call them as long as they are great little works of art and people enjoy them. But sometimes I put the businesswoman hat on and wonder what all these words and images mean to people hurrying past as they click their way through links, links, links in the blogosphere and world wide web at large. I am a 'brand' after all, am I not?

Let's keep it simple - that 2010 mantra again! 'Drawings' will suffice and it feels quite comfy already.

Liven up your afternoon: tune-yards.

finished sketch becomes a drawing

3rd january: an important gift...

pencil and gouache on book page

4th january: a fine specimen...

pencil and gouache on book page

I've decided to stop prefixing my sketches with the word 'sketch' - it suggests that each piece is a draft or incomplete in some way whereas it is in fact the opposite! I've toyed with the idea of calling them 'finished sketches' but that still seems, well, sketchy.

Hollie, Marchi and Char - thank you guys for your comments! I'm glad the meditative quality came through.

the perfect combination...

sketch 18th december: never-ending lamentation

gouache on book page

sketch 21st december: let's consider our insignificance

gouache on cardboard panel

I'm back to repetitive mark making again. There's something meditative, calming, obsessive and frightening about it all at the same time that I find altogether compulsive...

New sessions from timber timbre and little wings over on daytrotter sessions, make a cuppa, listen, enjoy...

twoartdirectors

antique glass ball clawfoot piano stool

vintage copper sailboat from weather vane

vintage rose scratchboard artwork

Have you seen the gorgeous vintage/salvage items from twoartdirectors on etsy? The photography in this shop is simply stunning not to mention the items of course!

Not only have I been extremely industrious today in clearing out a massive cupboard, I have also been the queen of DIY and put up 4 shelves. I am now exhausted and in great need of a large glass of wine!

Good evening!

sketch 19th december: reduced to silence...

gouache on book page

SALE now on!

Since boxing day I've been in the process of having a big clear out in the studio and putting a lot of prints and original pieces both old and new on sale in the shop - there are some real bargains to be had!

I still have a couple more items to list today/tomorrow and after that all items will be available until the end of January after which time they will be boxed up and stowed away!

There will be lots of changes to the shop at the end of the month and I'm really looking forward to doing some serious streamlining. Many of my older prints will be discontinued at this time also. Not to worry though, I'll be conjuring up some new specimens to take their places!

Visit the SALE!

hello 2010...

sketch 17th december: so succinctly amorphous...

gouache on book page

well, a few days ago anyway!

I'd like to say I saw the new year in with a bang but I actually fell asleep before the stroke of midnight and managed to a get a full night of blissful sleep, something that has been amiss for quite some time and was gratefully received!

Looking around the blogosphere I'm seeing a lot of peeps sharing their new year's resolutions - there's a lot of bold statements and long lists - and although I have a lot of (possibly big) plans for this year I'm not ready to divulge them just yet.

I'm aiming to keep a few straightforward thoughts in my mind for the coming year of life and work...

- remember to keep things simple

- try to read more than one book!

- focus on the focus

...who knows what this year may bring but let's hope it's a great year for you and me and everyone!