restless things

moments

2012-02-15T20:54:00.000Z

2012-02-08T19:33:00.000Z

8th february: recur

gouache on salvaged hardback book cover with found markings and scribbles

notes: sometimes i find it so hard to get away from these soft, oval shapes. it doesn't matter how hard i try. i decided to start out with a hard geometric shape this morning but it ended up with a mass of curves creeping inside it. some days i think of this as being focused and on others i think i'm weak minded at can't see beyond the one shape that i love to draw.

this also reminds me of a recurring nightmare i used to have as a child where masses of tires used to roll towards me and i could feel them try to magnetically draw me under their weight. scary stuff.

moments

2012-02-08T10:22:00.000Z

a recent walk. more snow. this time out in it, brr!

2012-02-07T18:41:00.000Z

7th february: lost

burning on hardback book cover with found scribble marks

available in the Restless Things shop.

staying warm

2012-02-07T14:13:00.000Z

at around 1.30pm i finally got my fire on the go. i'm not sure i can do any work today now, i'm too busy watching the flames!

moments

2012-02-06T11:01:00.000Z

this weekend. first snow. staying warm inside, looking out.

2012-02-03T20:08:00.000Z

3rd february: 2 weeks

burning on hardback book cover

available in the Restless Things shop.

notes: i spent many hours keeping warm huddled over an electric heater this morning bringing this piece to fruition. there's something about burning that's very unpredicatable and satisfying. i really enjoy the way it leaves a slight indentation on the paper and it feels so much more permanent than paint.

i've had this hardback cover knocking around for years and i'm pleased to be able to finally piece it's little scrawl in the corner that says '~~2 weeks~~ 2 weeks' in with work that's focusing on the passing of time.

really enjoying Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang's The Wonder Show Of the World whilst making this, in particular this track...

have a good weekend all!

an early inspiration

2012-02-03T17:10:00.000Z

i was completely obsessed with this countdown clock as a child. i've been thinking about it a lot recently for some reason and had to look it up!

grey light/giveaway winner

2012-02-03T14:15:00.000Z

so finally i got around to picking the winner of the giveaway, it seems that time continues to move at the speed of light and i never have a spare moment to get near the computer these days!

the winner is: rebecca - congrats! i will be in touch with you shortly.

scratchy

2012-01-31T21:22:00.000Z

sandro perri

2012-01-26T17:13:00.000Z

here's a bright couple of studio shots from this very morning. i'm starting to feel like the space is really coming together and now our builders have finally left i might be able to get down to some actual drawing in the next few days!

the drawings on the mantle include two more recent pieces (on the right) which i haven't yet been able to photograph and post about in detail. they look good together, even if i do say so myself. ;)

i'm counting down the days to feb 7th - this is the day the chimney sweep cometh and i will finally be able to have an open fire in the studio - yay! my goodness it does get cold in here. my hands are freezing as i type...

if you enetered the giveaway last week don't think i have forgotten about it! i'm intending on posting the winner next week - keep your fingers crossed...

house of yesteryear

2012-01-19T19:18:00.000Z

loving this - a neighbor popped round last weekend to drop in an old photograph of our house from around the early 1900's. the buildings shown in the picture are three separate houses and our bit is kind of in the middle. originally it used to be the village shop and i imagine this strange, almost floating lady would have worked here. i have some more of these somewhere, passed on to us from the previous owners, as we are the first people to have owned it in over 150 years they were able to pass on a lot of history to us and it's so lovely to see how it all used to look...

who knows

2012-01-17T20:02:00.000Z

9th january: begin again

gouache on a salvaged book cover

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: what goes around comes around, everything is cyclical, here we are at the beginning of a new year, what will the new year bring, where will i be in one month, who will i be in three years. who knows.

don't forget my giveaway is open until friday! it's looking like a one horse race at the moment...

also standard size prints are still buy one get one free in the shop til friday, go on, treat yourself :)

moments

2012-01-16T21:01:00.000Z

a saturday walk, we discovered the ruins of an old church, it was magical, then we got lost and hungry and eventually made it home for a steaming hot bowl of soup.

celebratory

2012-01-13T13:52:00.000Z

my goodness, it would appear to be friday already, how did that happen?! most of my week has been spent living in utter chaos, with boxes, rubbish, builders and brick dust all over the place as we've slowly discovered that this house is going to cost us a little more than we had bargained for...

last week i mentioned a giveaway. it's been a while since i've done one and as january is the shop's anniversary month (5 years people - how did THAT happen!?) i thought what better way to celebrate the new year, 5 whole years of Restless Things and working towards independence than to say thank you to all of those who follow my work here and anyone who has bought work from me during this time with little gift.

i have for your consideration one copy of tomas transtromer's selected poems with cover art by yours truly to be won by one lucky commenter. all you need to do is leave a comment on this post with a link to something you've found inspiring of late and a winner will be chosen at random next friday, 20th January. good luck!

also, as a celebratory flourish i'm doing a 'buy one get one free' offer on all standard size prints in the shop. if you can't see the print you're looking for drop me a line through the shop or my email (info @! oliviajeffries.com) to set up a custom listing.

for the weekend

2012-01-07T16:01:00.000Z

if these guys are coming to a town near you be sure to check them out - just amazing!

get a free download of this track from their forthcoming album here, crank it up and enjoy.

moments

2012-01-06T19:52:00.000Z

these images loosely sum up my week so far - i have barely left the house as the builders have been here and i have not slept in my bed since saturday. there is dust and chaos everywhere. on the up side i did have plenty of time to work on this mammoth drawing - see how the ones on the sill pale in comparison!

next week - a giveaway - oooh!

see you then, have a good one :)

2012!

2012-01-01T14:25:00.000Z

happy new year to all! i spent most of the evening asleep in front of the telly with a glass of wine. i woke up in time to see in the new year and go upstairs and watch all the fireworks off on the horizon.

so, anyone got any interesting new year's resolutions? the blogosphere is abound with them! i didn't make any this time last year as we had too much on our plates. the year before that my plan was to keep the mantra 'keep it simple' in my mind, and i can safely say that i did and i pared things (from junk in cupboards to the list of blogs i keep up with) down and felt good for it.

this year i think my goal is to get focused. the past year has been a mixture of hectic/tiresome/miserable interspersed with some great moments of course - it wasn't all bad! i feel that somewhere along the line i lost my daily routine and my ability to get work done, essentially i'm all over the place and time just keeps on running away from me.

but first we have the pleasure of the builders arriving in the morning. i'm envisioning chaos for at least another couple of weeks...

moments

2011-12-30T20:41:00.000Z

a boxing day walk after lunch at a pub - a big plate of fish and chips with the best mushy peas in front of a roaring fire...followed by glorious sunshine.

moments

2011-12-27T20:04:00.000Z

a xmas morning walk, bright sunshine, not a soul to be seen, perfect.

moments

2011-12-23T16:23:00.000Z

signing off for christmas - have a good one everyone - eat, drink and be merry!

moments

2011-12-21T16:22:00.000Z

2011-12-19T20:38:00.000Z

11th july: palindrome

burning on an old book page

an older piece which i never listed in the shop - now available! and whilst we're on the subject i thought i'd mention that many original drawings are now priced $45-55. i'm envisioning a big creative year next year so thought it best to do a little spring cleaning early.

moments

2011-12-19T16:28:00.002Z

2011-12-14T22:02:00.000Z

13th december: free will

gouache and burning on book page with found notes

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: no notes today. it's late and i'm tired. sweet dreams.

different dimensions

2011-12-13T19:48:00.000Z

12th december: on this earth

gouache and burning on salvaged book page

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: i've been getting back into burning things this week. it adds a whole different dimension to some drawings. i have two different tools for the job, one makes holes with quite distinct edges which i used in this piece; the other makes ragged edged holes and is rather more unpredictable in its burn.

this is another older piece which has been many months in the making. i relish the moment when i can suddenly see what a piece needs to bring it all together.

i'm enjoying this more mindful approach to my drawings and looking forward to a new year of work as this one has been just so sporadic.

one good day

2011-12-12T20:23:00.000Z

8th december: surface tension

pencil and gouache on salvaged book cover with found stains

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: there was one good day last week where the inside of my mouth felt good. i could eat. i could draw.

play it loud!

2011-12-10T21:23:00.000Z

via serial box presents...i cannot get enough of this in my ears

balmorhea

2011-12-08T10:18:00.000Z

30th november: to fall

gouache and burning on an old book page

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: here's a piece i finished before last weeks illness. if you don't already know it i can tell you that an infection in your jaw is no fun. soup and yogurt all the way. woop.

i've been finding that over the past twelve months or so the way i work has started to change. i have a very short attention span and usually find that i prefer a drawing to be finished either in one sitting or in the same day or else i tire of it. instead of working more spontaneously i've been seeing pieces come together over a period of months and have enjoyed spending time reflecting on how a piece could evolve.

whilst this is still a small drawing the three layers were added at different times over the past 18 months and creating it has helped me understand how these times of reflection could help move my work forwards. it's been refreshing for my brain not to intensely focus on one piece but to have many pieces on the go and work on the particular one which was calling to me on a given day.

out of steam

2011-12-02T14:46:00.000Z

i've been blurgh for a few days now, think i'm going to stay curled up on the sofa by the fire until next week sometime...

have a good weekend :)

moments

2011-11-29T15:39:00.002Z

always with the happy thoughts

2011-11-28T15:33:00.000Z

25th november: abacus

gouache on salvaged cardboard panel with tape and rusted staples

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: finally, here's one of those larger pieces i was talking about. i can just about squeeze it on the scanner but took some snaps too to show the lovely soft worn edges.

many of my thoughts when making this piece revolved around the passing of time, long overdue end of the world catastrophes and archaic numbering systems. as we were on flood alert yesterday i was loathe to post anything about these thoughts lest it become a jinx and we would be swept away with the entire rest of the east coast of the uk. so you might say there is a smattering of paranoia in this piece also.

moments

2011-11-25T20:12:00.000Z

grey/orange

2011-11-23T19:28:00.000Z

don't think that because i haven't posted any new pieces that i'm not working :)

i'm working on two bigger pieces and they're taking me a while to get through.

also the light in this room is completely different to my old space that i'm struggling to find a good time of day to photograph what i'm up to. this is north facing as opposed to my old sunny south facing spot so there tends to be a very dull grey light for most of the day. alternatively, there is the garish glow of my crazy branch lamp at night! i don't really like either :(

other people's moments

2011-11-22T16:32:00.000Z

all available through the other shop

new view

2011-11-21T21:11:00.000Z

i have to stand on tiptoes to see this view out of the studio window, i'm hoping that if i'm not distracted by what's out there then i'll get more work done in here ;)

hollow

2011-11-21T19:24:00.000Z

another older piece available for the first time in the shop, hollow from 2010.

in my hands...

2011-11-16T17:16:00.000Z

a couple of days before we moved i received a flurry of frantic emails regarding a drawing of mine from last year titled 'the call and its response'. the person contacting me was desperately trying to get hold of me as they wanted to use the piece on the front cover of the reissue of the swedish poet tomas transtromer's selected poems which was imminently about to go to the printers as he had won the nobel prize for literature only the day before.

i was unfamiliar with transtromer's work but was immediately drawn to descriptions of his poems as being haunting and 'frequently exploring the boundary between human consciousness and the unknown'.

yes! this is right up my street i thought to myself.

thanks to allison saltzman at harper collins for the poignant pairing of my drawing with this body of work, i just love curling up and picking out poems to read to myself.

if you'd like to read some of transtromer's work there are quite a number of translations available here and there online. i really like these two, after a death and outskirts.

found

2011-11-15T16:18:00.000Z

15th november: universal

gouache on salvaged piece of card

available in the Restless Things shop

found this piece whilst sorting out before our move, it's pretty big at around 11 x 16", i'm starting to like this working on larger sized pieces.

i made this piece over a year ago but it fell down the back of my mighty beast of a plan chest where it has been residing with the dust bunnies ever since. i've dated it with today's date however as i don't feel things are truly finished until they are recorded in this here space.

the return of absence

2011-11-14T13:38:00.000Z

the first of a few older original pieces is back in the shop today...

absence, pencil on salvaged book page, 2010.

good morning

2011-11-14T10:15:00.000Z

a few shots from a sunny sunday. things are slowly coming together and it's starting to look more like a home. the only thing that could make this better at the moment would be some heat and hot water. we had a massive crack in our hot water tank, soggy floorboards and an unsafe woodburner. fingers crossed for some warmth this week!

balance

2011-11-10T21:18:00.000Z

8th november: tranquil expanse (top)

detail (below)

gouache and burning on a salvaged hand colored print

available in the Restless Things shop

another larger piece that won't fit on the scanner! i've been waiting for some sunshine for days so i could get some good pics of it.

this is a piece which has evolved over time, i painted the white circle a few months ago but just couldn't find the right thing to balance it out until a couple of days ago. complete at last.

the finished article

2011-11-09T17:59:00.000Z

above: painting complete, below: moving in, tidy shots to follow!

studio

2011-11-08T11:42:00.000Z

one of the biggest transformations in our house so far has been my studio. there was no foul 70's wallpaper or major decorating faux pas in this house for me to truly dazzle you with any overwhelming transformations, just dirt and poorly painted walls which don't show up in the pics - believe me, this room needed a lot of cleaning and painting.

it's a deceptively spacious room with a giant window and massive art deco fireplace which sadly won't be working until next year. the boards are not in great condition so i went with a floor paint to mask their problems, i have a soft spot for painted boards! they have taken a bit of getting used to though, i'm perpetually scared of scuffing them.

i'm looking forward to being curled up in here sometime soon with a big mug of tea and a roaring fire whilst i'm working sometime soon...

2011-11-07T21:01:00.000Z

7th november: lost in thought

gouache on partly erased drawing of a figure

available in the Restless Things shop

a little something to get me back in the groove again today...

moments: day one

2011-11-07T12:01:00.000Z

woke up on our first full day in the house to a beautiful sunrise and so much quiet! i couldn't sleep as my brain was whirring away with excitement. had to spend some time just wandering around this space trying to get familiar with all of its idiosyncrasies. new light, different smells and unusual sounds have all been so refreshing.

back to work

2011-11-06T20:04:00.000Z

phew! i'm back at it, in the new studio and a week earlier than expected to boot. we've been through some pain barriers these past few weeks; after 2 two weeks of intensive decorating (everything was utterly gross and covered in insect poop!!) and a week of self moving with a transit van (one home & garden + three businesses = 10 loads over 5 days) it's safe to say we are shattered but happy. there is still much work to be done however...

to celebrate the completion of our grand move i'm offering free worldwide shipping on all items in my shop until friday 11th november! just enter the code BACKTOWORK in the coupon code box at checkout.

all prints are now back in stock, but if there is something you are after that you can't see do drop me a line.

:)

preview

2011-10-11T11:11:00.000+01:00

here's some rather un-flattering pics of our soon to be new home. i know - you are totally in love with the this decor. i might just keep it as it is, including that purple carpet.

somehow these estate agent pics intrigued me enough to warrant a closer inspection and although it is not necessarily our dream house it will eventually, and with lashings of love, be a home.

it's an unusual terrace house in a small village on the norfolk/suffolk border which has been in the same family for over 150 years. there is a small garden which quite excitingly backs on to the local allotment site so there will be plenty of gardening for me.

it's going to be so refreshing to get away from the hubbub of the city and have some light, space and peace around us. there are lots of long country walks to be had and most importantly lots of pubs to check out!

this is the face of my new studio, tres chic, no?!

i will be sure to keep my camera close by me so i can get some good before and after shots. it could get a little hairy as we will be camping out in there with basic amenities (no ~~internet~~ heating or fridge) for a couple of weeks whilst we decorate.

i do love a project and can't wait to get started...bring it on!

it's on!

2011-10-07T15:19:00.000+01:00

so, just when we'd given up hope and decided to go and look at some other houses something quite unexpected happened - we exchanged contracts on the house we have spent forever (well, four months) trying to buy! we are officially getting the keys next week and I will be away for a month in a frenzy of decorating and lugging boxes so I wanted to let people know that prints will be unavailable for order from thursday 13th october until somewhere around the middle of november. If you have been thinking about buying any prints - particularly for christmas - it may be worth ordering them now as (let's hope not) I may get stuck with no internet for a while. just a thought.

as a special house moving celebratory treat i'm offering blog readers an extra 10% off of everything in the shop from today through to thursday 13th. all you need to do is enter the code 'movinhouse' in the coupon code box when you make your payment!

now, for more packing...

the large flapping ears

2011-10-03T14:16:00.000+01:00

some found loveliness from this weekend...

move on

2011-09-28T15:21:00.000+01:00

If you thought during this hiatus in posting that we'd moved house you'd be wrong! We have not moved an inch. It's not looking good for us all in all on the house moving front and we are likely to be back to square one house hunting in the not to distant future.

The main reason for such silence around these parts has been the overwhelming stress caused by learning to drive. I'm not good with stress, I just shut down until it's over. Thankfully it's all finished now and I can reveal that somehow I managed to pass my test (first time, three minors!) and I can now move on with my life.

Somehow during this period of time i've also forgotten how to draw. I hate that. My brain still feels empty from all of the stressing i've been doing (and with a bit of misery from not moving house thrown in for good measure). It's time to put brush or pencil to paper...

yeah, i'm still here somewhere...

2011-09-20T21:20:00.000+01:00

"Spacetime" by Gardens & Villa from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

yes!

2011-09-03T15:54:00.003+01:00

cloud control

beautiful bowls

2011-09-01T15:05:00.000+01:00

cecilia levy makes the most wonderful paper bowls from old book pages, see more work and process details on her blog.

loom

2011-08-26T13:18:00.000+01:00

august 26th: looming

gouache on a salvaged scrapbook page with faded transfer prints from antique engravings

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: i mentioned this piece of paper a couple of years ago here on the blog, i've always thought it beautiful but have been slightly afraid to use it for fear of cocking it up and having to throw it away! as i was sorting through all of my paper collection in the prep for moving (no progress on that front just yet) i pulled out a few special pieces and decided they weren't doing much good tucked away in the plan chest forever, it was time for them to be used.

this sheet of paper is from an old scrapbook, i bought it a while back from an old junk shop in london, it was just loose in a folder of prints and drawings. as is the way in these places i think the chap at the till thought i was a bit bonkers bringing all of these tatty scraps of old paper of no importance up to him but there really were some gems hidden in that folder, including this one.

the paper is watermarked 1826 and has these haunting cut out figures delicately transfered onto its rough surface and despite my hunting through the folder the original page was nowhere to be found.

as i was adding my own marks onto the paper i was thinking about how the overlapping marks looked similar to woven fabric and the weaving of thread like lines, history and haunting figures in this piece brought together the dual meanings of the word 'loom', weaving and materializing at the same time.

do what's in your heart...

2011-08-23T19:48:00.000+01:00

Handmade Portraits: The Beerhorst Family from Etsy on Vimeo.

elusive

2011-08-15T20:30:00.000+01:00

15th august: harbinger

gouache on found watermarked drawing

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: refreshed after a hectic weekend of cleaning (cooker, tops of cupboards - the real crappy stuff, y'know?) in prep for the elusive move (finally, the survey should be done this week), i felt inspired enough to sit a while and work on this beauty. i packed away all of my paper hoard from the plan chest this weekend also and rediscovered some of the fabulous pieces i have had stashed away for some time. ultimately i had to keep this piece as simple as possible as thoughts of my impending driving test have been overwhelmingly distracting of late!

milestone

2011-08-09T17:58:00.000+01:00

so as you can see posting and work in general is moving very slowly around these parts. we are waiting to move. it is taking a long time. this is out first purchase together and we are excited for space to call our very own. *sigh*

but things are moving in small ways everyday and recently i reached quite a milestone without actually realizing it. in 2007 i left my full time job in management to focus on my artwork. it was a scary step as i didn't really know at the time which direction my work would go in and if i could really make it 'happen'. all i knew was that working for a corporate company left me feeling hollow.

i have continued working for this company for the past four years in a part time capacity which i have slowly scaled back each year as my own businesses have grown and was finally able to hand in my notice last week. it's a relief but also simultaneously unnerving again to think that i am the person solely responsible for my own future from now on!

as a celebration i'm offering a 10% discount until sunday evening in both Restless Things and Restless General Store, enter the code 'milestone' in the coupon code box at checkout.

close your eyes

2011-08-09T17:42:00.000+01:00

8th august: close your eyes and pretend

pencil on salvaged map

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: another bigger piece on a lovely old map, i wish i had a giant scanner so i could get a better image of it though. work is so slow right now, i have never felt so uninspired in my life! it's one of those slumps that nothing seems to be able to get me out of, all i want to do is move house but instead all i can find the energy for is baking (bread, pitta, pasties, muffins, cookies - everyday!). hurry up house move, i'm bored.

a leave taking

2011-08-08T20:27:00.000+01:00

download the wonderful debut ep from bill ryder-jones for free here

33

2011-08-03T09:13:00.001+01:00

so it would appear i magically became a year older, where did the past year go? we had nice little jaunt out to the seaside, southwold to be precise, had lots of chips and beer and saw these things. all in all pretty good if not a little bit too hot (30 degrees) for poor ol' fair skinned me.

chair redux

2011-07-25T13:48:00.002+01:00

i gave my favorite dining chair a little revamp this weekend and i'm very pleased with the results. this poor old squeaky chair which i bought second hand about 12 years ago has been stripped but i never got around to recovering the seat. bye bye faded green velour and hello vibrant 80's geometric print. i've had this piece of fabric almost as long as i've had the chair but as i came to clearing it out of my fabric stash the other day it suddenly seemed that the two were destined to be together.

2011-07-25T13:35:00.001+01:00

19th july: archetype

pencil and burning on salvaged book page

available in the restless things shop

notes: i had this on my mind for a while before i drew it. i kept on thinking i really wanted to work right up to the edges of the paper, to make something that bold which could barely be contained by the edges. although i feel that the drawing reflects what i had in mind and is pleasing in some ways the combination of the grey pencil and dark brown of the burn marks is a little too dark and heavy for me.

moments

2011-07-20T18:07:00.000+01:00

today i've got nothing but brain fog - don't you hate that? i just can't think. there's too much mess and clutter here for me to focus let alone draw. i've been scrolling through all of my photos trying to focus on brighter moments from this year and made chocolate peanut butter cookies to cheer myself along. the cookies did a good job, i feel a little queasy actually :)

s carey

2011-07-18T19:20:00.000+01:00

s carey

house & studio

2011-07-18T14:02:00.001+01:00

over the weekend i've fueled my imagination and longing for a bright, clean and organized studio space by cruising the web and sighing at all of the wonderful studio spaces there are out there. i'm always particularly interested in people's studios when they work from home, it's interesting to see how the two work together. i can't even bare to reveal the state mine is in, we are existing in utter chaos right now and i feel like i can barely breathe.

the studio of carson ellis from a recent post on work.place

the shared studio space of jennifer sarkilahti, see more on her blog

the oft blogged about shed of artemis russell

here's a few more lovelies for all you dreamers out there...

the makers project (wonderful photos and interviews by jennifer causey)

jackson pollock and lee krasner house & studio (this kind of size would do me a treat!)

studio violet (look at all of that light)

enough torture already.

rhythmic

2011-07-14T11:36:00.000+01:00

july 13th: rhythm motif

burning on salvage ruled notepad page

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: getting lost in some rhythmic mark making...

something new

2011-07-12T11:37:00.000+01:00

11th july: palindrome

burning on salvaged book page

notes: experimenting with something new this week...

2011-07-08T17:23:00.000+01:00

filmed entirely on a phone? genius!

more light

2011-07-06T10:18:00.000+01:00

lots of comfort tv and old tunes keeping me going this week...

2011-07-04T12:05:00.000+01:00

1st july: heaviness of imagination

gouache and burning on salvaged notebook page with found writing

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: i just love what it says at the top of this page: 'incoherency of thought, weight of quickness of heaviness of imagination' and that it doesn't really make any sense. good stuff.

geeshie wiley

2011-07-03T21:46:00.001+01:00

i've loved this song for years but never knew who sang it until today...

walk it

2011-07-01T19:36:00.001+01:00

today was a 'day off' of sorts, although to be honest it's 7.30pm and i'm all tuckered out and ready for bed - too much pub lunch and cake methinks! we went for a long country walk in the area we are (fingers crossed) moving to - lots of country air and open space to be had as you can see. as much as i love norwich i find city living quite claustrophobic and i just can't wait to have this on my doorstep.

have a fab weekend!

bright light

2011-07-01T07:49:00.000+01:00

2011-06-30T13:47:00.000+01:00

30th june: contemplative, joyous

burning on salvaged notebook page with found writing

available in the Restless Things shop

notes: here's something much more regimented today, i usually enjoy things to be a little more rough around the edges when drawing but for this piece i liked the hard edges and straight lines of the square in contrast to the unpredictability of the burn holes...

moments

2011-06-30T11:11:00.000+01:00

new to me

2011-06-29T13:53:00.000+01:00

of late i'm really enjoying the saipua blog. saipua is a wonderful soap and flower shop in brooklyn and the blog, written by co-owner sarah, is a collection of personal thoughts and moments coupled with the more hectic snapshots of running a business. there are so many beautiful photographs (see above) of floral arrangements and potted plants which has been a joy to look at this summer as i dug most of our garden up in the spring (more moving house shenanigans!) and haven't been able to get my hands as muddy as i would like this year. take a look, you'll be glad you did.

2011-06-28T20:19:00.000+01:00

28th june: buoyant

burning on salvaged notebook page

notes: in working on a more elaborate piece for several hours i realized that the only thing i liked about it was the burn holes, i quickly decided to stop there and then and start another piece with burn holes only, and in their isolation something simple and much more pleasing appeared.

in other news i keep forgetting to mention the subtle change - hands up if you noticed - this space is now 'restless-things.com'. i had been wanting to do away with the old name for some time, it was inspired by a private joke that only i got and didn't have any reference to what happens in this space. i feel much more comfy with this new name!

2011-06-27T19:19:00.000+01:00

27th june: an offering and a sacrifice

gouache and burning on notebook page with found writing

notes: i've pretty much melted into a puddle on the floor, it's all i can do to get this piece scanned!

kitchens on my mind

2011-06-27T16:03:00.000+01:00

via theselby.com

via amy johnson's blog

lena corwin's sneak peek on design sponge

this place has done the rounds over the past couple of weeks - the smithy

it has officially gone over 30 degrees here today and my brain has pretty much ceased all normal functioning. it is hot! all i can currently bring myself to do is look at some dream kitchens on the interweb and ponder how i will make our new one all lovely (and when i say 'new' kitchen i really mean old as the building is over 150 years old).

i'm torn between bespoke traditional fitted kitchen and cobbled together antique cabinets as there are pros and cons to both. also from the looks of it in these pics i'm really into open shelving which, let's face it, isn't the most practical of things unless you have tons of time to clean them.

there will at some point be pics (i love a good before & after post) of the new place but we're not quite there yet. let's hope i've not jinxed it by talking/thinking about it too much. back to dreaming for now...

2011-06-22T19:14:00.000+01:00

22nd june: dance

pencil, gouache and burning on salvaged notebook page with found writing

notes: something simple today, started a couple of days ago but only made good this afternoon. i'm so not with it this afternoon after a hectic morning flogging our old junk at a car boot sale (only for the sky to turn black and on making a hasty exit discovering we had a flat tyre!) and a snooze to try and balance me out it's still all i can muster to tidy a few loose ends on some already started pieces...

2011-06-21T21:28:00.000+01:00

20th june: a good reason

gouache and burning on notebook page with found writing

notes: a slight amendment to one of my limbering up sketches of the other day...

2011-06-20T17:05:00.000+01:00

19th june: repercussion

gouache on hardback book page with found writing and scribble

notes: here's a new old piece, something i started working on some time ago which got sent to the 'dissatisfied' file. i came across it over the weekend and there was something about it which just made me want to carry on with it and i'm glad that i did...

moments

2011-06-20T14:57:00.000+01:00

so much stuff! where does it all come from?!! i barely own anything anymore but there still seems to be mountains of boxes to negotiate every time i want to go in another room...

fueling this rainy afternoon in the studio...

2011-06-17T15:29:00.001+01:00

connan mockasin

limber up

2011-06-16T18:01:00.000+01:00

i've been getting in the drawing zone today by having a bit of a limber up and making some loose and simple line sketches to get me back in the right frame of mind. it's been tipping it down today and i've been enjoying the sound of the rain on the window and new tunes muttering in the background whilst sipping my tea and working away...

it's been so long since i've been able to sit at my desk and just draw...learning to drive and trying to move house have been totally taking over my life but there is progress on both fronts!! (news to follow) and these sketches have helped to ease my stresses today, as will a few beers later on :)

enjoy your day whatever you're up to...

2011-05-16T21:37:00.000+01:00

hands up who's excited for the new Miranda July film? i know i certainly am...

large

2011-05-16T19:32:00.000+01:00

13th may: from one place to another

pencil on map section

notes: i'm currently liking the idea of working a little larger. the downside is i only have an a4 scanner and it's hard to photograph pieces to show you and to list in the shop. these came out quite nicely though :)

eye candy

2011-05-14T10:56:00.000+01:00

whilst we continue our search for the perfect house i try and keep my mind focused by looking at the lovely pictures in this book, simple home by mark and sally bailey. whilst i don't imaging we'll end up anywhere as spacious or as beautiful it's nice to be able to dream of what you can do with a place of your own when you've spent your whole life living in rented accommodation.

in an ideal world we'll find a house that needs a little modernisation so we can really strip it back and create something simple and relaxed. if i have to look at another house with shiny laminate floor and a value kitchen i may cry! oh, the things people do to their homes...

civilian

2011-05-10T20:36:00.000+01:00

i'm rather taken with the latest wye oak album, this acoustic version of the title track is a bit of a corker - enjoy!

shadow time

2011-05-10T20:26:00.000+01:00

10th may: becoming a shadow

gouache and burning on found notebook page with writing

notes: drawing has been a bit slow going around these parts as you may have noticed but here a finished piece from today. it's taken me about 10 days to get around to finishing this piece - i got there in the end! i just have so many things going on right now that i can barely spend any time on just the one thing, i'm wearing a little thin and essentially 'becoming a shadow'.

normal service will of course be resumed at some point in the future but first i need to:

find a nice house, decorate it and move into it
strip lots of lovely furniture to go in the house (particularly the lovely antique pine chest of drawers i found in the street last week!)
decorate the old rental house in a bid to get the damage deposit back
learn to drive (i'm getting there apparently)
continue with selling at 2 car boot sales a week (so much stuff to get rid of, early mornings aren't my strong point)

this is amongst all of your usual day to day stuff and i'm generally alternating between keeping my chin up and feeling overwhelmingly miserable. today there was drawing though, and that made it all a little bit more bearable.

moments

2011-05-08T08:40:00.000+01:00

1. wandering around the beautiful garden of beth chatto
2. chaos has ensued since everything fell through with the wonderful house we were buying. it's back to square one for us...

booty

2011-04-28T19:16:00.000+01:00

a fabulous haul picked up at the car boot the other day. several loose leaf files containing school work from the 1930's and 40's. i've recently regained the desire to work over pages with dense writing, diagrams and doodles and there are lots of lovely soft pencil greys and faded blues to work with here.

if only handwriting was this neat these days! it seems to me that people are forgetting how to write.

2011-04-26T15:26:00.000+01:00

26th april: repeat

gouache on notepaper with found notes

grey vibe

2011-04-25T20:42:00.000+01:00

21st april: ode

pencil and gouache on salvaged map

2011-04-25T17:43:00.000+01:00

i'm having a bit of a david thomas broughton day today, i really can't stop playing the above piece - it truly is 13 minutes and 47 seconds of pure joy. do give it a go, i promise you it's worth your time.

also i'm excited to see on his website that he is playing here in Norwich at the playhouse on the 29th May, i will definitely be there to make up for the fact that i missed his last visit to our fine city.

2011-04-20T20:33:00.000+01:00

just heard this song for the first time in years and now i can't stop listening to it.

we found a house! so we are cleaning, packing, decorating, planning, listing, sorting, organising. normal service will be resumed around these parts but it won't be for some time as everything is about to slowly dissolve in to chaos...in a good way...

moments/hectic

2011-04-06T20:11:00.000+01:00

things are so hectic for me right now, here's why...
1) house hunting - still looking for the perfect spot out of the city
2) keeping this place organised in the meantime - lots of clearing up, tidying out and getting ready to move
3) learning to drive! i am 32 and some how driving just passed me by until now...
4) staying on top of work - trying to stay sane and calm enough to draw and carry on with the general store which is staying open (more on that in another post)

to round it up, i'm all over the place!

here's some random pictures from the last week which have no relation to anything really.

simple grey

2011-03-30T19:55:00.000+01:00

mini print set - simple grey

i've been up since 5.45am and i'm sooo tired from all of the house hunting, working, car booting (selling not buying) and general yada yada that i couldn't muster the mental energy for drawing today.

instead there's a new mini print set over in the Restless Things shop and blog readers can get free shipping on all orders placed from now until friday by enteringe code 'greysimple' at the checkout - yay!

dark, heavy

2011-03-29T22:12:00.000+01:00

29th march: start over

pencil and gouache on salvaged book page with found writing