my best friend gave me a tiny tiny deer pin and heres some drawings.........

pencil on paper
madrid vintage scetch book series
2007-
The woman on the plate (for Juliet)
mixed media on paper
2008
This drawing sold recently to the most serene and beautiful woman ever ...It is on the bottom of my blog and I wanted to show it off bigger pen and ink on paper
madrid vintage scetchbook series
2007-

First ,I had to post my darling best friend forever gift to me , from her holidays. She gave it to me when I visited her on sunday
Can you see what it is !
I am trying to decide how to show my work ...ie .my drawings in another more specific to my drawings/complimentary way ....an easier to just SEE them way and not all that is around them ie.my life/my blog space.
It is hard for me to do this.
I frequently want to put up older work into the here and now space of my blog...which I am doing now, and I will continue to do.
It all is the one to me, older work feeds into my "undeveloped subconcious ,yet to be realised but is felt in my body" work
My actual website is more of a static affair (scary words for me), but I believe it is a necessary space though and its one that I am trying to make work at the moment.
Wish me luck ...thanks :)

do you remember that drawing ?....well it got a break :)

its all so very wonderful
ink on paper
2009
this drawing will be included in a curated exhibition opening at the Westport Arts Festival this week . The show is called inspired words
I liked the theme of this exhibition ...as it would be central to my own art practice.We had to submit a piece of work that was inspired by a piece of text,literature.I am looking forward to seeing all the different interpretations.
I have included the text piece from Alice through the looking glass that was one of the inspirations behind this drawing.

Through the looking glass
And what Alice found there
Lewis Carroll
1902
people edition Macmillan&co London
.......my inspired words(page 57)

Just then a Fawn came wandering by,it looked at Alice with its large gentle eyes, but didn’t seem at all frightened.
“Here then! Here then !” Alice said, as she held out her hand and tried to stroke it;but it only started back a little, and then stood looking at her again.
“What do you call yourself?” the Fawn said at last.
Such a soft sweet voice it had!
“I wish I knew!” thought poor Alice.
She answered rather sadly,”Nothing just now.”
“Think again,”it said:”that won’t do.”
Alice thought,but nothing came of it.
“Please, would you tell me what you call yourself?” she said timidly.
“I think that might help a little.”
“I”ll tell you,if you’ll come a little further on,” the Fawn said.
”I can’t remember here.”
So they walked on together through the wood, Alice with her arms clasped lovingly round the soft neck of the Fawn,till they came out into another open field,and here the Fawn gave a sudden bound into the air,and shook itself free from Alice’s arms.
“I’m a Fawn! It cried out in a voice of delight.
“And,dear me,you’re a human child !”
A sudden look of alarm came into its beautiful brown eyes, and in another moment it had darted away at full speed.
Lewis Carroll
1902

studio love

the man who I got my fab vintage needlework magazines from a while back.....GAVE me this tin at the carboot on sunday (I wonder how does he know that I love love love deers ....strange that)
oh yippeeeeee....I really like this pattern
"its a leaf...its a leaf ! " squeeled piglet puppets and old case I scored at the weekend car bootI LOVE this book cover
....heres a few things that are keeping me going at the moment .
I am just back from a cycle and autumn is definately here ...thats okay with me.
I am hoping for lots of cross pollination of these images........... to magic themselves into another form

happy days...

I have made a flurry of happy clothes.(it must be the influence of London Fashion Week (hee hee :)......)
I really must say that after I packed all of my materials away ,so as not to distract me from the last year of the degree, I didnt think to much about them....but when I saw them all again , including all the half made clothes , I got jolly excited !
These few bits just flew together , some need finishing ie.the green velvet coat , but I am glad to say the really jolly and totally improbable boiled wool cardigan with fur , pink neon ribbons,green wool and sequined pockets has been snaffled up for a woman in Mallorca :)...nice place to emigrate to .
It was a really "felt" week....in the both senses of the word.

needlework illustrated and needlewoman&needlecraft 1950's magazines

Today, I had the lovely job of looking through one of my favourite collections ....its for a feature in a zine (which is run by the sweetest young woman) click on the title of this post to get to BFR mag.(this gal is going to do great things and she is still SO young)
It was great using my scanner ,which I don't seem to use as much as I thought
It took absolutely ages and to be honest taking photos is easier !
I have posted some of the images that I liked best, they are all from the above mentioned magazines.

Lost and Found....the title of the upcoming group show that I am in

I am delighted to be taking part in a group exhibition at the County Library, it opens on wednesday and we all met this morning to install the show.
It was good to see everyone again and its fun to think that this is our first show together after graduating.
As it is in a library, I wanted my work to communicate with its specific surroundings.
I like the possibility that it may seem my work is just part of the library (a random odd exhibit ..oh its art ...sort of thing ) ....I have been allowed to use the tall old library case and I have added my own smaller glass fronted display box and table from my studio.
Please excuse the not great photos ...it is so hard to get anything decent because of all the mad lights everywhere and the huge glass windows.
1*magdelena
ink on tissue
2*are you there ?
ink on paper
charms and objects
glass box
catalogue
3*I am a slow learner
ink poloroid carbon and pen on cotton hankercheif

the beloved object

what is it that makes you connect with things.........all these tiny things I love,they feel special and look good together,they didn't go in the declutter whirlwind

a new post in time for the new moon tommorow...friday

I just love looking at my jewellery, it makes me happy
we actually picked this field mushroom on the way home from walking the dogs yesterday morning , it tasted lovely fried in garlic
the dolls who can stay !
getting distracted from the work in hand ie DECLUTTERING THE STUDIO and sorting and making arangements of the stuff I have to keep...pretty much the same scenario I have happily been engaged in for oh....a good few years now :)
ophelias dress
....I have mentioned before that I do love the comings and goings of the moon and I like to make the most of their powers (I am not joking, like at least you know where you are with the moon , when has it never showed up huh, huh ?)
well , I have finally made a dent into the seriously needed studio re alignment to a calmer space ,less is more, just having what is relevent to me NOW ....goodness me , what a load of stuff I have collected along the way of my degree ..It isn;t really junk , but I dont need it anymore, I am giving it all into the local resource centre ...um .....well ,thats going to be fun.
I hope they dont turn me away with my four bin bags of art newspapers , catalogues, all the art related articles in the irish times(for like seven years ).TOO MUCH
I was able to keep loads and I am really excited to be able to see my studio floor again.
Even my old doll collection has been severely pruned , those are going to the market saturday .....there are some lucky ones who by virtue of their BELOVED OBJECT status, are allowed stay.
I hope that by next week , I may be able to sit and draw, I have lots of ideas just clamouring to get out......now that they will have the space to breathe.

spooky scene on way home from the market this evening.......
sometimes its all too much for me
ink on tissue paper
2009
alice in wonderland
Dent 1969
The market stall takes up a lot of my time ....but all to the good.
This drawing has gone to a new home ,I saw this filmic image on the drive home through all the pink clouds and orange skys,and I knew that this alice book would sell although a humble enough edition , with no illustrations within it , the cover illustration is enough to make it worth having. Of course just one line of the text is enough to totally blow your mind forever......

magdelena (a drawing I like , that will show me the way to more like this ....I hope :)

magdelena
ink on tissue paper
2009

me, mariposa the butterfly and her friends, the red of the rowan tree, the dogs , we are walking ,IT IS SUNNY AND IT HASN'T BEEN FOR SO LONG......

it feels so good to have light and warmth....its been too long .
I have been followed by enormous red admiral butterflies, I was afraid they may never show their presence , but they have.
Walking in the bogland takes on added magic,when the sun is so apparent.
Thinking about making some new work....

there is more ...there is always more

a few images that I really like at the moment..........
studio table , me thinking how complimentary my drawings are with this weeks objects destined for the market.
my abso fave image as we speak !!!!
I love that it is real , but that it totally looks made up ,imagined
world of nature
Time Life Publication
1964
paris scenes
coloured prints
ortiz alfau
1950's
these I sold to a lovely woman at the market on saturday , for her friend who adores Paris........
odilon redon
buddah in his youth 1904
please click on the post title there is more ....and you can see some more fantastic Odilon Redon images.
glass rose patterned cake stand on my stall

just a few of the images that are swimming around my mind today , its a little brighter today and I believe that we may have some kinder weather this week......it rains a LOT around here, so to see the sun on these lovely orange flowers is a thing of joy to me.
I have been in my studio sorting,sorting, sorting , and I am looking forward to writing about my vintage needlework magazines for dear BFR mag(see link on treasures to left☛☛☛)
I mean is it any wonder so many women in the 1950's completely lost it , when faced with endless jollity (mirrored back to them TO GET THEM BACK INTO THE HOME AND MAKE STUFF....LOTS OF STUFF),
I love this time for the huge amount of imagery that was generated BUT...........it is so intense , the layers and layers of questionable activities that were expected of women,they seemed trapped.
Its funny because the whole hand made aesthetic that is so strong at present,is so different.

giddy goating around Dublin and getting reloaded visually ......

the view out of the half door at Monster truck gallery and studios yesterday , sun ,sun,sun
maurice sendak illustration in book on a studio tableelf owl in book in oxfam shop ....I think I like elf owls ,never seen these before...too cute fantastical vintage childrens book illustration on studio wall of (soft blonde moustache collective ..hi girls ) I flipping wish I had this art forum, I love this Delphine Courtillot image (in a studio at monster truck)
I had a fab day in the big city yesterday.
We had fun , a nosey around the sweetest monster truck studios (thanks Pete x), lunch of middle eastern food, wonderful treasures to look at the Chester Beatty Library....ancient Persian manuscripts ....Hindi fairytales,imaginary portraits (imagine how exciting that was),chameleon pheasants,with feathers of several lustrious changing colours........tiny books,
and then a quick look in oxfam,the purchase of a vintage french Ricard bottle for 50cents and a tiny old frame (for my tiny old frame collection....all being collected up for my new project)....., a glance at obcurity in the many books in this great charity shop.
Its so exciting being in the city for such a short time , when you know that you have to whizz around fairly rapidly.
Still more art exhibitions , great inspiration , thanks to the super exciting Paki Smith show (the red thread @ Douglas Hyde Gallery)......... a best friend ,even more giddy with excitement than me,the purchase of tiny china blue heart shaped buttons and the gift of an embroidered deer.
I can safely say we are blessed.