Work in Progress

I've been so busy lately painting for my exhibition at The Glorious Art House next year and also for a Christmas art fair in Falmouth that my mum and I were asked to join. I'll be selling smaller canvases and maybe prints too.

I've been working in my mum's studio which is at the bottom of her garden. It's been great having the space and time to just get on with things and not be interrupted by daily life. There is also a wood burner which is SO nice; being warm whilst working is a definite luxury.

The photographs above are for the Christmas show and below are for the exhibition in February (using my Virgin of Guadalupe series) All these photographs are of my work in progress, they are still to be resined and then overpainted.

My mum's studio is the most wonderful place to work in, there is so much to look at, it's a very enriching experience. I never wear anything fancy for days in the studio as I am commonly recognised as the messiest person in existence; I end up with paint on my sleeves and in my hair! I always wear one of my two pairs of jeans (501s of course!) and a nice printed tee (helps mask the paint better!), this particular one is Celia Birtwell for Uniqlo which I got for a meagre £2.50 in their sale last year. Red lipstick is about my only attempt at looking less messy.

Right! It's back to studio, I have lots to do. I'm off to London tomorrow and I want to try and get a few canvases resined so they are ready when I return next week. I'm so excited to catch up with friends and see lots of exhibitions (particularly Anarchy & Beauty: William Morris and His Legacy at the NPG). I love London at this time of year, it's much colder than Cornwall, I've been finding it odd how warm it is here so it'll be nice to feel the crisp chill!

P.s spy my mum right at the bottom, painting away!

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The Green Man

There has been a longer hiatus than I would have liked from this blog. Life has been busy and complicated of late and it's left little time for the shoots I have had in mind. Things are now starting to feel a little calmer and I am hoping to have lots of delights to show you all over the coming weeks.

Autumn has firmly set in. October is my one of my favourite months of the year. I love the oranges, reds and greens and the colder air. I also love that it is the beginning of many of the colder season's folk customs; the most famous all being Halloween of course! I do love any opportunity to dress up, 

so Halloween is a big hit in my house (it's really the only time of the year I can legitimately go out in my more bonkers of costumes). To celebrate it's arrival I always plan an elaborate costume. This year I am feeling rather enthralled by Green Men and Morris Men, so I set about creating an outfit which merged these. I really wanted to look like I had just danced out of a woodland. I also recently went to a study day at The Museum of Witchcraft on folklore which left me with a taste for all things spooky! What I created, with a little help from my mum, is far more terrifying than I could have ever imagined, I really didn't set out to scare (although I am of the opinion that Halloween costumes should at least be a little bit scary!)

I managed to purchase rolls and rolls of amazing coloured ribbon from a car boot at the weekend so I spent several hours sewing lines of them to a waistcoat I nicked from my brother. The mask was painted by mum on a blank she bought in Venice. We have lots more, so Mrs MacBeth's Department Store will have a few very soon. All the other components were found from charity shops and The Range's Christmas decoration department.

I was of course inspired by folk dance costumes, in particular those of Morris Dancers. I love these pictures (I didn't actually look at these until after I made the costume 

but I think I'd fit in quite well!)

Sources: 1, 2

Sources: 3, 4

I'm planning on wearing my costume out, although I will paint my face underneath so that I don't have to wear my mask all night (it gets a little hot!) I'm going to make some friends a warming feast before we dance into the night. What are your plans for Halloween? I'd love to hear what you are all dressing up as (that's if you are- I do hope you are!) I hope you all have a throughly spooky one.


Linking to Share-in-Style Halloween special.

Outfit Details

Ribbon waistcoat- re-cycled by me from an old Topman waistcoat

1970s red polyester flares- Barnardos

Suede gloves- gift from my mum

Vintage brogues- Oxfam

Venetian mask- painted by Penny MacBeth

Bells- The Range 

Ivy wreath and ivy- The Range

Floral garland- made by Penny MacBeth

Velvet top hat- Asda

Red and white striped wool socks- a Christmas gift

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It's The Great Pumpkin

I've been feeling extremely under the weather for the last week. I spent an entire day in bed yesterday which I hardly ever do. Anyway enough of the woe is me. When I'm feeling crummy (v.punny) I like to bake: cakes, bread, puddings- it all brings a little cheer to an otherwise dull day. 

Pumpkin pie is something I've never made before today. I had a rather bad run in with it as a child when my mum forgot to put the sugar in (whoops!) and for a number of years I avoided nibbling on any pumpkiny products, deeming them all flavourless and bland. However, last year I was invited for Thanksgiving dinner by a very good Canadian friend of mine and there I sampled the most delicious pumpkin pie; I was converted, it is light, delicious and full of complex flavour. I truly do love it, and for the last week I've been craving a slice. So today for a little light activity during my bout of flu I decided to bake one.

 I followed a recipe from The Guardian which actually turned out to be very time consuming (I'd probably do it a little differently next time). Ever the maverick I made a few additions in the way of adding ground ginger to my pastry (adds a lovely warmth) and nutmeg to the filling as well as substituting the evaporated milk (yuck!) for whipping cream.  I also added much more of each spice than stated as I feel English recipes often tend to under spice. I think next time I might not blind bake the pastry as I'm really not convinced it needed it.  Overall, the results were pretty tasty! It had a lovely colour and the the pastry was delicious; thin and crisp (no soggy bottoms here!)

What recipes have you all tried out recently? I'm always after inspiration!

I'm hoping to be back on my feet next week; I have an exciting project in the works and lots of photographs to shoot!

Happy pumpkin season all! I sadly can't find the full episode online but here's a clip from It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

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Tea Reading

Until yesterday I hadn't given all the much thought to tea reading, well apart from the professor of Divination -and more specifically Tassomancy- in Harry Potter, Sybil Trelawney. A number of people used to say I looked like her due to my thick black rimmed glasses, I'm sure it was meant as an insult but I rather liked her. 

That aside, yesterday I was asked if I'd like to read people's tea leaves at a tea festival next weekend held at Gyllyngdune Gardens in Falmouth. I said yes (of course!) It's the most beautiful location but also what an exciting prospect. I've long been interested in the performative aspects of fortune telling, and although I hadn't given all that much thought to tea reading I am now on a mission to learn!

These pictures are a little taster of what I might wear for the occasion and the expressions I might make on learning your fortune. They are of course inspired by the aforementioned Sybil Trelawney but also in part by Holman Hunt's paintings, in particular this one of his first wife Fanny, for his use of colour and mad eyes (though I have to say Fanny's expression is a little more restrained than his usual models, see The Awakening Conscience).

Sources: 1, 2

If you'd like to practice the art of tea reading (or Tasseography, Tasseomancy or Tassology as it's also know) you will need:

A round tea cup with sloping sides and a saucer

Loose tea (preferably a tasty, aromatic one with smallish leaves)

An open mind

A question you'd like answered

Begin by brewing your tea. Sip it until you have roughly an inch of liquid left. Clear your mind and breath deeply. Think of the question that you would like answered. Swirl the cup counterclockwise three times (clockwise if you're male). Tip the excess liquid and tea leaves into your saucer. Read the leaves left in the cup starting from the top and working down. The outer rim suggests the present and the base is the future. 

Here is a list of basic symbols to help you on your way:

Outfit Details

Silk embroidered smock dress - Gift from my mummy

Floral velvet 1960s skirt - Kilo shop in Poland

Head scarf - Charity shop

Wooden beads and feather necklace - Charity shops

Greek silver owl pendant - Belonged to my maternal grandmother

Eye brooch - Topshop sale (years ago when I worked there)

Pom pom scarf - Gift from a friend

Claddagh ring - A shop in Galway

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I did it again and forgot one very important influence on these images; the painting, The Death of Thomas Chatterton by Henry Wallis

Source: 1

For we may and might never all meet here again

There is a reason for the prolonged absence since my last post, I have been away in Ireland (Oranmore to be exact) at an old friend's wedding.  I was born and grew up in Ireland and hadn't been back there in 5 years, so it was so wonderful to reconnect with so many people and explore some of the places I spent time in as a child. It made me really realise how much I miss it and I have vowed to go back soon!

My mum, her partner, my brother and I all drove over in the camper van. It was a very long journey- we drove right up to Holyhead from Cornwall and then across Ireland. The van was packed to the brim with decorations; pinatas, bunting, banners and soft sculptures! My brother George and I were a little space restricted in the back but it was definitely worth it; just look at how gorgeous it all looks in the marquee! The wedding took place at Heather's (the bride's!) childhood home, Oranmore Castle, which is one of my favourite places in the world, it's breathtakingly beautiful. It was so funny to go back there having just decorated my own home and see how much of my aesthetic I've taken onboard from there.

We spent the first few days decorating and helping with all the wedding preparation and then on Saturday it was the big day. We got dressed up in our finest togs and watched Heather & Niall's blessing in the Great Hall; the fire crackling behind us and the smell of delicious food wafting in. The food was gorgeous, some particular highlights were the gorgeous cheesecake below and some delicious lobster caught fresh that afternoon. George and I stayed up far too late (we ended up with 3 hours sleep!) and had the best time dancing, chatting and eating! The next day we were back off in the van at 8 for the drive back to Cornwall. It all went so quickly it felt like a whirlwind.

We all had the most gorgeous time and met new and old friends.  I can't wait to go back and see everyone. I'm also looking forward to finally inviting people to visit us over in Cornwall! It feels so lovely to reconnect the two parts of my life and it made me realise the importance of keeping in touch and also how formative my time in Ireland was in the creating the person I am today.

I'll leave you all with this, the first verse and chorus

of an Irish folk song which everyone sang after the bride and the groom cut the cake (with a sabre sword!) It's sentiment is beautiful and it seemed to perfectly fit the mood at that moment:

Kind friends and companions, come join me in rhyme 

Come lift up your voices in chorus with mine 

Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain 

For we may and might never all meet here again

Here's a health to the company and one to my lass 

Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass 

Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain 

For we may and might never all meet here again

[There will be even more (!) photos soon when I get my disposables developed] 

Outfit Details

Green silk 1930s dress - car boot sale

Green pashmina - charity shop

Floral Headdress - Mrs MacBeth's Department Store

Indian silver bell bangle - charity shop

Velvet heart earrings- Mrs MacBeth's Department Store 

Third eye necklace - Mrs MacBeth's Department Store

Claddagh Ring - a shop in Galway

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