Willow pattern banner

Posted on January 25, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, banner, Design, Life, Memory, Painting, penkhull mystery plays, Potteries, Spode, Time, Willow pattern9 Comments

A banner for one of our Penkhull Mystery Plays. We hold them most summers and the one this was painted for was about the pottery industry and its history. This banner was based on the willow pattern famous in the potteries. Spode was one of the factories that made plates and pots with this design, but if you Google ‘willow pattern’ you can find lots of images from many manufacturers.

Blue acrylic paint on a canvas cloth. It took me a while to paint. I also painted the local church and methodist Hall as they would have appeared in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Panto hat

Posted on December 22, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Fun, Hat, History, Life, Pantomime, Pattern, Photo, Spode, Teacup, Theatre, TimeLeave a comment

This large papier mache hat was made for out pantomime a few years ago, it was about a meter wide. Painted to look like an old Spode pottery design. With roman or grecian patterns round the cup. I wish we could be certain that the pantomime we are rehearsing at the moment. This is a photo I found on my phone because I’m trying to clear off some of them to make more space, but I’m keeping this one.

Optical illusion

Posted on October 10, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Chimney, Fun, Hubby, Illusion, Memory, Photograph, Spode, spode chimney1 Comment

Looking like he’s holding Spode chimney up. My hubby allowed me to get him to hold his hand up as if he was leaning on the chimney and holding it up. It works surprisingly well. I’d seen this optical trick a few times and thought I would try to replicate it.

Memory of mystery

Posted on July 7, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, banner, Blue and white, Fun, Memories, Mystery Plays, Painting, Spode, Thinking, TimeLeave a comment

Me a couple of years ago painting banners for our mystery play we did. These are pictures of the willow pattern from Spode that I was copying for the performance. We hold it on a Saturday towards the start of July. Unfortunately we could not hold it last year and only had an online event this year. I hope it’s reinstated when things get better.

I’m so busy with college work it would have been difficult to make the time but I love doing this. It makes me feel part of a community. I also miss all the friends I have through being part of it. X

Clay at the gardens today

Posted on June 14, 2021June 14, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, BCB, British ceramic biennial, Clay, Fun, Pottery, Spode, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Trentham, WorkshopLeave a comment

One thing I did do yesterday was make a couple of pieces clay that might be used as part of a tiled piece at the BCB (British Ceramic Biennial in September at Spode in Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent. They will be fired up and someone else may end up glazing them.

I made lots of marks using old buttons and metal rings. I tried to give them a three dimensional look. I hope they won’t explode on the kiln.

It’s good finding different things to do when you are having a day out.

Memory

Posted on May 14, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Fine artist, in memoriam, plaque, sad memories, Spode, spode rose gardenLeave a comment

A friend died a while ago and I didn’t know that a memorial plaque had been attached to the weeping willow in the Spode Rose Garden.

The plaque is screened by the trees foliage, so when I saw a pale disc on the trunk, I assumed it was a branch that had been cut off, but no, it was a memorial. I was saddened because I hadn’t remembered him with everything that had happened over the last year. He was a lovely person and a brilliant artist. Farewell.

Part painted panto hat

Posted on December 25, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Classic desidn, Fun, Life, Painting, Panto, Pantomime, Prop making, Rehearsal, Sad, SpodeLeave a comment

This was used as a prop in the local village hall pantomime a few years ago. The hat was a large teacup and saucer made out of wire and paper and glue. Once it was made I had the task of painting it with a classic spode pattern of Greek or roman figures. I might have some more photos somewhere, but this gives you an idea of what I was painting. It was held in place on the panto dames head with a big blue ribbon and bow. I miss rehearsals for the yearly panto. It was restored about ten years ago after several years absence. The largest ausiencevwe had was 180, and we do four performances over Thursday, Friday and two on a Saturday. I miss the stage fright and the fun. We used to do the performances in February to coincide with the school half term.

Objects

Posted on October 11, 2020October 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bag, Cushions, Description?, Disco ball, Dragon, Lion, Objects, Owl, Photos, Pottery, Random, Short story?, Sill, Spode, StarLeave a comment

A lion was waiting on a roundabout when it saw a disco ball in a hall window… The light from the sun reflected off it and made tiny stars sparkle off every surface. The magic it set off created a bronze dragon, which unfortunately was only tiny. It was seen by a bag in the shape of an owl. Which swallowed the dragon whole. The owl then grew new feathers of purple and blue wax. It flew over a lake with oriental buildings and trees. It followed an orange man walking backwards with his legs sticking through the bottom of a boat. Two people watched on in horror. Finally all the owls toy cushion friends stood and applauded as it flew in and landed quietly and quickly in the corner.

Yes that is a lot of silly words, but I’d gathered these odd photos together and wanted to describe them. Not much of a story really!

Remembering the BCB

Posted on October 9, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, BCB, Biannual, Ceramics, Day pit, Design, Industry, Last year, Spode, Visiting5 Comments

The BCB, British Ceramic Biannual, was on in the Spode China Halls last year. Fine China and art pottery cheek by jowl. I do hope it happens again next year. Bringing art into Stoke-upon-Trent and the rest of the city of Stoke-on-Trent and spreading creativity that sadly seems to have been forgotten by government during this pandemic.

Art has just as much a right as any other industry to continue in this world. Creativity and the power of the mind are linked. Science can go hand in hand with art. What we need to do is try and support everyone, not be selective towards the richest and devil take the hind most.

Corridor

Posted on October 1, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Covid 19, Eleanora street, Life, Spode, Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke-upon-Trent, TimeLeave a comment

Welcome to Spode studios. I have to admit I have not been in since the March lockdown. My reasons? Covid19, fear of catching it or passing it on if I do catch it.

The corridors are usually quiet, but you don’t know who’s there. I should call in, but now I’ve started an online course my available time has reduced. I need to make a timetable. To work out when I should go in. I have good intentions, but as they say about them, the road to hell is paved with them. I guess I’m really a bit down and still recovering from my tonsillitis. Yuk.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Spode