Good friend

Posted on September 8, 2019September 8, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Eleanora street, Embarrassing, Friendship, Modesty, Nerves, Spode open days, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent2 Comments

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I’m here at the Open studios and I keep getting tongue tied. I need to explain about my art, but for some reason I become shy, it’s like trying to display my mind to the world. Cut off the top of my head and scoop out all the swirling thoughts time…. But… My good friend came along today, she greeted people cheerfully, asked them into my studio, said how I was a good artist, (by this time my head was in my hands with embarrassment) and encouraged them to think about commissioning me to do some art for them.

I was really pleased and mortified at the same time. I think it’s that British thing if too much modesty. It’s a learned habit that makes you feel like the “I’m not worthy” characters you see on TV or in books. Do you know what I mean? I felt it was far easier to just say “hi” as people walked past.

Thank you my good friend!

What Spode means to you?

Posted on September 7, 2019September 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Eleanora street, Memories of spode, Spode, Spode site, Spode studios open days, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-TrentLeave a comment

One of the things we did at the Spode open days was encourage people to get involved and either draw pictures of spode, draw a design, or write what Spode meant to them on a card. We got a few responses. I think now they are there they may be more on Sunday. The idea was that people could respond to the art exhibition we are holding in the foyer from artists who either work in the building or who have been involved in other projects there or who previously worked in the factory.

Tidying my studio

Posted on September 6, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acava Studios, BCB, British ceramic biannual, China Halls, Eleanora st, kingsway entrance, Open studios, Opening, Painting, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-Trent, Weekend of art2 Comments

It had to happen, I’ve moved things round so people can get into the studio for the two open days tomorrow and on Sunday. I got rid of a bit of junk and moved some paintings around. I’ve also moved my big table to the back of the studio instead of its old position where it was not really being used. What I do need a small table to put my paints and palette on. Maybe an old stool or something. I have another chair which I could use but it has a back which might get in the way.

So I’ve got two days to try and meet and greet people. If you come along you will also see a fantastic exhibition of people’s idea of what Spode meant to them, and of course the British Ceramic biannual in the Spode China halls will have started so there will be so much to see. Enjoy!

Solo exhibition

Posted on September 5, 2019 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Longport, Newcastle-under-Lyme, opening night, Painting, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Waiting room galleryLeave a comment

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My latest exhibition is coming up next week. The opening is on 13.9.19 at 6.30pm. There will be wine and snacks (thats what you do at openings).

The Waiting room gallery is at Longport in Stoke-on-Trent. It’s a new gallery and art centre who are also working on Longport railway station and who are trying to restore the historic buildings there. You couldn’t meet a nicer group of people.

I’m very pleased to invite anyone who can come along to see the exhibition.

If you can’t make it I’ve also got paintings exhibited at the Brampton museum in Newcastle-under-Lyme from this weekend to the 10th of November and a painting at Acava Open Studios at Spode Site this weekend. The opening of the Spode show is on Saturday evening. So it’s busy busy busy!

Memory

Posted on September 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Bottle oven, Ceramic poppies, Drawing, Memory, Middleport, Middleport pottery, Poppies, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Urban sketchLeave a comment

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If you can’t read the writing it says (bit truncated) weeping window, 31. 8.18, middleport pottery.

The drawing is of thousands of ceramic poppies which were displayed on the bottle oven at Middleport pottery, middleport, Stoke-on-Trent in August last year. These poppies had travelled round the country to commemorate the men who had fallen in the first World War.

At one stage the poppies were not going to come to Stoke-on-Trent despite thousands of them being made here. I for one am glad they came.

Clouds

Posted on August 31, 2019August 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blue, Brampton museum, Cannon, Clouds, Grass, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Park, Sky, Staffordshire, Trees, WhiteLeave a comment

We were out at the Brampton this afternoon and I took some photos of the sky but including other things in the foreground. Like trees, seed pods, and even the cannon that is on the carpark. On one of them it’s almost like a couple of people kissing. Clouds are amazing.

Warehouse work?

Posted on August 29, 2019August 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art group, Etruria, Etruria Artists, Etruria Industrial museum, Refurbishment, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, WarehouseLeave a comment

Etruria Artists hold art sessions at the Warehouse at Etruria on a Thursday evening.

Now big changes are happening. The building is having a disabled toilet and a new kitchenette. This should make it much more usable although we will lose storage space for our art equipment.

So this evening we were surrounded by an old canoe, a canal diorama, bits of wood, some blocks that built into a bridge, planks that pigeons had roosted on and other junk. Most of it had been stored on a platform above the current kitchen and store cupboard. We helped carry some of it out to a skip. My friend Robert rescued some of it, to be recycled later. My hubby wanted to bring back a six foot long, three foot high and wide, table base but I vetoed that as we already had wooden blocks in the car.

I’m not sure when the work will be done but I think it will make it far more comfortable to use.

Orme Art group and Spode studios Open Days.

Posted on August 28, 2019August 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Exhibitions, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Orme Art group, Painting, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, The BramptonLeave a comment

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This is what I’m working towards at the moment. I’m really looking forward to it. We will have some space on a wall in the Brampton museum and art gallery. I’ve got a tryptich of Jupiter ready and I’m doing a painting of Mars. Then on the 7th and 8th of September I’ve got a painting at Spode during our Open Studios weekend.

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I will also be exhibiting art at The Orme Group Christmas Exhibition, dates and details to follow. Today I’ve also had confirmation that I can put more paintings in an exhibition at the Brampton in November to December for Christmas. I’m just waiting for a poster for that. All I need now is to see if people like them and get some commissions.

Persius and Medusa

Posted on August 28, 2019August 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Exhibition, Garden, Lake, medusa, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Orme Art, Persius, Plants, Staffordshire, Statue, The Brampton, Trentham, Trentham GardensLeave a comment

On a lighter note this statue of Persius and Medusa is at Trentham Gardens, Trentham, Staffordshire. The statue is inside the gardens next to the lake which means you have to pay to go in. I’m sure there is information about it but this is a photo from last year. I haven’t been in the gardens for months and probably with the heavy rain we’ve been having the plants there might be a bit battered but they are usually very beautiful.

I’m going to try and finish my painting of mars that I shared a couple of days ago to get in our Orme art exhibition at the Brampton in Newcastle-under-Lyme and try and go back to Trentham again on Friday.

The Greyhound inn.

Posted on August 26, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 1540, court house, Greyhound Inn, Inn, Penkhull, Pub, Public house, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

The Greyhound Inn on Manor Court Street, Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent. A very interesting building. We called in today on the way back to Stoke from Rudyard lake.

To think a building originally built around 1540 and used as a court house been 1558 and 1829 would be enlarged and eventually became an Inn ( type of public house). Over the last few years it has gone through quite a few landlords, some more successful than others. It seems to be a friendly place now. But there are two other pubs nearby, so it has to share custom with them. We had a relaxing half an hour there.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Staffordshire