Review

I don't know about you, but however hard I try NOT to make New Year Resolutions, somehow the urge to make a fresh start and set myself some goals is too appealing to ignore. I suppose that the New Year is as good a time as any for me to look back at how far along my creative journey I have come in the last 12 months. This time last year I was in the thick of my C&G certificate and there was little time for thinking about anything else. It took me much longer than I anticipated to finish and then afterwards I went into a creative doldrums for a while.  However a resolve to make a few things for my Etsy shop got me back into making mode, and many of those have sold either on Etsy or in the Pop-Up shop in Dunstable. I also finished quilting my poppy prints both of which I have written about here. But I have been working away at various other projects which I will share with you now.
Way back in October I drew some Iris foetidissima seed pods from my garden. I have been playing with these pictures in various sketchbooks ever since.

Lots of potential in these shapes. Think I may start a garden/plant dedicated sketchbook. (Res. no.1)

Meanwhile on the sewing front I have added another spray of leaves to this small quilt

There is more to come. (Res. no. 2 )

For Christmas I bought myself a book on Gustav Klimt, I'm not sure why I didn't already have one. Whenever I wanted to look at his work I always had to go on the internet or look at an old calendar I had saved. I remember going to an exhibition of Egon Schiele's work when I was at college and learning something of Klimt at that time. The work of both men has always haunted me; Klimt's wonderful decoration and Schiele's bruised, raw, emaciated figures. I was trying out some of his bleeding colours in the last iris pod sketch above.  However it is Klimt's decorative work which captures   so many of our imaginations. I hadn't realised ( or remembered) that his father was a gold engraver, so no wonder he is so fascinated with using it in his work. I often search through prints of his work for examples of his motifs, so I have decided to keep a record of them in one of my hand made books, that way I have my own reference book.  I have made a start with squares. I have taken patterns from one or two paintings and elaborated on them.

It is a great opportunity to play with my gold paint and pens. Triangles next. (Res. no. 3)

It seems to take a couple of hours to put together a blog post these days (with interruptions) so now I must go for a short walk (Res no. 4)  and iron and perhaps do another page in my book.

Enjoy the last couple of days of 2013 and see you next year.

Jill