 I hope this finds you well. It's hard to believe that autumn is upon us already, this year has flown past. We had five glorious sunny days recently, which we all agreed must be our summer! The weather has been particularly poor this year. That has not deterred the visitors - the cafe has been busy with travellers from all over the world, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, as well as Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Both the cafe and gallery in Poolewe have gone from strength to strength, with wonderful feedback from customers. We are currently open Friday - Monday 10am - 4pm and plan to do the same through the winter. We will be closed for staff holidays from 5th - 21st November inclusive, reopening on Friday 22 November. Sketching North Erradale sketch.     Sketches - clockwise from top left - Cove, Firemore, Riverbed near Kinlochewe and Poolewe from Inverasdale On the few fine days we've had, I've taken the chance to head out with my sketchbook. The trick is to find somewhere to perch, usually on a rock, where I can lay my sketchbook on my knees and my tools out beside me. I mostly use charcoal for an initial drawing now, as I find a pencil too restricting. Sometimes I use a graphite stick, but I like the rawness and immediacy of charcoal. The sketchbooks are from Pink Pig, the examples shown were done in large square ones (11 x 11 inches). As you may already know, I sell customised sketchbooks, which I have linoprinted with my own designs. A wee travel set of watercolours provides all the colours I need. But I use a big brush, not the tiny travel one, as I like to use lots of water and work very quickly. This is mainly for practical reasons - the light can change very fast, or there is a shower of rain approaching, or the midges start to bite! Nothing can beat sketching out in the fresh air, with the sounds and smells and sights of your surroundings all being absorbed into your work. WritingEarlier this year, I finally got round to republishing my two books of short stories. They both contain ten short and very short stories and are available from my website shop and also from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe.   As well as the short story books, I've put together my first ever collection of poems in a wee book. Again, the book is available to purchase from my website shop and from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe in Poolewe.  Christmas cards    4 of the 8 designs It's that time of year again! This year's designs (all 8 of them) are just in from the printer. I used natural materials to lay out the images, then took photos and did a little editing to add in the wee extras! They are now available to purchase from my website shop and directly from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe. Calendars2025 calendars are now available - as ever, they are slimline ones, with each image printed on the back for use as a postcard. The images are all from artwork produced last winter, during the Art Portfolio course at Bridge House Art in Ullapool. Available to purchase from my website shop, Bridge Cottage Art Cafe and The Button Bothy at Poolewe Village Hall.     Thank you for your continued interest in my work, it is greatly appreciated.
I am heading off to Harris for a week's holiday in a couple of days - really looking forward to a change of scene! I will be dealing with any orders after I return on 9th October. all the best Jennifer
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 'Coastal #4'. Part of an original mixed media artwork. 15cm x 15cm. Framed A new chapter Spring finally arrived last week, with some real warmth and the cuckoo calling in the glen. Two of them have been swooping and diving around the house over the past few days. The swallows are here too, so it feels as though spring and summer have appeared together! At last it's warm enough to spend some time planting things and sowing seeds in our growing dome. Since I wrote this, the haar has rolled in from the sea and it's decidedly chilly again! On the art front, I'm enjoying having the space at our art cafe in Poolewe to display my artwork, alongside Ailsa's textiles and art, and Iain's photography. It has all come together very well and we've had lots of appreciative comments (and quite a few sales), which has been lovely. There are also some new greetings card, mug and coaster designs, from some of the work I made at Bridge House Art portfolio course over the winter. That time feels almost like a dream now!
'Easterlies #8' and 'Easterlies #2'. Original mixed media artworks. Bridge Cottage Art Cafe The cafe is going well, so some of my time each week is set aside for different creative endeavours, namely baking! Family favourites such as date slice and Victoria sponge have been going down well. And Ailsa's rocky road and triple chocolate brownies, along with Iain's cheese scones and haggis sausage rolls (invented by Ailsa) are getting rave reviews. If you're ever passing through Poolewe, do pop by and say hello! We've had a few old friends do that recently, it was so lovely to see them. We're now open Friday - Tuesday, 10am - 4pm. Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Press Gang exhibition - all over now I was delighted to have some original prints in the 'Press Gang' exhibition, alongside 48 other printmakers, at An Talla Solais gallery on Market Street in Ullapool, earlier this month. There was a wonderful range of work on show. A few of my printed pieces will be making their way into the Bridge Cottage Art Cafe gallery very soon.
'Edge #1' and 'Edge #9'. Original mixed media artworks, both 15cm x 15cm. Currently on show at Loch Torridon Community Centre gallery. Loch Torridon Community Centre gallery The other week I made a long overdue trip to Torridon to restock the lovely gallery there with some new original artwork, greetings cards and sketchbooks and notebooks. It was a beautiful sunny day, so it turned into a grand day out. We enjoyed lunch at the Wee Whistlestop cafe in the community centre - always good to see what others have to offer! The gallery is open Monday - Friday and Sunday, 10am - 4pm. Closed on Saturdays.
Loch Torridon in the spring sunshine 2025 art calendars Next year's calendars have just arrived - see some of the pages above. It's a slimline, postcard version again, with new work produced at the portfolio course over the winter. Mixed media and print/collage. Now available to purchase from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe or from my website shop. Thank you for your interest in my work, it is greatly appreciated.
all the best Jennifer  Bridge Cottage Art Cafe is open! I hope this finds you well and that you've had a wonderful festive season. I'm delighted to say that we opened our art cafe in Poolewe on Friday 3rd November and it's been nonstop ever since. For now, my daughter Ailsa and husband Iain are running it, with me helping out at the weekends. We've been overjoyed at the response from locals and visitors alike - everyone is very happy that we are open at this time of year. So many places closed at the end of October for the season. The homemade baking, soups and hot filled rolls have been going down a treat, and I am making progress with my barista training! The wee gallery and gift shop space upstairs is a great space for showcasing all our work. Ailsa painted a wonderful mural, inspired by our lovely Highland scenery, on one wall of the cafe (see photo below). Our winter opening hours are 10am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday.     Above - Some of the work I've produced during the portfolio course - pen and ink, small oils and a monoprint (window) Bridge House Art Portfolio course Just before Christmas, I completed the first 8 week term of the art portfolio course in Ullapool. I've learned so much over that time, now it's time to pause and reflect. We've had a week each of a wide range of topics, using a variety of media, including charcoal, ink, oils, acrylics, collage and printing ink. Among other things. we've been taught methods of:
Next term we'll be focusing on our own individual projects. The course ends with a group exhibition at An Talla Solais (where we are based for the course) in Ullapool, from 25th Feb - 3 March 2024. Pebbles on the Beach
I'm not planning to attend any markets next year. Now that we have the premises in Poolewe with the gallery space, all my artwork and related products are available to purchase from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe. I'll be there in person at least some of the time at weekends in January and February, and much more regularly after that. I look forward to seeing you there! I still have some items at Loch Torridon Community Centre Gallery and also at The Button Bothy in Poolewe. For those of you further afield, my website shop remains open. In the meantime, thanks again for your continued support. Wishing you a joyful, healthy and happy New Year. all the best Jennifer |
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