'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
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I recently took part in the Art Fair which was part of the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy. The weather was fantastic all weekend, hot and sunny, which made for a great time down at the harbour for all the boat-related events. Inspired by the boating theme, I developed some new pieces of work, using mixed media for a change from my usual watercolours. This year I have been keen to recycle old work; repurposing, upcycling, whatever you like to call it. Not using new materials, wherever possible. So I gathered some paintings which I felt hadn't "worked" - or did not stand alone - bright acrylics and some small watercolour studies. Added to the materials pile were an old book of sheet music (classical music, as it happens), sheets torn from magazines and also the coloured nets which I've bought fruit in (mainly oranges). Last but not least, I cut out some of my little lino-print boats, some of which had been printed on watercolour studies. I simply gathered what I had to hand.
And then the fun began; it took longer than I thought to find pleasing compositions. Perhaps they are not even that. Patterns, shapes, colours which complement each other. Little pictures. I am calling the series "Songs from the Sea" as they reflect my love of the sea and all things marine, including boats, and also my love of music, both listening to it and playing it. Each composition has a little fragment of sheet music within it. The first six works will be on show during North East Open Studios (NEOS) in September (8th - 16th) - I am exhibiting at the Phoenix Centre at Newton Dee again this year. In the meantime, they are also available for sale here on my website. |
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