Stairway to Heaven....cottage garden style!!!!

Have spent some time during the recent glorious, uplifting weather sorting out my tiny cottage garden. I have planted primroses (cultivated not wild!) and violas as well as hyacinths (left from last year). I am feeling very happy with the results so far and can't believe it is only March......!!!!!:-)

This is the little stairway from the patio outside my kitchen up to my tiny lawn. I have just bought a new chair and have been reading my OU module textbooks and enjoying the sun ,with cups of coffee and tea, in between bouts of gardening. It is also where I  stitched and read for my CCAD degree.

The photo below shows the view from my kitchen window.

As can just about be made out in this small picture it is an 'eclectic' (!!!) mix of vintage cottage/Victorian (violas and hyacinths), country house (box pyramids, hedging and balls topiary) and oriental (sea washed bronze horses and chinese soldier)!!!!!!

The country corner, by the shed, (which was shown in a post last year , with foxgloves and lupins as well as cantebury bells) has still to be further planted; possibly with a beautiful magnolia I bought for my FMP last year and which refused to flower then but is just about to burst into bloom, after all the lovely sunshine we have had recently.

My Chelsea Show bicycle, also shown in a previous post, is in the distance waiting for my next visit to the garden centre to buy more pansies/violas/primroses etc to put in its basket.

Do hope you like my little garden heaven and have enjoyed your short visit to my ongoing project............................WATCH THIS SPACE :-)

Contemporary Lace lecture at the Bowes Museum

Took time out last week to travel up into Teeesdale for a lecture inspired by the wonderful Blackthorn lace collection, which is owned by the Bowes Museum.

Given by a lace enthusiast with a doctorate in lace (!!!), we were treated to examples of contemporary lace (after a potted history of bobbin/needle lace). Examples of Dutch wire fencing lace and Middle Eastern structural lace designed to capture salt and so grows as a structure were very interesting. However, I was disappointed that the only reference to contemporary fashion lace was with regard to the beautiful but very traditional wedding dress worn by Kate Middleton. Nevertheless this was made up for by a glimpse of the lecturers large scale lace interpretations of Venetian architecture.

Lace from the collection and contemporary lace of all types, inspired by the pieces displayed, are on still on view in the Textile Gallery. Although most of the work was not my taste (partially due to the restrictive rather garish colour palette, set in the brief) I loved a combination of felting and lace which produced a beautiful length of work

Elsewhere in the museum the world class art collection  (Canaletto, Sisely etc) is well worth a view.

Creative day with Vicky Trainor.co.uk !!!!

Spent Wednesday with one of my old (young!!!!) lecturers, who has set up her own business producing beautiful wedding cards and accessories. Vicky has been in the card industry for over 15 years as well as having lectured before her new venture. She now works from home designing stationery, recycling lovely old embroidered textiles (for her vintage drawer range) and now running classes and mentoring small businesses.

I signed up for a fifties workshop but that was postponed so went to 'natural forms' instead! Whilst my work wasn't the best it was good to lift a paint brush after such a long time away from creating.

Perfect day....Durham, DLI Stephenson exhibition and Constructivism lecture !!!!!

Beautiful blue sky -a perfect Durham Day (if a little chilly)-made the drive to Durham a lovely experience, as well as the walk up to the Cathedral.

The Stephenson, Abstract art, exhibition was well worth visiting if you like abstract paintings. Largely unknown, his geometrical art was one of  the first abstractionist experiments in Britain and he came from Bishop Auckland!!!!! This, along with the very interesting FREE lecture by the very knowlegeable Professor from Bristol University on constuctvism made it a very illuminating visit.

DLI Durham iconic portrait photography- Jane Bown 'Exposures'

After another Durham tutorial for my art course, went for coffee and homemade delicious scones (highly recommend-£3.20!) and exhibition visit to the DLI .

Was very impressed by the wonderful, iconic black and white photographs of Observer photographer Jane Bown. Grouped as politicians , movie stars, authors etc. the photographs (50 of her best, some of which are noted to be "classics of the genre) cover iconic figures of the twentieth century. I was struck by all the groups-a young handsome McCartney, the Queen, Moira Shearer's wedding pose, Lauren Bacall, Quentin Crisp, Bjork and Boy George are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head!!!!

If you like the recent trend for 'vintage'black and white photographs- Audrey Hepburn etc. this is of the same genre and equally as interesting/good!!!!

As I said above the coffee shop is well worth a visit ( you don't have to pay if you are just using that) and if you also have an interest in  militaria there are two floors of DLI memorabilia including vehicles , which the children seem to love (especially one little chap in full military combats!!!) to visit too. There are ponds, ducks and woods to walk/picnic in when the weather is nicer and Durham city is close by for shopping and a visit to the World Heritage site of Durham Cathedral!

Happy Valentine's Day / designs!!!

Happy Valentine's Day wishes to all.....after all its basically all down to love...... isn't it ?!!

The world would be  better place if there were a bit more of the genuine 'thing' around...........................

20th century art symposium at the MIMA and..............SNOW!!!!!!!

I had been looking forward to hearing lectures today at the MIMA, on 20th century art (Cezanne, Cubism and Matisse), so was rather worried by apocalyptic snow warnings from the Met Office!!!!!! Managed to get there and back safely, although the snow did begin and had to shovel and salt drive to get my car up the slope!!!! Gill Perry, one of the lecturers arrived by train from London, gave her lecture and left soon after as she did not want to be marooned in York (altho that's not a bad place to be !!!).
The lectures were interesting and the Tate's, loaned, still life pictures were too. I particularly enjoyed being able to see one of Picasso's collages at very close quarters, having had to write an essay recently on a similar picture. I also enjoyed a number of modern still life's-one with 9 boxes, in three piles of three with objects inside, was my favourite. The collection inclued Nicholson, Bell as well as Picasso and a  number of other well known artists. Such a shame the audience was made up of only a dozen or so......