Should I Buy Some of These......?

Should I buy some of these? I used to love mine as a young'un
I really, really, really want to, but would feel terribly guilty about spending on myself!

I just want to have some fun!

5 Year Old Glass Artist

By Little Daughter  (And it is deffo going in the exhibition!)

This is where it all began...

The first piece of glasswork I ever made, when it was ok to experiment because everything was new and exciting

I think I need to re-visit it.

Thank you so much for all your helpful/ supportive/ utterly lovely comments with regard to giving it all up. I'm tired, frazzled and not thinking straight.

Especially thank you to Rowena for turning up at my house and making it all ok again... redirecting my thoughts with a new project, a collaboration, something totally different... going right back to the basics of creativity. I think it's what it what I need xx

Stopping

Am going to stop making artwork. At the end of this week, when this blooming exhibition is over. It's too stressful, like having a little bit of my soul ripped out. So I'm hanging up my tools and going to sell my lovely little kiln xx

My tiny, tiny desk

It's small but I love it!

Beautiful mountains of glass awaiting to be turned into something

Fired glass ready for mounting

My beloved copper wire spool

I have a little space to work in; just a desk and a kiln... I would love a big studio but with my life as it is at the moment (teaching full-time and being a mummy) I simply wouldn't be able to take the travelling time. So I have to work from home which is hugely challenging at times... but it works because, although my workspace looks messy, it's actually highly organised and slots in perfectly in our family house. It's slightly tricky at the moment though, as I'm five days away from the terrifying prospect of opening my first solo exhibition in 5 years  (which consists of 35 pieces)... I think my family might be slightly getting fed up with me filling every available space with work!

Oooh and the snow is finally melting! Hurrah... will be glad to wear something other than wellies!

Oooh x2 am reworking my blog a little bit as the design was irking me (isn't that a fab word?) somewhat... am just in the process of tinkering (another fab word) with a new banner

The Many and Varied uses for Bad Wine

 Actually I don't give two hoots if it's good or bad, I'll drink it anyway! But let's get this clear from the start, I'm not a fan of slumped wine bottles with fake labels glued back on after they've come out of the kiln. It's not art (ever) and it's not even craft (where's the challenge in putting a wine bottle in the kiln in a slump mould and firing?)... Blimey I'm on a rant today... not sure where that was coming from (?!). But eons ago I came into possession of a wooden box that some wine had been given to someone or other as a gift in... I quite liked the slidey lid and depth of the box, so I stashed it away to one day do something with! Well the day came and I made this...

 I am of course making a big assumption here that the wine was bad! Was it? (Dad?)... it may actually have been lovely! Anyway I'm quite chuffed with the finished piece, as ever I can't photograph it to do it justice, but the light reflects well because of the depth and the colours are intense (honestly! They are, I know you just can't see it here!) (The reason I can't photograph it properly is because the box already has mirror plates on the top and bottom so I can't stand it up anywhere, even getting these pics was a feat of ingenuity!)

I can do it. I can do it. Can I do it?

 A whole load of work on progress... See I can do it...

 I am working. I am. Iam. Despite the awful 'bad mind' sitation that I wrote about Sunday I am having to produce work. I have an exhibition in 2 and half weeks, which I am totally stressing about.  I'm not ready. At all. It is a total head-messing nightmare. A year ago when I thought it was actually a good idea, I decided to go for it... a showcase for my new body of work... now a year later, I'm just having pretend it's not happening simply as a coping tactic. I've already decided that nobody is actually allowed to go and see it! Full stop.... See I can't do it...

Raaaarrrrggghhhhhh

Ha. Maybe Something...

To the Dept of Brain

In My Head

Top Floor of My Body

In a Freezing Cold Yorkshire Village

England

Dear Mind,

We need to have serious words; I know you are not happy at the moment; I know you are desperately craving daylight; I know you are resolutely trying to convince me that my creative spark is dead, defunct, no more, nada. But I'm not standing for it! I'm sorry that I hurt my stupid knee and can't run so much in the way that you have become accustomed, I know that running keeps you ticking over in a satisfactory way; (but lets not forget, dear Mind, that is was you in the first place that advised me to play on the childrens' obstacle course in the forest, last May, which caused my knee to bend in the wrong direction and wreak cartilage havoc). But this absolutely cannot go on, I'm fighting back now and am going to prove you wrong (sticks up 2 proverbial fingers to depression, SAD, whatever this *!^$ is (insert choice word here).

Evidence point 1:

I swear I felt a flicker of something the other day...I don't know what it was. or even if I was just trying to convince myself. But something, whatever it was, compelled me to take these pictures when I got out of my car at work:

Evidence point 2:

Last Saturday I spent the day in London. Now I do love London... and dear Mind, this was always always going to be a tough one for you to fight, I'm delighted to report that you lose! I have plenty that I want to say about my most recent visit to the Saatchi gallery, it will take me a while, but I will document and write about it eventually, when you decide to relinquish the energy back to me:

Evidence point 3:

The sky

So you see, dear Brain, this behaviour is not acceptable and I will not be putting up with it for long (blows enormous raspberry)

And the Snowdrops will be flowering soon, followed by Daffodils, in a month or so I will be driving home in daylight, and getting up not long before sunrise... (it won't be long until I'm cursing the 5am dawn chorus again and wishing it was winter!)

Unkindest regards

Me

No. Nothing at all

I don't really have anything to say, at all (although as ever will manage to waffle about about having nothing to say!) . Nothing is really inspiring me at the moment. I feel a little lacking in something, but I can't put my finger on specifically what (do you ever get that too?). I've visited places I love in attempt to be inspired, or just to feel something, anything... but it's not happening right now, just not happening. So I'm not going to force it, just ging to wait patiently until this passes... but in the meantime I'm still trying to take images... little things that I know the 'usual' version of me would love...