People who Live in Glasshouses Should Draw the Curtains Before Removing their Trousers

 Hehehe I have to credit my good old dad with that little ditty from my childhood!

I've been away. Been to stay in Edinburgh for a few days. It is a fantastic city, vibrant, embracing creativity and creative people. I felt easily at home, could live there (it's now second only to York on my 'I would like to live there list', and that's only because York is closer to my family). The sun shone, and people smiled, were nice to each other... I visited the Royal Botanical Gardens... crazily decided to walk there from the other side of the city (I really do question my own judgement sometimes)... thighs still aching... It was utterly fantastic. For me, a perfect day out. The glasshouses were stunning... packed full of shades of green...plants literally filling every bit of space, brushing me as I crept past. The smell was musty, damp, perfect... taking me back to childhood a little bit... tapping into my long hidden sense of adventure...

 And then there was the glass. The windows, perfectly dilapadated, peeling and flaking in all the right ways... trapping the humidity... the plants slowly twining up the frames, making the panes their own...

 I've long, long harboured fascinations with greenhouses... the mustiness... the growing...

 And to top it all off there was an exhibition of work by Robert Rauschenberg. The first major collective of some of his later works in over 30 years. I wasn't expecting this at all... I got a little over excited and did a little jig to myself... after all Rauschenberg is one of my heroes of the art world... I find any excuse to teach my students about him... probably a little more reguarly than they really need! Then I had to walk all the way back again...

Big Yorkshire Skies First Finished Experiment (Possibly!)

Have been experimenting with the idea of developing work based on the 'Big Yorkshire Skies' images. It's difficult because there is absolutely NO structure to work with, no linear qualities, purely texture (and I really do feel at home with structure... this is a challenging me a bit... ok well maybe a bit more than a bit). The texture has been manipulated on both the top (glass) and base layer, the latter being salvaged fabric and paper, with the former being colour (possibly too strong in areas). There are areas that I love (the stripey bit and translucent grey areas), and parts that I find dreadful (the heavy blues). But I do think that I'm pleased with fact that there is a balance of both layers.

A detail of what I think is my favourite part: The top right hand corner, but it is very hard to show the 3D ness in a photograph effectively... Rahhhhhh photographing glass is soooo hard... it is making me feel very stressy...Shut up Kathryn

Some of the textures that have been layered and stitched underneath the glass....

(Holds head in hands and says 'grrrrrrrr')

Edale: How many shades of green? *Gasps

Have just returned from a stunning, stunning day hiking around Edale in the High Peak district. I took my dog, she was very needy and whined constantly because I (very meanly) would not let her greet and lick everybody we met on our way. So the soundtrack to accompany this image should be whimpering, and not the sound of... well nothing... except the wind. This was taken along the ridge (near Jacob's Ladder) and it was just utterly, breathtakingly beautiful. So, so cathartic. It kind of made the stress of the last few days vanish a little...  I never fail to be amazed at the sheer power a hill has for putting things back into perspective. We need hills... (what an odd phrase... think the fresh air has gone to my head a bit.. erm... stops self from coming out with more cliches... they are all there ready to pop out... shut up Kathryn...).  Anyway, after a bit of running around and declaring how glorious it was, I calmed down a little and tried to take it all in. The greens were awesome, shades upon shades upon shades. In fact, at times, it seemed everything was green. Lower down, in the valley the patterns of the fields created strata across the landscape. I so, so want to use these references in my work, but at the moment, it's all too intense. I can't do anything near justice to what I saw today, I need to live with it for a while, let my memory dull it down a little first... but right now I just need

to eat...

Finished Work (Leaf Cover). Or maybe not...

This work has been hurting my head so much. Even now I flinch a little when I see it. It just didn't quite turn out as I intended, but for some reason I ploughed ahead to completion. Again, it's glass layered over an inky sketch. There is not enough colour...There must be some reason why I didn't fling it spectacularly across the kitchen, some reason why it 'made it' through my unfathomable selection process which seems to be based on pure gut-instinct rather than anything concrete. It taunts me a little because I had been planning it for so long... the ideas started to develop as the new leaf cover started emerge in all it's lovely limey glory. It was these images along with recent lovely times in the woods that provided the imagery. I can still smell the fresh, damp woody smell, feel the slight chill. It truly is fragments of memories (oh yes! Ker -ching). But... it's not quite right... yet... this one might have just made it through by the skin of it's little glassy teeth (there's still time for it to take a flying hike), but there will be more, there needs to be more. I just need to get it right...

Finished work (Little Flags)

Finally finished 'Little Flags' the glass has been layered over an inky illustration... This is where it all started...

We are Sensory Beings (part 1)

Last week I had a little rant about the digital age, and in the post 'Mulling it Over' I asked the question 'are we losing our grip on actual materials?' With the context being the increasing use of graphics tablets and digital manipulation. Well my Dad came to the rescue (good old dad!) with the insightful comment:

 'As to the question will the digital manipulation replace the painting. Never, they will live side by side. Has IKEA replace bespoke furniture making. No, it has just made bespoke furniture making better. The electric guitar has not replaced the acoustic guitar.

We live in a tactile world, touch is one of our main survival senses. I like to feel how the paint reacts with different brush pressures. Paint has a feel all of its own. Digital is just another medium, a new fresh one but given time it will level out amongst all the other mediums. Egg tempera is still used, how old it that technology.'

Isn't it lovely that even as a proper grown-up in my thirties that dad can still put everything right for me? The bit about living in a tactile world and touch being one of our senses... it's so right. Well, anyway... the day after that I went on a school visit to Walsall Art Gallery (near Birmingham) and saw these awesome artworks by artist-in-residence  Barbara Walker  being made from charcoal and watery paint. They were so utterly perfect for the moment, for my mind-set. They were being created directly onto the wall which is a permanent action, but were transient because they were ultimately destined to be painted over again... Now I just want to paint... hmmmmmm

Secret Garden

I spent much of today in my god-mother's beautiful garden. I remember playing in it when I was young. Fragments of memories. It's the most awesome hide-and-seek garden. Full of hidden areas, different levels, little paths... I wanted to take pictures of the textures and details. I didn't have the right camera with me to the photograph the whole thing, but doubt very much that I could do it justice anyway. Anyway, these are the little bits that my eye constantly wanders to... the little textures that remind me of today and that will build up the ever-growing jigsaw of memories of happy times with her... xx

(Am really cross that my pictures won't align properly... grrrrr... when I try to move them they delete)