Pretty Inspirational: Aubrey Beardsley

source
We had our first CHS lecture this week, it was mainly outlining what we're going to be looking at over the next few weeks, but some of the Aubrey Beardsley images caught my eye. I think I'm going to enjoy Critical Historical Studies.

Pretty Inspirational: Bob Dylan

source

My dad is a lifelong Bob Dylan fan, his passion for Dylan is rivalled by nothing else in his life. I am a very, well I call it passionate, others tend to prefer obsessive, person and it's comforting to see where I get this from. There's a stack of scrapbooks in our loft full of pictures and newspaper cuttings of Bob, pasted in from years passed, and frames full of concert tickets showing the adventure he had, following Bob around Europe on every night of a tour. 

source

By contrast, some of my early memories are of my parents having friends over, having a fair amount of wine and putting on Dylan records, waking a bleary-eyed five year old Amy in her bedroom upstairs. It took another ten years for me to start to appreciate his music.

source

source

I was lucky enough to see him play the Hop Farm Music Festival in 2010, and while according to my dad, not his best performance by a long way, it was still an experience.

source

He has a fabulous new album out called Tempest. You should give it a listen, the title track is my favourite - a thirteen minute epic, beautiful.

I did some drawings of Bob back when I was putting together my portfolio, you can see a few here.

cross posted to Happy Daisy.

Events: KAOS Autumn Exhibition

I picked up this leaflet in the art shop in Kingston yesterday - where I was spending more money on things I don't really need but couldn't resist, in this case, moleskines. It's an exhibition put on by members of Kingston Artists' Open Studios (KAOS) at the end of the month, in Market House, in the town centre. As a 'maker' myself, I will definitely be attending - lured in by words such as 'Potters' 'Illustrators' and 'Photographers'.

Who's Doing What: Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe Fassett, best known for his colourful decorative arts designs, is a really big inspiration to me. I love the wide range of techniques he covers - knitting, needlepoint, ceramics, quilting, all with his trademark vibrant colours. I'm perhaps so fond of his work, as a lover of such crafts myself, knitting in particular.

He has just released his autobiography, Dreaming In Colour. I have yet to get hold of a copy, but if it's anything like his other books, Glorious Knitting being a particular favourite of mine, then it will be unmissable.

Events: Renegade Craft Fair London

Last weekend (15th and 16th of September) was the second annual Renegade Craft Fair London. Held in the Truman Brewery in London's Brick lane, the fair is packed with really talented artists, illustrators and artisans. I was lucky enough to be there for both days, helping out a friend at her booth, and it was wonderful to have time to walk around and talk to the artists about their work.

James Ward aka Jimbobart creates amazing illustrated plates.

Alice Tams is the lovely lady behind Birds In Hats - a series of beautiful birds all wearing fabulous hats. She told me how she hadn't study illustration for her degree, choosing instead Creative Writing, but that she never stopped drawing throughout. Birds in Hats started out as a jokey little drawing of an owl in a hat, and the rest is history. She said a lot people who're fans of her work are birdwatchers, who are very quick to point out any technicality mistakes in her art!

Caitlin Hinshelwood creates beautiful illustrations, paintings and printed textiles. I loved this postcard design of hers.

Something I love about Renegade is the wide range of talents on display. Kim Smith is an Illustration student at Camberwell College of Art, and she spent the weekend at her spinning wheel, in her booth at the fair, enthusing with everyone about the fabulous fibre art.

Although I'm a keen knitter and textile fan myself, you don't have to partake in something to be inspired by it. The hard work and effort put in by the artists at events like these, are inspiration in themselves.

The future...

In ten years time I would like to be…
- A mother.
- An illustrator.
- An art teacher.
- A wife.
- A countryside dweller.
- A homeowner.
- A sight-seer.
- An author.
- A do-er, not a dreamer.
- Happy.

Ten things, for ten years.

Four Websites...

…that I think you should know about.

Ghost Signs. I absolutely love typography and I have a passion for time's past also, so I was pretty excited when I read an article about Ghost Signs in The Simple Things magazine. I have always been fascinated with vintage text and there are some beautiful examples on their website. Find out more about Ghost Signs here.



Lobster & Swan. Lobster & Swan is a beautifully curated blog, the perfect mix of art and photography. Find out more about Lobster & Swan here.

Illustration Friday. Illustration Friday is a project based website, each week a theme is chosen, and visitors to the site are encouraged to submit drawings, doodles and artwork pertaining to said theme. I love prompt websites - perfect if you're having a bit of creative block, it's really interesting to see how the themes are interpreted by different artists too. Find out more about Illustration Friday here.


Print & Pattern. This is a design blog run by Bowie Style, author of two books of the same name, and was named one of the World's Fifty Best Design Blogs by The Times Online. It's collection of designs and prints, sometimes showcasing a range for a particular designer, sometimes showing displays photographed in shops. I love the wide variety of design styles, patterned on ceramics, fabrics, wallpaper etc, that are featured. Find out more about Print & Pattern here.

A Drawing Tour

This summer I have moved to a whole new town, which may not sound like a big deal, but prior to this I've lived in the same house, on the same appalling bus route for twenty years. So even if I'm just in another bit of zone 6, it's pretty exciting to me. I thought I'd showcase my new area as I discover it, with a little drawing tour.

Pictured here are some of the drawings I've done so far - you can see more on my flickr.
I think my favourites are the watercolour and fine liner combinations - I've been doing a lot of drawing without lifting the pen from the page and it's really satisfying.

Exhibitions: Rob Ryan at Charleston

Rob Ryan at the Charleston Gallery
Rob Ryan has been a favourite of mine ever since I stumbled across some of his work online, a few years back. I've seen his designs in a number of shops, although this is the first time I've seen it in an exhibition space.


The ceramics were the highlight for me, partly because I haven't seen them before, whereas his paper cut designs are easily recognisable. It's easy to connect Rob's work to the interior of the Charleston Farmhouse, the colours match that of Vanessa Bell's elaborately decorated fire surrounds, the cross hatching lifted from her artwork, and the geometric style patterns from the wallpaper and fabrics.

I have never worked with pottery or ceramics and after seeing Rob Ryan's creations, and those of Quentin Bell, it's something I would love to try.

You can read about my Charleston adventure here.

Who's Doing What: Julia Pott

Animator and ex-Kingston student Julia Pott is one of my favourite practitioners. In the last few months she and her short-film Belly, have been touring film festivals - it was officially selected for Sundance and last month it had it's internet debut.



Belly from Julia Pott on Vimeo.

She has also just self-published a thirteen page book of her illustrations entitled, It can Happen All Of A Sudden and been named one of the 25 New Faces Of Film 2012 by Filmmaker Magazine.

A Piece of Design… #1

I picked up this postcard in Paperchase* - I love triangles, they make a fabulous pattern, the rounded corners are unusual in a postcard and the recycled card stock and the weight of the type drew my attention.

*I have mixed opinions on Paperchase, I am rather fond of some of their stationery lines, but not as fond of some of these allegations.

Exhibitions and Events: E17 Art Trail

The 8th annual E17 Art Trail. I only found out about the art trail by chance - there was an interview with one of the organisers on my local radio station and the idea grabbed me. This sumer, between 1-16 September there were 350 exhibitions and events in 180 venues across Walthamstow. I convinced my close friend and fellow art student Kim Smith to accompany me to a part of London new to both us.


We didn't get a chance to see even a tenth of the exhibitions - they were spread out right across Walthamstow, so we selected an area and wandered around, seeing what we could see.

Something that struck me was how accessible art could be. These weren't international elite galleries, but artwork displayed in shops and cafes and windows and people's homes. It made 'being an artist' seem a lot more possible.

The community spirit was fabulous, shopkeepers were friendly and welcoming, people wanted to talk about the artwork, to talk about Walthamstow, something that both of us thought was lovely.

We stopped to draw and plan and dream, in a beautiful café in Walthamstow Village, riding on inspiration.

Hayley Holliday's paintings and drawings were my favourite part of the art trail, her Strangers on a Train series was fabulous. You can purchase her work here.
It was a fabulous experience, something that both of us would love to see replicated across our own parts of London. It makes me want to work harder and to host exhibitions and events of my own.

Drawing at the V&A

These are some drawings I made earlier in the summer, on a visit to the V&A. I am a bit of a slave to the fine liner, it's a bad habit I know, but comfort zone is so comfy! haha. I've been reliably informed that university will kick me right out of this habit! 
London's museums are full of beauty.