Lost in the Wood

Gwen Owen painting in the Creu suntrap It's all change at Parc Glynllifon at the moment. Our shared Creu studio has seen been transformed by Gwen Owen's efforts to ready the workshop for the current exhibition (hopefully the start of an occasional series), 'Tranquility'. Now, 'Tranquility' is a concept I've rarely experienced and don't particularly expect or strive for. However, I'm glad it evidently exists and it certainly sounds like a desirable state. Chiefly, this bijou exhibition showcases the paintings of Gwen Owen and Barbara Larkin (most of the rest of the Creu collective are on the poster because Gwen is inclusive and kindhearted). I particularly like Gwen Owen's large square canvases with vibrant, almost abstracted, floral landscapes bursting with colour and texture. Based in her coastal studio, Barbara paints mostly in oils but also employs water colours and encaustics (hot wax) and she's a very warmly welcomed guest artis...

Me in Creu Studio, 1st weekend of Helfa Gelf Art Trail Evie, queen of the studio We're half way through this year's Helfa Gelf art trail so I thought I'd better make some kind of comment on this fab open studios event. With Evie now firmly established in our shared studio ( 'Creu') at Parc Glynllifon, participation in our second Helfa Gelf feels much more relaxed than last year's debut. Despite some nerves, last year was an incredibly positive experience: I got to know some lovely artists/ makers, it galvanised me into getting my act together, I had a chance to introduce my work to the public (in a gentle, supportive way) & be part of something I think is a great boost for the area (for artists & the public). It seems a shame then that there was apparently a bit of struggle this year to secure some of the funding to allow the co-ordinated event to go ahead. Think we've got enough signs now (more not shown!) All the artists financia...

Needle Felted Brain- Laura Cameron Who doesn't love an intriguing proposition or two? If the rumours are to be believed I certainly do (no need to go into that now). Recently I've been flattered to be invited to collaborate on a piece of art with an artist I admire and been offered a little feature in a Welsh language tv programme. Interesting & glamorous times indeed especially compared to my usual daily activities of stabbing myself repeatedly with a needle (felting) and chattering to the cats (who don't listen) or Evie the rabbit headed lady (who does) as I busily sew on fox ears or make noses for squirrels. 'Connected'- Rebecca F. Hardy & Laura Cameron I was delighted to be asked by Rebecca F. Hardy to collaborate on a piece of art for her upcoming solo show at the Bocs Gallery in Caernarfon ('Neuroanatomy': opened 29th May, runs until 29th June). Rebecca is possibly the busiest person I know, having returned from the lure of London, ...

Ironically my blog is probably looking like it's got a bit 'lost in the wood' as I realise I haven't updated it since mid-April! Thankfully this isn't due to a lack of subjects to write about, just time & discipline. Never mind, I'll lavish it with some attention after tomorrow's big trip to Artisans in the Palm House & when I need a cheerful distraction from overdue attempts to catch up with the dreaded accounts and admin stuff next week. For now, here's a treatsize guide to what I want to mention once I get around to it all: Part 2 of my Craft Fair review: Vintage in The Vale. Me at the lovely Vintage in the Vale Fair My first trip to the brilliant and extremely tempting world of Wonderwool Wales (buying, not selling). Wonderwool Wales delights   A little bit about the Machynlleth Comedy Festival : eating chips with Stewart Lee (well, he was in the same chip shop), great shows and pizza-cooked-by-local-actor-excitement. M...

'Love Crochet' magazine 'Love Crochet' Autumn 2013 There was thrilled excitement at Lost in the Wood cottage over the publication of my first piece of press publicity!!    'Love Crochet' magazine (Autumn 2013, issue 5) has a splendid article on craftidermy featuring some of my crochet bunny heads. I was really pleased that a lot of what I'd contributed did actually end up in the article, including the recommendations of other artists creating in other mediums such as Mister Finch's textile insects & Zoe Williams weird & wonderful needle felted creatures. It was a very small but interesting glimpse into how publications source stories and use the information provided. Hopefully it'll lead to more opportunities, especially since between us, me & my proud mother surely must have helped boost circulation of this issue! The rest of the magazine is very colourful and enjoyable too! Fittingly, this was Hector's (big grey bunn...

Evie, final week of Helfa Gelf  Ooh, there's a lot going on at the moment and maybe the blog is feeling a bit neglected, so it's time to lavish a little attention on it and do a round up of a few things. Firstly, a brief consideration of two things coming to an end. September's Helfa Gelf art trail was a brilliant experience for me as I got a lot more exposure (the good, socially acceptable kind) than I could have achieved on my own, I met a lot of lovely people and got to see their reactions to my work. Predominantly this was amusement (Evie, mounted heads, squirrel in milk jug etc), delight (crochet cakes & rack of toast) or being slightly disturbed (also Evie/ woolidermy heads). I've written before about how much I enjoyed being with the other artists in our temporary studios (see recent previous posts) so I will not retread this happy ground but it was very entertaining and enjoyable and I would definitely recommend the experience to other artists thinking...

Evie looking regal (back view) Weekends in North Wales are stuffed full of interesting arty things to see/ visit at the moment as the annual Helfa Gelf (art trail) is in full swing across 5 counties. So far, me & Evie (see pic) have enjoyed our first time involvement in it. We've been very lucky to be sharing a lovely light & airy studio with two other colourful artists in Y iard (the yard), an idyllic old courtyard of restored workshops at Parc Glynllifon (near Caernarfon). Many artists are opening up their actual studios/barns/workshops/ spare rooms for the public to potter in but others, like us in Unit 9, are renting space for the month. There's definitely some advantage to this, a cluster of artists are presumably more likely to be visited especially when there's a cafe selling huge slices of tasty cakes in the grounds, the Black Cat Cafe . I recommend the ridiculously gooey beetroot & chocolate brownie (just not for a first date, bit too messy/...

Evie starring in 'The Last Days of Summer' A bitesize blog today! Helfa Gelfa has begun in style, Evie has had her makeover & is now looking pretty ravishing / sinister (depending who you ask, apparently there's shades of The Wicker Man about her) at the centre of a strange tea party. Entitled 'The Last Days of Summer', it's a mysterious picnic with a hint of things unravelling. Evie with her crochet rabbit's head (a more ambitious version of my mounted bunny heads), somehow looks both imperious & slightly wanton and exudes a definite nymphish air. She's a work in progress & will by the end of the month be (hopefully) festooned with flowers, vines, creatures & ivy.  I feel very fortunate to be sharing a lovely light & airy studio (reminiscent of a lofty garret) with two other colourful artists, painter Alison Englefield (the photos of her work give the flavour but don't do the wonderful multi layered, intricate ...

Needle felted bee swarm (in progress) As my old school motto had it (see title), living bravely is a Good Idea. I'm not sure I've always embodied it, unless changing my mind & trying out various different paths in very meandering style counts (maybe by default it actually does?). Anyway, let's attribute my latest decision making to boldness rather than folly. Prompted by an adorable little shop recently coming up for rent, I've briefly been debating whether to open a workshop/ studio/ shop with my woolly partner in crime. After much thinking, planning and costing, I've put the idea on hold for at least a year or two. It'd be a big undertaking that financially & artistically I'm just not ready for it at the moment. However, all the thinking and debating has been fantastic in helping me define what it is I want to (and can) do right now. So it'll be a big goodbye to the (part time) day job in 3 weeks HURRAH!! I'll miss the many lovely peo...

Evie My, it's been a busy week (and a bit). Last Friday, I was fortunate to go to a session arranged by Helfa Gelf http://www.helfagelf.co.uk about marketing for artists. I learned quite a lot of useful things (which I hope to put into practice) and met some lovely artists whose work I definitely want to know more about. The day was facilitated by Jo Quinney, PR & marketing guru http://qmpr.co.uk/ who clearly knows her stuff, is very approachable and works a lot with artists/ creative types (her diplomacy and sense of humour must help a lot with this). Also, I've enjoyed a jaunt to visit the folks & friends in Edinburgh. As well as A LOT of relaxing in the greenhouse (then garden, sitting under the apple trees when it just got too hot), I've been gatecrashing a weavers guild AGM to hear an entertaining talk on adventures and textiles in rural India (with many fabrics ingeniously crammed into a tiny suitcase for our perusal); enjoying a fantastic belly dance ...