favourite combinations

Colour belongs to our being; maybe each of us has his own
Le Corbusier
Colour touches us in every little way throughout our lives whether it's the big decisions like what colour to paint a room or subconscious decisions about which colour toothbrush we choose. Colour surrounds us they transform themselves with the ever changing light, and it is the element of creating which inspires me most as an artist.
Colour is such a huge part of our very existence that sometimes I think we take it for granted, but then in a cloudy grey sky a rainbow appears and everybody stares at the wonder, it might be the fields of rape seed oil in it's eye hurting yellow, or the beautiful blue of the king fisher darting across the river. It shows that colour has the power to make us all stop and stare.
I can remember the day very clearly when I saw colour in a very different way, and it was the start of something very important in my world. I was in my Gran's dark garage sitting on an old milk crate looking at the painting's of Graham Sutherland, the vivid, pinks, yellows and green' s jumped out of the book these colours had been captured from the wonderful light found in the South of France and Pembrokshire. My eyes were opened and I have never looked back. I still have this battered old book and it is still a constant source of inspiration and reassurance.
I have re-occurring colours within my work that time and time again I try to change, but these certain colour combinations always feel right. I love muted chalky violets, pinks, whites, pistachio green and pink, saffron orange and turquoise, brown and pinks.

running around in circles

Think of the wonderful circles in which our whole being moves and from which we cannot escape no matter how we try. The circler circles in these circles.
E.T.A. Hoffmann

How much of our lives do we spend running around in circles, trying to mix in the right circles, I think the wrong ones are always far more fun.
Just finished a new series of cushion entitled "running around in circles".
Now thinking about anything but circles.
Why don't we run around in squares?

http://www.patchworkbutterfly.folksy.com

Mr Hopkins

sheep drawing by me
Mynach falls
Mountain road to Aberystwyth it's so beautiful

Sheep+waterfalls+mountains+much rain = Wales

Just returned from a really lovely adventure to West Wales a pilgrimage really to re kindle a connection to where I was born and lived at the beginning of my life. I have had a real longing to return to Wales for so long, it is often in my dreams.
So we chucked stuff in the car, a tent, wine glasses, wine, drawing materials, camera, books, Elle decoration and of course the obligatory red lipstick. I am a very happy and good camper as long as there is a pub near who make lovely food. The pub was brilliant real Welsh Wales, a group of men sat round the bar nattering in there beautiful welsh accents every evening. I love Welsh accents they are real storytelling voices, they have a wonderful depth to them gentle and slow. There was a very interesting man who caught my ears attention, how different the conversations are to our local pub. They talked of shearing sheep, fixing tractors, forestry commissions new rules and of course all the other chit chat, but it is amazing how the landscapes we live in effect our everyday conversations, because people's whole lives are governed by where they are. The landscapes there are big, rural and at times difficult to negotiate. Well as this man I now know as Mr Hopkins was going out for a smoke, "I said he had the most wonderful voice and he should be a storyteller". He said " I am. We are all storytellers. I have a very famous cousin who tells stories. Think Silence of the lambs." Well that was me hooked for the rest of the evening. I practised my welsh he shared welsh poems in his mother tongue and the evening grew late.
Whilst there I walked and saw such beautiful landscapes that they just make you want to stop and stare. I drew lots and filled sketch books full of mono prints, ink drawings and ideas for some new paintings. I drew what must be a flock of sheep, I have found you have to be careful drawing sheep, one wrong mark with a pencil and you have an odd looking polar bear.
Lots of inspiration means lots of new work in my head. Now all I need is time and to remember not to forget how those landscapes make you feel when your there and in them.
Just off for a nice Chianti.