It's bizarre! It's bazaar!

It's been over a week since I last posted on here . . . this is going to be a quick update about what's happening in and around my studio . . .

The weather can be described a bizarre - between the storms and gale force winds, the sun shines and it's unseasonably warm. Around and about the colours in the landscape are sparking off lots of ideas for new prints.



But I have other things to do - at the top of the list is The Christmas Bazaar (details on my main website www.celiahart.co.uk - apologies for not putting the clickable links in my post, but my studio computer and blogger seem to be having a lovers' tiff!). I'm surrounded by baskets of stuff . . .


and lots of Winter Thrushes . . .


I know there will be lots of gorgeous things for sale - and the lovely blogger Silverpebble will be there too, with her very very special silver, beady treasures. The tea and cakes are guaranteed to be scrummy - treat yourself!


I've been freelance for over 18 years now (crikey!!!! that's a long time!) and I still can't get used to the ups and downs of the work-flow . . . when there is a lull I know I have to get on the phone or send out self-promotion leaflets, this won't take all day and I should fill the day with creative projects of my own - but my mind goes blank; as soon as I break-through the 'artist's block' the email pings into life and an artbrief arrives - urgent, urgent, urgent - but I've got other things scheduled in and prints half printed - I need to grow extra arms to cope with all the stuff and my studio looks like the autumn gale has blown through it!


Meanwhile, while my attention is elsewhere, the under-gardeners have been busying themselves with UGPs*. Cheekily they have decided to work right outside my studio's office window . . .


. . . yes, I can see you girls!

* unauthorised gardening projects

Look what's in Country Living!

Do you read Country Living? I have to admit that I haven't bought a copy for over a year, but a few weeks ago I received an exciting email from Vanessa of Verandah in Norwich and I've been eagerly waiting for the December issue to be published. Yesterday one of my neighbours called in with her copy which had arrived by post - hurrah!

Because in the Emporium on page 18 is . . . one of my linocuts "The Hazel Arch" . . . there it is in the top right corner!

The caption says . . .

Ooops! they've relocated me to Norfolk, a near miss - Suffolk's not far away and Verandah is in Norwich which is in Norfolk, so I'll forgive them.

And here's the Hazel arch in real life, the leaves have yet to fall, and Nutmeg who posed for the original design is recreating the image - it's every Spice Girl's dream to appear in a glossy magazine ;-)

Winter thrushes in the Yew tree

Just outside my studio window is a vast ancient Yew tree - it's husband guards the entrance to our courtyard.

The male tree spreads its sturdy arms wide, he fills the air with his pale yellow dusty pollen in spring, then scatters the ground with spent rusty catkins. In autumn Tawny Owls converse from his high branches and in spring Cole Tits swing from his finger tips.

By contrast the female Yew stretches to the sky from an ancient coppiced stump. Bow-makers fall in love with her strong slender limbs. In autumn her branches are bejewelled with hundreds of thousands of soft red fruits and as the evenings get chilly and the first frosts still the leaves, she awaits the arrival of the winter thrushes.



I wait for them too, exciting the view from my window . . .



Song Thrushes use the topmost branches to perch and sing their exquisite repeated phrases; Mistle Thrushes raucously land on the swaying boughs and fill the air with their rattle-cry. From Scandinavia, Redwings arrive in the night and feast on the berries after their long journey south - and Fieldfares too with slate grey heads and rusty backs chattering and calling in the cold air.

The birds will arrive any day now - but today the Yew's lower branches are decorated with my festive Winter Thrushes . . .

They started life as quick sketches in my sketchbook . . .


and soon became carved lino blocks . . .

printed onto some lovely leafy paper, I soon had a flock of thrushes flying across the studio . . .

Some of the Winter Thrushes will soon be flying over to my Etsy shop - just as soon as the camera gets recharged ;-)

And here's the plot . . .

A couple of years back I illustrated a series of GCSE History students' books for Folens Publishers; one was about Crime and Punishment, my brief - to draw all the grimy scenes of wicked deeds and gruesome retribution in a historically correct but "light-hearted" fashion. I kid you not! sometimes being an illustrator gets quite bizarre.

Here are three of the scenes from a crime relevant to this evening, as England skips with glee as the fireworks light up the sky and we re-enact burning a 17th century terrorist.

Here are some disgruntled gents hatching a plot over a pint . . .



and here are the plotters . . .



and here's the guy (sorry!) who drew the short straw . . .



"Hold it right there matey! you're nicked!"


Enjoy your sparkly whizzy bangy evening!

Celia
x