Big Box of Chocolates

I think the great goddess of chocolate was smiling down on me yesterday. I had the excuse to visit a friend on the way to a meeting and received my belated birthday gift, which to my amazement was the most huge box of chocolates.

So big was the box I had to carry it flat like a pizza, I have had to put a mug next to the chocs on the photo to try and give a scale to the enormity of the box!

Needless to say I am having a field day sampling the different flavours, what a treat.

Also on my travels picked up a blast from the past, those little boxes of chocolate cigarettes or crayons as they seem to be now. Cheap but cheerful!

Beach art

Spotted this interesting, naturally formed arrangement on a recent trip to the beach at Spurn Point. Looks a bit like a tree.

Sgrafitto & fruit bowl

I returned to pottery this week after the Easter hols and a very quickly made fruit bowl was ready to collect. With making it quickly a crack has appeared which you may see on the picture, hey ho! it adds to the rustic look!

I am having a go with the Sgrafitto technique on these tiles. Using a coloured slip brushed on the tile surface, you then scrape your design through into the base clay. 

Looking forward to see how they turn out after bisque firing.

Skye Batiks clothing

Last night I went to the monthly meeting of our local ladies networking group. 

We had a good presentation on Top Tips for Marketing your business followed by cake as it was the groups 2nd birthday.

So why is the post called Skye Batiks clothing? Well, I went in the trousers which have the textile design on that I did for Skye Batiks and I got some really nice comments about them. I've been to other events in them and no one has batted an eyelid but last night people were very kind with their positive comments and I even got dragged out to the front so everyone could see them, much to my embarrassment of course!

The trousers helped to highlight a useful point in that sometimes if someone cannot afford your service it may still be possible to do a deal and barter a trade off. In my case I got paid in clothes as I love their stuff. 

www.skyebatiks.com

South Street Gallery - outcome

I filled my car with artwork and crafts last Friday and had a lovely drive out to Scarborough in the first bit of sunshine for weeks, (however Scarborough was blanketed in sea mist when I arrived, typical!).

I met the lady whose gallery it is and to cut a long story short I had misinterpreted the brief as regards the postcard sized artworks so despite her interest that was a non starter. All was not in vain though because she really liked my fabric brooches and is going to see how the batch in the photo go down in the gallery.

They have some lovely felt jewellery in there already so were not able to take mine as I could understand it may be treading on the other artists toes.

South Street Gallery stuff

In between work I am trying to prepare postcard size artwork and crafts for a mini art exhibition at South Street Gallery in Scarborough. The idea is that anything you submit must be no bigger than a postcard or have a greater value than £20. It helps make art affordable and will look like a massive installation of postcards on the gallery walls.

I think I'm about there with the artwork so I need to get some of my jewellery and textile pieces together as the deadline is Friday.

Rabbits bound for Skye

I created another rabbit egg cosy over Easter, the stripey one, to make a pair to send to my friend on Skye. This is my furthest north customer to date so I must pack them well to prepare them for the long journey!

Easter cupcakes & other treats

I find that with age comes a lack of Easter eggs. Not a bad thing as my taste in chocolate has become more sophisticated over the years. Gone are the days when a Smartie & Button egg would be a real feast.

Also, due to tightening the financial belt, gone are the days of Green & Blacks or Thorntons chocolate eggs. 

Easter wouldn't be Easter without a bit of chocolate so I have made some chocolate cupcakes and I just love the MaltEaster bunny things which are cheap and cheerful. I had to record the lovely Miffy chocolates which I found in the traditional sweetie shop in Driffield, they are Belgian chocolate and very nice quality so will be gone pretty soon.

Happy Easter to anyone reading this!

Hornsea Pottery AGM

Last Sunday I went to the Hornsea Pottery Research & Collectors Society AGM, full of excitement as to what the day would hold. Anticipating seeing wonderful rare pots on display either on a selling table or in the auction. 

It wasn't quite that exciting.

Going on my own wasn't brilliant as most people were there in couples or groups of friends and I'm not the best person at networking or pushing into conversations so I felt a bit out of it. Only really talked to one other new member who was on her own and she only stuck it out til lunchtime as she felt there was little talking about pots going on. 

The film I had looked forward to went a bit pearshaped as they had technical problems and only had sound and no pictures. That would've been good if fully functioning. 

We had a talk by the guy who runs the museum and he was interesting. The auction was mainly novelty pieces and not the type of Hornsea pots I'm interested in so that was a let down.

I did get to buy the book about John Clappisons designs and he was there so he kindly signed that for me. John had also brought some of his new muramic wall plaques to go in the auction, titled Angry old man (see pic) and they went for between £80 - £120. 

The day wound up with a raffle and I won an easter egg so I didn't go home with any pots but I do have chocolate to munch over easter!

I have yet to visit the museum and see the new display of over 2000 Hornsea pots which sounds good.

Sunny Scarborough

I went to Scarborough today, it looked a bit gloomy when setting off but the sun came out mid morning and it was pretty warm, and not too busy first thing. The plan was to visit a few craft shops as I'm on the search for a needle felting tool. Non of the shops came up with the goods so looks like an online purchase. I couldn't come away empty handed so visited the Sewing Centre which is absolutely packed with hundreds of rolls of fabric and bought a few pieces. Plus, a trip to Scarborough wouldn't be complete without a coffee at Roasters. It is so nice to find an independent coffee shop which serves the most delicious coffee & cakes and has a barista who is passionate and knowledgeable about his coffee and the producers. I had Indian Peaberry and a black forest muffin and for an hour I was in coffee and cake heaven!

Had a walk on the prom to look at the donkeys which had appeared as if by magic for the Easter holidays along with a Jolly Roger pirate ship giving rides around the bay.

The mural in the photo is just along from the Blands Cliff Gallery. I'm not sure what the decorative red brick building is but it did look quite stunning against such a blue sky.

Ceramic figure is finished

The figure I made in pottery the other week has survived firing and glazing and he stands up without the aid of a prop which is an added bonus as he started life a bit wibbly wobbly.

I was quite pleased with the result, hence taking 2 pictures to show him off!

New artwork

In between the busy spell I'm having right now with food guides and designing beer labels. I am trying to do some new artworks & craft pieces for East Riding Artist things.

Firstly the new ERA directory is in the planning stage and we are invited to submit some new images for inclusion in this years guide so I have a couple of things in the pipeline. 

Secondly a gallery in Scarborough has offered ERA members the opportunity to submit mini artworks (no bigger than postcard size) for a selling exhibition running from mid April. This might be good to catch a few tourists over the Easter weeks so I am doing some brooches, mini prints and maybe something textile related if time allows.

Hockney in East Yorkshire

David Hockney is in East Yorkshire at the moment and was hoping to continue with his seasonal paintings of a group of trees near the village of Warter, that was until they were cut down last week. See article below.

I had a rough idea where the trees are or were so I wanted to see for myself and yes the place looked pretty barren, although as Hockney said, there is something quite beautiful still in the pile of logs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/mar/27/hockney-art-seasons-trees

I didn't bump into the great man on my travels sadly!