Artists open house...

At the weekend we went to have a look at the work of a couple of artists and designers who had opened their homes and studios to the public in and  around the village. 
Yes, the rain had stopped at last! it was just as if someone had thrown a switch, and summer arrived with a temperature of 24c / 75f. Sadly few of the preview photos seemed inspiring enough to make me want to leave my sunny garden, but the few artists I did manage to get to, more than made up for the trouble with their amazing friendly and welcoming receptions. We were treated to cups of tea and home made cake, live music and tours of houses. You do wonder how many people go to these open days just to have a nose around! 

Here's one of the people whose work made an impression...  

Emily Jo Gibbs - showed a series of beautifully, hand embroidered portraits of her family, sadly these photos really don't convey how delicate they are, or the depth of the pictures which are made up of different layers of gauze. 

These portraits are very different to the type of work she is known for, beautifully constructed handbags, pieces of which are held in the permanent collections of the V&A, the Crafts Council and The Museum of Fine Art Houston. 

www.emilyjogibbs.co.uk

peeling bark

willow and silver basket

Be young be foolish but be happy...

for my son xxx

Looking through the window...

  

I went for tea and cake with my friend at the weekend and while chatting I asked how work was going, she's PA to a famous composer and her employer had recently moved from a beautiful house on the Kings Road Chelsea to Royal Windsor.

The last time I'd spoken to her she hadn't been sure whether she'd wanted to travel so far each day, but they'd come to a suitable arrangement and it seemed to be working out.                                                   "The only thing is she said "the view from my office window..."

Oh dear I thought, a brick wall, the side of a garden shed? so I asked what the problem was. 

"Well..." she said "you know I was on the Kings Road before and the kind of things I could see..."         Visions of all the the Kings Road has to offer in a lunch break came to my mind as she scrabbled in a bag for her phone held it out for me to see and pressed play.

"Well this is what I see from my office window now... the changing of the guard, twice a day!" at which point we both burst into laughter.

  

Still raining...

yes, it's still raining here... and my husband is happily sending back photos of where he happens to be at the moment, working hard obviously. 

                  

Oh look,Venice beach Los angeles, how nice, and what have we got today? oh, San Francisco, lovely, something's missing from these pictures though, oh yes I know, that'll be the rain then won't it.