Saturday 5 October 2013

Autumn is in full swing here and I do enjoy bringing a few berries indoors whilst leaving the rest to feed the birds. Here is a watercolour of our wood burning stove which will get lit in the evening, but i the day time the berries add the red glow and warmth to the kitchen !

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Aspire magazine

It was nice to see this piece featured in this month's Aspire magazine.



Sunday 8 September 2013

directions

I always work like this - a lot of quiet time and a bit of messing about as new techniques or thoughts are explored and new directions considered. It is always the transition from that into new work that means I have to take a deep breath and just "do it !" Process is a fascinating thing and so different for each person.

Sunday 18 August 2013

Braque

It is good to be asked to look at work that may not have had instant appeal to me - like Braque's art of the 1930's. But the more I studied his art and life this week the more interested I became . And it made me paint a study of a fruit bowl in his style  using watercolour to see what would emerge. Lesson learned, don't just glance and walk away but take time to get to really know a subject or an artist.

Sunday 11 August 2013

trees and rock

I had been studying Cezanne's still life work for my degree but when I cane to do a tree and rock study in watercolour it looks as though he is my current muse !

Sunday 4 August 2013

75 days - 75 sketches

There it has been for years - a desire to draw and paint - not just in textiles but with pen, paper,canvas, watercolour etc etc and very very slowly the desire has seen the daylight -  I was so moved when I heard David Hockney talk of his need to draw every day that I realised that if he needed to do that then so did I !
So   I decided to join this challenge of only using a pen sketch something every day for 75 days. And here I am on day 45 - trying to limit the sketch to 5- 10 minutes - fast and loose and fun ! I thought seeing my scribbles might encourage everyone to have a go - make a mark in life !


Sketches in London
  And then a sketch in Oxford.....


And finally a sketch back home !

Spinnaker Tower

I liked the contrast of texture and form - tower against the Portsmouth clouds.

Thursday 1 August 2013

barnacles

I have always loved the rocks on the beach and the various creatures that cling to them laughing at the incoming tide - here's a little piece I call "Barnacles in stitches" !





Saturday 6 July 2013

the wind blows where it wills...

After a really busy week away working and visiting family, the windy weather this last week gave us chance to review where the wind has blown us in life and it seems  that you must travel with it. Isn't this a great image to convey that ?

Sunday 16 June 2013

harvesting and enjoying !

It never ceases to amaze and excite us when we start harvesting crops from our garden, especially after the cold Spring this year. We have been enjoying lambs lettuce and salad leaves for a while but this week the first new potatoes were ready and broad beans. Every day something new flowers in the garden, the euphorbia has spread and created this happy accident this year - one of my favourite colour combinations.




 It is even nicer when customers enjoy the excitement with us and having eaten some new potatoes for supper, stop off the next morning to take another bag with them as their  camper van heads off to the next destination. The joy just keeps on spreading ........

Saturday 8 June 2013

a thrifty week

In the lovely summer sunshine we had to stop and admire the sea pink  (thrift) nestling in the cliff face. Its beauty is in its simplicity and its ability to nestle down and survive in the most inhospitable places. Lessons to be learnt........

Sunday 2 June 2013

sunset at Big Sands

A lovely evening watching the sun go down ! Last chance to be entered into the draw - like and share the photo from our facebook pages or leave a comment below. Draw on June 4th - good luck !

Sunday 26 May 2013

Care taking






In a week where we spent hours Spring cleaning and taking care of what we have here - Mother nature took care  of us with wonderful moon rises and mesmerising loch waves.

Our visitors took care of us by enjoying the Shepherds Huts and the goodies inside.  So we are celebrating with a bank holiday give away !  Leave a comment on our blog or on either of the face book pages with a like and share and 5 folk chosen at random will receive a set of 5 art cards from Paul's photographic collection. The cards retail for £5 and are wonderful to keep or post on to a special friend.

 With 5 sets on offer the odds are in your favour and it is our small way of  taking care of loyal customers and followers. Draw will be on June 1st !
Here is the link to see the full range of cards on offer   http://www.studioinscape.com/studioinscape/Current_work/Pages/Paul_Acarnley.html#6

And a link to our face book pages

https://www.facebook.com/pages/STUDIO-INSCAPE/368646913154839?ref=tn_tnmn

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heronscroft/179379218771142?ref=hl

Saturday 18 May 2013

"The splendour falls on castle walls"

Alfred Lord Tennyson's Poem
The splendour falls on castle walls.....



The splendor falls on castle walls
    And snowy summits old in story;
The long light shakes across the lakes,
    And the wild cataract leaps in glory.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.

O, hark, O, hear! how thin and clear,
    And thinner, clearer, farther going!
O, sweet and far from cliff and scar
    The horns of Elfland faintly blowing!
Blow, let us hear the purple glens replying,
Blow, bugles; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.

O love, they die in yon rich sky,
    They faint on hill or field or river;
Our echoes roll from soul to soul,
    And grow forever and forever.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
And answer, echoes, answer, dying, dying, dying.




It is said that Tennyson conveys the conclusion that there is both a dying and an eternal life at work in both nature and in the life of human beings. We none of us know for certain about eternity  but what we do know, living here year on year, is that we walk and take photographs and observe the process of life, decay and life again. And on weeks like this we stop and listen to the sound of waterfalls as they journey to the sea  and we are glad to be alive at this moment and in this place.

Friday 17 May 2013

Liminality ! finished in oils

The acrylic sketch onto canvas was finally completed this week. I overpainted in oils to get the depth of colour and texture I was after.
The woven piece was cut off the loom last night. The darkest blue wool I had in stock  was not right in the end,  so it got cut off ! A smaller rug, but one that I love emerged. How strange that studies in paint and wool should make me feel so differently.I need to try a piece in machine stitch next to explore the dimension of movement.


Sunday 12 May 2013

hidden suprises

There is always something memorable from a walk in this amazing part of the world, the way the light falls on the mountains or the patterns on the loch, the skies that take your breath away. But there are those moments when it is the small hidden treasure that enchants and delights.
I almost stepped on a small clump of violets beside the path, almost hidden from view, they shone in the watery sunlight. I think the thrill of discovery keeps childhood joy alive. The nicest thing about living up a dead end road is when people discover our Shepherds Huts. The huts are are not overly advertised so when people discover them and then leave comments in the visitors book like "what a find - a gem of a place "  or " discovering you made our day" , we are really delighted.
Small but jewel like is the order of the day, so enjoy your own discoveries this weekend.

Saturday 11 May 2013

warped !!

painting of glimakra loom from their site
I love the smell of pure linen warp thread which fills the air as the warp is made and then slides through your hands as it is transferred to the loom The vocabulary of weaving is gorgeous in itself - warping, raddling, sleying the threads and then that exciting moment as the first shot of colour transforms the neutrality of the linen warp. The liminal 1 painting is being translated into a rug, it is a couple of years since I wove a large piece  so I am looking forward to losing myself amongst the warp threads. I will emerge at the other side not warped but hopefully with straight edges .....!

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Liminality

I am working on a new sketchbook and body of work around the concept of liminality.
"In anthropologyliminality (from the Latin word lÄ«men, meaning "a threshold"[1]) is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of rituals, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the ritual is complete. During a ritual's liminal stage, participants "stand at the threshold" between their previous way of structuring their identity, time, or community, and a new way, which the ritual establishes."

The idea was formed after my visit to the British Museum and drawing the ritual African shields used in rites of passage ceremonies for the young men of a tribe. Since then all sorts of imagery and ideas are forming and I am very excited about which textile mediums I will use to develop the theme. Here is an initial acrylic canvas painted yesterday and waiting to be translated into a woven piece.

Sunday 5 May 2013

cross that bridge when....

Bridges appear in the landscape and throughout our lives - to be crossed at the right moment - to get to the other side.........

Sunday 28 April 2013

cuckoo

On a rather stormy Sunday, when we had experienced wind, rain, hail and a flurry of snow the evening was given a hint of hope that summer would be with us with the arrival of the cuckoo, calling out over the croft.

Saturday 20 April 2013

The unexpected wheel of life !

Well I am beginning the second assignment in my watercolour module and the subject of still life has arrived. I have always loved looking at still life arrangements - here is one of my all time favourites by Shirley Trevena called "Blue still life with black screens"



To begin to think about setting up my own still life arrangement before painting requires me to try and think clearly about line, shape, shadow and colour contrast and I am enjoying the challenge. But then you finally arrive at an arrangement - all is settled and the moment comes for the watercolour to hit the paper and wham !..the fluidity of where the paint travels, the unexpected and delightful mixing of colours and the still life isn't still at all. Change and new possibilities have opened up. It is so exciting and a great analogy for  life .
 Paul also had a chance to try new things with his camera this week. Visiting Brighton for work, he snatched time to wander around and try different lenses and types of subject matter. Here is one of my favourites.So enjoy the ride of life everyone, whatever direction that takes you in.


Sunday 14 April 2013

Connections, distance,social media and silence !

Photo from google - but couldn't resist adding it here for you to enjoy !
I was watching some swans last week and musing on life and work back home in Wester Ross. There is always a point of balance in life and it is hard to achieve or maintain. We try and post one or two photos on facebook or a blog post each week to keep folk in touch with our work/ life/ the croft and shop here in Inverasdale. The rest of the time we are silent ! -  not being unsociable but taking time to think, plan and create. The speed of life can be astonishing so we are always delighted and appreciative when people take the time to connect back with us, by leaving a like or comment. I had a query from a friend who tried to leave a comment here but couldn't. It is simple to join as a follower of the blog and then your comments are accepted and posted. Just scroll to the bottom of this post to add your name as a follower. You will not receive any unsolicited e mails or advertisements from us just a notification of a new blog post.For us it would be great to see who is taking time to "visit" us here.And we do try and reciprocate with other folk on social media sites. We are aiming for a swan like presence - calm on the surface with a lot of work going on below the water line ! So thank you for dropping by, we have already had nearly a 1000 views of this blog since January, keep in touch and have a serene weekend.

Thursday 11 April 2013

watercolour module

I am just finishing off my first watercolour module and have found the transition from sketching in order to create textiles to painting for the joy of painting, demanding. I am studying as many artists as I can to learn from them and hope that one day my own style will emerge. Here is my final piece in my sketchbook inspired by the art of Charlotte Van Den Eng.

Sunday 31 March 2013

simplicity

After a spell of lovely weather, the garden is beginning to get tidied up after the winter gales.Nestled behind the box hedging I planted a few hellebores, plants that I can't live without, but that don't really like the climate and soil here. After four years they are finally established and their blooms through dark days have brought us  to this glorious Easter morning. They have withstood the worst of rain, frost and winds and are rather unobtrusive plants that don't look spectacular for the rest of the year. A bit like the people in life that have meant the most to me, those who live simply, often quietly, dealing with all that life has thrown at them with dignity and keeping their own shape and integrity come what may. I decided that for me Easter is hellebore shaped. Whatever it means to you to have this holiday, as Spring in the UK hovers on the horizon, we wish you a blooming good time.

Sunday 24 March 2013

some weeks are just black and white !


Whilst escaping the heavy snow falls that others experienced this week, it has been cold and windy. Photography took on  black and white tones for Paul. And because we are getting ready to open up our Shepherds Huts for the season, we have had to prioritise work  - if work wasn't connected to the shops it would have to wait. All a bit black and white..... but we are looking forward to warmer weather and a bit more of a kaleidoscopic approach to life soon !

windmills of your mind  - screenprint by esther

Monday 18 March 2013

sketchbook and images

Isn't it strange when you begin some work thinking you know roughly the direction you are taking with it, and then you realise somewhere you took an unexpected turn and the artistic process has led you into unplanned, unknown territory?  I had imagined that what I would draw in the day at the British Museum would be shapes and patterns, and I did a little of that. But when I sat down yesterday to review photos and sketches, what has emerged are faces and torsos. 


The Sainsbury Gallery of African Art stole my heart, and I want to spend more time there.  The textile exhibition of African printed cloths was a timely reminder to me how the wearing and use of textiles is so bound up with questions of power, status and politics.




The current exhibition of Ice Age art was humbling, as you gazed at such ancient artefacts and the work of unknown artists portraying their world and lives.

Combining the sketchbook course I took with Dionne Swift a couple of weeks ago and these last few days work, will be an interesting journey in the days ahead as I begin to redraw and abstract shapes and designs from my sketchbooks.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Sheep even in London !

Look what we found yesterday morning in the middle of London. We had gone to Somerset House to see some exhibitions and there in the rain
 (yep everything was authentic !)
was a trailer and a farmer and his flock. But we loved the coloured sheep best !

The exhibition about wool was wonderfully colourful and Esther ran from room to room getting more and more excited ....

Then a Landscape photographic exhibition which saw us debating what we consider  makes a wonderful landscape photo all the way home to Scotland.
Finally but not least we even managed to get in and see the Picasso exhibition- amazing what he was painting at the age of nineteen.Too short a time for such wonderful exhibitions but the plane back from Luton was awaiting us and we were missing the croft even after just three days away !

Today is a wonderful morning, we woke to sunshine and the best landscape in the world and of course to our own sheep and goats. But all those coloured sheep means the dye pot is out this morning and our own wool is being transformed into skeins of wonderful colours ready for all our knitting customers for the new season. (It is just the skeins of wool that get dyed and not the sheep themselves !) !

Monday 11 March 2013

research at the British Museum



Off to do some sketching and research at the British Museum - London, this week. I have been so looking forward to the time away that I thought it deserved a new sketchbook for the trip. This is made with hand dyed papers
 and a painted canvas cover.


I had just invested in a bookmaking awl so this is the first time I have sewn signatures into a journal. I got so carried away painting canvas that I made a bag for the journal and my pens and pencils !!


And in case you are interested these journals and bags will be available in the Shepherds Huts this season - each one is unique !

Sunday 10 March 2013

wabi sabi

For the past few years I have been interested in the Japanese concept of wabi sabi - a term hard to translate.
 "Wabi sabi has many different meanings. However today it means living a simple and modest lifestyle; one which is peaceful, balanced and in tune with nature.

Sabi  is associated with ‘growing old’, the natural progression of time, transitory or short-lived beauty and enjoying objects which are aged, fading or weathered.

It's about just ‘being’. Enjoying the moment and life’s simple pleasures and bringing more of these into our lives. "


I was originally drawn to the concept after reading "In praise of Shadows" by Junichiro Tanizaki for my textile degree course - but I realised this week how interest in wabi sabi has affected not just my art and textiles but how to live here in the Scottish Highlands in our tiny croft house.

"In home decor, wabi-sabi inspires a minimalism that celebrates the human rather than the machine. Possessions are pared down, and pared down again, until only those that are necessary for their utility or beauty (and ideally both) are left. What makes the cut? Items that you both admire and love to use, like those hand-crank eggbeaters that still work just fine. Things that resonate with the spirit of their makers' hands and hearts: the chair your grandfather made, your six-year-old's lumpy pottery, an afghan you knitted yourself ."

This simply put means we spent some time this week Spring cleaning - paring down - rediscovering what we most value and letting other things go. It is a very freeing process and means that your life / home/ art becomes your own - authentic, not subscribing to the dictates of the latest trend or home decor magazine. It seems that this Japanese aesthetic ideal has met a Scottish Croft house and the two are becoming uniquely one.

twigs  tied around a jam jar make a lovely vase for our first daffodils


Sunday 3 March 2013

Another good day

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson.


We were stumped this morning as we had our coffee and revisited the question "what do we say in our Sunday blog post?" Because each day here is special  to us, the mists, the sun, the wind and rain all bring their beauty and challenges. But we are aware how ordinary we are and that so many of you lead exciting lives compared to us. Maybe our blog 's character is just to try and live out Emerson's quote.
So today we enjoyed our Fair Trade coffee from the new stock arriving, ready for the Shepherds Huts' opening at Easter, and enjoyed the sun peeping out from the bank of mist  over Loch Ewe. Happy Sunday !

Sunday 24 February 2013

blue skies, iris and a new wood store

The whole week has bathed us in sunshine - wonderful . The iris have flowered

and it meant the cottage painting project continued - azure skies paint !















a revamped woodstore has a spring garden on top now - with blue pots and bulbs in flower