update

Horse heads

Badgers

Apologies for especially bad pictures.
These are from a series of first drawings of British animals, from pics. To come, dormice, roe deer, red squirrel etc.  I will redraw them, several times, then draw them into the gold leaf.
It is amazing how long it takes to really know the animals, and I am nowhere near. I need to go to the Nat. History Mus. and draw the skeletons.
I will post more as I do them.

Progress is very slow as we are busy renovating a flat we have bought, near us in London. We will rent it out, and the whole process is very interesting.  I have become accredited as a landlord and am concerned to do the job well.

The bride and the pendant

The bride proudly shows off MY pendant!!!

London and all its offerings

Views of London Bridge from Southwark Bridge

As usual it has been full on.
Happy to say I was in a Charity show recently at the RCA, and one of the pieces sold!  The artist gets what he wants, (in case one should suppose Charity/give away for free!) I wasn't giving anything away! Very cheery.
And am planning to go the whole hog next year with Pure London in Feb (Olympia) and The London Pet Show in May, Earls Ct, 1. So big, grown up shows that mean business. If this doesn't get the stuff launched, nothing will. Laura and I will do a systematic publicity campaign and off we go.

We are up to our eyes renovating a newly bought 2 bed flat, for renting. A big learning curve that I am totally enjoying. Stefan is a builder who knows all aspects. He is Proj Manager and has brought in all sorts of Polish guys to carry out the work and it is, so far, going swimmingly. This turns out to be a satisfying process, demanding the best of us.

I will get back to work quite soon, working on a bunch of paperweights I have been lucky enough to obtain.  It has been a long time since I was at the bench.

Teaching coming up at West Dean, next month... a Gift Day.  Should be lots of fun.

Young man

This is grandson, Grisha, 4. Dressed for the recent wedding of his aunt, in Bavaria. With a new battle scar on nose. A most edible creature.

The bigger picture

Our London garden.

So, the garden alone could be a full time job. It is all vegetables. We inherited it from my mother who grew specialized little plants that to my mind were not only useless, certainly inedible, but didnt even look good.
This is a functioning patch, at the front of our triangular house (where two roads meet), thus overhanging the pavement. I am amazed no-one pinches the beans! And, true to Bauhaus principles, form follows function. It looks fabulous, and we have bought any greens for months.
This is one thing.
Another, is rather heavy family obligations, which eat time.
The purpose of this bulletin is to explain to myself why I am getting so little work done. It preys on my mind and is a constant challenge to overcome. How to live with the fact that my work is now classified (by my husband) as a HOBBY. After all these years. It takes a bit of getting used to.
I continue with it, of course, and as always selling it is the hardest part, by far, but sell it I must. So therefore I have to do the fairs etc etc etc. It simply will not sell itself.
Oh well.....   I am very privileged to have such problems.  Onward and upward.

High class work

This is done by Peter Binnington.
He works in the depths of Dorset, UK and is little known.
The work is done on the back of glass, with a variety of precious leaf and paint.  No CAD here, just damned good drawing. I hope those clients, whoever they are, appreciate what they have got.

caa appl., again

I have just sent off another application to join the Contemporary Applied Arts. I wonder if they will have me this time. http://www.caa.org.uk/
They have just moved to a new, Southwark, address.  Wish me luck, and if not, hey ho.