A moonlight Adventure

I have been making lots of moonlight pieces recently.
This one is on a large MDF panel. It gives a lovely firm surface  to collage onto. I am often asked how I combine the paper and paint layers so here is a little WIP photo, although I'm not sure it makes it any clearer. I tend to work quite organically, often only having a vague idea of where I am going. Pieces introduce themselves slowly.

Sometimes not knowing exactly where the adventure will take you is a little scary, however as the great explorer Christopher Columbus said,
 'you can't cross the ocean without losing sight of the land'.

moonlight Adventure

Moonlight croft

 Moonlight croft was inspired by a late August evening last year, The photos I took then create even now such strong memories of the scent of meadowsweet heady in the still warm air. There were not many still warm evenings last summer but this was one of them. Perhaps because of the very wet weather last summer there were an abundance of wild flowers.

I like digitally messing around with my photos to give me ideas around colour and composition and this is exactly how moonlight croft began.

Other new bits and pieces are on the go this week. More little croft houses stretched on wood panels. Made from sewn paper.

And other smaller pieces... mini crofts!!
Perhaps wee homes for fairies!

Other news, I have finally float framed my Buttercup hare, It was In the gallery for a wee while but I thought It really needed a frame, so I sent it to the framers and.... Ta dah!

Much better!

Spring croft houses

spring croft

More pieces from my pieces of Skye exhibition. I was emailed this week by a lovely lady called Jen who came to visit me during my open studio day . Last summer her niece visited the Island on holiday and saw my work in one of the islands Galleries, my work is available Skyeworks gallery, The old pier gallery and the Glenview gallery, she pondered over it but didn't buy anything, got home and wished she had bought a piece. So when she heard her Aunt was holidaying on the Island told her to try and find a piece of mine to take back to her. The pieces in the gallery were all new and Jen did not know what to choose, but in the end she chose this framed piece 'croft in spring'. It is made from paper sewn onto a calico backing, little houses played a big part in my pieces of Skye exhibition. Well it seems her niece is delighted, and I am thrilled she has a little piece of Skye to remind her of her holiday.

my textile pieces in skyeworks

little croft houses fill the mirrored shelves

This piece is a combination of sewn paper and acrylic paint

 The houses in the north west highlands have a distinctive feel to them. They seem to nestle down into the hillside, their walls sparkling white, I never tire of painting them or photographing them.

little house at Elgol

As a PS I have finally succumbed to pressure ( Being a staunch Luddite and technophobe) and am now on Facebook as Morag Archer Mixed Media... feel free to drop by, the link is at the top of my side bar. I doubt I will be the most prolific social media devote but I will aim to try harder. :) 

My Exhibition, more sneak peek photos!

Less than a week to go until my solo exhibition at Skyeworks Gallery ( Click here for details)

Below some of my work has arrived at the gallery already in preparation for Mondays opening.

If you zoom you may notiecesome smaller framed pieces...my new mosaic pieces which I will share next week.

Until then only a few more detail taster photos to give you a little peep at what else is in store next week. ( All of these are just close up detail shots, no big reveals just yet! )

The detail close ups do reveal a little about how I work, using small torn paper fragments and paint.

Building up layers....

Creating texture....

Splattering paint and inks over the layers.

Adding flower accents and sparkling gold and copper leaf.

All photos are detail shots, full photographs of my new pieces will be on my blog from next week. including all my new textile pieces which I have not revealed yet!

Spring sunshine

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze
(William Wordsworth)

The last few days have been filled with lovely sunshine, and then on friday snow!..
This was Eilean Donan castle last week before the snow... It did look glorious! Those Daffodils really were dancing in the sunshine.
Many of you may recognise the castle as it graces shortbread tins and 'visit Scotland' posters, and who wouldn't want to visit if the sun shone like this every day!

 Eilean Donan is about ten miles from the Skye bridge.

Daffodils blanket the ground in the woods on the Island...celandines too are starting to peep through the earth and open their small yellow flowers.

 Primroses too...

Yellow daffodils picked from the garden...
captured in my sketchbook.

Finally for those curious souls who are waiting to see a little of what I am busy with.....

 I will reveal once finished, but I think you get the idea of where my mosaic paper clay pieces are going!

Kindness and Kale

I don't usually have a 'word' for the new year as I know many people do, but this year I have decided I will. my word for the year is KINDNESS. To begin with that means being kind to myself.
In a busy stressful word it is easy to forget that looking after your body and mind is the best way to stay happy and healthy.

 So I am now well into my puritanical January, or veganuary  as I have signed up to be vegan for the month!
 I have been vegetarian all my adult life and eat vegan meals regularly but have never tried going the whole way and doing without any animal products.( Vegan means no meat, dairy,eggs or fish )
 I'm not a preachy sort of vegetarian but I have often wrestled with my conscience about dairy farming, so being KIND to my animal friends for a month is a good start  Thr.ee weeks in and I am feeling better physically and mentally.
To aid me in my new Vegan adventure, my new best friend the nutribullet....

yes.... I know I don't often get excited about kitchen appliances but this one is great! It whizzes up just about any veg/fruit/nut stuff into juice...

I'm Drinking lots of Kale and spinach combos.... it really isn't as bad as it looks. ;)

I also have been using the excesses of Christmas in creative ways..........

What did you do with all your discarded gift wrap?
I saved mine to use for collage and paper cloth making.

The paper cloth will be sewn into ' wild' sewing pieces, the collages are WIP at the moment for forthcoming exhibitions.
I asked a number of my friends to save paper for me this year, which they duly did ( Thank you so much my dear buddies)  Saving paper from the re-cycling bin means being KIND to the environment, turning waste into good things. That has got to be a good thing!

Did you decide on a word for the year?

Three of a kind and something new.

Three new little wooden panels on my workdesk, each slightly different. Small fragments of an Island summer.
Collaged with paper, gesso, paint and molding paste

Also been working on a new commission... not much to show as yet, but if you follow my blog you will probably know that the paper layers are just a starting point... lots more to add.

Collage workshop, finished pieces.

I posted Last weekend about my collage workshops in Lancashire at Drift Gallery in St Annes and progress so far, as promised here are some photos of last nights frenzied finishing session!

The workshops ran over 4 evening sessions each lasting 2 hours.
After previous sessions on paper layering, gesso and paint application this last session was about embellishment. In other works 'bling'

We used napkins, dimensional paint, glitter and sparkle!

Papers, paint, gilt leaf and flower petals.

I am thrilled by how my talented group of students began to develop their own styles!

I have had a fabulous time over the past few weeks explaining techniques and I am looking forward to my series of Christmas workshops in December.... details to follow soon!