Hello hello, long time no write!

I’ve been busy busy busy over the past couple of months spending every spare second I have drawing my first colouring in book!

I’m REALLY excited about having it finished in time for Christmas… a perfect present for anyone who has joined in the colouring in craze. Here’s a peek at part of the cover…

 

I really have to thank all my followers on Facebook who have prodded me into doing this. It all stemmed from my ‘doodle-a-day’ project which was inspired by the lovely Emily Kidson who I met earlier this year. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for over 20 years but never had the confidence to. I’ve been overwhelmed by the amazing positive response I’ve had to it so far – and I haven’t even picked it up from the printers yet!

Please email me on becky@thewellnowco.intarcs.com for pre-orders. They will also be listed on my Etsy shop (re-opening asap especially!). I am picking the first batch up from the printers this week but it’s already becoming clear that I need to order more!

Here is a link to my latest newsletter where you can find details of all the shows I am taking part in on the run up to Christmas as well as details of my new wrapping paper.

Say HELLO if you see me 🙂

 

 

So, time flies when you’re having fun?

Fun has certainly been had over the past year… add on exhaustion and a lot of tears (from everyone in our house!) and all that is a recipe for the fastest year in my life. My little girl will be a whole year old next week and I am getting a tiny little bit of time each week for a bit of non-baby related creativity.

I have started attempting to do a ‘doodle a day’… which is surprisingly harder to do than I thought! I will post some of the doodles I’ve done over the past couple of weeks very soon, but THIS is a picture of what my little bundle of fun has turned into: 

Well, things have changed rather a lot since my last post way way back in May.

My latest creation is a very noisy one, also very waggly and squirmy and is so time consuming that she’s the only creation I have time for these days! Her name is Alba-Lily and she is an absolute delight. She was born on August 12th peacefully at home in a water pool and life will never be the same again!!!

 

Over Easter this year we had a family of 5 staying with us – the weather turned nasty on the Sunday so what better way to spend the time than to run a wire and mixed media workshop?! We had been to the beach the day before and had collected up lots of goodies to use, which we tipped into big bowls in the middle of the table which everybody dipped into. Ages ranged from 7 to 50 and there were 7 of us altogether. The following pictures are what they made in under 2 hours – I’m pretty impressed by the variety, imagination and inventiveness!

I’ve just finished this ‘Flying Eyes Lady’ which I started a few weeks ago and have been working on when I’ve had a free few minutes here and there. She’s made from iron wire, steel wire, a fishing line ‘scribble’ picked up from Wonwell Beach, fishing line from my own collection and some wonderful discarded uncut glasses lenses which I picked up at my local scrap store.

Exciting news – I have another date for a wire workshop, incorporating found and up-cycled objects.

This one will be at The Up-cycled Home at Mount Edgcumbe on Saturday 14th June from 10am – 4pm.

The cost will be £50 and this includes a delicious lunch. Tools and materials will be provided, but please bring your own ‘found objects’ – they could be anything ranging from a scrap of fabric from your childhood, some sentimental broken jewellery, flotsam and jetsum from your beach pickings. Let your imagination run free!

For more details, email me at becky@thewellnowco.intarcs.com

Learn to make funky characters out of wire combined with found objects/fabric/your old treasures – whatever you’d like to bring along to incorporate.

Come and create your own funky characters from wire and found objects.

Bring found / up-cycle able objects that have a special meaning to you or small items that you’ve picked up on walks to incorporate into your creations.

Ideas for small objects to bring could include corks, beer bottle caps, shells, fabric from a favorite worn out piece of clothing, broken jewellery, beads, small photographs/postcards, and I particularly love bits of rusty metal I find on the streets like washers. Basically, anything that inspires or interests you!

You will learn a variety of techniques working with wire, snips and pliers and you’ll leave with a unique funky handmade character to inhabit a special place in your home.

Wire and tools will be provided, there will be a small charge for wire.

Times are from 10am – 4pm, light refreshments are provided (tea, coffee & cake) please bring a packed lunch.

Cost of the workshop will be £45 plus a little extra for materials.

My dear friend Simon was a super duper artist and ceramicist who died tragically far too young. He’s got a retrospective show coming up at the V&A in London, it will be more than worth while visiting, his work was inspirational and free. Showing from 5th April 2014 – 4th April 2015.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3172/simon-carroll-expressionist-potter-4589/

Today I finally finished making my Pistachio Queen! She is made from stainless steel wire, silver plated wire, enamelled copper wire, a champagne cork, a piece of rusty metal picked up from the side of a road, drift wood and lots of pistachio shells.
I started her about 6 years ago when I saved and painted some pistachio shells gold and turquoise, and finally this year I’ve been adding to her parts when I’ve had the odd hour here and there.

On 31st May 204 I am running a workshop on making little characters out of wire incorporating up-cycled and found objects; while there may not be time in 5 or 6 hours to make something as complicated as the Pistachio Queen, you could come away with your own inventive person to hang in your home. Here are a few things I would be bringing along to the workshop if I was attending. The bits and bobs include washers, scribbles of fishing line found on the beach (make great hair!) bits of smoothed glass, zip pulls, fir cones, an old glasses lens… the possibilities are endless! You could always bring along sentimental items like scraps of favourite fabrics, broken jewellery or even old photos. The sky is the limit! For more information, please go to the contact me page or comment below.

Jenny Mendes is an artist I came across when I first joined Etsy.

I absolutely LOVE her work. In a time when there is so much art being churned out by so many people in every media imaginable (or even unimaginable!) it’s so refreshing to find art which is so utterly unique; everything she produces is instantly recognizable as hers.

No more words, just take a look at these lovely pieces by Jenny Mendes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See more of her work here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/jennymendes