Goldfish

I must say I am missing my old studio with all its funny smells and below zero temperatures. Working at home has its advantages of course (like being able to feel your fingertips) - but one big disadvantage. I. Don't. Work. Or at least when I do, I have the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD.

Ten minutes at my desk, (which, by the way, is far too small) and I wander off and fret about my ironing pile. Ten minutes ironing and I think about the weeds that must have grown over the ground I recently dug in my garden, so I venture out try and dig, all the while thinking I should be at my desk. Ten minutes back at my desk and I notice it's time to start making the kitchen marginally less unhygenic in preparation for dinner. Even the dog looks at me with a pitying gaze.

I need a deadline and some self discipline. Ah well.

Here's a papier mache doll I made for our upcoming Open House.

Woop! Woop!

Today I finished the bulk of my speed dating project. Will just be tweaking, and the cover from now on. Unless my tutors tell me to re-do it all that is! (In which case I won't have time to post here for a very long time!) Anyway here's a little peak.

Life's been pretty normal and boring really. Here are the dramatic highspots:-

• My cat had a huge fight and Charlie had to throw water over them.

• I have been avoiding someone, because they have been reminding me to do something which costs me money. Charlie's suggestion was to clothesline the person concerned and then squat over her. That's a wrestling move. I couldn't do that, so today I couldn't avoid doing the thing anymore and am now, unbelievably, even poorer.

• I realised that my studio neighbour's gas heater is making me feel ill.
• I realised I don't know how to get rid of bullet points, or the huge spaces in between some of them.
• Goodbye.

Studio Fun

I haven't had time to scan all my sequential project images in yet so I thought I would just snap them at my studio where I had them all taped on the wall for reference. You should be able to click for hugeness. Six pics down, seven to go! I also made progress with Ophelia, in fact I am really looking forward to carrying on with it. I just love working at my studio...if only I could make money and support my family by doing it. Still, one day...

You need arms

Well I had a productive day at my studio while Charlie was at school - as you can see Ophelia has gained a pair of arms at last. Normally I make art dolls just for display, so it's been interesting to make a puppet which needs to move and not fall to bits. I jointed the elbows using beads and the shoulders using wire and buttons. I draped my entire fabric collection over her but couldn't decide what to make her dress out of...will think it over tonight.

I also did another panel from my mini book - I'll post them in due course. I'm really happy working in my studio with all my heaters pointing at me and radio four on. It's like a little satellite from my home.

The only minor down point of the day was going to the dentist who directed a minuscule jet of cold water into a tooth she'd just carved a big hole in. I jumped about a foot into the air and then in a typical British way, apologised to her. Of course I did - it was clearly my fault...

Good, and Not-Quite-So-Good.

What was really good recently was that I recently spent a lovely evening in the gorgeous new house of my friends Becky and Jeremy, along with Matt and Amy, reminiscing about Bags of Books days and generally having a fab time.

Not so good was going out to a pub in Newhaven in the hope of finding some young couples to draw, and instead only finding the most boring meeting in the world.

It really was so utterly boring, and they were the only people in the pub! In my defence, there was a couple in the middle. But they had their backs to me!

Today it was raining really hard and once I had been shopping there wasn't time to go out drawing. I felt the urge to spend an hour at my studio so I did just that, and did a little bit of sewing. I do like my studio. And it was cold enough to get out my trusty heater, which I really like because it looks like a chimney...

But what wasn't so good was that I found a lot of mould there. A postcard had fallen off the wall and was covered in mould. It made me worry about all my fabrics and papers that I leave there. I don't know what to do about mould. I think I will just hope it goes away.

Oh and to my friends who know the situation...the cat poo stand off still continues.

A New Year and...

...a new studio! Here's me with the keys! It's very exciting. It's just a small room in the community centre just a ten minute walk from my house. It needs a very good clean before I can put any of my fabrics in it, but it has a sink (a very dirty one) and electricity and a window...what more do I need!? I am looking forward to being at home when I am at home and working when I am in the studio...at the moment, things overlap so much. I find I am constantly interrupted and distracted at home, but also I never actually stop work.

In other news, yesterday my friend Abbie saved my bacon (vegetarian bacon of course) by taking loads of brilliant pictures of my work...and not only that, she made the rubbish pictures I had previously taken, look brilliant. She is a digital goddess! She spent sooooo many hours on it all and I really am so grateful!! I'll be applying for the MA and funding to do the MA, in the next few days so everyone send me good vibes!!

Hope to be posting some work very soon - but tomorrow I'll be cleaning my studio.*

Happy New Year everyone.

*MY STUDIO!