Newsletter & Blog
Birds of prey remain one of my favourite groups of birds to recreate in stitch. Their strong features and profiles are both exciting and challenging to capture. This is the send Merlin I have stitched, but this time, captured with embroidery threads and hand stitching. The […]
The Dotterel its a BTO red listed bird in the UK. Stitched as part of my next exhibition in 2014
This blog/newsletter is so overdue! I have been working on this latest series of work for the past year or more, unfortunately not keeping up with the website side of things. The exhibition will be held at Ace Arts in Somerton, Somerset from the 17th of […]
Since my solo exhibition ended in late October I have spent the last few months thinking about what my next series of work will be based on and and the approach I may take in creating it. I am an associate member of the Society of […]
June/July Update The last couple of months have passed so quickly, not sure if it’s the exhibition deadline starting to speed up or just life? We had a lovely week away in Cornwall, something we all needed and the weather was wonderful. Ace Exhibition Update There […]
May Update May has been a very productive month – nothing quite like a deadline approaching and some better weather to get me out in the workshop every day. We have used our membership to the Newt to get away from work and enjoy a break. […]
April Update However cold and windy it can be some days the wonderful signs of spring appear regardless. Swallows are once again above the field, swopping and chattering at a rapid rate. The blossom is gorgeous, though likely to be short lived with the seemingly endless […]
March Update Apologies for the late writing and posting of this newsletter – on the upside its late arrival is due to me being being back and productive in the workshop. We have continued to walk our 5K circuit most days and seeing spring start to […]
February Update Its always good to feel we are starting to get close to Spring, lighter nights and warmer weather. However there is beauty to be found in the harsher months of January and February. The appearance of the sun for even a short hour lifts […]
January Update Welcome to my new website! It hopefully signals the start of a better more creative year. 2020 was of course challenging for many reasons but sadly my mum was diagnosed with cancer early in the first lockdown and died in September. Adjusting to her […]
2020, I think you will agree has been far from a great year! In addition to all that Covid has brought to our lives we have faced the illness and loss of my mother and all the changes that brings. It has been a year […]
I have never seen a Kingfisher sitting on a branch giving me the opportunity to take in its beauty. My experience is of a flash of turquoise and a disappearing view of the bird departing. Steve Waddingham is one of many generous photographers who allow […]
When planning out the birds to include in my solo exhibition at Ace Arts next year, I felt I couldn’t not include a Grey Heron. I’m hoping to draw peoples attention to some of the wildlife found on the Somerset Levels, those both thriving and declining. […]
Living in South Somerset near the Somerset Levels I am very aware of the The Great Crane Project. This project aims to re-introduce European cranes to the south west of England, helping to restore a healthy population throughout the UK. This piece has been a very […]
‘As well as ‘Lapwing’ and ‘Peewit’, this bird is also known locally as the ‘Green Plover’. Its Latin, Vanellus,name means ‘little fan’ and actually refers to its floppy, flapping flight. The name Lapwing is thought to derive from an Old English term meaning ‘leap with a […]
Walking around the reserves of the Somerset Levels it is a reasonably common site to see a Great Crested Grebe on the water. They are currently not under threat (classified as Green in the UK conservation status listing). Chris Hooper took these beautiful photographs and gave […]
It’s a very rare treat to see or hear a Curlew today, my last encounter was in Scotland last October and it never fails to thrill me. You can hear the call of the Curlew here. Finally I have completed a piece showcasing this beautiful bird. […]
Many years ago when I had my very first exhibition at Midsomer Quilting on the Mendips I met a man called Mark Britten. Mark is a farmer on the Somerset Levels and he writes really beautiful poetry about the area that he has grown up in […]
Hobbies are similar in size to a kestrel with long pointed wings and can look like a giant swift. It is an incredibly fast bird capable of catching small, fast birds such as swallow ands swifts. The Hobby is doing well on the levels so an […]
Well, this is one of so many blogs I have been meaning to write! Over the last 18months, Pre Covid and all the changes it has brought I have been busy stitching many pieces but not having/making the time to update the website. My aim is […]
During April and May whimbrels migrate from their West African wintering grounds and pass through Europe before settling to breed in Iceland, Scandinavia, the Faroes and Shetland. ‘In the 1970s the main staging ground was found in Somerset when over 2000 Whimbrels fed on the Levels during […]
My work at the moment is all working towards my solo exhibition at Ace Arts in Somerton they September. The exhibition will be looking at the birds thriving and declining on the Somerset Levels. I have spent a great deal of time looking at some wonderful […]
I have had break from social media and my blog for quite a time but have been busy immersing myself in creating work for exhibitions this year. Last year was mostly about continuing to make work for my solo exhibition this September at Ace Arts in […]
I am delighted to have had two pictures accepted into the Society of Graphic Fine Arts (SGFA) Annual Open Exhibition at the Menier Gallery in London. This will be the first time that my work has been accepted into a London gallery and I’m incredibly proud […]
Inspired by the Common Crane piece I have been making for a number of months now, I have decided that the next series of work will be based on the birds and countryside of the Somerset levels. Last week we spent the day around Shapwick looking […]
During the first week of September this year I was fortunate enough to have been invited to be Artist in Residence at Nature in Art. This beautiful art gallery in Gloucestershire is the only one in the UK dedicated to nature. I spent a wonderful week […]
As you may know, from the deluge of emails you may have received recently, data protection laws (GDPR) are changing on the 25th of May. Well here is my contribution to that. Over the years you have subscribed to my blog post via WordPress, this site […]
If ever there is a bird with a tale to tell its the Cuckoo! Inspired by Nick Davies book ‘Cuckoo – Cheating by Nature’, the book explores and unravels the complexity of this notorious bird. Its trickery is truly astounding! The Cuckoo migrates to our island […]
This is the second piece based around the plight of the Slender billed Curlew. I rarely do two pieces on one bird in such quick succession, but this story fascinated me and I wanted to experiment with a few techniques and improve the story-telling in […]
With the first of three exhibitions with the Contemporary Quilters West fast approaching all the pictures are now complete and at the framers! Following on from the earlier blog about the creation and inspiration of this Starling piece I finally have the finished image. This piece […]
Murmurations are one of nature’s wonders, as they pass overhead you have to stop, listen and watch. Living near the Somerset levels they are part of our seasonal cycle. Starlings are not a particularly popular bird, greedy on our feeders, intimidating smaller ‘prettier’ birds. However, the […]
I’m a little shocked at how long it has taken me to finish this piece and then blog about its progress. The first post was back in May last year – I knew I was a little behind but thats just ridiculous! Anyway the final image […]
For the past 3 years I have been a member of the Contemporary Quilters West. We are a group of contemporary and art quilters based in the South West and Wales. The group is affiliated to the the British Quilters’ Guild and many of us are members of the […]
I have been really busy the last 2-3 months producing work that I hope to have entered into a number of forthcoming exhibitions around the country. The workshop, even with the fire and another heater has been incredibly cold but finally work for this first series […]
I have been wanting to do a series of pieces based on the Osprey for a long time now. The plight of the Osprey first came to my attention after reading the wonderful book ‘Sky Hawk’. My youngest and I first enjoyed this book after our […]
My hooded Golden eagle is finished and ready to deliver to Midsomer Quilting for their annual 12 x 12 fundraising charity auction. This will be just one of approximately 150 entries that you can bid on to raise money for Dorothy House Hospice. All entries will […]
In the summer we visited the wonderful Knightshayes National Trust house in Devon. We knew nothing about the house or its history, it was just a place to stop and have a coffee on our journey home from our summer break. What a treasure we found! […]
I have spoken about Midsomer Quiltings 12×12 customer challenge in previous blogs but if you would like to read more about the challenge and what it was based on click here. This years challenge is ‘Where in the World”….. It will not come as any surprise […]
Midsomer Quilting, the fabulous quilting shop on the Medips in Somerset has recently moved to bigger and better accommodation. They are still based in Chilcompton but in a new location. Directions can be found here. After much planning and organising the shop closed at 4pm on […]
Following on from a late May post, my Long-tailed Tit piece is now complete and at the framers ready for Somerset arts Week. This piece was based on a stunning photograph by Carl Bovis. Carl is a Somerset Photographer who has a great blog that you […]
The first of the pieces based on the Slender billed curlews plight is now complete. This work was inspired by the wonderful book ‘Orison for a Curlew’ by Horatio Clare. I have absolutely loved researching this piece and trying new techniques such as simple fabric […]
A couple of quick images of the stitching stage . I start stitching in a hoop to avoid the final backing puckering too heavily. When the birds stitching is two-thirds complete I transfer the bird onto the backing fabric to finish the detailed stitching.
I’ve been really busy creating since the building work finished at Easter. A few pieces are complete and ready for framing, others are pieced and ready for stitching. The thing I have totally neglected is my blog! Apologies in advance that I am going to […]
The Common Crane Grus Grus Despite not posting a blog in months, lots of things have been happening in the background. Despite my life being consumed by 6 months of building work at home I have, slowly been working on a few new projects. One of […]
Their are two groups/individuals that have influenced the direction and depth of my work over the past 18 months. Firstly, the members of the Contemporary Quilters West. I’ve been a member of this group for a couple of years now. They have challenged me to […]
Life has been rather chaotic recently and building work has got in the way of blog writing and creativity. However back in September Murray and myself went on a terrific ‘Meet the Vultures ‘ experience day at the Hawk Conservancy Trust near Andover. Below, I am […]
A few weeks ago I held the first of my second bird themed workshops at Midsomer Quilting on the Mendips in Somerset. Last year my 4 workshops were all based on a Barn Owl. This year they are based on this beautiful photograph taken by Dawn […]
