Search Results for: wonderful wildflowers

Wonderful Wildflower Cushions

Wildflower cushions made out of fabric printed with my original wonderful wildflower designs by Prinfab. Each cushion cover has then been embroidered by hand or by sewing machine (by hand) and quilted before being sewn up. The backs of the cushion covers are formed by fabric so that the pillow sits snugly and securely without need for zips, poppers or buttons making for a much less lumpy cushion.

Wonderful Wildflower Art with metal leaf

White 15cm x 15cm card have been edged with metal leaf matching the art piece. The art pieces have been printed out on canvas paper and mounted on the front of the cards. The insides are blank for your own message. They include an envelope.

There are a limited number of these metal leafed cards available as many sold at Qube Gallery, Oswestry.

Getting to Know Acrylics

What are acrylic paints? They are a water based media that dries permanent with a plasticky finish. They are made from pigment in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylics come in different consistencies: High viscosity or heavy body: these guys really give a textural finish, I love them. Normal, medium viscosity: great for flat painting. Low viscosity or fluid acrylics: lovely for dripping or using in an airbrush. Acrylic inks: enjoy for graphic work, permanent backgrounds, writing.

From Inspiration to Celebration

Today I want to share some of my creative process, not just the part where I actually make something but the background to it. All the ideas we get come from somewhere: the environment, plants, animals, political issues, internal landscape, hopes and dreams. For some time I have been particularly inspired by plants, especially flowers – I adore the colour and delicate form. I think I love butterflies for the same reason.

Getting to Know the Path

My journey to the art I now make started with walks along the portion of the Wales Coastal Path near where I live. When I was unwell I used to walk there with my mother who is very knowledgeable about plants, being a scientist by degree. She would help me identify the many little flowering plants we found there and the birds that came and went. I loved the shapes and colours and soon started photographing them as reference for sketches and paintings I then made at home.

It’s Too Expensive!

Sometimes it really IS too expensive … but there are also other times when something’s value is higher even than its price point. Let me try to explain my thinking ….

Value and Cost are not Always Equal

A great example is Amazon Prime shopping. Although I know the prices are inflated I find the reduced stress of not having to navigate busy shops to maybe find what I’m looking for is often worth it. Sometimes cost might be far too high for the value you might place on an item for example, for me designer shoes cost the earth but do not have as much value as arch supports. Another example is the cost of a good holiday. If it rejuvenates you and helps you cope better with your day to day then its value is probably higher than its cost to you. Travel insurance is another good case in point.

The Joy of Flowers – Flowers Improve Mental Health

This is just a short and simple animation to show how flowers can effect mood. The appearance of the first flowers in Spring has long been celebrated within our culture, in the U.K. Daffodils being a prime example in Wales and in Japan, the cherry blossom. But in my animation I have used simple shapes to represent the flowers, suggesting that even just the idea of flowers can lift the spirits. And images of flowers can be found everywhere, from graffiti to home decor to fabric to jewellery to art, showing how important they are to our psyche.

Happy Process – What is Layering in Art?

In art layering means letting one application of paint dry before adding another. In some painting the layers are translucent, typically with watercolours but oils and acrylics can both be translucent, and so the layers beneath affect the colour of the outcome. In other painting opaque layers are used to obscure parts of the previous layers, for example when painting animal fur a dark layer may go down first followed by gradually lighter areas. In my painting I use translucent and opaque paints in my layering. In contrast some art is created in a single layer such as when working graphically. Think of colouring pages where areas of the painting are filled in, in one go.