Rachel Markwick

Italian Stamp Collage flag

2012-02-25T13:56:00.006Z

I would welcome comments on the stamps included in this collage from anyone with a knowledge of Italy's history! I made this some time ago, before researching the meaning of the red 20c stamp "I Bimbi d'Italia si chiaman Balilla" and discovered that stamps issued around this time often carried propaganda messages.
As I'm shortly going to be visiting Rome, I was also trying to find stamps portraying famous Romans, and found Julius Caesar and the Emperor Augustus too. Stamps showing King Umberto I, Victor Emmanuel III, Italia and Provincial occupations such as weaving, harvesting and fishing are also included.

Welsh Flag for St David's Day 1st March

2012-02-24T19:11:00.007Z

Just completed this stamp collage flag. It's so bright and colourful and you can play "Count the number of dragons" ... let me know how many you find! St David's day is next Thursday 1st March and I'm taking some of these cards into the Made in Stroud shop tomorrow - also available direct from me of course. Open Studios this year is Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th, and then following week, 19th and 20th May. Come along and see my original work. Quite a few things at the "Work in progress stage" at the moment.

Diamond Jubilee Union Jack Stamp Collage

2012-02-22T17:02:00.006Z

To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II this year, I've updated my Union Jack stamp collage using stamps of Great Britain issued during her 60 year reign. The very first ones to appear on 6th February 1952 were definitives including the 1d blue and 2 1/2d red. Coronation stamps were issued the next year - a set of four including the 2 1/d red and 4d blue.

A set of stamps showing castles was issued in 1955 including one featured in my flag, the 10/- (10 shillings) blue depicting Edinburgh Castle. Too many stamps to mention them all, but iconic images appear including the Word Cup 1966 stamp and a later issue of 1999 showing the England Captain Bobby Moore with the trophy.That great ship, the QE2 and the first flight of Concorde, are shown on stamps issued in 1969. The Queen's portrait is printed every stamp issued by Great Britain, but there are many here also featuring special events and dates in her life. The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales also appear, and appropriately a stamp featuring the Union flag or Union Jack as it is popularly known flies next to a stamp with the Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip together.

This stamp collage is available to purchase as a canvas print size approx 30 x 40 cms priced at £70 and also as a greetings card at £3. Other sizes also available on request.

A great way to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee!

French Flag - Version 2 including Hector Berlioz

2012-02-17T13:38:00.006Z

A second version of the French flag is now available. So many beautiful stamps have been issued and the history and landscapes of France as well as the art and culture make up this stamp collage.

Included are stamps commemmorating Hector Berlioz, composer of the music of the French national anthem, the Marseillaise, the writer Louise Michel, Louis Braille inventor of the Braille system for blind readers, and the philosopher Pascal. Art stamps featured include Jean Clouet's painting of Francois I and two tapestries of very different styles, the Lady and the Unicorn showing one of the series of tapestries in the Musee de Cluny in Paris, and a modern tapestry by Lurcat. Cathedrals, chateaux, coats of arms and the Marianne definitives also feature.

Stamp Collage flags of many nations

2012-02-15T10:04:00.005Z

The Danish flag has now been added to the Flags web page. The Dannebrog as it's known in Denmark is possibly one of the oldest national flags. A legend says that King Valdemar II had a vision of a white cross on a red field in 1219 in the crusade against the pagan Estonians. The Danes encouraged by this sign were victorious in the battle. All Scandinavian flags have the off-centre cross. Featured in this flag you can see Queen Margrethe II, King Frederick IX, the arms of Denmark, Viking ships and a stamp showing Viking shipbuilders from the Bayeux tapestry - 30 ore, 1970.

All the flags featured are made of stamps of that country and it's been an interesting journey through history. Stamps are issued to commemmorate all sorts of events, people and achievements. Royalty, Statesmen and figures from a nation's past, animals, birds - everything is there on a stamp and I hope you will find a lot to look at in my stamp collages.

Some of the flags are easier and quicker to make than others due to the colour content - I've noticed how relatively rare yellow and black stamps are for some countries and red and blue ones are much easier to find. Searching out suitable stamps can be time consuming, and even when I have found the right ones I often get side-tracked looking them up in a catalogue, or online now, which is so much easier, to find out more about the subject featured and when it was issued etc. The latest flags to be added to the web page are those of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Hungary and Italy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T14:00:00.003Z

Hope you received a card ... but if you didn't here's one specially for you!

Sir Joseph Banks - Banksia in stamp collage

2012-02-12T15:20:00.009Z

Stamp collage picture of a garden which has one border full of Banksia Serrata which featured on an Australian 33c stamp issued in 1986 as part of a set commemmorating Cook's voyage to New Holland on the Endeavour in 1768-70. The botanist, Sir Joseph Banks was on board and made many interesting discoveries of plants in the area, including this one.

The Joseph Banks Building is shown on the 20p stamp issued as part of a set of British stamps issued in 1990 to commemmorate the 150th Anniversary of Kew Gardens.

A detail showing the plant, also known as Bottle Brush, is shown below.

Artistic licence as this particular plant can grow up to 10 metres high, so wouldn't really be suitable to be planted in a garden border - that's the great thing about art!

Stamp Collage Garden Series

2012-02-11T16:27:00.008Z

Work in progress ...

I'm often asked "How long does it take you to do a picture?" and of course it can vary according to the subject matter. I'm currently focussing on a series of gardens, having enjoyed making my Secret Artist contribution for the Stroud Museum in the Park Secret Garden project last year.

These pictures are taking me several days each to produce due to the nature (excuse the pun!) of the subject matter and that I've chosen to carefully cut out flowers and plants to go in my gardens. Making a collage using stamps is quite a complicated matter as unlike an artist using a palette of colours ready to mix and apply, I have to search through books, boxes and bags to find the right stamps for the job, which can take ages. I sometimes just spend time browsing through my stock, sorting out stamps which may be suitable for certain future projects and then putting them aside, hoping I will remember where I've put them!

The beauty of a Stamp Collage garden is that it's in flower all year round and also I've filled my gardens with plants that appeal to me without necessarily taking into condition the climate! Artistic license of sorts I suppose.

By sheer coincidence I watched Mastermind last night and the specialist subject of one of the contestants was Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist. I had only just finished my picture which includes a border of Australian 33c stamps featuring a plant discovered by Banks on his voyage with Captain Cook on the Endeavour to New Holland and named appropriately Banksia serrata. It's a shrub which can grow to 10 m and flowers from January to June in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania! The stamp is one of a set issued in 1986.

The left hand border contains Helichrysum thomsonii - Thomson's Everlasting which is a perennial herb growing in Australia. Australian 18 c stamp issued in 1975.

The pathway is made of stamps featuring aboriginal art: Bush Potato Country 1979 by Turkey Tolsen Tjupurrula/David CorbyTjapaitjarri.

More on Joseph Banks in another blog ...

Everyone loves Owls

2012-02-04T15:10:00.005Z

Another Owl print flew out of the Artshop in Beechwood Shopping Centre recently. This Artshape shop was open until Christmas and sales were very successful, helping to raise the profile of Artshape Ltd in Gloucestershire. See http://www.artshape.co.uk/ for futher details of the charity's work. Unfortunately the shop is now closed but may reappear in another area at some stage.

The Owl shown here is made from postage stamps, postcards, postmarks.

It is available as a full size print, approx 14 x 12 " or reduced to size 10 x 8" .

Greetings cards also available A5 or A6. Please e mail for futher details.

markwickrachel@gmail.com

Chinese New Year - Chinese Flag

2012-01-28T14:10:00.007Z

Red is the traditional colour of China, and yellow is said to be lucky! The large yellow star symbolises the communist ideology and the four small stars the regions of China, the total number, five, being important in Chinese philosophy.

This stamp collage is made up entirely of Chinese stamps depicting many aspects of China's history, landscape, political leaderships and culture.

Kylie Minogue on a stamp

2012-01-25T20:08:00.007Z

Found these in a heap of Australian stamps - They're part of a set of 10 issued in 2001 celebrating great Australian contemporary music. Australia Day is 26th January 2012 so thought I'd go on an Australian theme! Down Under by Men at Work was a hit in 1981 and Kylie Minogue's hit, Confide in Me came out in 1994.

People collect all sorts of stamps and Music themed stamps are always popular. There are several others with Kylie Minogue on, but haven't yet come across them in the heap!

Australia Day 26th January 2012

2012-01-25T19:43:00.005Z

Look closer : this Australian flag is made of Australian stamps. So much to see, from beautiful scenery, native Australian wildlife and flowers to that famous Australian song, Waltzing Matilda.

This picture is available as a canvas print and as a greetings card. Contact me for details.

New website and email address

2012-01-24T22:00:00.005Z

I have a new site, now up and running! Please feel free to have a look, over at rachelmarkwick.co.uk!
I also have a new email address- something a little more personal. Please email me with any queries you may have about any of my work at markwickrachel@gmail.com.

Raw materials waiting to be transformed into more stamp collages!

Scottish Flag

2012-01-24T19:39:00.001Z

Burns night celebrations on 25th January! Spot the poet, Robert Burns in my stamp collaged Scottish flag, which is the cross of St Andrew, also known as the Saltire. This will shortly be available as a greetings card, and also as a canvas print, approximately A3 size. Please contact me for further details by e mail to markwickfamily@aol.com

Valentine's Day - Valentine Card

2012-01-22T17:43:00.002Z

With Valentine's Day fast approaching on 14th February, this pretty design made entirely from US LOVE Greetings stamps is available as a canvas print or card. Varous sizes available.

Can be ordered direct from Rachel Markwick email: markwickfamily@aol.com and can also be purchased from Made In Stroud Shop, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Secret Artist - Secret Garden

2012-01-05T16:47:00.001Z

You can now see a print version of the original Secret Garden I donated to the Museum in the Park Secret Artist project. I so enjoyed making this that I've decided to make another one, but it will look very different as I'll be using different stamps - could do a "Spot the Difference" game when it's finished maybe!

New year, new work in readiness for the Open Studios Festival in Stroud which is a month earlier this year. Dates for your diary: Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May 2012, and Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th May. 11 - 6 pm each day. My studio is in Bisley Road and all details will be available in the Site 12 Brochure available nearer the time. Over 90 artists took part last year and this will be another exciting event. Just remember: MAY, not June this year though!

Stamp Collage Christmas tree card

2011-12-18T11:06:00.001Z

Add caption

I recently made this Christmas tree from postage stamps. The idea came initially from US Greetings stamps featuring a Christmas tree bauble. I thought they would look lovely hanging from the tree along with other "stamps" including a Christmas stocking, bell, angels and toys.

Merry Christmas!

These are available in Made in Stroud Shop, Stroud, Gloucestershire and also in the pop up shop in Beechwood Shopping centre, Cheltenham which is called Artshop run by the disabilities charity Artshape. They have a great range of reasonably priced artwork made by students, tutors and supporters of Artshape. A great place to purchase unusual and individual gifts.

The shop will be open until 24th December.

Christmas card - Stamp Collaged Angel

2011-12-18T10:33:00.001Z

Inspired by a wooden angel seen in a shop in Orvieto, Italy this Angel's wings are made from stamps of Finland. Stamps from all over the world have also been used in this Christmas card creation. Available in Made In Stroud Shop and also the Artshape Artshop in Beechwood Shopping Centre, Cheltenham.

Open Studio - I Saw three ships

2011-12-02T18:23:00.000Z

News of my exhibition, I Saw Three Ships, has appeared in both Stroud newspapers, The Stroud News and Journal and Stroud Life, in the What's On pages. Hopefully with leaflets also having been distributed in shops such as Made in Stroud, Stroud Art Shop, Pegasus art shop, Stroud Subscription rooms and via e mail and post to known contacts, should have a few visitors this week-end.
All is now ready and the mince pies are in the oven! Just hoping for a good day, weatherwise.
Park in Bisley road by the cemetery and walk short distance along to the studio. Plenty of signs to help visitors find the way.
I'm really pleased with new work including a Christmas tree, made entirely from stamps from all over the world, and particularly love the Christmas tree baubles and Christmas stockings which are made from US Christmas stamps!

Stamp Collages on Show in Stroud 3rd and 4th December

2011-11-24T19:43:00.000Z

Rachel Markwick's Studio will be open to the public on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December from 10 am until 5 pm on both days. A wonderful variety work including original Stamp Collages, framed and unframed, prints and canvas prints, as well as greetings cards will be available to purchase. Christmas cards also taken from original designs made of stamps will be available.

Secret Artist, Museum in the Park, Stroud

2011-11-15T10:14:00.000Z

Just about to deliver my postcard sized artwork to the Museum in the Park in Stratford Park, Stroud for the Secret Artist Project. It should be a really exciting display of work which will be on show this week-end at the Museum from 11.00 each day. I know several other artists who have donated their work and am really looking forward to going along.
The idea is that you buy a ticket for £15 and you will be allocated a secret number and that will be matched up with one of the pieces of work at the end of the exhibition, but you don't know which you are getting until then! A bit like Secret Santa!!

Can't show my piece of work here ...because it's a secret of course!

Beautifully framed prints of my stamp collage ships

2011-11-11T18:09:00.000Z

I recently had an order for these three prints to be framed with the relevant verses of the poem Cargoes by John Masefield incorporated in each mount. The three ships are the Quinquireme of Nineveh, the Stately Spanish Galleon and the Dirty British Coaster. Lesley Young has done an excellent job with the framing! These stamp collage prints and cards continue to be very popular and are travelling far and wide. One has gone to the vast harbour of Singapore, others to Manchester docks! They can also currently be seen in Beechwood Shopping centre in the Artshape Artshop, open until 24th Decemeber from Tuesday to Saturday each week.

Artshape Artshop Open in Beechwood Shopping Centre

2011-10-28T20:34:00.001+01:00

Unit 15 in Beechwood shopping centre, Cheltenham is now the Artshape Artshop until at least Saturday 5th November, with the possibility that this time may be extended.

A wonderful variety of work is on sale in the shop, made by artists and students who work for Artshape or who attend classes run by the charity. 20% of sale price will be donated to Artshape, and it's well worth supporting them. Visit http://www.artshape.co.uk/ to find out more about classes and courses run by Artshape and to see some of the work on sale.

I have several of my stamp collage canvas prints and pictures on sale, as well as cards and a couple of very eye catching A1 framed Union Jack and US Stars and Stripes posters! You can also visit my website on http://www.rachelmarkwick.com/

People are so kind!

2011-10-14T20:45:00.000+01:00

After seeing the article in the American Philatelist, a very kind reader from Massachusetts sent me a whole box of US stamps. Can't wait to start making some more collages, but will also keep some for my own collection!

This stamp says it all : Letters Lift Spirits.

Stamp Collages in US Stamp Magazine

2011-10-13T18:35:00.001+01:00

This article is in the October issue of The American Philatelist.

The Amazing Stamp Collages of Rachel Markwick

2011-10-09T14:38:00.000+01:00

This is the title of a 4 page article which has appeared in The American Philatelist magazine October 2011 issue. It can be viewed by clicking onto www.stamps.org/services/ser_ap.htm and looking in the October issue from P.938. It came as a result of a visit to my studio by David Ahl, an American visiting Stroud during the Open Studios Site 10 festival.

Stroud Open Studios June 2011

2011-06-23T16:58:00.000+01:00

My studio was open to the public for two week-ends and in spite of the rain many people came here to see my work. It was great to meet so many visitors, some local and some from much further away. It's lovely to hear that visitors are now coming to Stroud in June specially to visit artists' studios during this well established event.

My stamp collages created a great deal of interest and I received some amazing comments in my visitors' book. Children enjoyed doing the quiz which I think made their visit a memorable event and helped them and their parents examine the work even more closely.

The great thing about it is that I think there is something for eveyone and it also seems to appeal to people's love of nostalgia. Many have collected stamps at some time of their lives and have memories of certain stamps. The Blue Peter competition Christmas stamp, which features on the Union Jack collaged flag was commented on more than once and I was reminded of the actual programme where they showed post office staff checking sheets of stamps for errors. I found an error on the stamp in my own collection when I was nine years old, so it must have been a fairly common error!

Visitors' comments: "I didn't know stamps could be so gorgeous"

"Ingenious" "Fascinating"

"So inventive! Always interesting to see what you're up to!"

"Delightfully original! Great!

"Rachel's artwork is phenomenal. I love the style and think it is a really
great idea for recycling stamps and turning them into artwork. "

".. a really great body of work .."

"Lovely exhibition and you have been so helpful and cheerful. Thanks"

And thanks to all who came to see it!

Union Jacks and more ...

2011-06-09T18:31:00.000+01:00

This week-end is the start of Stroud Open Studios. My studio will be open to the public on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June, and also next week-end 18th and 19th June from 10.30 to 18.00 each day. Nearby are many other artists also with their studios open at the same times and you can view the online brochure on http://www.sitefestival.org.uk/ Click on the Open Studios brochure to get full details of the studios and directions.

This huge Union Jack will be on show in my studios.

It's an A1 high quality print taken from an original collages made entirely of British stamps. Smaller original versions of stamp collaged Union Jacks will also be on show, together with canvas prints of flags from many other nations. I will also have a wide range of greetings cards featuring my stamp collages , oil paintings and oil pastels.

Hope to see you!

Compton Verney, Warwickshire

2011-05-15T16:13:00.001+01:00

Alfred Wallis

We had a great afternoon at Compton Verney in Warwickshire. They put on some wonderful exhibitions there and are currently showing Alfred Wallis and Ben Nicholson and Wool Work: A Sailor's Art both of which are on until 5th June. What the folk say is on until 11th December.

My particular interest was in the wool work exhibition and we were given a talk by one of the curators, Bridget Crowley, entitled "Flags and frigates: The art of the mariner, which was most interesting and covered the history of the wool work pictures. These are not often on view to the public due to their fragile nature and the risk of the colured wools fading if exposed to bright light. A few of the pieces on show were available to buy as cards, but I can't wait for a catalogue to be produced, showing more if not all of the work in this interesting and colourful exhibition.

I have always loved the naive paintings of Alfred Wallis, and to find so many on display at Compton Verney was quite a surprise. The curators have put together an exhibition filling several rooms with the work of Wallis and the artist Ben Nicholson who first discovered him at his home in St Ives. There are more of Alfred Wallis's paintings here than on permanent display in Tate St Ives, and it is well worth the journey to Compton Verney to catch this exhibition before it finishes on 5th June.

Flag of Argentina

2011-05-15T13:57:00.000+01:00

The unusual colour of the Argentina flag, "celeste", or celestial blue, a paler blue than that which usually appears in many other nations' flags, is said to be the colour of the sky which inspired General Manuel Belgrano before going into battle. In 1810 Belgrano led demonstrations supporting liberation from Spain. The other version of the story about the colours and symbolism of the flag is that it is based on the blue and white cockades used to commemmorate the 25th May uprising, when the clouds over Beunos Aires cleared to reveal the sun in a blue sky. The sun on the official Argentine flag is depicted with a face - my flag's sun features a stamp with the portrait of General Belgrano. Many of Argentina's stamps commemmorate their famous leaders, including Belgrano himself, San Martin, and Rivadavia. The well known , Eva Peron, wife of President Juan Peron is commemmorated on many stamps including one in the centre of my stamp collage flag, 45c blue issued in 1952, shown next to it is the 5c blue stamp which was issued in 1946 on the Installation of Juan Peron. Stamps included in the upper blue band of the flag include several showing the maps of Argentina and its territories, including the disputed Falkland Islands or Las Islas Malvinas, The landscape and heritage of the country also features in many beautifully designed stamps.

This design is available as a greetings card, and can also be ordered as a canvas print, standard size approx approximately 28 x 39 cms, or custom made in larger sizes.

Flag of Brazil

2011-05-11T18:37:00.000+01:00

This stamp collage flag made up entirely of stamps from Brazil took quite a while to make, mainly due to the lack of yellow stamps to make the diamond shape. Yellow stamps generally seem quite difficult to find! The yellow diamond actually represents Brazil's mineral wealth,and the green background symbolizes the Amazon rainforests. The blue sphere shows the sky as seen from Rio de Janeiro at the time of Brazil's independence on 15th November 1889. There are 27 stars each representing a state with the stars varying in size according to the constellations, and not any reflection on the size of any of the states themselves. The white band represents the equator and is insribed with words which mean Order and Progress.

In the green section are included stamps issued in 1954 portraying famous Brazilians including Admiral Tamandare, Duke of Caxias, J. Murtinho, R. Barbosa. Public Health Pioneer, A. Lutz is commemmorated on a stamp issued in 1955. A stamp issued in 1962 (second stamp down on far right) was issued on the 50th anniversary of the ascent of the Finger of God Mountain, 8c. Brazil's victory in World Football championships is commemmorated on a stamp issued in 1962. Brazil's flag appears on a stamp issued in 1991, which has no value shown.

The flag shown here is available as a canvas print, hand stretched onto wooden frame, and also as a greetings card with envelope, size A5.

The Deal Lugger

2011-05-01T18:24:00.000+01:00

Here's my latest stamp collage. A very kind freecycler gave me a shoe box full of old stamped envelopes from the 1960s. It had been in his loft for 40 years and he had offered them on our local freecycle site as Postmarks. I thought they might be interesting to use in some of my collages. Among the collection i found a commemmorative envelope featuring a boat know as the Deal Lugger. The Kent Philatelic Societies issued a special commemmorative envelope with postmark on 20th May 1967 showing the boat, and the envelope contained a card with its story. As well as fishing and dredging, the Deal Lugger provided an early ship to shore mail service, and was also apparently involved in some smuggling activities! I've recreated the image and have used some of the other postmarks to suggest the background of Deal, with its castle. You can read the entire story if you look carefully on the edges of the sails. Predominantly British stamps have been used but stamps of many other nations also feature. The birds are from Singapore!

Canadian Flag

2011-05-01T18:02:00.000+01:00

Just repainted my studio wall in readiness for Site 11 Open Studios festival which is in June 2011. My studio will be open on the two week-ends 11th, 12th and 18th,
19th June and looking forward to welcoming new and returning visitors!
Hope the paint is dry, but coudn't resist just trying out one of my Stamp Collage canvas print flags to see how it looks on the white stone background. The Maple leaf features in the centre of the Canadian flag and all the stamps which go to make up the collage are Canadian, the earliest being some with Queen Victoria's head on, and quite a few featuring the maple leaf itself.

Union Jack/Union Flag - Penny Red

2011-04-21T11:38:00.000+01:00

And here's my latest Union Flag. This time it has a Penny Red in the centre and also features the Two Pence Blue. Lots of interesting stamps to discover, a bit like a "stamp search" .. Can you find .. Sir Winston Churchill, The Post Office Tower, Concorde, the QE2, Mr Punch, a Victorian Postman, a London bus, the Mini, Robert Burns and the Queen? I don't actually know how many stamps I've used here, but it was fun to make!

Easter Bunny

2011-04-21T11:29:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter to anyone who has managed to find their way to this latest post.

The Easter Bunny is a collage made mainly from postage stamps, marbled paper, and paper offcuts on a painted background.

Hope you like him or it could be her!

Available as a greetings card (A5) with envelope.

Danish Flag stamp collage

2011-04-16T10:34:00.000+01:00

I'm adding to my series of national flags and have recently completed the Danish flag. I understand that one day this could become a real "collector's item"!. The reason I say this is that I have heard that in Denmark, it is no longer necessary to purchase a stamp in order to post a letter. It can all be done using your mobile phone, obtaining a code and writing it on the corner of your envelope! While this is probably a great idea for busy people who haven't got time to go to the Post office to buy a stamp, it does seem rather a shame and takes away the colour, character and variety from the postal system, and it's a definite disappointment to any stamp collector receiving mail with a code rather than an interesting stamp!

I've reproduced this Danish flag image as a Greetings card, left blank inside for your own message. The flag image is 12 x 10cms mounted on white card, 20 x 15 overall, and comes with C5 envelope. Price is £3.00 including p & p, within UK - for
2 or more cards up to 5, please add £1. For European orders, please add 50p per card, or obtain quotation for large quantities. The flag can also be reproduced as a lovely artist's quality canvas print, approximate size A3, although this may vary slightly.

I'll be adding details shortly of other National flag cards. Please subscribe to my blog if you'd like to see the latest creations, or get in touch by e mail.

I'll be exhibiting my flags and other stamp collages at the Stroud Open Studios festival in June - see Stroud Festival link www.rachelmarkwick.com for full details, contact details etc.

Love Heart Stamp Collage

2011-04-16T10:20:00.000+01:00

I found a little bundle of stamps amongst my stock of materials and stamps waiting to be sorted out, added to my collection or made into collages. These are Love greetings stamps issued in the USA in 1982, with the word LOVE made out of flowers - so pretty! The original collage has been reproduced as a card, which was very popular for Valentine's day. Card is blank inside for your own personal greeting and is £3.00 including p&p. I've also had canvas prints made which look great! They're 23 x 30 cms x 3cms and are £45 including p&p within UK. A lovely way to send your love to someone special!

The second in the series of Normandy fishing vessels

2011-03-26T18:12:00.000Z

This stamp collage is based on a painting by the French artist Eugene Grandin, whose work I discovered in the Musee des Terre-Neuveas et de la peche in Fecamp. Examples of his work are also in the tiny Chapel of Notre Dame de Saulut (our Lady of Salvation). The vessel depicted in my stamp collage is St Anthony of Padua trawler. I love the deep red sails of these fishing vessesls and an abundance of British definitive stamps provided me with plenty of material! I'm hoping to make more of these to add to the series.

Stamp Collage - Work in Progress

2010-11-07T17:14:00.000Z

of a pumpkin" ALIGN=right>
I've been busy in the studio today, working on another stamp collage, a fishing boat inspired by a visit to the Musee des Terre-Neuvas et de la Peche which is a fantastic little museum in Fecamp. It has a wonderful collection of items related to sea fishing, including some beautiful paintings.

of a pumpkin" ALIGN=right>I've used my sketches and photo reference material and drawn out my image onto watercolour paper. I tend to paint the background, sky etc prior to arranging the stamps to form the image, in this case the fishing boat. Stamps which feature coastlines, fish, birds etc may also be incorporated into this seascape, but I haven't yet finalised the design. I have a large stock of stamps and over a period of time have endeavoured to sort them into some sort of order so I can find what I'm looking for fairly easily. Many are kept in stock books, arranged by country, and many of the more common British stamps are in packets according to colour, so I can use them a bit like choosing a paint colour from a palette.

of a pumpkin" ALIGN=right>
The tiny Chapel of Notre-Dame de Salut on the cliff top overlooking Fecamp was another amazing discovery containing more than 40 "ex-voto" (votive offerings) and the beautiful stained glass window.
I spent a while sketching and photographing some of the marine paintings, many of which were by an artist called Eugene Grandin.
I'm hoping to make a series of collages based on the theme of these rather primitive pictures, and have completed one featuring a red sailed fishing vessel typical of the area in the early part of the last century.

I'll update the blog when I've completed the latest picture. It can be quite time consuming cutting the stamps to size and piecing them together. One of my favourite bits is locating that special feature, such as the people who may be on deck or finding a stamp with a postmark which happens to fit in with any pattern - postmarks are often really useful to use on the rigging or for creating waves in the sea.

Exhibition at Taurus Crafts, Lydney in the Forest of Dean

2010-10-30T10:44:00.000+01:00

My latest exhibition - Stamping Ground - starts tomorrow 31st October and runs until Sunday 5th December.

My work is on display in two separate rooms of Taurus Crafts wonderful cafe.
Oil paintings are in the main cafe area and the stamp collages are in the garden cafe area. All details are available on the link to Taurus Crafts on

www.tauruscrafts.co.uk - click on the Arts box on the top panel. The Exhibition is called Stamping Ground, due to the link with the postage stamps used in the collages!

You can also spend time looking round art and craft workshops, the gift shop and food shop. There's always something exciting going on and their programme of events will give details of the other activities on offer.

Impressionism in Normandy

2010-09-07T18:38:00.000+01:00

Just got back from our fortnight's holiday in Fecamp, Normandy. It's a great area for many reasons and this Summer there's an additional reason to visit the are if you're interested in the art of the Impressionists. There is an Impressionist festival and there are many exhibitions and displays around the ares.

I was lucky to be able to visit a great exhibition which continues on until 26th September 2010 at the Musee des Beaux Arts in Rouen. It's called "Une ville pour L'Impressionnisme MKonet, Pissarro et Gauguin a Roune. As well as many paintings by these artists, including (I think) 11 of Monet's paintings of Rouen Cathedral, you can discover works by lesser known artists. It was the first time I had come across the beautiful oil paintings of Charles Frechon, Joseph Delattre and Robert Antoine Pinchon.

There are other major exhibitions in Le Havre and Dieppe, but it's worth checking visiting times and dates and beware of the French lunchtime closing hours, which I'm afraid I had somehow forgotten when in these locations!

While we were in Normandy we visited Fecamp, Etretat and Yport, all towns which have Impressionist connections and many of the small shops were displaying reproductions of the artists' work alongside contemporary artists' work.

A great area for a last minute break and to take in the wonderful coastline and the Hautes Falaises (high cliffs) made famous by the Impressionists. We managed to get a very cheap ferry crossing Dover to Dunquerque with Norfolk Line for just £49 return in August for car and family of four, but did have a 3 hour drive to reach our dstination in Fecamp.

Press coverage and Open day on Sat 7th August

2010-08-04T17:51:00.000+01:00

As a result of the recent Open Studios festival I was interviewed by Tracy Spiers of Stroud Life and the following article appeared in today's edition of the paper.

I'm opening my studio again this Saturday 7th August from 10.30 until 6 p.m.

Also had a small piece in Stanley Gibbons stamp monthly in July. I recently made a series of Tulip collages and one of them included a stamp issued by Brazil in 1953 commemmorating an artist called Horacio Hora. As often happens to me when I'm making my collages, I go off at a tangent trying to find out more about the subject of one of the stamps I have been using! This man was obviously a very well known artist in Brazil in the early 1900s and apparently painted more than 300 paintings, but I have been unable to find out much about him, so wrote to the magazine in an attempt to get some feedback. Hoping to hear from someone, somewhere, sometime, but it hasn't happened yet! Not much on the web either and any art galleries in possession of his work seem not to have photos!

Stamp Magazine and Stamp Monthly also published articles about the Cargoes series of stamp collages in 2008.

2010-07-18T16:05:00.000+01:00

Catching up after a busy couple of weeks. The studio is looking a bit more like it's normal untidy self after the transformation for Open Studios, and I've been making more cards to take into Made in Stroud, and now also my new contact, M.A.D.E., a shop I've recently found in Cirencester.
Lots of interest in the Stamp collages and the canvas prints of the Union Jack and Stars and Stripes are now available to buy through both these great shops. Made in Stroud shop in Kendrick Street, Stroud,is a wonderful place to visit, with a wide variety of wonderful items made by local artists and craftspeople. The stock is ever changing and includes greetings cards, postcards, prints and pictures, soaps, ceramics, wooden utensils, textiles, books and many more exciting things.
I recently discovered M.A.D.E. (Makers and Designers Emporium) at 9 Silver Street, (www.made-gallery.com) and it's another lovely little gem of a shop well worth a visit next time you're in Cirencester.
Had a great day out visiting my eldest daughter who's just moved to Bristol, only to find that there's a collectors shop near where she lives! Came home with two large bags of stamps on paper which have taken me days to sort out and soak ready to be
turned into collages at some stage when inspiration strikes! I have to say that many of them are recent GB stamps which I have now put into my own collection, which had been slightly neglected over the last few years, so any stamp collectors will be relieved to know that I do have great respect for the hobby of philately as well as putting the more common items to good use in my collages!

Here is a, hopefully, slighly better reproduction of the Union Jack "Love" Canvas print, mentioned above.

Stamp collages were a great talking point

2010-06-20T20:51:00.000+01:00

The last two week-ends have been so busy! My studio was part of the Site 10 Open Studios event and people came from far and wide to visit.
There are several studios in the Bisley Road area of Stroud and it makes a great circuit for people to see several artists during the course of one day, and our work is all so different that we're not really in competition with each other, rather providing a great variety of experiences for the public. As the event is over two week-ends it is possible to visit many other studios in other parts of Stroud and surrounding villages too.

This year I have been showing new work which has been produced mainly over the last two years - stamp collages. Subjects include Tulips, an owl, cats, Ships, Peacock and Gaudi mosaic designs. Stamp Collage Union Jacks and the US Flag, Stars and Stripes and the Dove of Peace caused much interest.(Postage stamps are used to create the pictures as opposed to rubber stamps!)Visitors were clearly amazed at the unique use of stamps, and my slight concern about adverse reactions from any philatelists were needless. A lifelong stamp collector, and journalist, all the way from the USA, visited my studio and was fascinated with my work, so much so that he is planning a piece for inclusion in an American Stamp magazine.
I have much enjoyed hearing stories and memories connected with stamps, mainly from adults. However, two very young visitors also enjoyed doing a "Stamp Search" I had devised to help them to look closely at the work. I think their parents had fun with it too!

Art is a lie that tells the truth

2010-06-15T20:05:00.000+01:00

This morning I had the pleasure of stewarding the Drawing show in Stroud Subscription rooms. It was a great opportunity for me to spend some time looking at the work of other artists taking part in the Stroud Site 10 Festival. Michelle Ohlson and Kerry Phippen have done a great job in putting together an interesting and though provoking selection of work by local artists. I found the piece by Carlos Ordonez particularly moving and was glad that I was able to watch the slide projection through several times. (It takes just a few minutes). Other visitors to the show were very appreciative of the explanations provided by the artists which are available to view in the sub rooms, and I would encourage others to go along to see this exhibition. It is on until 30th June. Monday - Sat. 10-5 pm and Sunday 20th only 10 - 4.
If visiting on 19th or 20th June, why not visit other Open Studios artists in Stroud and make a great day out? Brochures are available online. www.sva.org.uk

"Dove of Peace" stamp collage canvas print

2010-06-12T22:07:00.000+01:00

The dove has become known as a symbol of world peace, and appropriately my stamp collage includes postage stamps from all over the world.

It would be great to think all of these countries could exist in harmony with each other.

"U.S Flag" stamp collage canvas print

2010-06-12T22:04:00.000+01:00

This beautiful canvas print is taken from the original stamp collage, using mainly US postage stamps, in the colours of the Stars and Stripes- red, white, and blue.

"Love" Union Jack canvas print

2010-06-12T21:51:00.000+01:00

Approx. A3 size, slightly smaller.

Hello!

2010-06-12T21:47:00.000+01:00

I'm totally new to this whole blog business, but I've had such a great reaction to my work, which I'm currently exhibiting at site 10 Open Studios Festival, at my studio at my home in Stroud, that I decided to take the plunge and set up my own blog.

I'll be uploading photos of my most recent work. If you see anything that takes your fancy, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Stroud Open Studios is running this weekend, 12th and 13th of June 2010, and also 19th and 20th June.