Christmas is coming .. and my studio will be open on Sunday 7th December 10 - 5

It's a busy time of year and having also been away in Portugal for a few days, everything is a bit of a rush!!
My studio will be open tomorrow and luckily it was mostly ready before we went away or I would be in a real panic by now .. well, I must admit I am in a "slight panic"  but that's pretty normal for me ..
Running up to Christmas (possibly literally!), I will have my range of Christmas cards out on display and these have proved very popular so many have been reprinted.  Some are completely made of stamps and others have some painting in the  background as this one does.

I used the view from my own studio window as inspiration for the snowy hills where people sledge and build snowmen as you can see on the picture!  
Hoping that it won't be such a snowy view tomorrow, but hot drinks and cake will be available as always! Also available is a Quiz which children and adults like to have a go at!

At the moment our lane is a bit muddy but not as bad as it can be - I think the frost helps!!. Please park in Bisley road near the cemetery and walk the short distance along following the signs ..  Look forward to seeing as you!

Christmas Open Studio Sale on 7th December 10 - 5 - I Saw Three Ships

Another  opportunity to visit my studio before Christmas will be on Sunday 7th December from 10 - 5 and I will have a variety of Christmas cards on sale, as well as prints and original work both framed and unframed.

The title of my Christmas exhibition is I Saw Three Ships to tie in with the well known carol but it also has a very personal link.

The first stamp collages I made were the three ships featured in the poem Cargoes by John Masefield, the Quinquiremen, the Stately Spanish Galleon and the Dirty British Coaster.   I have prints available of all these three  but for sentimental reasons will never part with the originals!   Ships seem to have become a recurring theme for my stamp collage work over the years and I've produced quite a few!

Inspired by visits to the banks of the River Severn at Purton - known as the Ships' Graveyard, I made The Dispatch and the Severn Trow Norah, just two of the many ships' hulks now resting there. It's a great place to visit.  Britain's last remaining coastal steamer, the S S Robin, now restored and shortly to be opened a s museum and ehibition centre in the Royal London dock was another subject for a stamp collage, and recently I've also made my version of the S S Great Britain. Two clipper ships, the Sower (La Semeuse) and The Blue Lady have been named for the French stamps used in their sails .. there is a whole collecting area dedicated to this little definitive stamp and a book has also been written about it.

"I Saw Three Ships" is a Christmas Carol and each year I make a Christmas card to send to friends and  family. These have included an angel, a Christmas tree, a Christmas wreath, a robin and a dove of peace, and Saint Nicholas, whose own story as Saint Nicholas of Myra, a town in Turkey, included his performing several miracles, one of which featured using the wheat cargoes of three ships to save the starving people of the town.  

Open studio here on 23rd and 24th November 10 - 5 pm

It's always a pleasure to open my studio to visitors and friends and many of my visitors have become friends too both with me and with each other!! I think the subject of my work which is mainly stamp collages all made of stamps and stamp related materials, including stamp catalogues, envelopes and cards etc is a great topic for conversation and nostalgic recollections. I have been labelled the Stamp Lady of Stroud  but hope that even those who are not stamp collectors, or never have been, will find something of interest!
I've even got a visitor promising to bring along her stamp designs, which will be lovely to see!


So I look forward to Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November when my studio will be open from 10 - 5.  In case you may need further information my telephone number is 01453 757933 and please park in Bisley Road by the cemetery and walk the short distance along to my studio which will be signposted with yellow and black Open Studio signs.  It's about 200 metres along and old shoes or wellies  definitely advised if  it's wet or has been due to the "country lane" and if coming later in the afternoon you may need a torch as we have no street lights along here.  It's certainly a beautiful place to live and the views when you arrive are fantastic, but please take care to avoid the puddles or jump in them and have fun if you're inclined!