A very special stamp collection ...

It's been a very sad time as my dear mum passed away on 24th March after a short illness.She was interested in many things, loved to travel with my dad and later on with our  family, and sometimes on her own.   She had been involved in the Stamp business they ran together for many years and also collected stamps, but in a fairly specialised way.I thought I'd feature some of her stamps, the first ones being on a theme of "Where we've been". Instead of collecting vast amounts of stamps, she preferred to narrow it down to stamps featuring places, towns and buildings they'd visited, so there may be just a handful for some countries, such as Egypt.  Egyptian monuments are shown on these stamps, but one was issued by United Arab Emirates (bottom left) and shows the Colossi of Memnon - two immense seated figures of Amenhotep III , made of sandstone..

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With her love of travelling, she kept diaries for all the holidays she went on, with a few additions from my dad, who liked to include more factual pieces of writing along with her daily record of events, meals etc.  and often some very amusing comments about the people they encountered, and things that may have gone wrong!

Through her many diaries she was able to revisit some of these special places, and they are interesting for me to read too!  I also keep diaries, but my stamp collection is not confined just to places I've visited, but more to the countries as a whole.I feel it maybe time to downsize. But today, a friend who'd visited Egypt gave me a gift .. Egyptian Stamps.

From my mum's diary I learned that she had bought a cat statue and I later found it  in her other special  collection, cats!
Here's a combination of the two!

Egyptian cat statues with Egyptian stamp gift!

Open Studios in Stroud 9th-10th May and 16th-17th May 2015

Once again I will be taking part in Stroud Open Studios week-ends in May, as one of more than 80 artists participating in this event, now in its 19th year.

I look forward to welcoming people from all over the country and often also from overseas to my own studio in Bisley Road, which is listed in the yellow Open Studios  brochure now available online at www.sitefestival.org.uk. You can also pick up a hard copy of the brochure from many outlets in Stroud including the Tourist Information office in the Subscription rooms.  The "Sub Rooms" will be hosting the Taster Exhibition where one piece of  work by each of the artists taking part will also be on show. This Taster runs from 1st May through to 16th May. Please check Stroud Subscription Rooms for Opening times as these may vary throughout the week.

My own preparations are well under way, and I have started to hang my latest pictures in my studio, where I will be showing original stamp collages, prints and will also have greetings cards on sale.  I also have a Quiz for children, which some adults also like to do!!   Hope to see you .. and will have the kettle on!

My studio is a The Lawn, 132 Bislye Road, Stroud - full directions in pen Studios Brochure. Please park in Bisley Road near Cemetery due to limited parking adjacent to studio. It's just a short walk along the unmade road which will be well sign-posted.

Smile at Gift - Afternoon Tea Living - Article in last week's Gloucester Citizen

Working on the Mill - (work in progress)

I've made some progress with my stamp collage interpretation of East Mill in Belper, using mainly British stamps but also incorporating a few foreign stamps too where necessary to obtain the correct shade for the brickwork.   The many windows are made from the interior papers of some old envelopes .

Taking photos of my work is a useful thing to do and often flags up areas that need altering slightly. In one of the areas of wall I had previously "completed", after taking a photograph it was evident that there was just a little too much postmarking.  Although I like to have some of this in my work, too much black ink on a lighter coloured stamp, especially with heavy postmarks, can detract from the overall feel of the picture or draw too much attention to an area.  Sometimes it can be appropriate, and even the words on a postmark can add interest, but it must be relevant to the design.

On with the search for some more stamps and on with the work ...  

Thanks Mum!

On Mothering Sunday - or Mother's Day if you prefer - I'm paying tribute to my wonderful mum, Marion!

Now aged 88,  she continues to support my efforts with my stamp collages, helping me to sort through stamps which often arrive from unexpected sources! She knows a lot about stamps, having run a stamp shop and approval business  with my dad for many years.  She  helps to soak stamps and hunt for subject matter, such as flowers, stamps of a certain colour, people on stamps to make up a crowd scene, in fact anything which I need when putting together my pictures.  It can be a time consuming business and it's great to have her help and I know she really enjoys the search! Along with the rest of my family, my mum is often called on to critique my work, and I usually get an honest opinion, although of course mums are always proud of their children's efforts, so I sometimes have to make up my own mind!

An RSPCA volunteer for more than 20 years, she works in our local branch shop in twice a week. Being useful and busy helps keep her young at heart.   Thanks Mum!

Tomorrow, March 14th, is White day in Japan

Having had correspondence and connections with people in  Japan recently, I've come across the festival called White Day which occurs every year exactly a month after Valentine's day, on March 14th.  In Japan on Valentine's day it's the girl who gives a card or present to a man, often chocolates, sometimes onces she has made herself! On White day the man reciprocates with a gift such as white chocolate, or flowers, or indeed any type of gift pretty gift.

I recently made a White Posy from stamps, so here it is .. Happy White Day!

Trouble at t' Mill

Nose to the grindstone and shoulder to the wheel are expressions which are associated with hard work, and if you keep at it you get there in the end! The expression "trouble at t'mill" usually said in a Northern accent, is another often used idiom when things are not going well ...  I'm trying hard to keep to the first two .. but experiencing the latter, but I know if I persevere I will achieve my target!!  My latest commission is to make a mill and having been really inspired and keen to make a start, I'm finding it quite an awesome task!  It's the sheer amount of red brick wall that is daunting, as well as the amount of windows  and all to be made of stamps and "postal" materials!

I've made a start with a lot of thinking ... then transferred my reference photograph, enlarged to a workable size, onto my paper, a robust watercolour paper, onto which I have started to build the mill! Eventually the sky will also be painted onto the watercolour paper, although the sky may be  different from the cloudless one in the photo!

I'm currently involved in carefully cutting up old British definitive stamps of a suitable hue for one side of the mill which is in shade, and will then follow on with a slightly lighter and brighter stamps to replicate the Accrington bricks.  These bricks did have some variation in the shade after firing, so any postmarks or variations in the printing colour or even using some different stamps will help to keep it authentic.
For my windows I'm using the insides of some old envelopes from a similar period, which I acquired recently as part of an old collection of stamps and envelopes.   Having made my patchwork quilt series of stamp collages, where I used some very pretty almost floral patterned envelope interiors, I've learnt always to look inside  envelopes and I found  some very suitable papers for my mill windows! But it's extremely fiddly ...   and I may be some time!