Exhibition at The Amberley Inn starting 2nd September until 31st October

Feeling very guilty that I haven't blogged for a while ..  must do better!!

I have been focusing on my forthcoming exhibition at The Amberley Inn, Culver Hill, Amberley, Glos. . This lovely hotel hosts exhibitions by local artists on a regular basis and work is on show in the Restaurant Gallery and reception areas.   Although it's a hotel, browsers are welcome to call in during the hours of 10 am to 9 pm every day.  You might be tempted to have a drink or a meal while visiting though!

A variety of work will be on show including my recently framed original stamp collage of Mount Fuji, as well as hearts, flowers, flags and ships - originals and prints!

  The Amberley Inn www.theamberleyinn.co.uk
  01453 872565

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!

Afternoon Tea in Japan .. my designs are used on giftware in Japan!

So pleased to show you the range of items produced by the Japanese company Afternoon Tea LIVING, who have many outlets in Japan, and launched in their shops this week! See Youtube video  Smile at Gift, which the company has made.
Last year I was commissioned to produce designs for Afternoon Tea - see my blog post of 11th July 2104.

 These designs have now been used on gift items  including mugs, bags,  boxes for chocolates and jellies, and decorative packaging for soaps, bath fizzers, spoons,  wrapping paper and the popular Japanese item, Washi tape! Even the carrier bags have my Heart design on!

The patchwork quilt stamp collage design which incorporates both stamps and envelopes,  has been used in its entirety on some items  and elements of it have been adapted for use on on two different mugs, with the colours adapted to suit. Just wishing I could be in Japan to see the displays in the shops, but hoping that I will have some samples here soon too!

Mount Fuji stamp collage - Fujisan - Deliberations and alterations .. finishing a picture

Funny how some pictures come together immediately and very spontaneously and others take an age to complete.  This has been the case with my picture of Mount Fuji, or Fujisan, in Japan.

One View of Mount Fuji - stamp collage by Rachel Markwick

Looking back at a couple of previous mentions of this stamp collage, I  find that I first had the idea in March 2014, when it was suggested to me that it might be a good subject.  I spent a lot of time researching and reading about this beautiful mountain,  which is much venerated in Japan, and admired by tourists from all over the world. It has always been so,  and the Japanese artist Hokusai produced a series of wood block prints called Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, also completing more than a hundred.  Artists have depicted it in many ways, from simple line drawings to colourful and intricate works of art. It features in paintings and prints, on porcelain, lacquer work, furniture, textiles .. the list is endless.  As for stamp  collages .. well I haven't found any others apart from the one I've just now finally finished, although I thought I had finished it a few months ago.  On re-examining it, I wasn't happy with a few aspects and have altered it accordingly. It's always tempting and often useful to ask opinions  it can also confuse matters. At the end of the day, I have to go with how I feel about it. The majority of the stamps I have used are Japanese but there are a handful from other countries and I've used some of my clippings to make the snow capped peak!
www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk

Valentine Cards from all over the world this year!

Not only did I receive a Valentine card  from my husband this year, but also several other cards from all over the world! It seems that it is now the custom to send cards to friends as well as romantic partners and there is a huge card industry around this special day, February 14th.  Being a member of Postcrossing, where I send and receive cards from people all over the world, I was lucky to receive these lovely cards this year from  Turkey, Belgium,.Germany, Australia and Great Britain with some actually arriving on Valentine's day!  Many countries now issue stamps for Valentine's day including France - see earlier blog posts of January regarding the Designer hearts I've used in some of my recent Heart collages!  Cards will be coming soon and judging by popularity of the Heart cards I've made in the past, they are not only for Valentine's day!

Sticker on a Belgian card

This card and stamp were issued last year, but received in time for this year's Valentine's day!

Romanian musical instrument - the tulnic

I came across a Romanian stamp today which has brought back memories.  It's a stamp issued in 1961 and I feel sure it was probably in my collection as a child, which sadly I don't have any more. Many of the stamps went the way of so many childhood collections, probably sold for pocket money to buy other things more interesting to teenagers .. but things have a habit of coming round again! Other Romanian instruments are also featured in this set - will repost if I find the others too!

The other more recent memory  is of the Haute Nendaz Alp horn festival we went to last Summer in Switzerland. It was a gathering of alp horn players not just from Switzerland but also from other parts of Europe, including Romania.  These beautifully dressed ladies came from a remote village with their unique instruments, which are apparently best played near water - in this case the Lac de Tracouet! The wood from which they are made comes from a particular Romanian forest.  To hear this wonderful instrument, there are several Youtube videos available, and many more of the traditional Swiss alp horns we saw at the Nendaz summer Alp horn event.

Another Brick in the wall ..

My latest challenge is a commission to make a collage based on East Mill in Belper, built  in red brick in 1912 by the  English  Sewing Machine Company.
Research has been needed as I had not previously heard about this mill.  This is what I love about my "job" if you can call it that, as an artist! I'm learning all the time .. and the latest fact is regarding brickwork! This mill is made of  Accrington red bricks,  in the English garden wall pattern - three rows of stretchers and one row of headers! And look what turned up in the box yesterday ..

Stamps from The Netherlands, Belgium and Poland .. 

.. well, it's a start!

Art collection in a cardboard box ..

One of my regular activities is searching through boxes of stamps ..  I have several in my studio and there may be hidden treasures within! My latest search is for stamps of a certain colour which I can transform into brick walls for a collage I will soon be working on! I'm also looking for people on stamps to make up crowds, and for trees .. the list goes on. However, as usual I get distracted and find interesting stamps  I wasn't really looking for!  Here's one such stamp!

This Polish stamp issued in 1989 features a painting by Stefan Nacht-Samborski who was  born in Krakow in1898 and died in Warsaw in 1974. You can read about his life and artistic career on
culture.pl/en/artist/stefan-artur-nacht-samborski

As the writer of the above biography says, it's not easy to define his work, but he's known as a Polish colourist. Subjects in his work include plants and still life paintings, and are simply decorative. I find them very appealing!

This is one of a set of art stamps and I may come across the others in my box as there seem to be a lot of Polish stamps in this one!

Kensington Palace - birthplace of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria's dolls' house

 When I was a very young girl, my grandma gave me what seemed to me then, an enormous and very important book," V.R.I. Her Life and Empire, by the Marquis of Lorne, K.T. Now His Grace, The Duke of Argyll". I proudly wrote my name just inside the front cover in purple biro - a fitting royal colour! This large volume with its somewhat faded red cover was fascinating, with  its photographs, paintings  and drawings of and also by the the young Princess Victoria, a talented artist. She was crowned Queen in 1837 at the age of just 18.   I was entranced by the pictures of her beloved pets, dogs and horses, and a parrot called Lori, as well as the portraits of glamorous  ladies in waiting and family members with elaborate hairstyles, and the costumes were delightful! My grandma made a jacket for my  doll, based on one worn by the queen in one of  the pictures! I would have loved a dolls' house just like the one in the picture, and  I saw this very thing for the first time last week on a visit to Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria was born. I was also  pleased to  discover many familiar portraits from my book, including some of the Queen's pets!
Unlike Buckingham Palace, which has recently had a lovely set of stamps issued showing it in its many forms over the years, this stamp below is the only one depicting Kensington Palace. It was issued in 1980 as part of a set of  London Landmarks, illustrated by  architect Sir Hugh Casson.

The Palace  is a treasure trove of Royal history. In 1689 Nottingham House, the first building on this site was transformed into Kensington Palace for William III and Mary II. In 1722 a new set of state rooms were decorated for George I by William Kent and he was also commissioned to decorate the King's Staircase shown below.  A recent exhibition called The Glorious Georges had finished before our visit but there are some exhibits of costumes still remaining, such as this fine example of a Mantua worn by ladies of the court.

Costumes from the Glorious Georges exhibition 

The King's Staircase

A story  which certainly captured my imagination was that of Peter the Wild boy,
 found abandoned and wandering in a forest in Hanover by the royal hunting party. They took him back to England almost as a sort of "pet" to live and eventually be brought up at the court. He often escaped so a leather collar was made for him asking for him to be returned. This is also exhibited at Kensington Palace.  His story is told in Lucy Worsley's fascinating book, Courtiers. He wears a green coat in the painting by William Kent on the King's Staircase,  in the cente, left panel.

The palace contains many fine portraits of the royal families who have lived there, including of course Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, and their nine children. Princess Diana also lived here, and some of the famous dresses she wore to state occasions are on show, along with those of the Queen and Princess Margaret. Kensington Palace is now the London residence of  the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and their son Prince George.


 
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No grouting required for these beautiful tiles!

 Don't even ask how many photographs I took featuring tiles, or Azulejos in Portuguese, while in Lisbon, but if you are really keen to see some of them, check out my pinterest pages for Portuguese Azulejos and also Tiles and Mosaics!Azulejos have been used to decorate the buildings of Lisbon, both inside and out,  since the Portuguese tile industry became established, influenced by the Moorish decorations of Spanish tiles and ceramics.
They had a practical as well as decorative purpose, protecting buildings against fires, after much of the city was devastated by fires during the Great earthquake in the 18th century. We visited the wonderful  Museu Nacional do Azulejo set in the church and cloisters of Madre de Deus  but soon realised that the whole of Lisbon is like  a living tile museum!

Attractive tiling adorns shops,private houses  and cafes, such as the Leiteria Anunciada in Rua de Sao  Jose, a former dairy, shown below.

A recently published specialist guide book documents some of these attractive buildings and shops. It's called Old Charm Lisbon, Retro and Vintage Establishments by Ana Da Silva.

 As a stamp collector I was pleased to discover that there are quite a lot of Portuguese stamps depicting  tiles including  these in the  Castel Sao Jorge.

 Several series of stamps were also issued in 1980s which I have now added to my collection. (top of page) .They were issued in sets of four different tiles and also sheets of six of each.
Tiles on Stamps - cheaper than the real thing, and they don't need all that grouting!

The Heart of the Matter

I'm enjoying working on a series of "Designer" heart stamp collages.
 I have several examples of  rather eye catching stamps from several French Valentine's day  issues.
 The stamps and miniature sheets have used well known fashion houses' motifs, including Hermes, Cacharel,  and Givenchy.  One of these heart stamps was used  in the centre of a heart collage commissioned last year, and I liked the idea of making some more of these as I feel they definitely have a "feel good factor".
Stamps from all over the world are included in my latest Heart designs, as well as romantic and pretty  stamps such as  lacy hearts from USA,  as well as many flowery  pink and red stamps and some whose theme is simply, LOVE!

Love the postmark, Darling!

I set myself a goal and have just achieved it, which is a good feeling - just completed  another heart stamp collage!It looks simple, but seems to take much longer than you would imagine to find the right things to make up the design.

Happily, I  found a stamp from a letter which was obviously posted in Darlington,but only has the first part of the word on the actual stamp and in a Heart, the word Darling seems very appropriate!