Article in local papers to promote the Longfield Big Heart Charity auction

Thanks to Sally Bailey, on behalf of Longfield for getting in touch and interviewing me , and producing this lovely article which features in the colour magazines of this week end's  Gloucester Citizen, Gloucester Echo and Western Daily Press,  covering several counties.
I donated this original Heart stamp collage, now framed,  as I felt it was appropriate for the Big Heart Charity auction which is now live on Ebay and will finish on Thursday evening 30th November . More than 250 pieces of work have been donated by  professional and amateur artists and celebrities and will help to raise money for art therapy  at Longfield's Minchinhampton centre.  Visit
www,Longfield.org.uk and click on Big Heart 2017.
The article in full is below:

Brighten up your post! A little slower than e mail but it's lovely to receive a real letter or postcard.

Having joined in the wonderful activity of  Postcrossing.com a few years ago, which anyone can join for free,  instead of just boring brown envelopes,  I now frequently  receive  mail like this from all parts of the world and have gained some lovely regular penfriends :

I decided to get started with writing some letters to many of my overseas friends before the Christmas rush starts, and chose some pretty stamps and decorations to add to the envelopes, so my pile of post looked like this:

You don't have to stick (excuse the pun!) to the small definitive stamps to put on your letters, ask at the post office for Commemoratives (the ones with a picture of an event or historical reference.  which will always make your post look far more interesting! Zoom in on this image to see the latest stamps issued including the toys and children's story books, windmills etc.  And you can pick up interesting cards anywhere you go, and can often also find them very cheaply in Charity shops.  

Australian flag stamp collage going down under ... to the tune of Waltzing Matilda

Folklore stamps issued in 1980

My Australian stamp collage flag is bound for Australia, as a canvas print, along with three other national flag canvases.   I had great fun making this one using Australian stamps predominantly in shades of blue and red to replicate the flag, and enjoyed  including a set of 5 22c stamps issued in 1980  featuring verses fromWaltzing Matilda. This famous  song was written  by the  Australian poet Banjo Patterson and these stamps were designed by Richard Bates. You all know the words, so singl along!

A Patchwork Quilt Presented to a Stamp Collecting US President and my Stamp Collage version

Franklin D Roosevelt's Postage Stamp Quilt inspired this stamp collage piece.

Back in the 1930s, a very special quilt was made by an African American,Estella Weaver Nukes, as a gift to President Franklin D Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. Estella was a talented quilter and knew of FDR's love of Stamp Collecting so, with a team of helpers, made a huge bed cover using postage stamp sized cotton pieces.    I read about this in Kyra Hicks' book "Franklin Roosevelt's Postage Stamp Quilt" and having received a parcel of stamps from the USA containing many 6c stamps with FDRs portrait, was inspired to use these and other US stamps to make a stamp collage version!  It's a large picture and I don't often have occasion to display it easily, but it can now be seen in my latest exhibition at The Vault, George Street, Nailsworth  until 30th December 2017.  Together with Diane Young I'm  exhibiting a variety of work: Stamp Collages with subjects ranging from Flags, landscape, hearts, flowers and Quilts, and Diane is showing acrylic paintings including birds, animals, and fables. (www.dianeyoungartist.com)  The Vault is open from 12 noon until 11 pm every day.