Going round in circles - a recent commission for a stamp collage picture

I recently received a commission with just a few basic guidelines but leaving the final design to me! The recipient is a lady who loves designs featuring  circles and also loves bright colours including red and orange. I had fun with my compass playing around with circles of various sizes and then choosing stamps to fit my colour scheme! Remembering the Cosmati mosaic floors I'd seen in ancient churches in Rome, I found my holiday photos and printed out examples from those in San Giovanni Laterano, Santa Maria Cosmedin and Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Stamps lend themselves to this type of mosaic pattern and I was soon enjoying putting together the design using stamps from Belgium, France, Spain in various shades of red and orange, as well as British stamps for the grey marble - postal labels which I have also found to be useful in creating the sails on one of my recent ships! It's great to be able to find another use for this type of stamp which most people will just discard.  Not me of course!

Latest Commission - a personalised flag of Uganda

I'm always happy to consider commissions, and the latest one was a pleasure to make! I was asked if I would  create a personalised flag of Uganda as a 70th birthday present.

 My first thought  was that it would be difficult to find enough stamps of the right colours, Black, yellow and red, from  Uganda itself, to make up the six bands on the flag.  For other stamp collage flags I've chosen only to use stamps of the country concerned.  However, I was told that this was not essential and I could use practically any stamps, but maybe keep to countries holding some significance in the life of the recipient, so that made it a bit easier!

I thoroughly enjoyed the search for elements connected with family, work and travel  in countries including Australia, New Zealand, the USA,  South Africa, Great Britain and the important connections still retained with Uganda. I was also  told he enjoys crosswords,is a fan of the Beatles, is a Capricorn, and was also born in the Chinese year of the pig! The national bird of Uganda, the crested crane,  appears in the central disc of the flag - that was probably the hardest thing to track down, but I found a stamp with one on which fitted the bill!

Now that the flag has been framed and presented at the birthday celebrations, I can also reveal a tiny secret addition, a fountain in Naples, the destination for a surprise holiday!

Other personalised commissions have included the flag of Barbados, made into a slightly larger canvas print, and a Union Jack also featuring many personally chosen themes. This was reproduced as a huge canvas print more than 1 metre wide, and sent to Australia!

If you'd like to commission a personalised flag, please get in touch!

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!

Commissions .. and some newly available cards

The Barbados flag was recently commissioned and is shown here as a canvas print ready to hang! You can see from my Flags page that I've made many countries' flags and am happy to attempt others if anyone has a special request. Prices vary according to availability of stamps and this one took a while to put together as I had to find suitable stamps and subjects to include from various sources. Also shown are some new cards including one with the Barbados flag - possibly not a potentially  huge seller but I have had a few printed and these will be available at my next Open Studio on 1st and 2nd November - see previous blog post for full details.   Also shown here are the flag of Germany, The Blue Lady, Flower Heart and Christmas Robin.

Hearts and flowers - three stamp collages recently commissioned

Several weeks of work on  three stamp collages pieces commissioned by an overseas client have now been completed, and I can now wind down for a fortnight's holiday.
Hearts and flowers and baskets of flowers!

Flowery heart stamp collage by Rachel Markwick

Pink Rose bouquet  Stamp collage by Rachel Markwick

Baskets of Flowers  Stamp Collage by Rachel Markwick

Cotswold Essence (Summer edition) features my stamp collage work

I was delighted to be be invited to feature in Issue 39 of Cotswold Essence,  which came out at the end of May, for the June/July/August issue. It's a great free magazine which can be found in and around Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. I've only recently become aware of this interesting and informative magazine through friends who recommended it and then just by chance Sue Smith, the editor, got in touch with me.
I've reproduced the article which appears on pages 66 and 67, and you can't find a hard copy of the magazine, you can  also read the magazine online  at www.cotswoldsessence.co.uk and click on the link for the latest issue with the pretty cover, by Gemma Dawks, a local photographer also featured in this month's issue.  So much to read in this lovely colourful magazine!