Bird commission

 

At the PopUp Art Show on the weekend I was asked if I could make 3 comfort birds before I headed back to Maleny. I did not promise I could; but said I would give it a go.

As you can see from the photo above I have made some progress with one of the birds. In the photos below you can see I'm attempting to carve the 3 birds together starting with cutting the timber blocks and marking the 3 up.

Other progress photos follow.

If I continue to make good progress whilst doing maintenance and other jobs around the cottage I should be able to deliver them before heading to our Maleny home.

From the ditches, roadside and rocky

 

The dry and 'warmer' weather is resulting in an abundance small flowers in the ditches-drains, by the roadside and in the rockery out the front of the cottage. Most of the flowers are 1-2.5cm in size.

This blog post shares some of this small beauty.

One of the benefits of the wee flowers is that one must pause, bend and squat to enjoy their delicate beauty.

Almost ready for the Pop-Up Art Show

 

Fiona and I have been doing the last bits of making and sifting and sorting for our  Pop-Up Art Show in our local (Armadale) village hall over the weekend (Saturday 17 and Sunday 18) 11am-4pm.

The opening photo shows my watercolours spread out on the second bedroom bed for inventory purposes. Of all the framed works I brought across from our Maleny home the glass was broken in only one. 

Since I have been here I have added to the stash of watercolours including the two below finished yesterday - the rushed photos don't show the colours accurately. In all I have about 35 watercolours for show and sale. All my watercolours are based on my own Scotland photos.

Fiona will be showing a stash of her pebble inspired earrings and pendants. Both of us will supplement our main bodies of work with other pieces including leaf inspired pieces, small metal books, small metal boats - and I have completed local stones with inlaid silver and brass rod and a couple of small birds carved from local birch wood.

This afternoon we have spent time on price tags, road signs (see photo below of F working on road signs) and sorting presentation materials including slates.

After I launch this blog post we will pack the car and head to the village hall to start the set up!!!!  

Mainly haar droplets

 

We had a couple of days of very thick haar - a cold sea fog that blanketed quite a lot of our area. One of the positive outcomes of the haar was the small droplets of water deposited on plants, webs and veggies. A few of my favourites from a morning walk are shared here - including the photo of wool caught in a gorse bush and crusted with haar droplets..

A couple of other things that caught my eye included an almost perfect dandelion seed head; a beautiful butterfly on the cotoneaster bush outside the cottage kitchen; and twin lambs born at the northern end of the village.

I am so grateful that so much simple beauty is available free to bring hope and uplift one's spirit.

Wee cottages and birds for Pop-Up Art Show

 

Fiona and I are still finishing bits and pieces for our upcoming art show in the Armadale Village Hall on 17-18 May. 

I'm still working on some wee cottage forms and a couple of comfort birds.  The opening photo shows the work bench in the Workshop aka garden shed. I have decided to paint the birch cottages rather than burn them - better for indoors? 

In the photo below you can see both mine and Fiona's cottages in different stages of completion.

Below is a pile of rusty bit cut ready for windows and doors on my cottages.

Following are a few photos of cottages in different stages of completion.

I'm up to sanding the two birds - not sure I will have time to make any more.

Funny how it all gets to be busy a week or two out from opening day!!!!

Last two watercolours for the Pop-Up Art Show

 

As per the opening image Fiona and I are holding a two day Pop-up Art Show on Sat 17 & Sun 18 May in the Armadale Village Hall. On show and sale will be my postcard size watercolours; and Fiona's solid silver pebble inspired earrings and pendants. We will have some other bits and pieces including Fiona's cards, her collages etc; and my leaf inspired pieces and metal boats and books.

On Thursday I worked on two watercolours based on images of building in Melvich - see workstation image below.

Images of the finished pieces follow.

We are now full on doing the promotion and inventory paperwork!!!!!  

Welcomed home by blossoms

 

Our trip to Norway was beautiful; but it is also grand to be back at the cottage and in the highlands. Be cause we are in the spring-summer time we are being uplifted by the blossoms in the yard - fruit blossoms and blossoms for the bees.

Above and below are a few of the flowers that welcomed us home including the wee flowers on the holly bush - immediately below.

The daffodils are all but done but you can see they are being replaced by other beauty.