Standen House
My visit to Standen House was the result of happy chance and coincidence. Flying in to Gatwick, I had researched places of interest en route to the south coast and on a whim we decided to swing past and take … Continued
Pursuing the unattainable or journeying home?
When I was studying literature at university we came across the mythological story of Tantalus. It’s a pretty horrific tale containing many twists and turns (he steals the secrets of the gods and boils his own son for starters…). But … Continued
When an artistic legend makes you weep…
A month or two ago I found myself, completely unexpectedly, crying in public. It was a moment that will remain with me forever and, I imagine, define my course to come. So let me tell you the story… I was … Continued
When You Hate What You’ve Done (Part 3)
So the panel that defined so much of my last year came out of the kiln and I hated it, remember? I’ve been trying to work out why I had such a strong reaction so I can move forward more … Continued
When You Hate What You’ve Done (Part 2)
You will remember that when I finally saw the fired, finished panel that had taken me months to complete… I hated it! But why such a negative reaction? Last post I talked about time as a reason for my reaction. But … Continued
When You Hate What You’ve Done (Part 1)
A couple of weeks ago now I finally got to see the fired and finished panel that had taken me, all told, about 6 months to complete… and I hated it! After so much expectation and waiting and determination to … Continued
The Legacy of a Lifetime
Last summer I stayed in the beautiful house of some dear friends in England. They are an elderly couple and their home bursts at the seams with drawings, paintings, sculpture, books, pottery… and much of the art is their own. … Continued
Celebrating 1 year of Intentionality
Around this time last year I had a significant inner moment of realisation (or something…bear with me) that completely altered my attitude about work and life. Eyes closed, music on, my mind wandered and I pictured myself being shown round … Continued
Trip to İznik (back in 2011)
Before I started at Poppy’s workshop, I used to attend local council run painting classes. Back in 2011 we had a trip to the home of çini, İznik. Here’s my account of the trip: As an end of term treat, … Continued
4: Hatayi and Gonca gül (diverse flower forms and rose buds)
So you may recall that penç (“pench”) forms are a view of the flower looking down from the top (literally a bird’s eye view), or a horizontal cross section of the flower. Hatayi forms are similarly a cross section but taken vertically … Continued