Moving on…

So here we are, into September and another Summer over. Time to move on and enjoy all the delights of the Autumn season. On my walk in the local woods yesterday I came upon this fly agaric on a mossy bank. I hadn’t seen any for ages and was so excited to see it.

Fly agaric

These toadstools remind me so much of the “Pookie” storybooks I had as a little girl. I wonder which little animal has been nibbling at these ones? It seems to be a good year for fungi and for  poppies growing in the fields. I wonder why that should be.

Poppies near Muir of Ord

 

 

We took a little trip down to Edinburgh during the Festival and visited a few exhibitions including one at the Botanics by the painter and printmaker Carry Akroyd.I was greatly taken by her work. Her black and white linocuts portray wildlife and the changing English countryside and I love her compositions and the way in which she fills the page using bold geometric lines. You notice something new each time you look at them. Her work was accompanied by the poetry of John Clare the 19th century Northamptonshire poet. His poems are evocative of bygone days in rural England and were a perfect accompaniment to Carry Akroyd’s beautiful work. We decided to have lunch in the Botanics restaurant while we pondered on which prints to bring home with us. These are what we chose.

October

 

 

Field flowers

Swans by Carry Akroyd

 With possibly fewer distractions out of doors, I plan to settle down to a lot more arts and  crafts  over the next few months. One of the local art galleries contacted me this week to see if I would like to exhibit in their October exhibition which is nice. That seems like a good starting point and I am working on a few new landscapes at the moment. A blogging friend jolted me into getting out the sketchbook for the 2012 Sketchbook Project which has lain untouched for the past while.

2012 Sketchbook Project

Oops. Spot the deliberate spelling mistake above! The subject I chose is “Stitches and folds” and I thought for the next page,  I might make a foldout stitched fabric story. I have had a quick look on the Project website and their are some amazing sketchbooks taking shape.

Then I seem to have gathered a heap of UFOs over the Summer. Things that either didn’t turn out as I had planned or things that were put aside to finish later. I am getting together next week with a couple of crafting friends who also have a few unfinished objects to complete, so it will be fun swapping ideas and seeing how everything turns out.

Unfinished felted landscape

 

seaweed scarf

This started off life as a seaweed inspired scarf, but I think it might get incorporated into a wallhanging. I have lots of bits and pieces like this and it would be great to recycle them into other pieces. Nothing is ever wasted and everything finds its niche eventually. I have a big sheet of Lutrador to play with at the moment. I have never used it before but it seems you can do lots with it, so I will have a play over the weekend. Flicking through textile books is always a great way to get the imagination and enthusiasm fired up.

These are the favourites at the moment. All full of brilliant ideas and techniques to try out. So lots of arty crafty times ahead for the Autumn.

Out in the garden there is still lots of colour. The crocosmias are in full flower. I love their zingy colours and the way they splay out like great fireworks.

Crocosmia

These rudbeckias are just so gorgeous! Summer may be over, but Autumn has so much to offer. Have a great weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

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