Seabirds in Flight.

My latest piece of work for the Guild at 51. It measures 14cmx26cm - worked on felt with machine and hand embroidery. It needs framing now for the mini exhibition Taking the Waters at the end of July. It is about the exuberance of flight.

Blue threads

All the machine threads collected in a bowl for the new piece I am working on at the moment.

The bird cafe.

This is the view from my studio and all this week parent birds have been bringing their fledglings to the bird cafe. The  Great Spotted Woodpeckers are daily visitors with baby bird waiting on the shed roof to be fed. Baby Blue Tits, Sparrows and Great Tits are present all day. It has been wonderful to watch them .Swifts are once again nesting in the roof and sadly have not used the brand new swift nest box we put up! I love their screeches as they zoom across the field and circle the house.(Apologies the pictures are a little grainy)

Gannets- artwork

So the exhibition continues at Newark Park until the 11th July but meanwhile back in the studio I have begun work for a mini exhibition for The Guild at 51 in Cheltenham called 'Taking the Waters'. It runs from 26th July - 11th Sept.  I have returned to some work I began after our holiday on the Isles of Scilly and continued after our holiday last year in St. Ives. Ah the call of the sea and sea birds in particular.

Brunel Broderers at Newark Park continued.

 Linda Babb's hanging with detail,

 Carolyn Sibbald's hunting books.

Corinne Renow- Clarke's raven book.

Brunel Broderers at Newark Park.

 I would like to share some of my colleagues work at Newark Park-Liz Hewitt's summerhouse pieces.

Liz Harding's joyous garden screen.

 Detail of the lime green hanging by Liz Hewitt.

 Kantha on the bed in the Georgian bedroom by Liz Hewitt.

 A fabric jug by Carla Mines in the china cabinet.

Stephanie Wooster- outside work hanging over the basement steps that lead to the Tudor kitchen.

Exhibition at Newark Park- New Worke.

 My pieces in the green bedroom.

I took my friend Rosemary to see the exhibition on Saturday. We had a great day. Elinor the story teller was wonderful- children and adults were spellbound. A red kite flew over while she was telling stories and we saw it again later flying over the terrace. Lots of interested visitors to see the work in the grounds and in the house.

Edged with poppies...........

The field behind our garden is edged with poppies. Inspiration for new work everywhere, but I have a new title to work too so must keep focused.

While I was stitching...............

 While I have been busy stitching and finishing work the meadow grasses have been growing. So yesterday, despite the drizzle, I took my favourite walk up the lane and across the fields.

 I have been reading Meadowland by John Lewis-Stempel. He writes about his fields in Herefordshire. These are my neighbour's fields in Gloucestershire.

 They have managed to cut this one before the rain came. The path makes a magic, dark green seam or stitch mark.

 The green lane is almost a tunnel edged with cow parsley.

This little fellow was on the path but mum was nearby I could hear her scolding. I think it is a great tit fledgling ? I hope it found its way back up to safety. Back in my studio I am clearing my desk before beginning the next batch of work.

Pictures in the Exhibition, Newark Park.

Our work in the gallery room at Newark Park, on the top floor. This was part of the original long gallery with a vaulted ceiling that used to run the length of the house. It was used for exercise when the weather was bad. Now one end contains the Georgian bedroom.

Newark Park

As you arrive at the House you see the first tree on the tree trail- the walnut tree. A little down the drive and on the left is Carla's outside piece.

The Peacock House at Newark Park.

My pieces in the peacock house and female peacock strutting on the lawn. A wet day stewarding yesterday but plenty more days to come. It was still lovely to walk in the grounds. And all around the drone of bees working the flowers...........

Exhibtition at Newark Park

It was an exhausting day but we have done it- all set up and open for visitors! Putting the work in the garden was fun and relaxed in the beautiful gardens. Percy the peacock made several dramatic appearances, once flying to the battlements of the house and displaying with loud cawing calls. I have never seen one fly before. It was rather fitting as I was putting up my feather hangings in the peacock house at the time - a sort of a homage to peacocks. I am stewarding this Saturday 11th, then 25th June, 3rd July and 9th July.  More photos then!

The chickens at Newark Park.

 I took photographs of the very friendly chickens at Newark Park last Sunday and spent Thursday drawing them in my sketchbook. Then stitched some.

Made a few cards to sell- nearly there- everything to go up on Tuesday.

Found feathers- like surprise gifts.

In October last year we had a workshop at Newark Park to get us thinking about the exhibition and start the ideas rolling. Carla led the workshop and had us picking up things in the garden and then making sculptures with wire and thread to bind etc. We had to throw dice for further words of instructions. For example you might get weave, wrap, distort, stitch, add fabric etc. The bottom right was from that first workshop. The moss has dried but it is as made in October. The bone feather and shell one I made a few weeks later and the top one I remade yesterday with a fresh leaf from Newark Park collected on Sunday. I like the blue feather against the yellow. I hope to put them with my work in the Green Room because they are so different to my stitched work but talk the same story- a found feather, like a surprise gift. All three feathers are peacock feathers.

Ginkgo and Foxglove tree leaves for the tree trail.

Two more leaves for the tree trail at Newark Park.Only a week to go now!