Category: Uncategorized
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A clutch of sirens
The last lot of grumpy mermaids leaves the house today. I’ve been making these girls for over 20 years on and off. They are made to house air plants or witches broom plant; the mouth drains excess water. This batch have lost their tail and I’ve sliced their arms off as a nod to broken…
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A storm in a teacup
Proverbs were a popular theme in paintings. Do you know Breughel’s proverbs painting? This is my contribution to Proverbs. A Storm in a Teacup. I have used mirrors for the lightening and matt vitreous tiles for the white. This started as a wood cut, finely chiseled from boxwood and printed. see below. Woodcuts are tiny…
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Fancy a glass of wine?
Oh hello, what’s going on here then? A bit of grape pressing in a Byzantine church of the Saints Lot (of pass the Lot) (more later) and Procopius in Jordon. Procopius was a scholar and historian. His great tome of secret writing was planned to be published after Justinian died for fear it might unsettle…
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Mosaics at Cottonopolis
Busy bees in Cottonopolis Facing Manchester Albert Square is Manchester Town Hall. A grand municipal building looking like a jumbled up Houses of Parliament; it was acknowledged for its beauty by John Ruskin. This imposing Neo-gothic structure was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1877. Manchester is known for its hard working ethos; the factories formed…
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Bluebird
Bluebird When I hear the word bluebird I am reminded of the ‘Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover. Blue birds don’t live in the UK! What is that all about? This sparkly fella would be perfect to cheer up a patio. Blue birds herald from the United States in the Rocky mountains. They are…
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The Festive Fox
Foxes are related to dogs BUT they have a feline trait – they can retract their claws! They can also make 40 different sounds; that’s impressive. And unlike normal foxes this fox isn’t smelly. Foxes are mischievous, opportunists, playful, curious, clever and wise and are often part of folklore and children’s literature, especially in Europe…
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An ode to the Christmas pud!
A Christmas pudding is the spirit or symbol of Christmas, but how many of us still eat it? Is it just a token Christmas card on the mantelpiece? Not many of us. We are always too full to eat the pudding, but if we have it, we eat figgy pudding. Those of you who know…
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In a bit of a fluster.
Return to sender – a salutary tale. A Salutary Tale Prince of Wales feathers or Fleur de Lys? These two symbols that are interchangeable- so I thought – however from a bit of research I find it is a common mistake. Both form the same overall shape and stem from a central bejeweled coronet and…
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The first of the ‘In conversation with’…series
In Conversation with… Rob Turner from Kent A 40 minute conversation with…. – series of conversations about working with mosaic. Grab a coffee and relax https://vimeo.com/user119831089/review/479836755/7e2dc88c3e
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The plaice for a fish
The plaice for a flat fish I couldn’t avoid the pun, sorry. This has been made for a Lazy Susan – a table centre piece. Although these wonderful creatures live all over the world, the European plaice live on the sandy continental shelf in about 10 metres of water and are able to survive low…
aberdabbadoo -Walks 