Busy, busy, busy (no, really I am...)

So very long since I last posted anything here. You could be forgiven for thinking I'd disappeared in Faeryland but I have been working on a whole lot of things. A whole lot of things that I just haven't quite finished yet. And a few things that I have. I'm so rubbish at keeping all these web pages updated. I had a little exhibition of paintings at the MADE Cafe in Whitley Bay throughout July. I probably should've mentioned that. Told you I was rubbish.

I've started making THINGS and set up a facebook page for them HereBeThings I probably should've mentioned that too. They look like this (though as you can see, every one is different)

But I seem to have spent the best part of the year thinking about what I want to create and trying to gather around me all the tools and materials I might need. My workroom is bursting at the seams but I'm hoping my strategy is going to work because there's nothing that kills my enthusiasm for a project more than not being able to try out my ideas straight away to see if there's a chance they'll work. So if I just absolutely need felting wool or florists' wire at 2 in the morning, I know now that I've got it.

Now it's time to really start work. I've got lists, scribbled ideas, construction notes, patterns and sketches all waiting to go. No sleep till bedtime for me.

First up, as it's only 6 weeks away I've been making some new bears for the Hugglets show in Kensington next month. Following on its heels is Miniatura in Birmingham. Now I make small bears - usually between 3 and 6 inches tall - but at Miniatura they like them as small as we can get 'em. So, with this in mind I decided to miniaturize my current pattern. I was aiming for an approximation of this little fella. He's called Little Blue and he's 3 inches tall:

  

So I shrunk the pattern down a bit and created Littler Blue who is 2 inches tall:

Then I shrunk it down again and created this guy. He's 1.5 inches tall and at this point I ran out of talent so he is called Littlest Blue because I can't make 'em any smaller that this:

And here are all three of them together:

Just another half dozen to make - if my eyes last that long :)

Finally, and most importantly, I've opened an Etsy store. I'm just getting started and have only listed one item so I can get things set up but I'll be selling paintings, bears, polymer clay sculpts and all kinds of random sewn stuff there from now on. I hope you can stop by and have a look. I'll get the link added to the side bar soon but for now its at TheWildwoodArtCo (yes, I know, but all the best names were taken already....)

Way overdue an update

It was the height of summer last time I wrote. Unbelievably for the UK we were sweltering away in a heatwave and I was in a post-acrylic weird place, trying to figure out which direction to take. Six months on and I'm kind of resigned to the idea that I will NEVER figure it out. I love to paint but I also love to sculpt and at times I love making bears and sewing things. I've been like that most of my life - drawing, painting, making things - so I don't feel able to give up one for the sake of another, even if it means never being truly successful in any of them.


So, now we're into another new year and I have lots of ideas for new pieces of work of all kinds. I want to open an Etsy store this year, I hope to have a small exhibition of my work at some point this year too, and, having cut out as many bears as I could from all of my remaining mohair stash, I have about 90 bears to complete. And I've even made a start at being organized:

The top of the dresser in my studio is now displaying a large selection of my sewing materials. This makes me very, very happy. No more rummaging in bags or through drawers and cupboards looking for that thing I'm sure I've got but don't know where. Ribbons are in rainbow color order (of course), bobbins of twine neatly arranged and there are just, well, lots of pretty colors :) and a big basket of buttons (£3 for half a pound at Boundary Mill stores).

Okay, so enough waffling - on to some actual stuff I've been doing. Aside from the bears I've started some more pencil drawings.

 Not sure how this happened but at some point I realised I was drawing every stitch!!

I have some Daniel Smith watercolors so there will be iridescent faeries.

 Some of the 'practise' heads I sculpted last year got turned into baby Christmas elves.

There are more faery creatures on the way.

 Some will be complete figures with hands and feet and clothes.

There may be some oil painting.

There will definitely be more bears.

On to less fun things...

As those of you who use Facebook probably know, the new 'pay to promote' system is driving people away, especially artists and craftspeople who simply can't afford it and have seem the number of people they reach per post shrinking to next to nothing. With that in mind, I'll probably be using this Blog and Twitter more ( @shonammacdonald  ), I'm sorting out a Tumblr account, a Pintrest account and may even venture into Google+. I'll post all the links as I create them and will add them to the side bar too. The facebook page will be staying but it just won't be the first place I post anymore.

 Please feel free to comment or ask any questions about my work. 

Thanks for reading.

Shona

xx