Still Alive

I had hoped to bounce into 2015 with the same energy I had as we finished 2014 but I was flattened by a cold virus in January that put me off my stride a bit. But I'm feeling much better now and working on all sorts of new things. As usual I'm flitting from one piece of work to another and only have 'work in progress' shots to post.

I'm sketching lots of mice, building up a sketch book of poses and ideas for more Little Mouse paintings

My bobbin collecting frenzy continues. The old Silko threads are so much nicer to sew with than modern ones, and the 'Bobbin Man' at Tynemouth market always smiles now when he sees me because he knows I can't resist adding to my collection every time I visit.

I'm working on lots of new bears for the Teddy Bearzaar show in May (the site is currently showing last year's details but I'm sure they'll update it soon). I didn't realize quite how many bears I had 'on the go' at one time until I lined them all up to be jointed and have their noses varnished.

That's all for now. I hope to get some painting done this month. It feels like an age since I last finished a watercolor so I'm treating myself to some new quinacridone colors to inspire me back to my brushes. I've also got some 'experiments' planned for new things I want to make, and what has turned out to be the most difficult single bear I have ever made - more of that next time, assuming it doesn't fail in the final stages. :)

Oooh, nearly forgot!! I've listed 10 THINGS for sale in my new Etsy store. Each one is unique and labeled with its own number. These are some of the first THINGS I made including number 001 so get 'em while you can :) http://etsy.com/uk/shop/TheWildWoodArtsCo