Sunday, March 30, 2008

What A Difference A Day Makes

What A Difference A Day Makes; well a few days, anyway. After the snow last week, we woke up to a lovely sunny spring morning. After a lazy breakfast we walked out across the fields with Bella and back to the garden where I leapt into action and dug up a Mulberry tree. The job is done but at the expense of lower back pains that threaten some days of printing that I have scheduled for the first part of the week.

The Hares bookplate is finished and here it is:


Thanks to Evan for agreeing to let me show the finished item - I'm very pleased with it. Despite my aching back, I managed to pull 60 copies so far.

Here is another recent project - two tiny woodlice. the block will eventually be separated into two.



The clocks went forward last night so the evening is much lighter - I can still see sun across the fields towards Ely. The first blossom is out on the cherry and the cowslips are in flower outside the kitchen door. This has been the first day of the year where we have been able to sit out and take lunch - hens pecking around our feet.

We have a double sided painting by Peter Cummings - a small oil on panel. We change it round every six months with the changing of the clock. This was the winter face, painted in the late 1940s and showing a red door in a student hang-out near the Royal College of Art:



The reverse - the summer face - was painted in the 1960s. the boy outside the window always remends me of A as a child:


Spring is here - Hoorah!

4 comments:

Beth said...

I think you sent that snow across the ocean, because we had a strange late snow just a few days ago! And now, of course, it's balmy and lovely.

How large is the hare bookplate? It's gorgeous.

Andy English said...

Hi Beth, The bookplate is about 4 x 3 inches. We had two lovely sunny days - its cold and windy again now - perhaps that was our summer for this year ;)

Anonymous said...

The bookplate came out very well. I do like hares; we get a lot round here.

Lynette Weir said...

Hi Andy, I really enjoy your blog - love the snow photos as well. I actually have 2 of your small prints - swans & sunlight through a window - from a PA exchange. I would love to learn wood engraving - maybe one day - in the meantime I will enjoy your exquisite work!
Lyn Weir