Another Week In And Out Of The Studio

The better weather has seen me both in and out of the studio this last week. Warm sun one minute, rain the next - real April showers.

Inside, I was working on the second design for icons for a forthcoming book. The book - showing a book - has been accepted - now for a laptop:


Outside, my eye was caught by a blackbird cooling down in the pond, no doubt causing much grief for the tadpoles and newts that like this shallow area. I photographed it from my desk:



Back inside, I was checking and signing prints:


The image in question is called "Lilies-Of-The-Valley, Nimes" and it celebrates the giving of this lovely flowers as a gift of friendship in France. In the background is the cathedral in Nimes in the South of France:


Outside, the large border is coming alive - with both flowers and hens:


I love to work outdoors; These are sketches for an engraving for our niece's wedding in September:


Below the table, the hens are hopeful for falling crumbs from my biscuit:


Time for a break. A plays one of my mandolins, a 1916 Gibson. I love to play the mandolin in the garden in the warm weather -a great way to relax.



Back inside, I contemplate the largest piece of box that I have had in stock. It was made by Chris Daunt and provided by the Society of Wood Engravers. I am one of 25 members who are making an engraving for a set of prints to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the relaunching of the SWE. My print will be based on the number twenty. I will be showing all of the stages of the designing and engraving of this print in the following weeks. Watch this space.


I enjoyed my week - I hope that yours was a good one!