Growing up and getting practical

What defines a young and carefree teen from an elderly and conscientious old biddy? I'll tell you what. Practicality! Young people don't do being practical. Biddies do. So, what if a seemingly young person wanted to purchase a shopping trolley? I'd say it was a pretty defining moment in this person's growing up. It'd highlight the difference between her youth and her ever inevitable spinsterhood.

I can't wait until I get one!

Button Brained BRILLIANCE!

Today myself and my good friend Jodie decided that we hadn't quite had enough of college yet! We returned, once again, but this time under less stressful and strenuous working conditions. The incentive behind today's visit was to make use of the ceramics studio while we still could. Free resources have to be taken advantage of right? That's an artist's prerogative! And it's not like either of us has a kiln at home. So, college it was!
We'd both settled our minds on making terracotta buttons and set to it right away once we got to the workroom. I wasn't initially sure which shapes I was going to make, so I started with bog standard round and square ones of different sizes. Whilst Jodie and I were talking about the different things we could do with our buttons I looked down at my large round ones and, imagination buzzing away freely, saw a little face peering up at me. Instantly my 'Button Headed People' civilisation was born!
I've decided to make little people out of my buttons. The buttons will take place of their heads, the button holes their eyes, and I'll applique their bodies with different and appropriate fabrics. For instance I plan to make a little collection of Red Indian people. I'll make their clothes with fabrics, and give them feathered headdresses. I don't plan on giving them hands or feet, or even filling in the rest of their facial features. Simplicity is KEY! I think I will start with some pillowcases and tea towels and will see where this takes me.
I'm so excited to start this project...it's untrue!

Oh Italia!

I was just this minute looking through some of my holiday pictures. I was almost this time last year that I went to Italy with two of my best friends. It was the holiday of a lifetime, it truly was. We went from Venice, to Florence, to Rome and rounded our two weeks off in Pompeii. I could talk for an eternity about the trip, I jump at the opportunity to recall any moment from it to anyone. I thought I'd share this photograph that I rediscovered just now. I took it during our journey to Sorrento. It perfectly depicts just how beautiful the country really is. I hope you agree too.

Getting domestic, and LOVING it!

WOW, I never really saw myself as a housewife type, but I think, that if I was to decide to go down that route, I'd be damn good at it!
I love cooking! I've loved it since I was little, making rubbish little fairy cakes with Tom & Jerry edible paper on the top. Since growing up a little my baking horizons have broadened! A few years ago my signature (and only) cake was Banana Tea Bread which, if I do say so myself, was spiffing-fantastic!
Now, and probably because I'm in a group of overly domestic friends, I can't get enough of trying and making new things! Last week I rustled up some Calzones for a college picnic. They went down a treat :) THIS week I've bought myself an ice cream maker! I've wanted one since my holiday to Italy last summer, where me and my friends tasted THE best ice cream. So now I'm set to complete the dream..to make my OWN ice cream! I've had a look for different recipes and have decided on first creating a 'honey and hazelnut' concoction. Fingers crossed that all will go well!

Easy come..easy go...

SO...today my fellow foundationers and I made another, and for some final, trip into college to take down our Final Major Project work. Before I did so I thought I'd take some photos of my work while it was up seeing as the setting showed my work off to it's best. I've got some sketchbooks to go with this lot so I'll scan bits in and such. My tutors have kept some bits though, so it'll be a few months until I get those back.

But for now here it is...

These are porcelain plaques. I made them to look almost like advertisements in an Apothecary shop. The designs are taken from the tins that I'd been drawing from and included in the show. They were created by screen printing onto leather-hard clay, and then firing after. The prints didn't transfer perfectly, but, after consideration I decided that this subtle and faded effect worked alongside my other work.

I displayed my aluminium and porcelain labels in and around one of the tins that I had previously used for my observational drawings. The contrast between the modern labels and the old and rusty tin was something that I doubted working before everything was set up. However, after arranging everything I saw that it worked well.

My alphabet of cork stamps are one of my favourite parts of my show. They were made simply but I think they've proven quite effective. I displayed them in a large and clear cookie jar to continue my Apothecary theme.These are my porcelain tablets. They all say medically themed words such as "pill" and "cure". To display them I encased them under a glass-topped cheese board.