Fairy Tree

In 2010 I entered the perstigious RDS crafts competition and was selected for the exhibition , I was so excited as it was only my second time entering it , as is the competition lots of craft people from all over Ireland entre for many years and never get selected , so I was trilled .

As you can tell it was a lone tree on a lonely hill side on a misty morning , I called it Fairy Tree, 

I painted the sky in oils and the hillside and the tree was worked in free motion embroidery ,  unfortunately I didnt take a lot of photos , and this was not completed finished at the time  but some one fell in love with it and it now has a new home.

So last year I entered two pieces , A Stitch in Time and Ivy but they didnt get selected , you can see these in an earlier post ,  so the race is now on for 2012 ,  I will hopefully blog my way through  the design stage and each stage of the competition so watch this space , I have a few ideas brewing .
Till next time .

Why so serious?????

This is a painting I did for my son Shane for his 21st last July , he was so suprised when he unwraped it, 

I worked it on canvas in oils which I love working in , the colours are so vibrant in oils , and i love the smell of the paint aswell 

layers on layers detail

Seascape Exhibition

So this is me at the Knitting and stitching show at the RDS last November

I was so trilled to get selected for this exhibition run by the Crafts Council of Ireland ,
It was a selected exhibition and ran durning the Knitting and Stitching Show for 3 days , it is now on in the Craft Granary in CoTipperary until april  so if your around that part of the country have a look .

Textile art

Here are  some of my Tea Time inspired textiles 

Anyone for coffee

My lovely vintage sewing machine which i love given to me from my husbands father who can remember his mother and his grand mother sewing on it , not alone does it takes pride of place in our 'Library'
sounds posh but really its just a hallway that holds all my lovelys and a book self. Oh and a really nice seat but thats for another day.

but yes i think it is a lovely piece to be shown in any home not just hidden away 

Anyway back to what this blog is about  Art and Textiles , this is my lovely' Ivy'

as you can see all different textures and even some copper stitched ivy leaves 

and here is 'A Stitch in Time'  detail

I do love this , there s not many of my pieces  that I can say that about , I am my biggest critic but I enjoyed making this one , of course it was inspired from my vintage machine , but as I was making it , lovely memories of days sitting at the end of my mothers machine watching her make just about everything on that machine . There are layers of different fabrics on there to repersent years of making , all dyed to give a sepia colour , and each button repersents each child in the family (wait for it 13 children ) and 2 for my mammy and daddy . I entered this into the rds crafts compition last year but alass it got through the first round and on further but never mind , I get to see it every day as it hangs in my place of work , The Crafty Fox in Drogheda , a beautiful shop with Fabrics , buttons , beads  you name it we have it .

any one for tea 

seascape inspired textile hearts

so there you have it for now  till next time 

Creative Path

After years of been a dressmaker I decided that a change was needed, so I went back to college and did an art course. So as you can imagine my creative juices started to flow and flow, so much so i could hardly sleep some nights. I did 3 years in the college and did many modules on the course, painting ,mixed media , metal work and computers to name but a few.So I would say that this time in college gave me the inspiration to follow a creative path. Here are some of my early pieces from those days.

This was my largest piece, I made the frame in my woodwork class and then stretched the canvas and glue sized. Then it was ready for painting and this was the result , not a real place just an image in my head  ,  dont ask.  

This was a study of water and also turned out to be my abstract piece.

My dog Lucy  she had to stay still for this one 

Ye  was worked from a photograph 

This is one of my land scapes , again not a real place just in my head ,
I do take a lot of inspiration from the views from my home 

Hanging in my living room


And I  havent even touched on textiles yet 

Where it began

and so the studio begins 

just organizing the studio , painted it white floor covering going down

and here it is
My Studio