Best of Britannia #BOBNorth #Preston

I am at #BOBNorth this weekend in the old Post Office building in Preston do come and say hello and also we are selling the work here too. Open tomorrow 10am - 8pm and Sunday 10 am - 6pm come say hello

Exhibiting at #BOBNorth Preston 15th - 17th May

So this week after the mural I am prepping to take my work to Best of Britannia in Preston. 

It's the first time that is has been done outside of London so a bit of a coo for me. I was invited by Creative Lancashire to have a stand in the Old Post office building for the weekend. I will keep you updated via facebook https://www.facebook.com/bestbritannia and

twitter https://twitter.com/BestBritannia of the goings on. 

Or email me and I will send you an invite. Friday is trade day though doors open at 6pm to the general public. It looks from the website a fabulous show check it out here. http://bestofbritannia.com/

Friends of Serenity Mural

I was asked a while ago if I would help with the refurbishment of a room at the Birth Centre at Burnley General for the Friends of Serenity. My friend Jo set up the charity when she unfortunately lost her baby and has been campaigning to get a second suite for all those other families that are dealing with the loss at birth. She has successfully raised enough money to refurbish a second suite and asked if there was anyway of painting a mural on the wall in the bedroom. 

I did a selection of 5 designs which went to a select group from the hospital, charity and friends who chose their favourites. It was a cross between the two designs above. Using the formation and moon phase from one with the butterfly designs of the other. Once the room had been painted with two shades of a pale green we were ready to get in there and get going on the design. 

I say we, I had help from Carl Hazelden an artist from Colne who has been picking my brains about applying for an arts council grants lately. Part of his proposal is to work within the community to create a mural with a participants essentially expanding his practice as an artist. I asked if he would like to help and get some hands on experience with working on a commission but of course for no money as we were not being paid. . First steps were to blow up the design from the A2 size to well wall size. We drew out the design using blown up photocopies of the butterflies to help with placings and also cutting them out with a knife which left us with the perfect stencils to white out the wall for the deisgn. 

Doing this helped the colours to be brighter against the soothing herb green wall colour.

The paint was donated, specially mixed coloured paint from the Velspar range from B&Q Blackburn.

We used the designs loosely based on actually British Butterflies. They are very stylised with Carl blocking out the colours so that I could painting the detail keeping an overall uniformity to the pieces as we both have very different painting styles.  we also added a paler brimstone to lift some of the darker areas. 

We dotted them around the suite from the entrance hall, kitchenette, and bathroom. With a small tortoiseshell hiding in the corner as you turn around to leave the en suite. 

The finished main wall.........Just waiting on the new furniture and we will have a fully functioning suite. 

Lancaster Arts City First Friday talk and other adventures

Well Arthur is back with a vengeance but I suppose building a raised bed wasn't

the best idea I've ever had. 

So a Bank Holiday weekend of not doing much to be honest which is quite frustrating. I did a talk on Friday for the First Fridays in Lancaster which turned into a mini workshop as not many attended but those who did had a good time. It was good to catch up with Lin who I worked with on a Arteach Project in Accrington many moons ago as she has now moved to Morecambe and tentatively started a 

new business using driftwood from the bay. 

 

Check out her facebook page in the link below.

driftwoodfromthebay

http://www.artscity.co.uk/

Lin Dean from Driftwood from the Bay

Priscilla Jones experimenting at the gallery.

and also Priscilla Jones who I have run workshops with before. Priscilla has started making work in porcelain and was itching to get her hands dirty taking her hare head home to finish. 

It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and visiting with Dildrum and the others.

His competition for the best #MewseumSelfie is running at each venue so you have till the 17th May

to enter tagging @KingDildrum on Twitter to be in with a chance to win the book that accompanies the touring exhibition.

Saturday was well painful, walking, door handles, buttering toast Arthur has not been like that for a while and I can only put it down to the raised bed! So not much else was done this weekend. I delivered my work to Arteria for the Fusion Exhibition, a selection of Swallow, cow parsley and feather and egg porcelain. I think its starts mid May but I will update you on that nearer the time or check out the link below.

http://www.arteriashop.co.uk

I did manage a few drawings which I have put in my web shop this morning 

 

 

Hilda in my shop

Otis in my shop

William in my shop

And if you use the code LOVESPRING you will get 10% off most things in my web shop (excluding commissions and workshops).  With a selection of jewellery, drawings, bone china and hand made porcelain not to mention the hare heads whats not to love. Go on you know you want to....

http://www.juliemiles.co.uk/shop