What's better than knitting? Oversized knitting I say! This image is from Little Dandelion and is the amazing work of textile artist, Jacqueline Fink. Jacqueline has a shop that sells oversized knitting goods for your body and your home so have a look for some shopping or even just for inspiration. You can also pick up kits to give it a go yourself.
More experiments with clean drawings and thickly applied acrylic paint
I came across some embroidered book covers by Chloe Giordano. I love their simplicity... Check out more on her website
Experiments with stark drawings and thickly applied acrylic.
Okay this is a very simple project because the main maker is only 21 months old! I've been looking for lots of arty projects for Christmas that my little girl can take part in so the criteria is that it's got to be fast and can't be too fiddly.
We made this cute garland in around 20 mins. All that's needed is some colourful felt that can be used to cut out simple Christmas shapes (we opted for stockings but trees or star shapes will do), ric rac ribbon or twine, colourful embellishments and glue. I used sticks of glitter glue because my little girl likes them and she can control a glue pen better than a glue spreader. We covered all of the stockings in embellishments then put them to the side to dry. I decided to stitch the stockings to the ribbon but you can always use glue to make it easier.
The great thing with this is that the more colour and sparkles the better because it's supposed to look kitsch not classy! So the kids can go wild ...
The Rabbit Back Literature Society is the first novel by Finnish author Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen to be translated into English. This novel has been thoroughly discussed in the press and seems to be a current favourite of book clubs up and down the country.
What's the plot?
The town of Rabbit Back has the feel of a quaint village where the inhabitants are hiding a dark secret. Ella Milana is a school teacher whose life takes a new direction after discovering an unusual copy of the classic novel, Crime and Punishment, in the local library. Infectious books, ghost stories and secret societies are all part of the Rabbit Back way of life. The disappearance of local author, Laura White, creates panic in the town and gives Ella a research project for her literature course. What do you do when the research and reality becomes blurred and there's some paranormal beings at work?
What did I think?
I came across the Rabbit Back Literature Society during a lunch time trip to Waterstones book store. I liked the synopsis and thought i would give it a shot. For me, the novel wasn't everything i wanted it to be. This doesn't mean it wasn't good but it felt like it was more of a youth fiction novel. The 'Game' is something that all members of the society play where they 'spill' all of their innermost thoughts and desires. Although the Game is discussed as being something that drains the player to the point of exhaustion for days i never got the feeling from the author's description of the game that it would have had this effect. The game always seemed fairly ridiculous than something to be feared. The mythological undertones were brilliantly weaved throughout the novel and it was for these sections that were most enjoyable.
Is it worth a read?
Rabbit Back is definitely worth reading. Any flaws I felt in the book were only a result of the fact i had built up expectations for the novel. Hopefully we'll see some more works from this author in the near future.
If you want to give it a try check out Pushkin Press for more info
This rabbit came out looking a lot more serious than I had intended but i'm growing to like him.
Our holidays have become a bit less 'exotic' since our little girl came into our lives. So i'm trying to find as many fun places to go in Scotland as I can. This yurt caught my eye and is definitely on my list for our next relaxing break!
Mister Finch is a man who sews and sews very well indeed. I was first introduced to his works when I did an online search for vintage plant illustrations- after scrolling through dozens of images I came across an image of a large mushroom. On closer inspection, the mushroom was made entirely from fabric and had such a beautiful, delicate touch that I had to find out more.
I ended up on the Mister Finch website and found even more images to get lost in! Mister Finch is from the Yorkshire area of England and unbelievably has no formal training. His skills have been learnt through trial and error but he definitely has natural talent thrown into the mix. Most of his works have a fairytale quality to them but it's the combination of fabric choice and sewing skill that really gives life to the sculptures. The artist works using recycled fabrics so each piece is truly unique.
I would love to see more of Mister Finch's works in the flesh as I definitely think there would be a lot to learn and love in the detail.
It's completely ridiculous but I have always really liked the idea of animals dressing up as humans. I remember seeing some bad Victorian taxidermy where all of the animals were set out in tableaux's like playing poker or doing chores. When I say I like animals in clothing I don't mean the dressing your dog up as an elf at Christmas variety... just to be clear.
Art from Elsewhere is a touring exhibition currently in Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art. The show changes format in every city but the aim is showcase the diversity and talent of artists working across the globe. Featured artists in the Goma show are Ana Mendieta, Kara Walker and Eugenio Dittborn.
Dittborn's works are amazing and definitely worth a visit to see those pieces alone. His Airmail Paintings are created on lightweight fabric and sent through International post. This was the only way the artist could get his works to exhibition spaces because he was currently living under military dictatorship in Chile.
More info about the shows can be found here...
