Linen birds - 1st generation

As part of the Hudson show - ‘The Birds”, I need to provide a window installation.  Having never done one of these, I’ve been a bit nervous about what to offer.  Hanging a painting in a window is just not an option - it’s a busy shop and whatever it is - it needs to attract interest to the shop as well as the art.  Earlier in the year, anticipating a figure-based show, I had done a few small paintings on loose raw-edged linen, thinking  a washing-line of some kind could be interesting.

After switching to “The Birds” (which is coming together nicely),  it was a bit confusing again.  Little ideas that flit around.  Possibly a mobile, a washing line (again), a rough hand-made ladder, nests suspended from strings at different heights.  It’s all still going around in my head, but in the meantime I’ve made some prototype birds from linen (canvas) offcuts, handstitched, with crazy little wire legs and painted eyes.  The idea is that they have sprung from the canvas in some way, and will be doing their own thing in some three-dimensional way in their home in the window. Do they look OK?

In other news, issue II of Mixtape is out, with another kids art project by yours truly on page 40.  It’s another great issue packed with inspiring reading.  The thing I love most about this mag, is that the articles lead you off to new blogs and ideas, which is kind of like eating a random chocolate from a box handed to you and disovering it is possibly your  new favourite.  Lovely Kirsten shows you how to do some great and really easy home sewing (definately going to give that little number a try) on page 34.

You can buy a copy of Mixtape online here, and they are set up now, to offer back issues - so Issue I (which was awesome) is now available as well.  Highly recommended reading, and they’re getting some great press lately.   Go girls!