Wednesday 31 December 2008

Waving Lady Bread


Spelt flour made at the Letheringsett Watermill in Holt Norfolk. The flour bakes better bread and feels better that its a local product that I am happy to support.
Just a few weeks ago the government dropped the bread weights, which were traditionally put in place to stop bakers cheating us of flour and making them smaller and smaller. The law made bread look rectangular for a very long time. Now bread can be any shape, weight and size.
I had no idea that the bread law even existed and have always made my bread sculptural as it is a great opportunity to be creative with the dough.
When I was a child I use to make dough fake food for my dolls house. The dough consists of salt and flour.

Tuesday 30 December 2008

Eloise Chocolates

This year for Christmas presents I made homemade chocolates. The box I made from a washing machine box my neighbour had delivered and scrap pieces of wood.
The box is tough enough to post although I left posting the chocolates to the last minute and people will receive them after Christmas.
I tried to find peppermint essence but shops don't sell it anymore, but I wanted to make peppermint creams. I used the same ingredients and added coffee liquor and orange liquor.
I made cappuccino chocolate's, tirimisu and coconut ice.

I found some little paper cup cake holders for the sweets in a back street local shop.
I decided not to paint the boxes with fancy designs as I am in a cooking mode and have to keep a nose out for the oven.
Norwich had a chocolate factory in the centre of the city, which employed a lot of people. The smell of chocolate from a factory is a smell you good never get annoyed about. The city was a pleasant place to live with the wafts of mouth watering chocolate.
The factory employed more people at busy times like Easter eggs. I watched over the years the sign on the factory changing hands to different company's.
My desire to run a chocolate factory has stemmed from early childhood when adults use to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. "I want to have my own chocolate factory" There faces were full of joy then horror that my teeth may rot. My answer to that is the company would also have a false teeth factory next door.
When I was in Tasmania with my lovely friend Wendy showing me the delights of Tasmania, we went to visit the Chocolate factory on the river near Hobart. The factory floor looked like any other factory not very colourful and the shop and kids entertainment was very colourful. I saw the biggest bar of chocolate in the world which would do as a front door. There were bags of cheap rejects. I could not resist a huge bag of orange creams. Which I indulged in, as I traveled around beautiful Tasmania, looking through rose tinted sugar glasses.
When I got back to Norwich after being away for several years the Chocolate factory had closed and was being developed by yet another shopping mall.
Now the city smells of nasty chemicals from the chemical factory.



Monday 29 December 2008

Trestool

I made two stools that can be doubled up as the base for a tresal table if a big board was put across them. There is also a storage bottom shelve and this could be made bigger with a plank of wood if it was made into a tresal table. The materials I used is all reclaimed.
I went for an oval seat shape, as peoples bottoms are bigger these days.

I am using them to hold my plants that I have brought in for winter and the flowers my friend Mick gives me every year for Christmas



Saturday 27 December 2008

Flirtation Chair


My latest furniture design, a soft sculptural stool. The stool has large arm rests, a moving backrest, fold up foot rest and two shelves to hold kitchen equipment and four wheels.
The stool is high enough to reach my guitar bar.
I have painted it a pale blue but will still paint a pattern on the blue. The stools backrest is upholstered with white satin fabric in the shape of an upper torso of a lady with two moving stuffed arms. The seat is the door off my old wardrobe which has a dark veneer on it. The seat cushion is two naked legs with feet and a pink merkin.
I was in a design dilemma as to design a fold up stool or a stool that is there all the time, being in such a tiny flat I thought more shelve space the better, then the flat becomes a ship.
My bread maker fits perfectly on the bottom shelve.


The chair is headless but when you sit in there chair it automatically has a head.

The first impression sitting in the chair was how cosy it is, I wrapped the arms around myself and sat there for ages.

the legs also fold and are washable I just used ribbon ties at the hips to attach to the chair.

I made pink P.V.C. nails to go on the chair but decided not to put them on.
The first strange chair I made was a two seater chair covered with arms I called it a cuddle chair.
Then I had a set of Australian deckchairs which are a different design to UK deck chairs, I made covers for them and one of them was called the hairy chair because I sewed Miguel's hair into the chair cover.
Then I made a complete naked couple as car seat covers the arms of the seat cover made the seat belt more comfortable, unfortunately the car got impounded for unpaid loud music at party fines.
I plan to make a male version of the flirtation chair with very hairy legs.

Friday 26 December 2008

Norwich Arts centre hospital theatres Chrsitmas party part 5

The singer Steve of the 2nd band 

Three backing girls (Karen, Caroline and Carole, lead singer Steve and drummer.

Lead singer Steve with his flashing shades



On stage costume change for the backing singers Karen, Caroline and Carole and Mel on Bass Guitar.



Guitarist



Thursday 25 December 2008

Norwich arts centre Hospital theatres christmas party part 3



Emma Jarvis hugging her microphone stand.

Darren Betts (Dazzar) on base and John Harrod on guitar.

Drawing dancers in the audience Bekay Elliss and Nadine Barford.



I don't know who this is but I forgot her legs.


Wednesday 24 December 2008

Norwich Arts Centre Hospital Theatre Christmas Party part 2

The Band arrive on stage, Emma Jarvis in her Grease the film style all in one cat suit and little high heals. Her first number was a cover of Amy Whitehouse to get everyone in the party mood.
I gave my camera to Robert as I had the urge to start drawing.


Emma Jarvis drawn on A3 paper with with an 3b pencil drawn in the three minutes to the length of the song. Emma Jarvis is also the hospital Arts coordinator for the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. She is also a very good singer song writer and she teamed up with a group of hospital staff and formed a band. The band played for the first time last year and was a huge success, this year they practiced lots of new songs.



Emma Jarvis with Paul Chapman the very good drummer. I start to attract a little crowd watching me draw. A little boy watched me sketch the band all the time. I did offer if he wanted to do some drawing too but he was more interested in watching me draw.
The dog is the back round projection behind the band.




Mr Spax (David Spackman) and Emma Jarvis, the arms in this one went wonky.



Mr.Spax (David Spackman) on guitar drawn better, on request of his son, who was watching me draw in the audience.
More special Christmas day, drawings tomorrow.





Tuesday 23 December 2008

Norwich Arts Centre Hospital theatres Christmas party

In the bar at the Arts centre on Saint Bendick's in Norwich. Met up with the groupies Tim, Robert, Mick and Ray. The bar has real ales in a barrel and a good range of non alcoholic drinks, I stuck to the ginger beer as I had been running around all day.
The bell went in the bar for us to go in and see the band. We stood by the church pillar on the right. The stage is covered in instruments and glitter.

The kiss projection on the wall of the arts centre. Showing a Carry on Comedy film. It had to be the hospital one. I remember watching it as a child and the laughing gas scene always stuck in my mind.




Mike and Ray sitting below the film projection in the bar.
More of the Hospital theatres Christmas party over the next few Christmasy days. Made into a 4 part series. Mainly because I completely forgot the names of the 2nd band on that night. Please do leave a comment if you know all the names of the band members.


Monday 22 December 2008

Miffed

A painting inspired by a Dutch artist, challenged by my boyfriend that the character is impossible to copy. I think I agree that the character is impossible to do exactly. So the painting is is made up of all the characters brothers and sisters.
The painting sold to a lovely dutch couple from Alkmaar in Holland, who came over to the Norwich for the weekend. We had a great time playing games and visiting the beach and gallery's around Norfolk.

Sunday 21 December 2008

Merry Christmas Everyone

To all the my blogging fans a special Christmas card. Happy Christmas have a great holiday, reuse your old cards and envelopes and paper.

Saturday 20 December 2008

Art in a can


Olympic man.

Green woman.


Two clouds.



Self portrait super hero artist



Egg race.




Art in can even more.

Oh, Brother.
Pink flowers.


Water.


Beaky birds.



Three loves.




Friday 19 December 2008

Art in a can more paintings

Waves int he sea.

British Sun bather.

Big wave.



2nd world war.


Questioning.




Thursday 18 December 2008

Art in a Can paintings

A painting of Robert washing up after dinner.

After dinner coffee using an espresso machine on the electric stove.

Robert posting his stop junk mail envelope reuse labels to people around the world.


Inspired by Yoko Ono's new public sculpture of a light tower in Iceland that does the SOS I Love You in Morse code to the world. She gave me a small version of her light tower at her performance at the big freeze in London.




A painting of an energy saving light bulb. Which seem to be popular for companies to give away as gifts as there marketing tool, a better gift then a piece of junk mail.