For those who read my last blog, you’ll know that I’m trying to learn to love the number 50 - trust me, the image of seeing that number of candles on my birthday cake still haunts me!  So I’m creating and sharing a piece of art every week this year, and giving myself two weeks off in case it gets too much!

So, here we go:

#1 – Landscape Art 

Last weekend I ran an artistic workshop at Lyme Park (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lyme). It was to link with an art exhibition that they have organised, in conjunction with Sky Arts and featured painted and photographic imagery of local landscapes.

I spent a few evenings making samples of my own, using sketches and photographs that I have taken whilst out walking at Lyme Park with my family.

This piece was particularly fun to make as it involved the use of pre-felts, which are part felted sheets of wool that can then be cut into shape and then re-felted. I love the bees, they were a fun experimental technique that I will start using in my workshops. My other sample incorporated both wet felting and needle felting techniques. Although it is not yet finished I am quite pleased with a quickly ‘sketched’ outline of of Lyme Cage in the picture, which is an iconic symbol of this local park.

Another sample was an attempt at a field of wild flowers and a play with texture. I used some of my hand-spun alpaca yarns (thanks Gemma and Simon from (www.farbrookalpacas.com) for the stems which I wet felted into the background. This was one of the reasons that I started spinning my own yarns, to be able to include them in my other artwork.

Thanks to all of the lovely families, children, parents and grand-parents who stopped by to say hello and to try their hand at wet-felting. Some of you initially took some convincing, but then became instantly addicted whilst completing your felted landscapes. A special mention to the reluctant Dads.

One in particular , (who shall remain nameless but you know who you are!!!), amazed his family by creating the most detailed ‘landscape painting’ which he painstakingly laid out, almost strand by strand to carefully blend the colours! His astonished wife looked on, whilst exclaiming , ‘He has never done anything creative like this in the past – who knew that he had this artistic talent!’.

And right there is one of the many reasons that I love teaching and sharing my love of colour. I love meeting, chatting and engaging with you all as you have fun exploring your creativity. 

If you are interested in booking on to one of my workshops, then please click www.pinkalpaca.co.uk/collections/for-the-crafter/Workshop for more details. I offer both studio based tuition and can also travel to you, either as individual, group or for corporate team bonding sessions, so there will always be something for everyone. However, if you don't see what you want, then feel free to message me or write a comment here, and I will see if I can tailor something to match your specific needs.

Be kind to yourself and work towards a happy & creative life.

If you like these blogs, please share. And please stop by again soon.

Jacqui x