Bear & Rabbit Woodland Stained Glass Panel - Wedding Gift Commission

I loved making this panel, which shipped off to New York just before Christmas.

The client commissioned the panel as a belated wedding gift to friends, whose summer wedding was in a beautiful woodland setting.

I wanted the panel to look like it had perhaps come from a children's picture book, but at the same time capture the romantic nature of the wedding.

For the foliage in the foreground, I looked to William Morris for inspiration, which is always a good place to look.

Play

These roundels are about 100 years old.  They have been set free from some old panels which I am dismantling and re-using to make some new door panels.  But first I had to have a bit of play with them.  They are such gorgeous textures and colours.  The black lines are snippets of lead from my workbench.

It's interesting to make yourself stop work and play for a bit.  There is much value in "unnecessary creativity" (I'm stealing the term from this podcast).

Phillumeny

No I didn't know what it was either, but Phillumeny is the proper name for matchbox label collecting.

I've seen lots of images of Eastern European labels doing the rounds on Pinterest, and thought I'd start a little collection of my own.  I was thrilled with these first sheets that I got from Ebay, I'm properly hooked now, I want more!

This collection on Flickr has some absolute gems.  These designs by French artist Nathalie Lété are also calling to me.

Can't Get Enough Of (#1)... Jean Jullien

all images © Jean Jullien

So I thought I'd do an irregular series of illustrators, designers, artists, makers and general-all-round-creative-wizards whose work I just can't get enough of.

First is French illustrator/graphic designer/film maker Jean Jullien.  His work is funny, dark, smart and visually arresting all at once.  One of the themes of his work is the interaction between people and technology - it's hard not to find yourself cringing in recognition at some of his images.

I love the flatness of the digitally rendered colour combined with those loose, painterly outlines, and the deft simplicity with which his message is conveyed.

He also runs a tidy Instagram account, for a daily hit of brilliance.

Internet On The Radio - After The Jump

image from here

I love the internet.  I devour blogs, procrastinate on Pinterest, enjoy the bantering on Twitter and so on.  But the problem is, you can't do anything else at the same time.

It really eats into your productivity.

So that's why I'm enjoying Grace Bonney's series of podcasts, After The Jump. It's like the internet, but on the radio.

She interviews fascinating people from all walks of creative life - illustrators, designers, entrepreneurs, writers - in an informal but intelligent way. Through the course of the interview, their route into their career is discussed as well as their family background and plans for the future.

I was a bit worried that it might be all too "Yay Me!" for my self-effacing British ways, but  she's a great interviewer, naturally curious and engaging, and the people she chats too are open and generous with their answers, often dishing out sound advice on how to deal with the problems of running a small creative business.

And all the while I'm listening, I can get on with making stuff! Meanwhile, I'm picking the brains of some really talented people.  Working and learning.

Any other recommendations for great creative podcasts are welcome - there is also a good list here by Abby Glassenberg.

Where They Create

JASON WOODSIDE

GREEDY HEN STUDIO

IJM

JOE ANDOE

Where They Create has been around for a few years now, and there is also a book available, but I've only just come across it.

Loving the Selby-esque, unstyled shots of creative spaces, which reveal a lot about the inhabitants' processes and working habits.

It also makes me feel a bit better about the perma-chaos of my workshop.

There are even more enviable environments over on Where They Dwell.

All images ©Paul Barbera

Paul Klee Hand Puppets

This is a great book (I bought it recently for my lovely friend Holly, who is a puppet maker, amongst her other many talents).

Paul Klee started making puppets for his son Felix, but soon became quite addicted to making them.  Around 30 of the surviving puppets are photographed in this book - some are creepy, some funny, some downright weird, but all very charming.

Contemporary Japanese Illustration

 

Looking back through my recent Pinnage, I seem to be gorging myself on contemporary Japanese illustration.  I've just found this site which has a great selection of children's picture books available.
Good old Google Translate - and isn't that an amazing facility?

Illustrators, top-bottom: Hirotaka Nakagawa, Hirotaka Nakagawa, Kikuchi Ki Chi, Mayuko Takeuchi, Oikawa Kenji / Mayuko Mr. Takeuchi

Made By Node - Limited Edition Rugs at The Design Museum

Rug designed by Chamo

I'd love to see this - a collection of rugs designed by some of my favourite artists and produced by Node, a company set up by illustrator Chris Haughton and Akshay Sthapit (an entrepreneur based in Kathmandu).  Their aim is to connect designers and artists with traditional Nepalese carpet makers to produce stunning contemporary hand-knotted rugs.  Their rug makers are founder members of Fair Trade Nepal.  In addition to ensuring fair wages, employees are taught literacy and skills, and their work supports a school and an orphanage.

The collection is being launched at The Design Museum, London on the 5th March.  The artists involved are:

Beatrice Alemagna | Sanna Annukka | Lesley Barnes | Petra Borner | Chamo | Benji Davies | Chris Haughton | Clayton Junior | Jon Klassen | Micah Lidberg | Joe Magee | Geoff McFetridge | Neasden Control Centre | Patternity | Craig Robinson | Serge Seidlitz | Marcroy Smith | Kevin Waldron | Donna Wilson

Further details can be found on the Node website, along with some amazing images of the rugs in production on the looms in Nepal. 

This and That

Just a few snaps of the last week or so.

A bit of work, a bit of mucking about.

Tove Jansson - BBC4 Documentary

I missed this wonderful documentary when it was shown on Boxing Day, but luckily it is still available on iPlayer (until 16th January).  I urge you to watch it, if you haven't already.

Fascinating and inspiring, the documentary contains interviews with her family and friends, original cinefilm footage, hand-written letters and excerpts from the Moomins and her other books, building up a portrait of a remarkable woman.

The last part concentrates on her summers spent at the little cabin which she built on a remote Finnish island, Klovharu.  The footage of her time here is particularly magical - scenes of Tove swimming in the clear blue sea with a floral crown on her head, or dancing around with a rotund black cat, or rowing up to the island in the small wooden boat will stay with me for some time.

I've mentioned my love of small cabins before... did I also mention there are some beauties on Portland?  I spotted these when we went last week.
    

This last one really gets me.  It's got a woodburning stove in it!  And don't worry, there is a window on the other side.  I find myself browsing the huts for sale, idly of an evening...

Merry Christmas Everyone

Somehow, amidst all the Christmas shopping I've been doing for friends and family, I seem to have bought a few things for me.  Like this video.  Yes, a real VHS video (why isn't it available on DVD?!  It's brilliant).  And this magazine (I do hope someone is getting me a subscription for next year because apart from everything else I love about it, I do l-o-v-e the smell of it.)  And a book.  You might remember I recently found one in the series but was keen to find Do You See What I See.  I was right to be keen, it's just lovely.  Too many gorgeous illustrations to choose from, so for now I've just picked the most Christmassy to show.  There is a great interview with Helen Borten here.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  Many thanks to everyone who has bought from my shops or commissioned windows from me this year, I am very grateful for your support.

(And also virtual hugs and mince pies to all the lovely and super blog/twitter/instagram/pinterest friends - may your Christmasses be interesting and photogenic, as well as full of fun, love and laughter.)

See you in 2013!

Ellsworth Kelly

Ellsworth Kelly is one of those names that floats around my head when I'm doing repetitive tasks, or running, or falling asleep at night.  Such a lovely rhythmic sound to it.  His work is equally insistent.  Shape, colour and form vie for attention on the canvas, creating images that are the visual equivalent of a poke in the eye.

"I'm not interested in edges.  I'm interested in the mass and color, the black and white.  The edges happen because the forms get as quiet as they can be.  I want the masses to perform.  When I work with forms and colors, I get the edge..."  (Ellsworth Kelly).