Todmorden Open Studios Monthly Drawing Meet-up
Had a really fun evening last night at the Todmorden Open Studios Monthly Drawing Meet-up at the Golden Lion pub in Todmorden. We decided to draw collaboratively and each started up a picture, passing it on to the next sketcher after a short period of time. The concentration in the room was so focussed you could hear a pin drop (and the odd chuckle). Thanks to everyone who came and contributed, looking forward to next month's event on Monday, 9th April 2018. All welcome.
Todmorden Open Studios Monthly Drawing Meet-Up
Very happy to announce that, as from Monday, 12th February, Todmorden Open Studios are organising a monthly drawing meet-up. This is a great chance for people to meet one another, see who is out there, drum up ideas and projects, while keeping up the discipline of drawing!! Drawing, using your own choice of materials from pencil to clay, is such an important and basic factor to approaching art, it helps to loosen up and brings out the playful factor that is so important to making art yet can get overlooked. Everybody is invited, whether or not you have participated. Hope to see you there! If you have any queries, please get in touch, I have put all the info on the poster below.
Journey around Cornholme #2
Here is my response to Karen Alderson's journey around our village. This is just off the beaten track, at the wood just behind our house. Some call it Obadiah Wood, others call it Bluebell Wood (there are lots of bluebells in spring), but I call it Obadiah Bluebell Wood! Whatever it is called, I feel blessed to be living here. I hope you enjoy this video, Hector had to take acting lessons to perfect his performance!
The Futuro is looking good!
It's been ages since I've written a blog. I have been busy beavering away juggling odd jobs (I work part time, which is why the artwork flow can be slow), and then, of course, came Christmas and New Year. Christmas was lovely and warm and cosy, and
It's been ages since I've written a blog. I have been busy beavering away juggling odd jobs (I work part time, which is why the artwork flow can be slow), and then, of course, came Christmas and New Year. Christmas was lovely and warm and cosy, and New Year I was working in Harrogate. If you have never been, I strongly recommend this spa town of the North for it's elegant buildings, eateries, such as The Ivy and fabulous shops. Hope you all had a lovely festive break, I have to say that it is great that things are back to normal!
There are a few commissions and self-motivated projects coming up. I have some dogs to draw and will get started very soon. I have been doing some filming and am in the throws of editing. It's a short promotional film but I am really enjoying the editing process and the creativity that comes out of that is really fun. I will post it when it is finished.
This is the year of the craft fair (new years resolution). Up until now I haven't been doing them but now the time is right! So hopefully I will see you out and about. Please come and say 'hello' if you see me.
So far I have exhibitions booked for June, July and September.
And my self motivated project, well, it is inspired by Todmorden, it's architecture and the wonderful folk that live here. Here is a sneak peak of one of the images. Back in the 1980's Todmorden became well known as one of the most famous UFO episodes in the UK. The stories goes that PC Godfrey had been alerted to the fact that some loose cows had been spotted in the park (a mystery in itself) and some weird stuff went on from there. This wasn't a new theme back then because in 1967 a film was made in Tod about a UFO and, again, in the late sixties, this was home to the manufacturing of the Futuro Home, a real house shaped like a ufo, which 'took off' globally and are now collectors items and of architectural significance around the world. Thank you David Martin for letting me use your photo of the house as a reference.
Folk Music at World Vegan Month, Todmorden
A fantastic night of lively folk music and very tasty food was organised by the 3 Valley Vegans this November in Todmorden last week. It is so very exciting to see so many people supporting the vegan movement. Not everyone who turned up was a vegan and everyone was certainly welcome!
The evening was about fun, food and music and not about proselytising. However, I'm going to proselytise now and say that what is important is opening up a dialogue about veganism and dismantling an often bonkers and unreasonable culture that purports to love animals but turns a blind eye to the profound use and abuse of animals in our culture. We have conditioned ourselves into thinking it is OK to do this. Taking steps to reduce the unnecessary use of animal product, such as the new £5.00 and £10.00 note containing tallow, or understanding that the wearing of leather is no different to the wearing of fur other than one is socially acceptable (the bonkers part), is an enormous start.
Anyway, Mr Q and myself have filmed and photographed the event for posterity and here is what happened........
To celebrate World Vegan Month, 3 Valley Vegans presented a night of fun, food and fancy footwork in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, UK. Here is what happened...... For more information, go to www.3valleyvegns.org.uk Soundtrack: 'Vlad the Impala' by Lazlo Baby, film editor: Harriet Quilty
If you would like to find out more about World Vegan Month, visit
https://www.vegansociety.com/take-action/campaigns/world-vegan-month