Karen Jinks

I've moved!

2011-02-06T18:41:00.000Z

I am no longer posting on blogger; follow my news over at my website http://www.karenjinks.co.uk/

Blink and it's Christmas

2010-12-14T19:17:00.005Z

Oh I had so many plans for this Christmas yet here we are again with no time left to do any of them. My new years resolution? To plan for next Christmas in January. It's the only way.

Having said that I am definitely getting into the Christmas spirit with frosty mornings, school plays, seasonal craft fairs and of course the Winter edition of UK Handmade.

We even put up the Christmas tree a whole 4 weeks early! The kids finish school this week and then we can relax and indulge to our hearts content. I usually work right up to Christmas Day but not this year. I am all "up-to-date-and-on-holiday". Tis a very good feeling.

This has been a year of slogging and learning things the hard way, particularly about myself and what I want to do with my career. I have found myself wearing many hats, some which fit better than others, the result of which has made me more determined to follow my heart and get back out into the world. This has been the first year I haven't been creating so much and blogging even less and I miss it badly. But as is often the way you have to step away from something to be able to appreciate it more and understand what is most important.

Roll on 2011, I have some exciting things planned...

Autumn Light

2010-10-20T07:09:00.002+01:00

There is something truly magical about autumn more than any other season I think, where the cold meets the warmth of the sun and brings out a rainbow of colours. A long walk through a local wood wrapped up in woolies and boots followed by hot chocolate and marshmallows. Can't beat it.

Experimental

2010-10-07T14:30:00.005+01:00

Not sure these are entirely successful but until I can work out what I am actually trying to do this is what is appearing on the canvas. I can't say any of my work ever feels finished - each one is a stepping stone to the next one and the progression is marked. I just hope I don't realise that the path leads nowhere, but I have to follow it regardless.

I do like this last one though, dark and spooky ;)

It's the little things...

2010-10-04T19:06:00.000+01:00

...that keep me sane when the workload looks like it is going to engulf me...

Deer spotting in the forest...

making useless yet fun pretties in front of the TV...

devouring home made eclairs (made by my children not me!)...

stealing the odd hour or two in the studio...
What do you do to chill?

Wave

2010-07-17T14:20:00.000+01:00

Two paintings in one week! Of course now I have run out of gel medium so I will have to answer my creative needs another way until a new tub arrives, but it is good to dip my toe back in the water. Even if it does feel indulgent. I have 4 big jobs needing to be finished by the 25th so the pressure is on!

Eco Business and Upcycling Competition!

2010-07-16T19:57:00.000+01:00

This week I have put up a 5 part series on running an eco business over on the Makers Online Community Blog, featuring fab people like Lynsey of Swirlyarts, Evie of Milomade and Teresa of Mimi Pearl. Find out where to source eco friendly packaging, DIY craft displays and producing eco freindly products from scratch, Lots of fab expeience straight from those in the know!

We are also running a fun competition to create something beautiful out of something worthless - enter the trash to treasure upcycling competition and win a whopping £200! Get creative and good luck!

Flight

2010-07-13T21:26:00.001+01:00

I've been desperate to start new pieces of work for a while now. My paid work is good and pays the bills and feeds the kids but doesn't feed the soul in quite the same way. I feel like I am heading towards something but scared I will miss the boat if I don't start start preparing now. So here we are, quite rough and ready but real and exciting. Sadly the camera doesn't pick up the layers and textures and subtleties that are hiding in there. I know what it means to me, I always wonder if viewers feel the same thing.

Guilty Pleasures

2010-07-12T14:19:00.000+01:00

I spent many an hour rifling through my nan's button tin when I was little, it was an old rectangular battered metal tin and it made a really satisfying noise to just run my hands through the buttons. I would empty them out, sort them into type and colour and put them all back again. Who needs Barbie's and playstations and all the childish entrapments of modern life when you have a tin of buttons? Children today just don't know what they are missing out on. Actually my kids do. Both of them love going through my boxes of beads and buttons and feathers and all manner of crafty stuff. My other half thinks I just love to hoard junk. But then I think his love of bicycles along with his boxes of weird mechanical bits and bobs, and the mysterious parcels that turn up through the post suggests he understands it more than he would be prepared to let on.

Handmade ceramic buttons from Penny Spooner

These are my latest aquisition from Penny Spooner who I met at the Wemake Fair last month. (Note to designers who make buttons - pop them all in a pot and sell them loose if you know I will be there as I am guaranteed to buy some).

Handmade ceramic buttons are the best of all types of buttons and I discovered them first at a textiles show about 9 years ago (above) so much I can't bear to use them. I have decided to make my own when I can afford a kiln and find some free time so I can use them and then make more.

Charity shop finds.

Acid Brights from Paper Fish

Market stall finds.

Pearly kings and queens.

Handmade ceramic buttons from Hodge Podge Arts

What are your guilty pleasures? Things you like to buy 'just because'.

Shh...

2010-06-22T12:44:00.000+01:00

...don't tell but I've been taking a few 'me' days...

...rainbow days...

...country days...

...sports days...

...poppy days...

...costume days...

...daisy days...

...and drawing days!

Creative Boom Interview

2010-06-09T16:11:00.000+01:00

I'm pleased to have been interviewed by Katy Cowan over at http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/ about my role as Creative Director of http://www.ukhandmade.co.uk/, go see!

http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/features/interview-karen-jinks-uk-handmade/

(And if by any chance you haven't seen our summer issue yet you'll find that here http://www.ukhandmade.co.uk/ )

In The Pink

2010-06-07T19:07:00.003+01:00

I'm here, still buried in UK Handmade and all my other jobs, but although I am missing producing my own artwork I am enjoying being busy and productive. We have recently taken the very scary step of turning UK Handmade into a Social Enterprise LTD Company. Sounds very grand doesn't it. Thankfully I share this responsibility with fellow Directors Anna Stassen and Kirsten Miller and we have taken on more core team members so things are definitely looking up.

Of course this has meant more time organising the new team and coming up with new ideas and plans for all aspects of the business - it's amazing how much of my time is spent in skype meetings and emailing! I have also taken on a part time role working as online marketing consultant for http://www.makers-online.co.uk/ where I am putting all my years of experience in retail and marketing into practice by writing articles and features for their main company blog and the community blog. It's all a lot of fun and it's giving me more incentive to get my own little business a badly needed update and to just spend a bit of time doodling.

In the meantime I will just have to console myself taking lots of new flower photos now that spring has finally taken hold. These photos are from the cherry tree in my front garden - a real charge of pink hit you every morning when stepping onto the landing and although they have gone now I have one of these photos in my studio to lift me when I'm feeling the pressure of work. Colour like this is the best kind of therapy.

Lazy Days...

2010-04-17T18:40:00.000+01:00

Party Days...

beach days...

tourist days...

happy days!

UK Handmade Spring 2010

2010-03-29T20:16:00.001+01:00

At last I have something to show you - the Spring Edition of UK Handmade Magazine is finally finished and ready to read over on the website http://www.ukhandmade.co.uk/ . My deputy editor Anna has taken over fully as editor leaving me now free to concentrate on developing the website and lots of other fun projects we have planned. Maybe I can now find a bit of time to do some painting too, I really miss making a mess! Oh and I have spent the weekend building new furniture in my studio and putting up shelves etc - just got to put all my stuff back in and it might be the motivation I need to get those paint brushes out. I will post pictures when it's finished; with the weather getting sunnier I am feeling more relaxed and productive.

Tick tick BOOM!

2010-03-12T12:24:00.001Z

Well don't ask me where February went, I have absolutely no idea. Just after writing my last post I lit a fuse that exploded in such a way I never thought I would recover from the fallout lol - yes I'm being melodramatic and no it's nothing bad. All good, very good in fact.

2010 started with good positive vibes, I don't know why, I just had a good feeling about this year. Then I thought I really needed to ask for help with ukhandmade and take the pressure off me a little to concentrate on my new found confidence and do lots of pretty artwork for my business. What I didn't anticipate was the people who responded to my plea for help would have such energy and enthusiasm for what we are doing at ukhandmade that they have pushed us further in a short 6 weeks than we had done in the last 12 months. I can't go into details yet but it has forced me into rebuilding the website quicker than I had anticipated ready for all the new ideas and increased amount of traffic we will hopefully get as a result. Overwhelmed is not the word. I always knew we had something pretty special at ukhandmade, more than just a well designed magazine promoting the huge amount of talent we have here in the UK but also it has picked up on a wave of feeling that things need to change in our day to day lives, something that people are responding to in such a way I wasn't really prepared for. I suddenly feel humbled and honoured and scared and responsible for something a lot bigger than me but much more than that I am excited. I have butterflies in my tum on a daily basis and I haven't felt like that for years.

Hopefully things will settle down and I can find some me time soon, the ideas for chalk hill are piling up inside my head and it's all getting a bit crowded in there!

10 years and counting...

2010-01-18T19:20:00.001Z

I was having a clear out my 'office' this morning; old paper work, clearing out folders, chucking out old catalogues, you know the kind of thing and I stumbled across papers dated 2000. It took a while for the cogs to slot into place but when they did it was like a lightning bolt. I have been in business a whopping 10 years. 10 years!

So why do I feel like I've only just started out? Has it really taken me that long to find my feet? It's not that I'm inexperienced - the first 5 years I ran a successful wedding and bespoke design business but it's a massive step to go from selling commercial work to selling your own and I never truely appreciated just how long that would take me. (Add to the mix 2 children and 2 house moves along the way and very little sleep.)

2010 has started feeling truely like a new start. I feel like I have done all the ground work, made all the mistakes, tried and tested and tried and tested and thought and talked and analysed myself to death and now I am where I want to be.

All that is left is to create and create and to put all my experience and new found confidence into practice.

(And cross my fingers and close my eyes and sprinkle a little fairy dust to help things along a bit.)

Beautiful Day

2010-01-08T14:34:00.005Z

UK Handmade Magazine Winter 2009

2009-12-03T14:32:00.002Z

No one told me when I ended up as editor / webdesigner of ukhandmade it would take over my life (probably because they didn't want to scare me off!) but however tough it gets it's this moment that makes it all worth while. The flutter of butterflies I get when Jo has waved her designer's magic wand over it and sends it back to my inbox all sparkly and finished is irreplaceable.

You can read it in all it's glory over at http://ukhandmade.blogspot.com/2009/12/uk-handmade-magazine-winter-2009.html - enjoy!

Fragments

2009-12-01T20:29:00.003Z

This didn't come out as I had originally envisaged it but after living with it for a couple of days now I don't think I want to touch it. It has it's own energy, albeit a slightly broken one (hence the title) that is slightly disturbing but not unpleasant. I've noticed too my work has been getting more and more monochrome. This wasn't intentional but I've been so concerned with texture and and technique that making decisions about which colours to use has obviously been moved to the bottom of my list of priorities. Should I read something into this? Probably not. I am running out of white paint though...

Reflect

2009-11-28T21:39:00.002Z

This horiztontal motif has stayed with me for a good few years now, and I never really figured out why. Lines of trees, dry stone walls, city skylines. Compositionally I like the way clear skies and undisturbed landscapes are broken by the upright jagged lines. Emotionally they feel like a rhythm, a pulse - music on a stave, an EKG.

What am I saying? No idea. Don't think, just feel.

Relaunch

2009-11-24T17:00:00.002Z

It's been a long time coming but I am finally ready to relaunch my shop properly, and to celebrate I am offering 15% off when you spend £25. A good chance to buy in time for Christmas! Pop over to the Chalk Hill Blog for more details and product updates.

Jump!

2009-11-14T20:20:00.004Z

Crazees :D

I am up to my eyeballs in work and not really having anything to blog about sadly, but I do make sure I have time with the kids - nothing better for clearing away the cobwebs than a good run around the downs! The time away from my personal work has also given me time to work out what I want to do next year. I am slowly pulling everything together and feeling more and more confident about the future plus I've been busy sewing a few seeds that will hopefully pay off in the long run. My habit of jumping at ever opportuntity that comes along has only resulted in me being over tired and over stretched and confused. No more. I only take the things that will help on my chosen path and say no to the rest.

Saying that I was busy saying no to craft fairs because I felt they were an indulgence that didn't really get me anywhere but I had a bit of an epiphany regarding fairs, hence I am doing the Cambridge Handmade Fair on the 5th December and really excited! There are some fantastic designers and makers so it is a must see if you are in the area, perfect for buying christmas pressies direct from the makers!

And if you want to know what I've got up my sleeve you will just have to wait and see :D

7.30 am

2009-11-10T21:06:00.000Z

Autumn Colour

2009-10-29T14:20:00.005Z

Sketchbook Peek

2009-10-21T10:14:00.003+01:00

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Sue from Nottingham Craft Mafia for her blog, check it out here!

UK Handmade Autumn 2009

2009-10-12T16:21:00.003+01:00

The Autumn Issue is out now at www.ukhandmade.co.uk. Big thanks to everyone involved!

Chalk Hill

2009-09-28T21:02:00.002+01:00

A while ago I decided to scrap the Chalk Hill blog and put everything in together here, but recently I've been feeling a lot more focussed and confident about what I want to do with the business and now is the time to seperate them again. I've started with a newly designed version of last year's calendar for 2010 to start things off, with lots of other products on the way. Christmas is just around the corner and I can already smell the pine and feel the cold chill in the air. Indian summer? Ha, I've moved on already and have dug out the woolies. Pop over to the Chalk Hill blog for product updates, news and features of other designers from around the world.

Settling in

2009-09-10T11:31:00.002+01:00

While Anya was starting school yesterday I got to spend my first day in my newly spruced up little studio uninterrupted! As you can see I have got it nice and cosy (I don't do tidy despite previous photos suggesting otherwise) but I do like to be sort of organised.

So imagine my delight at spotting this pretty little chest of drawers in a local furniture shop, ex display and reduced to a mere £27! And bet you can't guess what I keep in it....

...Paper of course!! Exciting huh? A proper little treasure chest. So in between trying to finish off my techie based website jobs I was able to finish a painting (or is that the other way round). A good day all round.

A New Chapter...

2009-09-09T15:24:00.003+01:00

starts today as my little girl begins school! All my plans for the summer holidays (like fun, work, diy and more fun) went out the window for various different reasons so there is a lot of catching up to do and the house to put back together and websites to finish and new stock to make and photograph and and and....(deep breath) but at least the daily question 'do I go to school today mummy?' is answered with a yes followed by a jump for joy instead of the usual 'oh' and sulk.

I realised I have been blogging for 4 years, starting when Anya was just a few months old. I remember the excitement at having a second child as well as having the space to change my business -I had been slogging my guts out making wedding stationery for too many years and I wanted to do something more personally satisfying as well as needing a hard earned rest!

It wasn't easy, muddle head that I am. I use a 'suck it and see' approach to making decisions so any poor soul who has stayed with my ramblings over the last 4 years has seen me twist and turn and chop and change over the path I want to take and how to get there. And guess what. I think I have finally figured something out. Thinking is my enemy. So I am not going to talk about it anymore, or worry or fret or um or aah. I am just going to get on with it. Whatever it may be. Now let's turn the page....

early morning light

2009-08-19T09:13:00.003+01:00

We've had 3 days of sunshine and 3 days stuck inside while the house is taken over by plumbers. I won't show you the ugly tanks and boiler currently sitting in our garden so here are a few blooms that are still hanging on in the over run borders. Autumn is already in the air along with the promise of new adventures and a new focus. I am itching to get started but need to get the workmen out of the way, spend a week with my children doing the things we haven't been able to do all holiday and spring clean the house for one last time!

work in progress....

2009-08-12T07:16:00.004+01:00

The walls have been stripped, filled, sanded and painted, the nasty carpet pulled up and replaced with clean, new wooden flooring we had left over from our last place (and to think we nearly threw it out when we moved!) and my little studio has a new lease of life. It will be a while before the proper workspace/furniture is in but with bits and bobs swapped over from other rooms in the house I am happy to make do for a while. Already feels a lot better. It's amazing what a lick of paint can do.

Kite Flying

2009-08-11T11:12:00.001+01:00

Notebooks

2009-08-07T14:11:00.005+01:00

Found these whilst unpacking boxes into my newly painted studio, left over from the last craft fair. They are lined notebooks I have recovered with photoprints of some of my artwork and are now in my shop. I may do more at some point but these are the only 3 left for the moment so grab em quick!

Walk to the woods

2009-08-05T14:33:00.004+01:00

A beautiful day with my beautiful children.

I'm feeling at the moment like there is so much going on yet I have very little to say. I think my head needs a bit of space to digest all the thoughts and ideas and life stuff that is floating round and hopefully it will turn it all into something credible. So forgive my quietness, I will be back.

UK Handmade Summer 2009

2009-07-23T11:28:00.003+01:00

Well we are a teeny bit behind schedule but the Summer Issue is now out! Just go to the UK Handmade website and click the image on the front page. (But don't forget to make a cuppa first!) http://www.ukhandmade.co.uk/

Escape

2009-07-19T19:32:00.002+01:00

Going wild

2009-07-15T16:15:00.002+01:00

I may have mentioned I am not the keenest of gardeners, nor do I have the greenest fingers but since moving here one of the things I have always wanted to do is grow a butterfly garden. Wild flowers offer a much more attractive proposition than the usual neatly trimmed surburban gardens (picture Barbara, not Margot lol) plus knowing I am doing something to maintain the local wildlife gives me all the motivation I need to get the gardening gloves on. (And yes mum that means I will not be hunting down the grass snake just to hit it with a brick. Shame on you.)

Anyway looks like I have already started without even trying. I must confess to having let our garden go a little wild already while we sort the house out - the garden we have set aside to deal with next year - so imagine my delight when this splendid chap shot past me while I was putting out the washing.

I dashed to get the camera and found it merrily feeding on the buddleja that is currently hiding our grubby and neglected greenhouse.

*waits for brain to kick in* A peacock! And a huge one at that. Haven't seen one of these for years! We get the occasional red admiral and plenty of whites, brimstones and skippers and a walk up the local downs will bring you the chalk hill blue I named my site after. But this was something else. And it wasn't bothered by my whirring camera as I tried to get as close as I could to get a half decent picture. Shame about the greenhouse in the background but I'm sure you'll forgive me that.

Then all of a sudden something else fluttered past my head, landed on my arm, realised it's mistake and crash landed on the roof of the greenhouse.

Thankfully it stayed there long enough for me to get a shot before flying off again.......bear with me while I look this one up....a Comma.

(Just one thing, I promise NEVER to wear dungarees. Ever.)

Diary Project 2010

2009-07-15T10:32:00.003+01:00

It's that time of year again, Fantazya's Diary Project 2010. If you've not seen it before it's well worth checking out; the resulting diaries are pretty neat and of course its free publicity! The deadline is very soon but there are still pages free if you have time www.fantazya.ca/diary2010.html

Progress

2009-07-14T18:31:00.004+01:00

Remember this? Plans to rebuild my studio have been put on hold while we deal with bigger things in the house such as new windows and french doors in the living room.

The fun bit - when the wall came down :D

We found ourselves out in the garden while the builders worked on all 14 windows seemingly at the same time but we were suitably amused by the grass snake found hiding under the bin.

Anya was very careful not to scare it or touch it and she made this wonderful drawing complete with black stripes.

Unfortunately grandma didn't share our enthusiasm and vowed never to visit us every again!

Wasn't long before all the house was transformed (and not a builder's bum in sight!)

Now we can start painting the studio and start to move everything back out of the bedroom which has become a temporary dumping ground. Feels like moving in all over again but without the stress and exhaustion :D

The trouble with...

2009-07-10T18:34:00.002+01:00

...bright ideas is that they have a canny knack of turning into bigger and bigger jobs. These innocent little notebooks have meant I have spent the last 2 days (when of course I should have been ploughing through a huge list of tasks) re-designing the whole look of Chalk Hill.

I thought these little notebooks deserved a nice little paper band to hold them together and work as a set but of course my current logo didn't really work, especially as I wanted to use a pattern. It calls for a cleaner typeface and white background so this is the result. Nice eh?

So then I started thinking of new business cards, pretty labels and so on and so forth. A whole new fresh look! Starting of course with the website.

I may be gone a while.

Watercolour books

2009-07-03T14:22:00.004+01:00

2 new sketchbooks for the shop. It was suggested I make books that are not as flowery for male customers so the top one is covered in a vintage mag design paper and the bottom one of my own geometric patterns. I'm also in the middle of making notebooks rather than sketchbooks which will be a little bit cheaper if you want a book for more general use.

(Weather update: breezy and showery and a little bit cooler, just the way I like it!)

Heatwave

2009-07-01T17:56:00.003+01:00

I am not a sun person. Some would say it's because I'm British (you know who you are) but being red headed and fair skinned (ie. devoid of any kind of pigment expect for a few freckles) this current heatwave is making me want to emigrate to Antarctica.

Anyway, British complaining about the weather aside I've been a busy bee, spent a week preparing all the articles for the summer issue of UK Handmade, completing a few commissions and thinkng about new products for Chalk Hill and new artwork for me. Evenings normally spent doing computer work are now spent relaxed in front of the tv, sewing books and watching art programmes (my favourite one this week is this one about David Hockney) and making mental notes of what I need to do and when. With the little one starting school full time in September these next two months are going to be spent preparing for my return to full time work. I am very excited. But I am also very hot. I hate to be a party pooper but I don't do sun.

Meadow

2009-06-23T19:30:00.002+01:00

It's not often I actually like my own work enough to have up in my house but if I could I would have this printed as wallpaper for my bedroom.

But until then I will have to console myself with a few other little treasures I have up my sleeve, Chalk Hill is about to finally blossom!

Chervil

2009-06-17T14:34:00.002+01:00

From this...

..to this..
..to this.

Peep-o!

2009-06-16T14:42:00.000+01:00

Inspirations

2009-06-15T17:54:00.003+01:00

My favourite place, the inspiration for my website name, where even the weeds are pretty.

Persistant Threads

2009-06-11T07:14:00.003+01:00

I had a bit of spare time to myself last night; kids were busy and quiet for a change, the other half had a pile of paperwork to deal with so I snuck away whilst no one was looking to have another shot with Illustrator. The thing I'm most interested in is blending the textures I create so easily in paint and collage into my line drawing and digital work. Vector art is not something I have the patience for (whoever says digital art is cheating and easy clearly hasn't tried it or isn't doing it properly) but Illustrator has tools that for a jack of all trades artist like myself that are like an aladdins cave. All I have to do is work out how to get the genie out of the lamp!

So I think I got a step closer last night - the above piece is by no means complete, I see it more like of of my journal pages. I am already familiar with transparency layers and have worked with them before with photos and line work but Illustrator's trace and fills offer up other possibilites that really excites me.

Anyway I am digressing - the title of this post refers to a new flickr group I was delighted to be invited to by the wonderful Gilfling. It seems that everytime I hit another hurdle I find a group or blog or project (or it finds me, I'm never sure which) that helps me over. And this one is no exception. Called 'Persistant Threads' its about finding the common themes that run through your work and other personal influences, photos you've taken over the years, older work, life.

I've rambled on plenty before about how I feel my work isn't always connected or consistent so this will be an interesting task - I've already come across old sketchbooks from college days and spotted themes I had started to explore that have continued to this day so lets see what else I can dig up! The flickr group is here, go and be inspired!

After the rain...

2009-06-10T15:23:00.002+01:00

Strawberry Fair

2009-06-08T11:24:00.002+01:00

I vaguely remember saying I wasn't going to do anymore craft fairs this year but when I got an email for a new craft tent at the local Strawberry Fair I couldn't say no. It is one of the busiest events in Cambridge and as it turned out lots of fun! Kali from Lush and Lovely was there too and I met a lot of new people such as the fabulous Tony Mills. Already looking forward to the next one :D

Sit a while

2009-05-25T19:53:00.005+01:00

This climber has been busy propping up our fence and I've hardly ever noticed it the whole of the 18 months we have been here. But today I was sat with my cuppa, enjoying the sun (in the shade) whilst pondering, and took a brief glance at a single flower that happened to be nestled against my elbow. The flowers are small and predominately green and white that merges into nothingness amongst the mass of leaves, but on their own they have such beautiful and complex shapes, and a creamy pink tinge that give them a delicate almost porcelain feel.

There have been a number of occasions lately that have made me take a step back and look at myself and my place in the world and pay attention to the little things. To treasure what we have however small and fleeting. To remember that often events do not happen in isolation but are stepping stones to greater things. To realise that acceptance is the only way to truly let go.

I am being cryptic but this is pretty much how my life is. Nothing I can quite put my finger on but every now and again things shift. My view changes much like shedding a skin. I see things that I hadn't noticed before, realise I already have the answer to questions I had forgotten I had been asking. I've never quite understood my purpose as an artist, I don't need to paint my inner feelings or draw what I see or have any particular message to get across. It's intangible, subtle and evasive. But never completely disappears. Like an itch I can't scratch. But I've come to realise over the years that it doesn't matter so much. Having children and watching them grow into happy healthy vibrant people is far more valuable and satisfying than my own needs, artistic or otherwise. That I can be more than one person, that it isn't all about me, that I am one fragile flower amongst many. Complex but delicate, strong but dependant. Loving life and in need of another cup of tea.

Fortress

2009-05-21T13:59:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I worked on a canvas. I tend to have a rush of inspiration that dies quite quickly then I'm onto something new but I am finding as I go on (down to age/experience/maturity/laziness perhaps) that now I am able to stay on the same path and keep developing. I don't panic when I come to a dead stop because I know it's time to go out and look for new inspiration that will allow me to continue and stay fresh without feeling like a failure. Or a fraud. Or going out and working for a supermarket instead.

This particlular piece I have been working on for a year now and finally it is finished. I have 5 brand new ones on the go too, they may be completed soon, they may not.

It's good to let go, you should try it sometime.

A Musical Interlude

2009-05-15T10:07:00.002+01:00

I don't really blog about music, which come to think of it is a bit odd as I am obsessed with music. It is on all the time and heavily influences my mood and my art (when I get time to get the brushes out) but as is such a part of my life it doesn't occur to me to talk about it. It just is. Anyway I thought I would share this little video I uncovered after seeing her on the TV the other day, it's absolutely adorable!

CeeGee Jewellery

2009-05-14T10:45:00.003+01:00

Carolyn from CeeGee Jewellery wrote a lovely post about Chalk Hill a few weeks ago so it's time I said thank you and returned the favour.

Carolyn works with the finest quality beads and gemstones and has recently started learning how to use PMC clay - I think she has found her calling because her first attempts are fabulous!

You can buy her work direct from her website http://www.ceegeejewellery.com/index.htm and read her blog here http://www.ceegeejewellery.blogspot.com/

Treasure

2009-05-09T18:32:00.003+01:00

Look what dropped through my letter box this morning, a little belated birthday pressie from a close friend, I love it - thank you Larissa! BTW you must check out her photography and crafts, we met a college some 15 years ago now and she is a very talented artist and designer. www.giggleicious-photography.com

In the picture

2009-05-08T19:25:00.002+01:00

I've spent years wrestling with my style and trying to focus and as a result created a few identities for myself and a gazillion websites along the way. But now its time to stop. No more umming and aahing and tooing and froing as it is exhausting and I end up chasing my own tail. So here we are. We are Kala online, Karen in the real world, my shop is Chalk Hill and I am artist, designer, illustrator, jack-of-all-trades. Me. One person. And it's time to get rid of the surplus websites and blogs and shops and move forward.

So here we are. As I barely post on my Chalk Hill blog because I can never decide where my work should go (who'd have thought that would ever happen!)I am shutting it down and moving everything to here. I will carry on redecorating the place as I go so expect a few alterations along the way, just don't lean on the wet paint :D

I feel like my journey is just beginning. I have packed a flask of tea, my sketchbook and a few biscuits and off we go. Happy and free and truly excited for the first time in years. Funny what a little mid life crises does to a person. I have always been the pick-myself-by-the-bootstraps type and this is no exception. So before I get carried away with the corny one liners I am off to draw more flowers, see you soon!

Don't Panic!!

2009-05-07T14:32:00.002+01:00

Just rearranging a few things, bear with me, all will become clear!

Picture Postcard

2009-05-05T19:36:00.002+01:00

Here are some of the missing photos from our trip to the beach the other weekend, we are back in business!

May Day

2009-05-02T17:03:00.003+01:00

May day is my day. And what better way to spend it than sitting under apple trees eating homemade apple pie and drinking tea, with twittering robins and sparrows bombing around waiting for crumbs to feast on. After my pre birthday jitters the world suddenly felt right again. I felt right again.

Tick tock...

2009-04-30T09:49:00.002+01:00

My daughter has just turned 4 and after spending months talking about what she can do at 4 she is now set her sights on turning 5. (I fear it's going to be a long year!) As soon as she grasped the concept of time she has been plotting and planning - time means doing things she likes and she doesn't wait for things to happen she will find something else to do in the meantime, whilst badgering me with questions. 'Is it tomorrow yet?', 'What time is it now?', 'Are we there yet?', 'Now?'. Of course I will steadily reply 'No, not yet, later.' 'Ok mum.' and off she runs.

I can remember being young and wanting to be older but I was happy to wait until I got there. There was no great rush, I had plenty of time. Now faced with being in a 37 year old body with a head still stuck in 1998 I am very aware of running out of time. All the things I want to do I can't quite do quick enough. And I think back to the 20 something me who had all the time in the world and feel like giving her a kick up the butt and tell her to get a move on. It's not that I'm afraid of getting old, I just want to be able to look back whilst sitting in my beach hut and know that I've achieved what I wanted to.

Ignore me, I'm having a mini mid life crises, I will be over it tomorrow :D

(PS. I have 2 hours and 25 minutes before I have to pick her up from playgroup, so what shall I do first....

Chill

2009-04-28T19:51:00.002+01:00

I was hoping to show you pics of our trip to the beach at the weekend but sadly my camera died and I can't get the photos off until I get a more up to date card reader. So we will have to make do with a pic from my trusty old camera phone of the pebbles I bought back for now.

Despite the death of my camera it was a fab day out, we found a stretch of beach as yet untainted by nasty amusement arcades and doughnut stands but adorned with gorgeous little beach huts and the cutest little lighthouse I think I've ever seen.

It's not often I find a place that tugs away at me but I am already pining to go back. I can see myself retiring in one of those beach huts with a little radio, a whistling kettle and a huge pile of books to read.

Oh and don't forget the chocolate biscuits.

What you looking for?

2009-04-24T18:08:00.002+01:00

Toads.

Oh. Can you see any?

Don't be silly mummy, toads can't fly!

Of course. *sigh*

The little things...

2009-04-23T10:59:00.002+01:00

I've been so busy lately I hardly had time to catch my breath. The two weeks off for easter has reminded me I need to slow down a bit and enjoy life a little. I never used to be such a workaholic so I'm not sure how it happened! So I have decided to cut back on things and allow myself to say no occasionally.

Anya brought home a pocket stuffed full of daisies yesterday and was so disappointed when she realsied they were dying. Ten minutes in a tea glass full of water soon fixed that. In September she will be off to school full time so making the most of these few hours we have together every afternoon should be my priority before they are gone for good.

Spring Break - snapshots

2009-04-22T13:00:00.004+01:00

Happy Birthday Beautiful

2009-04-15T16:32:00.003+01:00

love mum xxxx

...and breathe...

2009-04-07T15:15:00.003+01:00

I'm pleased to say I made it to the Handm@de Cambridge Fair and out the other side, weary but happy. The fair was lovely, not least because it was in my home town which meant no struggling with big bags on packed underground trains and wondering if I have the energy to make it back home again.

With the magazine completed in time it felt like a job well down and I can relax over easter, catch up with all the little jobs and spend time with the family. And do nothing. If I want to.

The next task is to get all my new cards photographed and onto my website but it can wait a few more days...

UK Handmade Spring 2009

2009-04-03T16:34:00.002+01:00

Our beautiful Spring Issue of UKhandmade is now available to view over at the website - http://ukhandmade.co.uk/main - enjoy!

Freebies...

2009-03-30T08:00:00.004+01:00

...for the Cambridge Handmade promo bags; bookmarks and gift tags. (Between you and me I will glad when this fair is done, they are hard work!)

Busy Bee

2009-03-25T07:20:00.004Z

A quick peep of my new little notebooks with my own fabric covers....busy busy....

A Spring Day in Cambridge

2009-03-23T09:33:00.003Z

Mothering Sunday

2009-03-22T07:58:00.001Z

Wishing all the mums in the UK (and across the world) a fabulous day!

Stacked up

2009-03-18T15:14:00.004Z

I have turned into a one woman production line; all the pages are cut and folded, the covers cut, the fabric sorted (including a few of my own digitally printed ones), just enough time to glue the covers and poke the holes then tackle the sewing in front of the tv this evening and sleep....

Once upon a time...

2009-03-17T19:31:00.003Z

Do you have days when you think the list of things you have to do just gets bigger and bigger no matter how much you do? I don't remember having this problem when I was younger, if anything I had a fair amount of time to be bored. I drew and read and listened to music and went out with friends and did lots of fun stuff but there were always hours where you could just sit and do nothing. Bored. Sundays in particular were boring. I never liked Sundays much, apart from knowing that Monday was coming next and I could get back to doing things.

How I long for those Sundays now. To have a real lie in (as opposed to getting up at 6.30 instead of 5.30) to read the papers, have brunch instead of breakfast, go for slow relaxing walks and come back ready for a mighty roast dinner. Then curl up on the sofa in front of a movie or with a good book whilst someone else washes up. Bliss.

But in the meantime I shall keep ticking off my perpetually growing list and hope some day soon I reach the bottom of it. Hopefully my family will still know what I look like!

Oh by the way do you like my painting? It's one of a selection of children's paintings that will hopefully make an appearance at the craft fair along with the new books I am sewing, new prints and cards. If you happen to pop along I'll be the one asleep in the corner :D

Hands On

2009-03-12T13:42:00.003Z

As I have spent the best part of the last two weeks glued to the computer with website commissions I thought I would take time out to make a few books ready for the craft fair. (I'm not looking to see how close it really is!). I bought some black indian cotton rag paper a while ago with the intention of making photo albums, something I haven't made since giving up the wedding stationery malarky 4 years ago. And I'd forgotten how time consuming they were, even the bolted ones! Getting all the papers lined up and holes punched in the right place with a hand punch isn't the easiest job. Might have to invest in a proper paper drill one day. After a new computer, letterpress, new pair of shoes, a holiday, new flooring for the living room... you get the idea.

Yellow

2009-03-11T11:45:00.002Z

Pockets of colour are finally springing up around the garden; daffodils, pansies, crocus and miniature iris are in full bloom. The days are getting longer, my mood is lifting, just need the breeze to be a little bit warmer so I can let the outside in. Nearly there...

Texture Journal

2009-03-06T16:25:00.002Z

Being kept busy with a few commissions so here are a few pages from my journal until normal service resumes :D

A step closer...

2009-03-05T10:47:00.002Z

...to getting my studio done. Found my other half with tape measure in hand drawing everything out to scale. A couple of weeks time and we will be off to the wood merchants to get the pieces cut - I am so excited!!!

Pods

2009-03-03T16:07:00.005Z

Ignoring the fact that I am a terrible gardener and these once vibrant purple flowers (still haven't found out what they are called) have been dead since last summer, the skeletal seed pods that are left are really pretty close up and I thought they might make a fun pattern.

I have more nature inspired doodles waiting but work comes first...

Handmade Cambridge Craft Fair....

2009-03-02T09:41:00.003Z

...is only a month away! No pressure then. As is the way with these things you sign up the year before thinking you have ages to prepare, then all of a sudden there is only a matter of weeks left! Thankfully I still have stock left over from We Make last Christmas so its just a case of getting new stuff done. Easy, right?

To see who else will be there check out the blog http://handmadecambridge.blogspot.com/

One Word Project - Final burst...

2009-02-28T19:18:00.003Z

...of inspiration from today's walk round our local chalk downs. I didn't quite manage to post a photo a day (which is not surprising with my schedule) but I have a 28 photos that I am pleased with, some of which have already turned up in paintings.

Not quite sure if I will carry on with next months one word (depending of course what the word is) but I am going to continue taking photos and pay attention a bit more to what I am taking. Before this project they were more just snapshots, points of reference or structural shots to shore up my art work. Now I am trying to paint inside the camera which is adding depth and richness to my canvases and I am inspired to keep going and see where this develops.

A collage artist always need source material and producing your own not only avoids copyrights issue it adds to your own personal style, something I am finally starting to find. If I can start adding more drawn elements too I will have achieved what I set out to do.

(New readers might wonder what I am on about - to cut a long boring story short I have drawing demons which are slowly being dealt with.)

I truly wish I'd had more clarity at college all those years ago; all the elements were there but I just didn't have the maturity or enough faith in myself (or the tools!) to produce the work I wanted to do. It's been a long journey only to end up right back where I started but sometimes you need to step away and do different things to appreciate what you already have.

Latest book

2009-02-28T11:40:00.003Z

is now available in my shop, if you live overseas email me and I will list it on etsy instead.

Texture Journal

2009-02-28T11:33:00.002Z

OWP day 21 - 24 colours and contrasts

2009-02-26T11:47:00.002Z

Finally it looks like the flowers are finally breaking through and the long awaited spring is on it's way!

This is one of the perks of living in a village. Our daily walk to school is a joy, especially now it is getting a little bit warmer and you can see a hint of bud and blossoms appearing on the trees.

Everything is a little bit brighter, a little bit greener, makes you want to through open the windows and take down the curtains and give everything a good clean. But not just yet, it is still a teeny bit too chilly to go that far but I am enjoying recording the changes as they happen.

Texture Journal

2009-02-25T16:50:00.003Z

I think this must be my favourite journal / sketchbook so far, no rules, no stressing over wasted pages because everything came out rubbish, everything a sketchbook should be.

I've been told I think too much, analyse too much and this gets in the way of my creating. It's true but it's not something I can necessarily do anything about. To ask me not to think about what I do is like asking me not to breathe but maybe its time I learned to breathe a bit easier. Close my eyes and not worry about the outcome. Learn to trust myself more. This is something I could have done learning in my 20's but better late than never!

OWP day 20

2009-02-24T12:05:00.003Z

Ooops keep forgetting to post my one word photos so getting a bit behind!

As all mums will tell you there is nothing more inspirational than your own children. Both of mine have seem to inherited an artistic streak which is fantastic to watch. My son loves drawing; give him a pen and a blank piece of paper and he couldn't be happier.

I have watched him in awe over the last 10 years as he has a freedom and imagination that I wasn't blessed with but my daughter seems to have my love of paint and colour and will happily paint just for the sake of it. I will often catch her in my workroom desperately trying to find where I've hidden my expensive pencils and will painstakingly go through her all her colouring books. Even at the age of 3 she doesn't go over the lines (an obsessiveness also inherited from me I fear).

I've never been a pushy mum, I'd rather allow them to be themselves and guide them when I think it might help them take that extra step. It would be fair to say I have learned more from them!

Cuteable

2009-02-24T11:34:00.004Z

I was excited to see my mini paintings pop on cuteable this morning - thanks guys! The paintings have gone in to my shop and if anyone outside of the UK wants one please let me know and I'll list them on etsy too.

Step by step

2009-02-23T12:52:00.003Z

When I get a spare child free five minutes I try to sit and learn a bit more on Illustrator. I have mastered the pattern feature but for the kind of artwork I want to do for my portfolio I need to learn how to add textures and collage effects to my drawings and photographs. Bit by bit it's slotting into place. It's not that the software is difficult to use but there is SO much of it and finding your way round and making sense of what it can and can't do is mind boggling. With these two gerberas we have worked (albeit badly) on gradients and textures and next on the list is clipping masks. Anyone got a spare brain they can lend me?

Starting them young...

2009-02-23T08:05:00.003Z

My son has started blogging again - now a very grown 10 years old and developing into a talented little illustrator in his own right. He did this line drawing and scanned it into Illustrator and I think he needs to start giving me lessons! You can see his work, old and new, here.

Texture Journal

2009-02-21T16:34:00.002Z

I may well have posted these before but as with most of my journals and sketchbooks I only get so far then never touch them again. This one however has been picked back up and is going to be finished. Honest! With each new canvas comes a new page in my journal as I reuse the leftover sheet from the image transfers and incorporate drawings and doodles, hopefully to push and develop new textile designs at some point in the future. But the wind changes direction a lot round here so we shall see!

OWP day 18, 19

2009-02-20T15:31:00.002Z

These are my daughters first pair of 'proper' shoes bought for her by a member of the family for her first birthday. Although she had been walking for a good few months these were too stiff for her to walk in properly and then she grew out of them! I kept them anyway as they are just too pretty. Every little girl wants to be a ballerina or princess and my little tomboy is no exception. The pink gene kicks in eventually!

This book is the first one I made using my own fabric and has become my signature design. The daisy is a motif that seems to have followed me through life, an association to my childhood where I remember watching my mum make daisy chains. Often it is the simple things in life that we treasure most.

Illustration Friday - Instinct

2009-02-20T13:27:00.002Z

Nature uses a lot of tricks to keep predators away; most instinctively know that red = danger but whether it protect protects the prey or the victim who can tell.

Mini canvases

2009-02-18T17:42:00.003Z

Stop the presses I have finished something! I started these little babies ages ago but got stuck with them so left them alone until inspiration struck. If you look closely you'll see image transfers of some of my one word photos. They are teeny 15 x 15 cm gallery wrapped canvas and I may list them on my website at some point. Just enjoying looking at them for now.

OWP - Inspire, work in progress

2009-02-18T12:11:00.003Z

Finally got the paints out and started some new work. The lino cuts are for the next issue of UK Handmade magazine due out in march, where I am reviewing Lotta Jansdotter's new print book which has sparked all sorts of new ideas, and the canvas is using one of my one word photos. Looks a bit of a mess at the moment but will hopefully pull together.

OWP day 15, 16,

2009-02-16T15:44:00.001Z

I am trying to remember to take my camera out with me now so I can grab interesting textures and graphic shapes for backgrounds in my illustrations or paintings. Here we have a peeling door and view through a scout hut window.

OWP day 13, 14

2009-02-16T10:24:00.000Z

After all the snow the weather seems to have finally turned, brighter and warmer and more spring like. These beautiful silver birches in our local park just stood out against the bright blue sky. Delicious.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T08:05:00.002Z

OWP day 12 - In the Pink

2009-02-12T10:55:00.002Z

The sun is shining, I'm on top of my work for a change, the house is coming together, everyone is happy and healthy, there is a lot to be grateful for.

OWP day 9, 10, 11

2009-02-11T15:23:00.003Z

The last of the snow /tree photos, tomorrow we start on the paintings :D

OWP day 6,7,8

2009-02-10T18:09:00.004Z

Not long after these were taken it started raining, the snow has gone now so I made it just in time! Will have fun playing with these, especially this last one. The branches look like mad lightening flashes and will make a great texture.

Where did all the colour go?

2009-02-10T10:20:00.003Z

I must confess to having a 'uh oh what have we done' moment when we started painting the woodwork white. Felt like I should be floating around in long frilly dresses and floppy hats a la Yoko Ono but I am telling myself this is a good thing. I have two children, two cats and do not have housework at the top of my list of daily priorities so it will be interesting to see how long it is before I'm getting out the paint charts looking for dirt friendly colours. Having said now I am starting to put things back in place and once artwork goes back up on the walls it will start to really come into it's own. And of course with my books safely stored in their new home and de cluttering well under way I am one step closer to having my new studio built. I can't wait!

OWP day 3,4,5

2009-02-09T12:21:00.002Z

Oops - got a bit of catching up to do! One of my favourtie haunts is a small country park which is beautiful any time of year, but particularly stunning when it's been snowing.