Ashagal and the Moonlit Path

In the early part of 2014 I was delighted to work on the most amazing project. One that took me on a journey far along the moonlit path, through the darkling woods and into a world of music and wild ancient souls...

Check out the wonderful Ashagal on www.ashagal.com

A New Beginning...

It's been a long, long time since I have posted in The Tanglewood while life has continued to whirl by. There has been so much to do and think about that I have often felt overwhelmed by it all and when that happens the only thing I can do is, retreat.

Now that spring has blossomed and summer wended it's way back in to our hearts, I too find myself stretching and raising my face to the sun. So this is a catch up of all my weavings and waiverings over the last year...

In July I attended a week at Cambridge School of Art doing the Children's Book Illustration Summer School. One of the best weeks of my life, without a doubt. I was completely inspired and managed to create a little book...

The summer school made me think seriously again about what I wanted from life...I realised that I needed to attend Life Class...

The end of autumn and build up to Christmas meant the Mayor's Appeal Art Exhibition...

One of my great yearnings has been to study again and after the summer school I decided it was time to go for it. So after filling out the forms and applying, the most important thing was to put together my Portfolio, organise my sketchbooks and even updated my summer school book...

My impending exhibition at the Saffron Walden Exchange Gallery helped my portfolio a great deal as I created new pictures and continued to develop my book idea... Together with the talented Susanne Vowinckel we put on a lively show of very different work that somehow hung together really well...

My interview with Martin Sailsbury was one of the most nerve wracking things I've ever been through. Time was short, I'd brought too much stuff really but managed to show the most important things. Received a bit of criticism but took that on the chin (he was right of course) and then went into bit of a meltdown for two weeks waiting for the result...

This years' Open Studios was very different from my previous ones. I decided to exhibit in Saffron Walden over just one weekend for a change, in the Almshouse Chapel. A beautiful light and airy space, I was able to invite two friends to share it with me ~ Amanda Sheldrake and Susanne Vowinckel...

...to my amazement I got in! So I am starting in September on the MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, more excited than I can express. I will try and document my progress as I go.

Saffron Walden Open Studios 2014

Once again I took part in the Saffron Walden Open Studios over two weekends that were a bit damp round the edges but warmed by occasional sunshine. Several intrepid explorers joined me at The Spinney, Adverse Camber in the Tanglewood, and spent time in this enchanting other-wordly place, nestled in the green heart of the Essex countryside....

I showed new work including my Secret Garden series, the Ashagal logo and album cover artwork, plus new fairytale-esque artwork...

...some new and old favourites...

...ideas...

...and work in progress...

...plus a bit of fun...

Secret Garden

One of my favourite childhood stories is 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett. As many of you will remember, it tells the story of an orphaned girl who, together with her guardian's ill son, find and tend a garden hidden behind a locked door.

I love the idea of those first moments of discovery, with the child peering through the keyhole seeing a miniature, keyhole-shaped garden in need of a little care... 

My first painting ~ Discovery ~ is the neglected and overgrown garden as first discovered, beautiful in it's own way but sorrowful too...

Thereby follows the changes wrought by the children throughout the seasons as it flourishes...

 Spring...

 Summer...

 Autumn...

...and ending with a magical winter.


Each painting or print is mounted within a keyhole shaped window.

Mayor's Appeal Art Exhibition 2013

Last weekend I had a stall at the Saffron Walden Arts Trust's Mayor's Appeal Art Exhibition...

It was a wonderful event with a variety of artists exhibiting their work and many demonstrating techniques throughout the day. You can see pictures of the other stalls on the Trust's Facebook page here.

These photos are from the Preview evening with the Mayor giving a speech to open the exhibition...

I exhibited some new paintings, including 'Moon Balloon'…

…and others to be revealed soon, although you might be able to spot them in these photos...

I love a good Christmas tree, this is my Toadstool Yule Tree, which I could have sold several times over.

Received some wonderful feedback, doubled my sales on last year and had a great time meeting all the visitors. It was a great atmosphere, very busy and I'm looking forward to next years already!