Richard Thompson has been called a “cartoonists’ cartoonist.”
Snuggle up, get cosy and find out why, in this warm and moving portrait.
Tuesday 9 December 2014
Tuesday 11 November 2014
Armistice 1914-2014
If you do nothing else today, find a quiet moment and watch this:
"War is organised murder and nothing else"
Harry Patch -last surviving soldier of WW1
Friday 31 October 2014
Pollock Playtime !
Go on - have some real fun with this !!
....move mouse to paint; use space to erase; click again for random colour....
Tuesday 28 October 2014
...dare to mention "creative" Christmas 2014 approaching...?
Possibility of the return of the ever-popular, last minute
"Creative Caistor Christmas Sale!"
this year, with tempting items made by Natalie and I, ready for your consumption!
Decorated calendars, cards, gift tags, boxes and bags, cushions and oven gloves, pegs, bunting, jolly jars of toys, twinkly lights, crotchet'd, knitted and leather-covered pods and notebooks, decorations, collages, photographs, prints.....
A huge variety of quirky and uniquely fun gifts and goodies of all kinds, for all ages.
....will keep you posted to confirm....
Friday 10 October 2014
Thursday 2 October 2014
Bursting into Brandeis
"Drawing Your Own Conclusions"
A stimulating five-day course for scientists.
To include lectures, discussions and
workshops on the exploration and interpretation of illustration and visual
communication
A handful have now been inspired to become scientific illustrators and will be setting up a blog to stimulate debate and explore the possibilities and applications. More on that soon.
They were great to work with and we are receiving all flavours of interesting feedback...
"I liked the balance of material being presented:discussion:drawing/practicing visual communication. All seem important for this course and it wouldn't be good to skimp on any of them."
"The lectures were very interesting, but also very slow-paced. I think the lecture material could have easily been covered in half the time, without skipping any content. With the extra time, we could have done more drawing exercises, making me much happier."
"The course has certainly altered my work. I had to make a new figure recently and I started with pencil and paper."
...and finally:
"I liked the balance of material being presented:discussion:drawing/practicing visual communication. All seem important for this course and it wouldn't be good to skimp on any of them."
"The lectures were very interesting, but also very slow-paced. I think the lecture material could have easily been covered in half the time, without skipping any content. With the extra time, we could have done more drawing exercises, making me much happier."
"The course has certainly altered my work. I had to make a new figure recently and I started with pencil and paper."
...and finally:
"I enjoyed watching Maddy read through everyone and try to push their buttons just for the fun of it."
For further details about this course, please call Nigel, or Maddy: +44 (0)1508 493270
Tuesday 30 September 2014
Get Drawn In!
The 2014 Big Draw will run from 1 October to 2 November
across the UK and in twenty other countries, with 280,000 people expected to join in over 1000+ events.
The Big Draw offers thousands of enjoyable, and mainly free, drawing activities which connect people of all ages with museums, outdoor spaces, artists, designers, illustrators - and each other.
These events are for those who love to draw, as well as for those who think they can't!
>
One of our local events sounds like it will be great fun!
Are you nearby? Give it a try....
Are you nearby? Give it a try....
Tuesday 23 September 2014
Sleeping Beauty; Crouching Dragon!
Shotesham life drawing group. Update. Spring drawings. Beth and Robert.
20 minutes.
 |
| http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/maddy-pikarsky/artwork/53323 |
 |
| ..have given Robert a "Modesty Blur" on this one..! |
Friday 25 July 2014
Harry: my hero. Why did I think of you today of all days?
The last surviving soldier of the first world war, Harry Patch died when he was 111 years, 1 month, 1 week and 1 day old...
...on the 25th July 2009 ...five years ago today...
"With a handshake we said more about peace than anything else ever could"
Harry Patch vowed that he would never return to the
battlefields but when the First World War veteran met an old enemy in
Ypres, the two formed an unlikely bond. Olga Craig reports from 14 Nov 2004
Three weeks ago, Harry, who fought at Passchendaele in 1917
and is one of only 20 surviving British First World War veterans, made
the long journey to the western Belgian town of Ypres to meet Charles
Kuentz, 107, Germany's only living Great War survivor. It was a poignant
and emotion-filled moment for both men when, amid the green fields that
now mark the site of the third battle of Ypres, one of the bloodiest
battles, they hesitantly shook hands: two former foes forging a new
friendship, 87 years after they fought on opposite sides.
After the meeting, Harry, who lives in a nursing home in
Wells, Somerset, received a letter from Mr Kuentz, which, he believes,
sums up the pact of friendship, borne of shared memories, that now
exists between them. "Shaking your hand was an honour," wrote Mr Kuentz,
"and with that handshake we said more about peace than anything else
ever could. On Sunday, I shall think of you, old comrade."
If you do nothing else today, find a quiet moment and watch this:
 |
| "Front Line" collage/mixed media © Maddy Pikarsky http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/maddy-pikarsky/artwork/53322 |
>
A German prisoner of war lights the cigarette of a British soldier, World War I.
 |
| "Love One Another" Cornwall photograph © Maddy Pikarsky |
....please....??
<
WW1 Centenary: 4th August 2014
Friday 11 July 2014
Tuesday 10 June 2014
a Woman's Shed - get your copy NOW !!
Well. Here it is. A 3+ year project. See what you think!
End of May 2014 and Gill has finally had her book published by Cico, and it has apparently already sold 9,000 copies and has now gone into a second print run! It's quite a weighty tome. Perfect maybe for a jolly Christmas gift for that middle-aged, middle-class, indigo-linen-layered-leggings-sandal-wearing, arty auntie in your life..!?!
"Having worked for years to strict deadlines and many a harsh brief in the speedy-needy world of advertising and design, in both London and Norfolk, Maddy started all over again, indulging her love of art and making.
There is everything that Maddy could possibly need to pursue her creative journey.....her desk...under the window, is surrounded from floor to ceiling by a swirling assortment of natural and hand-made objects....a delicious, tempting chaos of items..." Gill Heriz
^ Doll posed on chair? white tube poking up mid-shot? use of flash photography? :- ...not my choice !!
- ah well - musn't groan, it feels very good to be in a Proper Big Successful Book.
- ah well - musn't groan, it feels very good to be in a Proper Big Successful Book.
< ...and a slightly insipid, bleached out image of the outside on the back cover!!
(click on all images to enlarge/read blurb)
.......as featured in "The Lady" magazine!! >
"When the idea for my book, A Woman’s Shed, arose, I keyed in the words ‘women’s sheds’ on the internet, which led to the digital universe scratching its patriarchal head. The initial response was that ‘shed’ meant losing weight.
A second attempt brought the reply, ‘Did you mean “men’s sheds?” No, I did not! I tried again. ‘Did you mean “women’s shoes?” Gill Heriz
< original old shot of shed keys
Thursday 29 May 2014
Weapons of Mass Creation
Mobile 'phone, iMac, www, email, all usually just a few inches in front of my eyes:
ALL STOPPED.
Been on a little island.
Will now get back to some serious crayonning with my weapons of mass creation...hee hee...
Check out:
Tuesday 22 April 2014
"Try-it-Tuesdays"!
Hey there girls! A lot of fun to be had here on tuesdays 10-12.
We're back and on task. Playing with paper, fabrics, inks, yarns...and more. All ideas welcome. Come for a coffee and some inspiration!
Next week: handmade fans...
Saturday 12 April 2014
Ashes to pencils!
According to The Independent newspaper the other day -
"Keen scribblers can continue writing in the afterlife by having their ashes transformed into a set of pencils. One human body yields on average about 240 pencils..."
And on looking into this a bit more, I found:
"Nadine Jarvis has created the ultimate afterlife memento for authors
and scribblers everywhere. Coming in a flat wooden box, Jarvis creates a
set of pencils
from human ash. The special
container allows only one pencil to be withdrawn at a time.
The pencil
is sharpened on the side of the box, which holds the ash sharpenings.
When the last pencil is used, the box becomes an urn, holding the
remaining ashes."
And check out these amazing pencils by sculptor Dalton Ghetti....
"Keen scribblers can continue writing in the afterlife by having their ashes transformed into a set of pencils. One human body yields on average about 240 pencils..."
And on looking into this a bit more, I found:
And check out these amazing pencils by sculptor Dalton Ghetti....
Wednesday 26 March 2014
...talking of books....
Petition by Mary Sweeney
Cambridge uk
Cambridge uk
Petitioning Rt. Hon. Chris Grayling MP
"Please urgently review and amend your new rules which restrict prisoners access to books and family items, in particular from children. Rules which are inconsistently applied in any event."
Access to books can be crucial for education and rehabilitation. Access
to family items are important for continued family connection, and
should not additionally punish children of prisoners who need contact.
Please sign the on-line petition. Many respected authors are supporting this and published an open letter today. Signatories include Alan Bennett, Salman Rushdie, Carol Ann Duffy, Ian McEwan Philip Pullman, Irvine Walsh, Nick Hornby, Ian Rankin.
....18,415 supporters so far...
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