I love laughter, creativity & being a Mum. Will shout out about creative business & hard working peeps – we all need support hey?

One board I am liking a lot is

Creative Words & Writing

http://pinterest.com/chrissiebusybee/

This is really easy and delicious!

Have you got a spare jar of mincemeat left over from Christmas? I usually do…as I am over enthusiastic as to how many of those little pies I will actually cook. My mum makes about 100-200 every Christmas, so maybe my bulk buying of mincemeat comes from her?

Anyway…this is REALLY easy!

Make Bread & Butter pudding as normal.

• Butter a pyrex/casserole dish, and butter the bread.
• Beat eggs with the sugar and spices, until fluffy (I use lots of sugar so usually doesnt ‘fluff’ up that well)
• Heat the milk ( I use microwave – quicker and easier to clean than a pan) but don’t boil it.
• Layer the bread with butter and sprinkle some spice if you like it very spicy and smear with mincemeat. Repeat this until you fill the dish.
• Whisk the egg, sugar and milk and pour over the pudding, squashing the bread down with your fingers. Sprinkle more sugar over the top.
• Cook in a hot oven for 30-45 mins till it smells like heaven – serve hot with cream/custard or just a spot more milk if a little dry.

You Need:

To serve 4, or half that to make 2-3 servings.

King Edward I began building the castle in March, 1283, after the capture of Dolwyddelan Castle in January 1283. King Edward 1 had already ended the rule of the Welsh Princes and had completed the conquest of Snowdonia before he began building Conwy Castle. An estimated £15,000 was spent on building the castle and its defences. That would be around £9,000,000 in today’s money. Conwy Castle was the most expensive castle that Edward I built between 1277 and 1304.

Like Caernarfon Castle, Conwy Castle has a linear arrangement of defences, due to the rock promontory they are built on. This was to protect and guard the entrance of the River Conwy and also designed to prevent undermining. The interior of the Castle is divided into two separate wards; the inner ward, housing the Royal apartments, and the outer ward, which contains the Great Hall amongst other buildings.

The building of Conwy Castle was organised by King Edward I, and supervised by the master mason; James of St. George and his associate James of Chester. The huge team of craftsmen, labourers and stone-cutters were guided and advised by both James of St. George and James of Chester, but also influencing the team were Master carpenters Laurence of Canterbury, Henry of Oxford and Mason John Francis. This team grew steadily, and by the summer of 1285 there were 1,500 workers dedicated to building Conwy Castle. The huge workforce meant that the Castle was substantially complete within four years.

The A55, dual carriageway, runs along the whole of the North Wales coast, and Conwy, making it quick and easy to visit Conwy and its Magnificent Castle. North Wales railway line also runs along the coast and right through Conwy.

The main entrance to Conwy Castle is through the Visitors Centre, where you can purchase Castle merchandise and learn lots more interesting facts about “The most magnificent of Edward I’s Welsh Castles”; Conwy Castle.

The town of Conwy is a beautiful destination, it has all the sea side attractions you would expect, from Welsh craft and quality clothes shops to fantastic fish and chips, all within the Castle walls. There are many more reasons to visit Conwy, there is Conwy Marina were the landing docks for D-day were built, way back in the second world war. There are regular farmers markets, in Conwy, where you can sample some of the best of Wales’s produce, and enjoy a little banter with the locals.

It’s not that I don’t like Christmas, I really love the festive Season, but…you know what’s coming don’t you? Too much too early…the over commercialisation of it…the financial pressure and the concept of Christmas; family reunion and good will, is lost in materialism.

Every onset of Winter, every year, the same thing happens to us all. As soon as Halloween is over, the pumpkins and scary masks are replaced with tinsel and baubles. There is no time in the retail world of advertisements and promotions to allow any deals on essential household goods. The great pound shops and bargain shops cease to sell birthday cards and paper, there are no promotions on washing powder or shampoo and no chance at all of picking up any reduced biscuits to help build up a healthy layer of fat to keep us warm when heating is now a luxury not a necessity! The Christmas goodies take over the shelves and ploughing through it all for six weeks or more wears the whole Christmas season out.

Most people will agree with me that the only way to avoid it is to isolate yourself, try to avoid any High Street or theme tuned shops, and immerse yourself in self wallowing denial.

But there comes a day when we have to venture out and do our best to make it happen. I am really irritated by people who get it all finished weeks or months before the big day. Every year I try to put some money aside, but then an unexpected ‘thing’ is lost or broken, and my Christmas pennies are spent faster than they are saved. So my irritation with people who can manage to be ready well in advance probably points to envious pangs of better money management and organisation. Maybe next year I will be more successful?;)

A brilliant blogger known as Stressy Mummy wrote a blog, that I read this morning, which prompted me to have a rant. She comments on a parent in the school playground telling her “… You just need the Christmas fairy to come and sprinkle some magic dust on you, and you’ll be away!”

I mean how patronising is that!? We all have different financial commitments and some of us have more children that others. When your money is tight, and you live on a budget, you need a lot more than ‘magic dust’ to make Santa arrive!

So I am not the only one who appears to be a humbug to others. Overhearing several Mum’s chatting about going out for the day shopping and organising it all the other day, I sourly laughed and said that I would be raiding the charity shop in the village. Gosh what a miserable Mum I am!

With three children of my own and an older step son, I do feel the pressure of granting them their wishes. They are all very good children and do deserve some, at least, of their wish list. I had a dream last night about an argument with the children’s father about presents, and after scanning Ebay late last night for a DS my son, who had snuck into my bed unnoticed, woke me uttering “Can I have a DS for Christmas Mum? Any colour, I don’t really mind.”

Had he just crawled into my brain in the night and planted a seed!? There was no link I could think of that connected us both to the same thinking, Christmas hadn’t been mentioned. Clever they are children, aren’t they?

My Christmas’s usually consist of  very last minute panic shopping, when my lovely partner magic’s some extra cash from somewhere..and we make it all happen with frantic enthusiasm, Seasonal snow as we embrace the moment, and allow the Festive Frollocking to Ferment! Ho Ho Ho!

It just takes us a little longer to get into the mood, and of course once I have all the shopping done, I too am festive and joyous, and up till 3 or 4am Christmas Eve wrapping, trying to beat the sounds of Santa’s Sleigh Bells!

How they muddle on eagerly providing for their babies in the worst conditions on the planet. Every one else goes somewhere warmer and yet they stick and stumble at greeat length to get to the most coldest bleak and life threatening place on the planet.

Imagine applying the same theory to your life! I do often, it really helps to keep me optimistic and grateful. Imagine!

My alarm goes off bleeping annoying electronic vibrations at me, and I doze, stretch and hit the alarm a few times. Slowly opening eyes I stretch out to feel the room temperature. “Cold” is what I nearly always say, and then after much mental deliberation and only after compiling a to do list longer than the day itself, do I roll out of bed and push myself into tops and jumpers. With hair that defies gravity, and mouth like a cuppa soup hug advert, I reach the ‘on’ button in mole like fashion and stand vacant, in front of the kettle hoping the steam will prize my eyes open.

Penguin’s morning:-
After the long trip back from the sea through the night, I have no notion of morning as there is no light at this time of year. Amongst the deafening squawks of other penguins, I identify my lovers individual call, shouting “I’m here my darling” I waddle closer unable to see anything for the snow and ice blast my eyes and face with such force my eyes nose and feathers have frozen.
“Oh I am so pleased to see you, its been a bad night” my lover welcomes me with flapping arms.
” Yes the fish were hard to come by too” I explain, hoping for some slither of sympathy.
” Mr Jones didn’t make it, and Junior Jones was taken by the Skuas” He explained.
Exhausted and freezing I drop my head with sorrow, Junior Jones was laid the same day as our precious baby. My partner gently rolls the egg onto my feet. We move quickly and I secure the egg with my feathers.
” Got to go now my sweetness, I am starving” He says wearily.
” OK Good Luck. You can help me name our chick when you return!” I say with optimism. He leaves me alone to huddle up in a turtle formation with our neighbours. I know some day soon our chick will hatch and I will regurgitate my last five fish dinners for him. That’s if my devoted partner has made sure he’s been warm enough all these months.

I don’t think I could huddle so closely to all of my neighbours and swim around in almost frozen water hunting for fish for breakfast. Even if I were a penguin with feathers and flippers, I think I would not grow to be old. I don’t think the lazy ones survive too well, and if they were always sad about being cold they would all be miserable all of the time. I am glad I am human and lucky enough to live in a warm county. Wales isn’t really Mediterranean but it is a million miles away from the ice caps.

I would like to take all the lady penguins for a spa day, with bubbly and pilchards on toast. Whilst the boys can have a day watching rugby or football on a huge widescreen with beer and roll-mops. Just one day a year to reward all the amazing penguins who work so very hard to provide for each other.

That’s not too much to ask is it?

This is a very important website to me. Not only is the greengrocer the friendliest guy in the world, but he has vision and faith in mine and Mitchells web design/content writing and other online skills. This is one site that I am primarily responsible for, in content terms.

Please forgive me for raving on about it in advance! I will be keeping the blog ‘ Food For Thought’ updated, and share on here the ones I think might be of most interest.  So if I start going a little nuts about apple crumbles and start stewing in my vegetable juices, please be kind, and whack me in the face with a spoon!

I hope to become a little more excited about food – as I am now here to promote fruit and veg, and 5 a day, – without becoming too obsessed or fatter, and share my salivating sauces and acme acres recipes with you. Please indulge me… comment and suggest variations to my ideas, and encourage my new dive into the universe of culinary cubes, canned cartons, crinkle cut parsnips and uncanny pots of sticky jam. This is Chrissiebee’s world of food, so will be varied, copied (Not – well a bit, you know, inspired!) hot, cold and seasonal. Wish me luck!

We know that supplying fresh produce isn’t always enough. Looking at all the brightly coloured fruit, veg and salad can be a bit confusing. Here we will offer great recipes, and links to help inspire you to create beautiful tasty dishes from your shopping basket and larder.

Top ten food websites in the UK

1.BBC Food Website

There are thousands of recipes here. Blogs, Competitions, How to Cook, Healthy Cooking, Magazine and Apps pages. Worth a look for inspiration.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/

 

2.BBC Good Food Website

Another Great Website packed with recipes and Blogs, that will get your mouth watering.

Most of the recipes that you find here have comments and feedback. A professional site by the BBC!

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC).

No money from the licence fee was used to create this website.

The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/

3.The Good Food Channel

The Good Food channel has some of the most mouth-watering programmes on TV. With delicious recipes and your favourite celebrity chefs from Rachel Allen to James Martin and Aldo Zilli, we’ve a world of food entertainment to feast on. www.goodfoodchannel.co.uk is home to over 14,000 recipes, how-to-cook videos, food quizzes and regular foodie competitions.

Some great ideas for making food fun for the kids, like these Potato Mice!

4.Jamie Oliver.com

Jamie Oliver is a phenomenon in the world of food. He is one of the world’s best-loved television personalities and one of Britain’s most famous exports. Jamie has had huge success with television series The Naked Chef (BBC), Jamie’s Kitchen, Jamie’s School Dinners, Jamie’s Great Italian Escape, Return to School Dinners, Jamie’s Chef, Jamie at Home , Jamie’s Ministry of Food , Jamie Does…. and more recently Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals and the Emmy Award-winning Jamie’s Food Revolution (ABC), as well as the one-off specials Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, Eat To Save Your Life, Jamie Saves Our Bacon and Jamie’s Fish Suppers (all for Channel 4).

Jamie has inspired people to spend more time enjoying being in the kitchen – and even start growing their own food! His programmes have now been broadcast in over 100 countries including the USA, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Japan and Iceland. Having been translated into over 30 languages, the accompanying cookbooks are bestsellers not only in the UK but across the world. His 2010 book, Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, became Jamie’s first million-selling book in the UK as well as being the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began.

The high street restaurant collection ‘Jamie’s Italian’ is hugely popular across the UK and the Fifteen restaurant group which he founded in 2002, provides training for young people in three locations around the world as well as producing food of the highest quality. Jamie’s newest restaurant, Barbecoa in London, is a partnership with American chef Adam Perry Lang. Jamie lives in London and Essex with his wife, Jools and his kids, Poppy, Daisy, Petal and Buddy.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/

5.Nigella Lawson – online cook along, to her favourite products and of course recipes, and a blog she is constantly updating with seasonal recipes.

http://www.nigella.com/

6.Eat the Seasons (eattheseasons.co.uk) is updated every week with a list of the foods currently in season, as straightforward as they come.

http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/

There are a number of good reasons to eat more local, seasonal food:

• to reduce the energy (and associated CO2 emissions) needed to grow and transport the food we eat
• to avoid paying a premium for food that is scarcer or has travelled a long way
• to support the local economy
• to reconnect with nature’s cycles and the passing of time                                                                                                                                                                        but, most importantly, because

• seasonal food is fresher and so tends to be tastier and more nutritious

7.Epicurious

Epicurious (epicurious.com) has a vast range of recipes, primers on baking bread and making pies, and an iPhone app to create shopping lists from recipes.

Welcome to Epicurious! We are happy to offer you the very best recipes, cooking features, and video how-tos on the Web.

If you have any questions about locating topics on Epicurious, we hope you’ll find the answers right here.

Navigating Epicurious

At the top of every page, you’ll see Recipes & Menus, Articles & Guides, and Community categories.

Recipes & Menus includes Quick & Easy ideas, Holiday recipes, Healthy menus, Seasonal and International Cooking, Desserts, and Drinks.

In the Articles & Guides category, you’ll find Entertaining tips, How to Cook, news on nutrition in Healthy Cooking, Holidays & Celebrations, the world’s top restaurants in Dining & Travel, Kitchen & Equipment, and interviews in Chefs & Experts.

Community encompasses My Epi; the epi chat room, where you can discuss food and recipes with other Epicurious members in real time; and Forums.

We’ve highlighted topics within the main Epicurious categories in an easy-to-use list at the left on the homepage, so you can quickly pinpoint the information you want.

Related Content suggests features and recipes that might interest you, based on the articles or recipes you choose. For example, if you access our Going Global Irish cuisine feature, the related content to the right might include a St. Patrick’s Day menu and a profile of a prominent Irish chef, plus some top-rated Irish recipes.

http://www.epicurious.com/

8. Tesco’s

We like to promote local shops and businesses, but there are lots of great ideas for cooking on Tesco’s website.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the exciting new food website from Tesco set to change the way you feel about food.Each week, I’ll be bringing you delicious, easy-to-achieve recipes and regular updates on seasonal ingredients arriving in store as well as top tips and savvy buys. Above all, this website is about making cooking and eating great food as relaxed, easy and enjoyable as possible. We hope you enjoy it.

http://www.tescorealfood.com/

9.Supercook

Supercook(supercook.com) is a recipe site with a clever twist: you enter the ingredients you have at home and the search engine finds recipes from food sites to use what you’ve got.

http://www.supercook.com/

10.Taste Spotting

Taste Spotting (tastespotting.com) is food porn of the highest order: it offers photographs of glorious dishes, which you can click on to find a recipe for.

http://www.tastespotting.com/

Thank You For Reading!

Here is the link list for quick reference:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/
2. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/
3. www.goodfoodchannel.co.uk
4. http://www.jamieoliver.com/
5. http://www.nigella.com/
6. http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/
7. http://www.epicurious.com/
8. http://www.tescorealfood.com/
9. http://www.supercook.com/
10. http://www.tastespotting.com/

Please feel free to add a comment, or suggest your favourite food web site!

Group Exhibition June 2nd-16th, 2011 At 133-137 Westbourne Grove. Notting Hill, London, W11

Sensation Modern Fine Art International Artists

Group Exhibition June 2nd-16th, 2011

At 133-137 Westbourne Grove. Notting Hill, London, W11

Tel. 0207 821 8717 M:07528 333 884

e-mail: sophie@sensationmodern.com

The Patrons of Sensation Modern Exhibition are:

Louis-Philippe d’Austricourt, Prince of Arganville, New York

Charles-Henry d’Austricourt, Prince of Arganville

http://www.sensationmodern.com/

http://sensationmodern.blogspot.com

SM Banner

A Saturday Night in Westbourne Grove

On arriving, the central placed building, peers over trees, standing proud amidst an array of beautiful shop windows and bustling cafe’s. The gallery is a lovely building that echoes the upper end market of Notting Hill.

Sophie Dare, has produced a wonderful exhibition, showcasing a sample of work from a diverse group of  Artists – Sensation Modern.

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When you walk through the main doors you are met by huge contemporary paintings by the well established Anthony John Grey, bold brass and metallic pieces, by Bob Allen involve the audience with the space of the room. Christina Phillips, a ceramic sculptor from North Wales, has a few of her beautifully detailed mosaic rich,colourful glazed masks hanging connecting the space with the large sculptures and paintings. The organic curves and lines, that the three dimensional pieces throughout the gallery create, build view-ports and stepping stone like links, between the overwhelming array of paintings.

The atmosphere in the three levels of the gallery vibranty, interconnects the contemporary, abstract and conceptual art with other classic, impressionist and hyperrealism styles, such as, Elena Orlova Afinogenova’s Perrot And Chinese Roses, upstairs, and Boris Anikins gold leaved Rault adjacent.

The artists were there, to show you around, warmly greet you, and open your mind to the concepts and intentions of the images, sculptures, and paintings. The friendliness and warmth from the curator Sophie Dare, and Sensation Moderns exceptionally talented Artists, made the gallery an exciting, real, and personal experience, in which to appreciate a well thought out, collection of art.

The smaller detailed ceramics, createdfocal points of detail, stirring the evocative emotions that unite the majority of the art pieces. Lovers of art are taken through a journey of styles, chattering, and laughing ricochet from canvas, glass, clay and resin alike.

Cameras take slices of the moment with them, the hum of voices from the pools of people that attract into various corners, meander throughout the building as the night closes. Admirers debating, discussing and describing respond emotionally to paintings and sculpture alike.

Sensation art runs through as a theme, with explicit emotive series of masterful paintings by the intoxicating Julius Lewandowski, vibrant, energetic jaw gaping talents of Jessica Suarez, who are attending the exhibition daily. Also below the spiral staircase Aram Kupetsyan’s Violini,  hangs in homage to Picaso’s Violin and Grapes, amongst Victor Rapopov Endeavour, 2009 Oil On Canvas 120 x 80 cm

Cameras take slices of the moment with them, the hum of voices from the pools of people that attract into various corners, meander throughout the building as the night closes. Admirers debating, discussing and describing respond emotionally to paintings and sculpture alike.

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Christina unveils her most recent piece, and talks me through some of her work, carefully placed, hung and snuggled up into corners. She has a home for each piece in a well converted and designed stone outhouse. Fresh meadow flowers tainted with drying clay combine naturally, painting the air with Christina’s understanding of nature and its importance to the grounding sensual materials she works with.  A recent circular spiders web, is admired and gazed upon adoringly, as much, if not more than the clay masks and models that adorn it.  The elements may be seperated by huge Welsh rocky walls, but nature is welcomed, loved and thrives within Christina’s peaceful studio.

The most enormous tactile mug of tea, spurs on the chatter, warm giggles resonate as our conversation stumbles into a tone of contemplation and reflection. Christina effortlessly begins to explain her story, describing some minor milestones and life changing choices, she begins to pave a path up into her wonderful workshop, studio; space.

When did you start to work professionally as an artist?

I uncovered my talent for sculpture after finishing my degree.  Christmas 2005 after being given a lump of clay to play with by friend and ceramic’s teacher Miranda.  She was impressed and really it was due to her encouragement, and sourcing me more clay and a kiln, that I am doing this now, I have to thank her for being the artist I am now.  I started working seriously in 2009 after being commission and selling the odd pieces, first I worked doing workshops with children at a local theme park whilst making my own stuff but the art sales were what was happening so that is what I went with.  I set up as a sole trader with blackcutwitch designs in April 2010.

Overwhelmed by the peaceful rural settings I ask “What do you do for inspiration?” Fighting a double raised eyebrow smirk…

My mind is teeming with creative ideas all the time so I don’t really look for inspiration.  I have such a diverse range of interests, which I feed through study and networking (twitter is great for this) and this means that when I think creatively there is a lot there to go on.  If I have something specific to make but am having difficulty starting I look to the materials in which I might work and it all follows from there.  I live in a very beautiful place with a lot of head space available and this, I am sure, allows the creative juices to flow readily.

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When I use bare clay I speak through texture and form, when using mosaic it is surface, colour and pattern and when doing mixed pieces, it is line and surface.  (that was very muddled, sorry!!) I use the face as a sort of ‘meta’ medium, since one can convey so much in a subtle expression but it is also so open to individual interpretation.  I think it is important for a work of art to speak on many levels and to be open to different interpretations hence having a longevity in the eye of the viewer i.e. I have made a mask which sometimes I can’t even look at because it spooks me out, however on other days it seems to come into beautiful life!!  Surfaces add dimensionality to a piece and can speak almost like a story or a painting, glass mosaic gives a depth of surface which is quite other and I hope conveys a sort of fourth dimension within a piece.  Physics comes into play, particularly in the mosaic work.  The glass adds dimensionality and the grout distorts the form.  Different types and shapes of glass reflect and distort differently so can convey different messages, playing with the way we percieve.  (sorry lot more than a paragraph)

W

hen I do Mathematics I often use differential calculus and this is based on the idea of taking a continuous function (i.e. a curved line ) and breaking it into tiny discrete pieces very much like mosaicing in 3D, turning a series of flat (sometimes square) pieces into curved surfaces and curved shapes.  In numerical modelling (which I have learnt within the context of Ocean Physics)  one uses this concept to model highly complex behaviours using a computer.  The smaller the discrete lumps are made the better the computer models the situation and this is like the use of larger or smaller pieces of mosaic to define and sometimes to flatten curvatures.

(sorry hun ) Sexual politics is very strong in the ideas that I have.  All of my erotic pieces are based in this, I have some up coming ideas that take this a lot further.  I think a lot of societies ills are based in sexuality, much more than people realise.  So I guess my erotica is also my political rant!

Managing my time is very difficult.  My partner is amazing and it is thanks to his continued support that I have been able to work as an artist.  My son has watched my artistry develop as he has grown older and was so good last year; it was his summer holiday when we were building the studio but he kept himself occupied as much as a nine year old can!  I have to work part time @ 5 – 6hr a day.  In general my average day goes like this; I drop my son off and walk the dog, do my webby housekeeping while I have breakfast then try to be in the studio by 10.30am, sometimes the admin and sales stuff takes over the whole day which can be quite frustrating.  I try to have a huge breakfast these days so I can skip lunch then do the school run.  As my son gets older he has his own thing to do so sometimes I can pick up work again after we’ve had a chat and a snack. Other times we do the shopping, go and see Nana, go and see friends, attend appointments or go for a swim; the usual things children and part time working parents do.  Working full time will be quite a jolt. Occasionally I take time out during the week to help my partner’s elderly grand mother,  I usually make up the time at the weekend or in the evening.  I have not had enough income to start having Jake in childcare after school or I would for at least three days a week.  At the moment the extra time I need is found at the weekend while my partner does what has to be done at home I work on pieces or net/admin stuff.  Like he is right now!!! )  funny yeah!

I was brought up in and around London, born in Hillingdon, Middlesex.

About 19 yrs ago I moved to Wales since it was where my ex husband had been brought up and we visited often.  I was lucky enough to find a good bar manager job here which was actually a promotion from my position in Kingston, Surrey, and now own my own little stone cottage in the hills.  I always pined to be in the hills and cried when we went home after visiting mid Wales when I was about 12.  I understood ‘hiraeth’ (Welsh language; a longing for home, and the things of home i.e. smells, sights) even before this place had become my home.  I used to have an ache in my soul and it quieted when I moved here and was silenced once I started to create in clay.

Whilst ‘down sowf’ I worked as a model, in exhibition promotions and in various temp office jobs.  I settled for a few years in the hotel and bar trade before moving up here.  I moved out of the bar trade into owning my own shop selling fairtrade clothes and local art work before going to college to study science.  I spent 10 years in all studying Mathematics, Physics and Oceanography (even a little electronic engineering) this was with a break in the middle when my partner got his Psychology degree, our son was born and we moved into our long term home.  I now have a degree in Mathematics and Physical Oceanography and a Diploma in Physics from the Open University.  I have taught Physics and Maths,at foundation level, to foreign students coming to the local university to study.  This September I shall be studying for an MSc in Applied Physical Oceanography at the prestigious School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University.  I am excited about this as due to crossover with my degree I couldn’t sit this MSc when I finished at Uni 6 years ago.  I am hoping to specialize in the numerical modelling of the dynamical effects of the placement of renewable technologies in the ocean environment.  It should  be easier now since my son is older but now I have another baby – my art business!!

My son and my partner are both wonderfully supportive and continue to be, probably because I recognise what they do and do not take it for granted.  My friends have been vital, every time I have felt like giving up one of them either asks for a present idea, tells me how great something is, or even tells me how they find what I am doing inspirational.  This kind of support is so important and really helps to keep me going.  I am also very lucky to have some very talented friends who helped with suggestions for building a web presence, writing marvellous press releases and articles, doing classy photographs and even just giving me constructive feedback about my pieces and ideas.  They have always been so understanding about the slow speed of an artist’s cash flow!!

I started working professionally as an artist in  April 2010, with the commissioning of ‘Heather Sprite’.

I work between 20 and 40 hours a week, I think!!  It just doesn’t stop when you’re self employed and you are doing something you love.

Clay costs between @ £10 and £25 per bag but the postage is @£10 per 2 bags.  I tend to go and get it myself in bulk whenever I can, it’s good to go and visit Potclays because I can discuss new clays and glazes and sometimes get sample bags etc.  The glazes cost between £3 and £15, the stoneware glaze that I use on tableware is quite expensive but it is totally non toxic and because it fires so high it is very durable.  I use an electric sitter kiln of hobby size which sits in the corner of our kitchen, this limits the size of my pieces but is convenient.  I try to fire as little as possible being conscious of environmental impacts and all my glazes are non-toxic.  Each firing costs about £5 to £7, depending upon the time required, and can take up to 13 hours.  Cooling then requires a further 13 hours before you can open the kiln.

My mosaic all comes from Mosaic Heaven and cost @£3 to £5 a bag.  A recent piece cost @ £30 in all for materials and firing but took many hours and will be worth over a thousand, so cost doesn’t really hold me back unless things have been very slow and I want a specific finish or clay.  In this case I will compromise but this often brings new and interesting results so I don’t mind too much, I just see it as fate playing a hand in my work again.  Quality and correct colour are very important to me but it’s up to me to make it right as best I can.  If I can’t I won’t do it.