Valentines Day

Imbolc

Marking the passing of Winter and the beginning of Spring and fertility

A Birthday
My heart is like a singing bird
                  Whose nest is in a water’d shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
                  Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
                  That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
                  Because my love is come to me.
Raise me a dais of silk and down;
                  Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
                  And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
                  In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
                  Is come, my love is come to me.
CHRISTINA ROSSETTI

“The Night Lovers” mixed pack of cards

Card payments!

The Mistletoe Tree Shop is now able to take payments via debit and credit cards although you can still use Paypal if you wish.

Please have a look at the shop at all the new products that have recently been added.

The first 10 orders I receive via SagePay will get a bonus pack of postcards!

 

 

 

As the days lengthen

This new print is from a painting I did a couple of years ago and seems an appropriate image to put up as I find I crave the warmth of pinks and reds at this time of year when the landscape is so often grey and sodden.  Although the days are lengthening it will be some time before we have warmth and growth.

crows-song

The first day of the year

Happy New Year!

2016 was a very good year for me professionally:

My first author/illustrator book “The Star Tree” was published in July and is selling well. I am delighted that it has been nominated for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award for Illustration and shortlisted for the Cambridgeshire Children’s Picture Book Award.

My solo show at Foss Fine Art,London in November was a sell out.

I produced my first Calendar (also sold out) and printed 14 new card designs.

I illustrated for the sublime Elementum Journal and worked on Scratchboard for the first time – a process I absolutely loved and intend to produce more images for prints and cards this year.

It was a privilege to be part of the very last Art in Action in Waterperry Gardens in July.  The atmosphere was, as always, wonderful and it was very special to be amongst so many creative people.

2016 also saw the birth of this lovely new website which has been a joy and a revelation to use.  I am hugely lucky to have the sites bulider and manager Tom Grant of Monrodigital living opposite me – I can semaphore him irritating questions out of my studio window!

In 2017 I am hoping to expand the products in The Mistletoe Tree shop and to have an Online Exhibition. One of my first jobs this year is to enable people to purchase goods via debit and credit cards as well as PayPal as many people seem to prefer to have greater choice in payment methods.

This years solo will be with The Lighthouse Gallery in November.  I’m not sure yet what themes it will follow but the success of the interpretive quality of last years show with Foss is something I am very keen to carry on pursuing.

I am excited about the challenges I’ve set myself for the next few months and hope to keep bringing a little more light and warmth to celebrate our beautiful world which is going through some very dark times.