So Christmas is over again – I hope yours was a happy one. Now its time to say goodbye to the lights and baubles but although I’ll miss them, I love January and all the possibilities it brings. I love a blank diary!
My first few days back at work finds me clearing out the real and imagined clutter of the past year. I have chores to finish…sigh. But happily I also have some commissions to start and a load of new ideas for the year ahead.
I know lots of people set themselves challenges at this time of year and I love following the ones that pop up on places like Instagram where you take a photo every week on a certain theme etc. My problem is I’m good at starting things and then forgetting them when real life gets in the way. Its quite hard to stick to things that aren’t essential. But I spent some of 2018 working with linocutting and loving it, so for the coming year I thought I’d challenge myself to draw and make a linocut print once a month at least and post the results here. By the end of the year I should have a calendar of prints to look back on and hopefully I’ll be able to see an improvement over the year. We’ll see how that goes, ha ha. The print at the top of the page is one I did very quickly over Christmas. Quality wise its not fine but I’ve been enjoying playing around with style and shapes rather than worrying about the skill. This one has the rustic woodcut feel that you see in old books and I quite like that.
This month also finds me playing with papercuts as I’m getting some new work together for a three month showcase. From February I’ll be back at the beautiful Designer Makers in Diss, a place that’s very special to me as its one of the first places that stocked my work and supported me when I started out as an artist. Getting support from experienced and artists is so important when you’re starting out so I’m really pleased to be asked back by them as a guest. Unlike commission work, exhibitions allow you lots of freedom to play around with ideas and see what works. It is very nice allowing myself to experiment for a few weeks.
I’d like to see more of my customers in 2019. If you fancy trying your hand at a new skill I’m offering papercutting and silver clay workshops this month and next, here in Norfolk. I have all the details on my Etsy shop (click on Shop at the top of the blog page) but in a nutshell its a one-day course suitable for beginners which teaches you all the basic skills you need to make your own papercut. Refreshments and equipment are all included and we work in small groups which makes it a perfect thing to do with friends.
My 2019 order book for wedding papercuts or personalised gifts is also now open. So if you’re stuck thinking of what you can buy someone special then why not commission a personalised papercut? Family trees, new baby papercuts, christenings, weddings – I’m open to your ideas. A few examples are below and you can find more on my FB page here
Last year was a really good one for my little business and I’m thankful that so many of you have visited me, commented on my posts, bought from my shop and given me commissions. Your support quite literally keeps me going and its wonderful being part of a community that cares about artists and makers and enjoys their work. So thank you and please keep in touch!
serenpapercuts 