City Of Dreams

Thinking about today's blog, it could have been about some new designs I've finished.

Or about preparations for the Brighton Festival Open Houses which start a week today.

Or about the lovely new place we've moved into at work.

But I can't stop thinking about the fact that last night I booked a trip to the city I love most in the world, my most visited foreign destination and (almost) my second home - Palma de Mallorca.

So it's going to be about that instead.

Say Mallorca to most people and hideous visions of sunburnt, drunken youths staggering around and behaving badly spring immediately to mind.  Well, whilst that certainly does happen in some parts of the island (as I can confirm when I was condemned to Magaluf for a fortnight on an 'allocation on arrival' holiday in 1997) the rest is really beautiful - and in so many different ways. Seeing the names of towns is like reading exotic poetry - Puigpunyent, Orient, Marratxi, Son Sardina, Sencelles, Montuïri, Palmanyola.  I get excited when I see them on a map.

My homemade Mallorca poster circa 1999

From Palma you can get across the island and back easily in a day by car - maybe stopping for a mid-morning café con leche in a town almost untouched by tourism, then spend the rest of the day on a pine-fringed beach, swimming in turquoise sea and snaffling up grilled prawns and olives for lunch. On the way back, you could detour up a winding road to the peaceful grounds of a monastery to watch the late afternoon light fall across the flat plain in the centre of the island while the mountains turn smoky blue in the distance, before returning to Palma for either chilled or lively nightlife in any number of lovely bars and restaurants.  Flipping 'eck - I sound like a tourist guide.

The garden of the bar Abaco - so beautiful that grown men have been known to weep.

I've had a pretty crappy six months or so of late and now desperately feel the need to escape - and to have something to look forward to.  Not even my best friends would call me a relaxed and confident traveller, but I am at ease in Palma and that's a great feeling.  I know my way around, I have enough Spanish to get by, I can navigate the public transport system, I can get to a gorgeous beach in about 20 minutes by myself on the bus.  And the buses only cost about €2.

Good old Airbnb has supplied me with a cute little studio loft apartment in an area I know and like and the flights are reasonable at this time of year.

Lot of wide-angle stretchy camera trickery going on here, I have no doubt.

I hope I can fit a chair on this balcony.

The first time I went to Palma, I was about nine and it didn't end well.  I contracted bronchial pneumonia and ended up in hospital.  The second visit to Mallorca was the infamous fortnight in Magaluf, so the fact that I fell so utterly and irrevocably in love with the island during that holiday is quite miraculous.

I have been in Mallorca during every month of the year. I have 'lived' there for a month. I have celebrated a friend's 50th birthday, Easter, Christmas and two unforgettable New Year's Eves there.  I made a friend for life after a spilled drink incident in a bar. I have seen snow on the mountains, experienced the heaviest rain I've ever seen one day in July, and paddled in the sea in a T-shirt on New Year's Day. I also love the fact that you can stumble across lots of unexpected festivals or parades - like the International Dance Festival that just happened to be going on in the tiny square in Sóller, or the extraordinary Parade of the Penitents around Easter time.

Easter and Christmas in Palma

Anyway, just to finish off (before I make you all want to vomit with my sentimentality) here's the famous and beautiful La Seu cathedral - the cathedral by the sea.  This is the first thing I see on the drive into Palma from the airport that makes me catch my breath (or cry), and I always try and catch sight of it from the plane as it takes off to return to the UK (whilst crying).  Part of the interior and the stained glass window were designed by Antoní Gaudí (he of Barcelona mosaics and architecture fame) and it is utterly breathtaking inside.

So roll on May - Palma I'm a-coming to ya!

Park Life

Continuing in the product photography vein, I took some jewellery to my local park, St Ann's Well Gardens for some natural settings.  Bark and tree stumps provided some lovely textures!

Shooting Beauty

This afternoon I visited my friend Liz Pichon and subjected her poor daughter Ella to another extensive Shark Alley photo shoot.  This is for the website and for some more informal, lifestyle-type shots.

Line 'em up

Ella is a true professional and it was a joy to photograph her.  Her poise and beauty are astounding. Here are some of my favourite shots.

And these are a couple of my super super faves.

Meanwhile, Liz is looking out of the studio in her shed and seeing this madness taking place.

Designer, craftswoman, photographer, stylist . . .

After three hours, I'd finally done.  I could have gone on and on, but Ella has a life!  Despite the fact that she REALLY had to work, Liz needed small press to take a break for some tea and a catch-up, which then turned into tea and cake and then actually we just forgot the tea and had cake and a bottle of prosecco instead. NICE.

Love Liz's house - scene of many great parties.

Colour Is The New Black

Double inspiration this week.

Firstly, a happy find on Facebook - a friend shared this:

http://wesandersonpalettes.tumblr.com/

This blog features stills from Wes Anderson films distilled into gorgeous simple colour palettes.  I love it!

Then last weekend, I sat up to watch The Woman In Black on TV.

See - it actually says 'DON'T WATCH IT ALONE'.

Now this, dear reader, is one scary movie if, like me, you fear faces at windows, shadowy distant figures exuding menace and horrid jolting shocks.  As I'd seen it before in the cinema, I stupidly thought I could handle watching it again (alone), but how wrong I was.  I had to change channels three times before eventually giving up altogether and then passed a restless night reliving visions of sinister faces at windows and feeling chronically unable to get up to go to the loo.

When I was able to peer at the screen without going completely batshit, I noticed what a gorgeous colour palette this film had.  Full of cool and murky blues and greens, with loads of black of course, but then unexpected touches of purple, gold and red.  It inspired me to do my own film colour palettes.

So, may I present The Woman In Black - Colour Palettes.

This is a beautiful composition and I love all the variations on grey

Daniel Radcliffe's complexion is also very cool and grey

All the warm colours here come from skin tones, but they are pinging off the greeny blues

Loving this different set of colours - and hurrah for the brilliant Janet McTeer

All the brights here are located only in a couple of spots in the shot, but your eye goes straight to them

This is my favourite - love the shades of purple and violet

I'd definitely given up and gone to bed before this point.

Respect to the people who work so hard to create these beautiful scenes, sets and backgrounds - I'm sure lots of people don't notice them, but subconsciously they must affect the mood of the viewer. This was so much fun - I'm definitely up for doing more if I notice more great colourways on screen. 

London Calling

London has been calling.

Just for a day to myself, mooching round the shops (for getting material supplies and inspiration NOT clothes and fripperies, you understand!)  A nice break from HAVING to be somewhere and SHOULD be doing something.

Wednesday was earmarked as getaway day -  and it went something like this.

Then just around the corner. 

There are lots of lovely fabric shops in Berwick Street, but I was after one in particular.  I got a fabric from Biddle Sawyer Silks a couple of years ago which I made into many very popular purses, so I was after some more.

Sadly they didn't have it, but the staff were really friendly and I found lots of other great fabrics.  Highly recommend this shop!

Then onto an English classic. I love Liberty for the pure experience.  The building is beautiful and all the things they sell are so enticing. I had to rein in the urge to buy though - it's just a bit too pricey for me.

Wow!  After all that I need lunch.  I wanted to go to a great looking Lebanese canteen in Broadwick Street, but it was rammed.  Fortunately Mildreds vegetarian restaurant had a table for one I could squeeze into.  The food is so good - shame I couldn't finish those last few sweet potato chips.

Right!  Onward!  With bulging tummy.

 

Much fondling of fabrics here, but with most of the ones I stroked coming in at upwards of £30 a metre, it was back to the remnants box for me.  I did unearth a lovely piece in there though, so job done.

I don't think I've got enough time to go to the V&A, so Plan B kicks in - back through the rain and onto the tube to Victoria to visit my mixed media mecca - bookbinding supply shop Shepherds.  The first time I went there and saw their paper, I nearly cried.  Can I get this last bit of shopping done before my train leaves at 4.06?  Not when Shepherds has a huge basket of chiyogami scraps for me to riffle through.  Uh oh.

All this indulgence has meant I've missed my train.  Oh well - back to Plan A, South Kensington and the V&A shop.  This is always worth a visit and is great for stocking up on unusual little gifts -  great books and bargain jewellery. It also showcases well-priced work by lots of different jewellery designers.  This is how I discovered the genius that is Ayala Bar.

(OK OK, I bought some earrings.)

Now I have officially had ENOUGH. My back hurts and so do my feet.  Such a relief to get on the train to Brighton (the comfy Gatwick Express version - oh goodie) and the deeply pleasurable exploration of the bags for the review of the purchases (all the time trying to forget about the tortured wallet, naturally).  

Now I can't wait to get into the studio and start making.

I Think Of Them With My Brain

When thinking about this post in bed this morning, I thought I might call it 'Inspirations'.  Pretty dull though, right?

Then I thought of something my friend Paul Cemmick (illustrator and cartoonist extraordinaire) said when we were talking about daft questions artists are asked - in particular 'Where do you get all your ideas from?'.  I don't know if he ever seriously gave this response, but his 'I think of them with my brain' always makes me laugh.

So here are some designing inspirations, aka the things I think of with my brain.

NATURE
Biggest, first and foremost brain-exploder EVER.  Nothing is more beautiful than nature, in my humble opinion.  All of what I love is here - colour, form, pattern, the lot.

 

Yaaay!  Nature is pwetty!

COLOUR
I love colour and it's really important in my life.  I have something called grapheme-colour synaesthesia, which means I see letters and numbers in colour in my head, and have done ever since I can remember. I'm quite particular about colour matching and getting it absolutely right in my work - I don't know whether these two facts are connected!

PATTERN
It's very difficult - perhaps even impossible - for me to leave anything plain and unembellished.  I see patterns everywhere and love patterned textiles, dresses, tiles - anything.  This affects the way I decorate my jewellery, particularly the mixed media pieces, and has also inspired the fox & hare designs.

 

THE PERFECT CURVE
 I find myself really concentrating on getting a nice flowing curve when I'm drawing out and refining designs.  It has to be perfect!  I love spirals and a nice 'S' curve.

GRAPHIC SHAPE 
Simplifying pieces into a strong graphic shape is a vital part of my jewellery design process.

  

MANY PIECES MAKE A WHOLE
The idea of making something out of something else, so it has many levels of visual interest, is utterly beguiling.

AND FINALLY . . .
The one who brings them all together.  My absolute hero and total genius - Antoni Gaudí.

Usually I'm found overcome and sobbing around Gaudí's work, but just about managing a cheery smile here in Parc Guell

The Story Of Two Hares

Discovering resin in 2012 was frankly quite life changing
 
I did a two-day course in London and clearly remember being so excited after the first day that I couldn't sleep because I had so many ideas.  You can read more about it here if you care to.

I love the effects that it can give and the fact that every piece is different and a complete one-off. I couldn't duplicate them even if I tried.  I must confess that I do often think about laser-cut acrylic and how much easier it would be to produce jewellery like that, but I just can't do it.  Why do I need to make everything so time-consuming?  I don't know.  But I find the results beautiful and fascinating, and when you buy a Shark Alley piece of resin jewellery, you will own something individual that has had a lot of work and time and love put into it.

So come on, let me tell you the story of two hares . . .


Step 1:  They start life as this uninspiring shot glass of thick, clear liquid.

Step 2:  The resin liquid is coloured using various pastes and powders and either poured or applied carefully into the moulds, depending on the effect required.  Here I'm going for a lapis lazuli effect, and 'painting' small swirls of white and gold into a base of clear resin.

Step 3:  Blue resin is poured in over the top until the mould is full.  All I can see now is what will end up being the underside of each piece - I have absolutely no idea what the front will look like and how the different colours have blended.

Step 4:  After 24 hours, the pieces can be popped out of the moulds and I finally get to see how they've turned out.  These look OK!  Now for my least favourite part - the sanding.

Step 5:  The hares have come out of the mould looking quite matte on the top and rough on the bottom.  To get them smooth and shiny, they need wet sanding with 6-7 grades of sandpaper.  These start off coarse, and get finer and finer.  This takes ages, and is hard on the hands.  Have I mentioned how much I hate this part?

Step 6:  Hurrah! The hares (and their friends) are all sanded and are having a final rinse.

Step 7:  All dried off and ready for polishing. Sanding has removed some of the top layers of colour and left behind this lovely natural marbled effect.  They look quite different to how they did in Step 4.

Step 8:  Now it's time for the fabulous and multi-tasking Dremel tool to get buffing.  I have about three different buffing bits that I like to use.  This flat one is good for getting into little spaces and doing a good surface polish.

Step 9:  After the buffing, the hares are given an extra polish with a special magic ingredient  recommended by my friend Moira.  You can clearly see the difference it makes - the pieces look like glass.

Step 10:  The Dremel is put to use again for drilling shallow holes for the eyes to sit in.  If one of the pieces going to become a necklace,  I use a smaller bit to drill through the nose and tip of the tail.

Step 11:  Vintage diamanté eyes are chosen and glued in.

Step 12:  A brooch back is glued onto one hare and the other is put together with a star on sterling silver chain to make the Leaping Hare And Star Necklace.

Step 13:  FINISHED!  These hares have gone up to Crown Studio Gallery in Northumberland.