2016 and all that..

Howdy people

I think I'll give up apologising for the  lack of blog posts, and just accept (as you may have to) that they will not be that regular!

Anyway, here we are at the end of the year again. It has been a funny old year, news wise (worryingly in my opinion), and two of my musical heroes have died (Bowie and Cohen), but in creative terms it has been pretty fruitful and exciting. I've been working on a rather exciting commission in the last few months, which I can't reveal yet(!), transformed an elephant, and created my biggest donkey print to date!

I NEVER EVER take interest in my work for granted, and would like to thank you for supporting me. I love what I do, and to be able to do it for a living still blows my mind, even after seven or so years. So, THANKS A BUNCH!!!!

HERD OF SHEFFIELD

So, the auction was held last month, at the Crucible in Sheffield, to sell of all 52 elephants created for 'Herd Of Sheffield'. My 'Donkeys in Elephant Land' one raised £6000, and the total raised was over £400,000 for the Sheffield Children's Hospital, to buy vital medical equipment. What a result!

My elephant was bought by John Mellor and his family in Sheffield, and it is now at home in their house. Over the years they have been raising a fair bit of money for medical equipment for Sheffield schools, so it is fitting that they won the auction. Here is pic of John's mother-in-law hazel with the elephant.

NEW PRINTS

I have a couple of new prints to show you:

'Tabitha' 2-colour linocut print

Tabitha belongs to my friend Camilla. She has a house full of very beautiful cats, and I was drawn towards this particular one. I particularly enjoyed trying to create the tabby markings on her fur and her wired expression! It is an edition of 100.


Whitby No.4 2-colour linocut/screen-print

This is my fourth print of the beautiful Yorkshire town of Whitby. I had featured the abbey previously, but with this print I wanted to concentrate on getting more detail into the building, and the surrounding landscape. The image started off as a linocut, but I decided to print the edition (of 60) as a slightly larger screen-print (at Sheffield Print Club).

Both prints are available in my Folksy shop.


EVENTS

Here are my last four events of the year. Maybe I'll see you at one or other of them?

Sheffield Print Fair 2016
St Mary's Church & Community Centre, Bramall Lane, Sheffield S2 4QZ
Sat 19th November 2016, 10am-4pm
I co-organise this event, now in its 4th year. This time we have 44 printmakers, plus print demonstrations, kids' workshops and very tasty food and drink. We're really looking forward to it, and are more than a little bit excited to show you what's on offer! The event is supported by Folksy and Sheffield Hallam University, and we are very grateful to them. The posters were created by the supremely talented We Live Here. Check out our blog for more info.

 



The Harley Gallery Christmas Art & Food Market 
A60 Mansfield Road, Welbeck, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S80 3LW
Fri 25th-Sun 27th November 2016, 10am-5pm
One of my favourite events of the year, and one I always end up buying things from too! A really big marquee in the beautiful grounds of the Welbeck Estate, full of top-notch art and craft.

Kelham Island Victorian Christmas Market 
Kelham Island, Alma Street, Sheffield S3 8RY
Sat 3rd (10am-7pm) and Sun 4th (10am-5pm) December 2016
Christmas begins here. Everyone (including myself!) all dressed in Victorian costume, endless festive songs, buskers, food, drinks and loads of art, craft and gifts.

The Holt Craft Market 
156 Arundel Street, Sheffield S1 4RE
Saturday 10th December 2016, 11am-4pm
The Holt is normally a fancy cafe by day, but is hosting a cool little craft market in time for Christmas.


Right, that is it. I hope you have a great festive break, and thanks again!