Birds of a feather

I inherited two dusty old volumes of Cassell’s Book of Birds from my Dad. He was an HGV driver all his short life and it can be said he did have an eye for the birds. Quite why he parted with hard cash for them when the only thing he ever read was the racing pages remains beyond me to this day!

There is a very sweet message in the front from the owner, George Denney dated 1872 asking for their return if you borrow them.

I have to be honest. They were stuffed up in the loft for many years as I didn’t quite know what to do with them. I have never treated them with respect and actually pulled out the pages of the birds I liked because it was a real pain leafing through the entire book each time I searched for clues and inspiration to make them work for me.

The illustrations are mainly black and white etching style which is fine. The colour plates dotted throughout are very sweet.

I practically forced myself to do some sketches from them one day out of the blue. I like working in sketchbooks as I am fearless and what I produce has a certain character about it. I prefer inks and dyes to build up layers of tone. Especially Quink ink as it creates fabulous effects when you splatter bleach over it. I then work on top with black fine liners or metallic sparkley gel pens to add detail and feather textures. I quite like the fact that the birds I am drawing from are black and white as I can then make up the colour as I go along. Sometimes I read the descriptions in the text to give me a few realistic clues.

Then followed a series of more finished artwork type pieces. They were quite small really. No bigger than A4. Quite fun to do but very time consuming. I love adding pattern in the backgrounds and creating the sense of multi layered effects. Brown parcel paper is great to paint on. Layer some household emulsion on first, paint a bird and a a bit of branch of top in ink and gouache finished with a layer of varnish to make the wee bird glisten. Add a few runs of machine embroidery and voila……. Alternatively paint a bird on a page from the actual book, add a ditzy geometric pattern and create a more retro effect.

Then my defining moment came. A flash of inspiration. I scanned the bird called The Whiskered Fantail and superimposed it over a photograph I had taken of dried grasses and twiggy bits then printed it out on transfer paper. This I ironed on to fabric and the rest is sort of history. For some unknown reason I embroidered the feathers and detail into that bird and I have never looked back! Miss Jackson starts her sewing!

This was then photographed and it became my Christmas card for that year. The embroidered original lives very happily in a lovely desirable property in up and coming West Norwood.

You can teach a dog new tricks

I own a very fine collection of ornamental dogs. Some might disagree and dismiss them as dust catching tat. Some have mentioned the term ‘mid-life crisis’ I don’t care. I love my dogs.

There is a good explanation for their existence. A number of years ago the chance to study A Level Photography with our new cohort of Sixth Form students arose. I jumped at the chance. Could my job get any better!? I worked my socks off. There was no way on this earth that any students sketchbook was going to be better than mine. Competitive. Yes. But such fun. Jumping to the final exam the theme was ‘Passion & Obsession’ which I embraced like a woman possessed. Early research explored the things people are obsessed with and I settled on quirky collections and animals.

Hurrah! Another excuse to trawl round junk markets, charity shops and vintage establishments, as if I needed one!The collection grew quite quickly due to the obsessive nature of my searching. It is amazing how addictive one can be when on a mission. It is only when you start delving into certain themes you unearth a myriad of resources and artists who at one point or another have produced work along a similar theme. David Hockney’s daschunds are some of my all time favourite. I was surprised to find Charlie Harper dogs, I know him only for his birds. Stella Vines portraits with dogs are quite amusing.
I did not know at this point where I was going with this theme and did explore parallel passionate obsessions such as shoes which was possibly a little too obvious. However I did end up with a fabulous sketchbook that continues to be a source of inspiration.

I even took the dogs out and about on my travels and photographed them in a variety of locations. The tourists up on the embankment probably did think I was crazy but it is good to reinforce the preconceived notion that we British are an eccentric kettle of fish! I was also responding to the work of artists and photographers in each case. The dogs in amongst grass and flowers relate, in my world, to Pierre et Gilles. The atmospheric black and white shots are based on Giacommo Brunellis Dead Animals series. There is always method in my madness.

We participated in a film camera workshop practising the techniques of black and white photography. I dug out my old faithful Olympus OM19 from art school days. That was a great investment. Still works like a dream but give me new technology and a DSLR any day.

As it turned out the dogs did not play a major part in the final piece though they looked very splendid displayed on a slim shelf as part of an installation based on the many vintage markets I visited. A David Hockney style joiner collage that took up a huge section of wall. So now my canine babies reside with me at home. My favourites check on me from the kitchen window sill as I wash the dishes.

To earn their keep even further and to justify their existence I started sketching them. It’s good to keep drawing and painting. I work on the principle that the more you do the better you get.

Yes, as with my dolls I began naming them. I believe Gilbert and George were 2 of the first dogs in my collection, they are so camp!

Then the inevitable happened. Sketches turned to fabric interpretation and behold an appliqué poodle apron was born. A bonus in life is being awarded first prize for your efforts in the local Horticultural Society crafts show. Whoo hoo! My association with dogs of the ornamental variety has not run its course yet. I may not be able to find any new acceptable additions the family but I can turn my hand to exploring new variations.

Just in case you are wondering I got an A* for my Photography. Oh happy days.