NEW SHOP!! - is that loud enough?

Hello!
I want to tell you whats been happening...
I've got a new Etsy shop -its called 'Above the Old Sweet Shop' because my studio is above Stan's old sweet shop. Its going to be full of things- prints, cards, bookarts etc, give me a bit of time,I"m onto it...:)
My website is a bit of a pain and I'm trying to summon energy and enthusiasm to change it....Apple in their wisdom got rid of the mechanism for making/editing it and so I need a whole new set - up but want to keep my same addess  linked to same email etc hmmm
So I've got the new Etsy shop but it doesnt link from the website bit it DOES LINK FROM FACEBOOK!
This has all been sped up to crisis point by having my super new article in Welsh Border Life, and at a time when I have quite a lot of teaching and commissions, but I'm not complaining - just explaining...
So I've said before to those who say oh no! Not facebook! Actually you can look at it without joining because I have a 'page' not just a profile so put in Katy Alston Artist/illustrator and see you there!

Good grief!

Good grief! I hear you say!
What's got into her! Two posts on one day!
I was just messing around with things  when I realised that if you go onto facebook and put in Katy Alston you come up against a brick wall because what you should be looking for is.....

Katy Alston artist illustrator .  That'll take you to my "page" not my personal facebook! There you are! Easy!

A While...

Yes, its been a while hasn't it?
As promised I have been busy on facebook, I find it much easier to just post something there but thought I might just give you an update while we have the plumbers in!
I find it difficult to post illustration projects in real time- I don't like to post them whilst I'm doing them and then just after, I'm usually trying to catch up with things that need doing.
 Then theres a pause whilst projects are published etc and then I'm on to the next thing!
And also its nicer if your clients publish them than you!
Its easier to post personal projects, including family, friends projects and maps etc.

so with that in mind.....

I loved doing our Christmas advent calendar with daily postings on my facebook 'page'

and a close up......

Christmas Eve window!

 

Earlier in the year I made a picture for an exhibition entitled Clee Hill. It was organised with the art cafe at the secret hills centre, Craven Arms.

I had a great deal of fun making these card creations, (below) they're designed on a flat piece of card, illustrated and folded to shape.

So we have.........1. The greenhouse..............( with cold frame)

 Nunber 2. The hen coop.........

number 3. The grandfather clock - oh that's where that ring went! And that's it for now but plans are afoot!

I'll be off now, just to say "Happy New Year!" if a bit belatedly!

Hello again! (and Facebook)

God! - don't you just hate it when people don't post regularly? Ooops!

This Friday (19th July) we are having a preview of our exhibition -" Titterstone Clee" at the Discovery centre, Craven Arms. 6-8pm. All my readers are very welcome!

This is the Titterstone related picture..

 And this is the one that got away! I just couldn't resolve this so it resides, half-finished in the further recesses of the studio.

Hopefully I also will have three other pieces in the exhibition which I have been working on recently, oh one of them is a bit older but not been framed till now.

And ok I take it all back about Facebook - I am due to organise our school craft fayre next year and guess what? A large proportion of it happens on facebook so I have had to go along and sort out a profile etc. Well, while I was there I thought actually this looks quite useful - to have an artists page - so please go and have a look... Katy Alston artist illustrator. And sad to say its a lot more user friendly than this, I can use my ipad to post there and I think I'll find it a lot easier so....see you there! ( For fellow Luddites, you can just go and have a look, you don't have to join in!)

Titterstone Clee

As a member of the secret hills art cafe artists ( what a mouthful) I have been out and about looking at Titterstone Clee hill, which is the subject for our summer exhibition. The hill lies about five miles east of Ludlow.

I had in mind what I wanted to do for the project until I went up there and was blown away (fortunately for me not literally) by the views and sheer scale of the place....

 Here's the trig point (this ones specially for you Simon!)

And the big golf ball, to do with radar etc

Looking  west ..I think that's Ludlow down there

  

So now I have another idea entirely although I might get around this confusion by just doing more pieces! Heard of the Mappa Mundi? That great map of the world features Titterstone Clee as the major hill in England ...HaHa take that Scarfell pike! Many apologies I'm getting a bit carried away but it is quite a wowsy place - pretty awe inspiring lets hope the work will be too! I'll let you know when the exhibition starts......

Blogging from the ipad

Here we go then..... blogging away the hours. Actually this is a trial ipad blog, seemed to have a bit of trouble last time with it so thought I'd give it another go.

And yes you've seen this one before I know but that's because it's a try out you know !

Well it all seems fine today perhaps in the meantime something happened in the big wide blogosphere -who knows?

Lets see what else I've been up to;the short answer being... not a lot with Horatio now back at work but joining the ranks of my taxi service customers (I give him a discount though) also it's been Easter holidays for offspringwhich sucks up the hours.

Ok so its not fine - I can only get the pictures I've already displayed it seems.

Meanwhile back at the Mac............................

I made some  Easter cards for various family members and there's the little hedgehog eraser - a present from dearest daughter. Its quite effective actually. And if you look carefully you'll see a mug I painted at Emma Bridgewater's painting studio in Stoke on Trent with a picture of Horatio with his sling on... you have to look Very carefully (Yes!You in the back - Put your glasses on!) with whippets!

And then these two little pieces are for a specific project - more about them in time...

 I"ve been trying out ecoline concentrated watercolours and absolutely love them! So I tried them out on my "Dunroamin" picture - I think the bear likes them too.....

 To say nothing of the old hedgehog!

Difficult to stop now........

Ok so I've been a bit slack as usual on the old posting but here we are like buses, two coming along at the same time ( I know - it should be threee but "cuts" are biting...)

I've been doing some drawing out there in the garden, and waiting for my sheds!!! to arrive. Two sheds,one of which is a bee shed! So to make sure it came , I drew it beforehand..........and then I drew it again - mines the one with the bee-suit hanging up.....I'm so glad I managed to get them here now whilst the bees are still hiding from the cold so they didn't want to investigate all that banging and noisy shed installers! Now we don't have to spend our time falling over bits of bee hive and I get a great hide to draw the birds from!

The rhubarb is coming up well - it used to grow in my childhood home, then my father split some for me almost twenty years ago and thats carried on until this year when I split it again. Its like an old friend out there in the garden.