Gillian Lee Smith

Mosaic Monday

mosaic monday - I can't stop looking at blue grey, originally uploaded by gilfling.

 

1. Miette (blue) 2. No rose without a thorn 3. Painting of fields

4. Skein of luxury 2 5. Crafting 365 6. Bubble encrusted bottle

7. bobbin lace pillow 8. untitled 9. 20080807El conejo en la luna-A

10. crazy gray bead 11. P1000657 12. Eat me

After many hours admiring beautiful and inspirational mosaics I have decided to have a go at creating my own selections of images that I adore.

Do enjoy this wonderful range of work to be found on flickr and many thanks to the owners of these images for creating and showing these delights.

Collecting the Past

Collecting the Past, originally uploaded by gilfling.

In reference to my 'exciting news' from my last post which I still had to blog about I thought this was a pretty good image to coincide with this new and incredible opportunity I am soon to embark on.

A wee while ago I had a chat with one of my contract employers about a prospective job which was coming up and I had a meeting about it last week. I am soon to begin a new challenge of managing a pilot scheme, which involves managing reminiscence projects with the elderly. I am so excited/nervous/intrigued all at the same time. It is a year long contract for one and half days a week and will be mainly working with groups of elderly people and liaising with libraries and museums to develop work which is invaluable maintaining and improving physical, emotional and mental health in the elderly. I am so excited!!! (umm did I say that already??)

Although I anticipate a large part of these projects will be arts based (crafts, arts, textiles, writing, poetry) I am also looking forward to gardening, baking, music, costume, photography - the options are endless and I sincerely hope I can bring many of my own skills to this project although my guess is that I am going to learn far more than I impart. It is a huge challenge and although clearly the actual direct work with the elderly is of utmost importance, the other main aim of the scheme is to promote the importance and value of 'reminiscence' to those who work with the elderly on a day to day basis and to almost leave a 'legacy' of work which will carry on way past the actual year long project finishes. I had a moment of crisis last week (I wouldn't be 'me' if I didnt take a wee wobbly and crisis of confidence after all) but after another meeting I really do feel this is for me and I am the 'woman' for the job.

So many of my inspirations for my artwork come from the subject of memory and how our past shapes us as individuals, the way we store our memories away inside ourselves, only to reveal the snippets to certain individuals and at certain times, even to ourselves. Of course it is also a love of history that brought me to study costume design and this love has had a huge impact on my work since graduating. I guess for me also, the importance in taking on this role is in valueing the contribution to society that elderly people can and do make. Now, in the present, and also to our future.

Did I say how excited I am?

It is a funny thing, my career. You know, before and directly after graduating, I had visions of working on small films and building my experience up to hopefully working on bigger films in the hope that I could eventually be more of a costume designer than a wardrobe mistress. I have to confess to still feeling more than a little envious when I see how my fellow graduates are developing their careers either in the world of costume or fashion and what I see as quite glamorous lifestyles!! It has all ended up being very different for me, but you know what, I am a great believer in a path laying itself infront of you and if you follow it, it is undoubtably the right one. I love what I do. I love pottering away and creating in my loft and painting studio. I love working for myself and having periods of working on my own, just creating. But I also love these opportunities which are allowing me to pass on my love of 'creating' and which confirm the importance it has made in my life. I am so grateful for that.

Oh and of course this print is available in my shop

A heart filled with.........

Lavender Filled Heart (crafting 365), originally uploaded by gilfling.

sometimes hope, sometimes melancholy, sometimes joy, sometimes sadness, sometimes wonder, sometimes loneliness.

Blogging is not coming naturely to me at the moment, I am enjoying just working away on small projects, creating, thinking, pondering, hand stitching, finding a rhythm in the things that I do. Many dolls are works in progress, I am producing groups of items for the up and coming (not for a while but always sooner than I can imagine, holiday season) and for the countless craft fairs I have booked myself into for the remainder of the year. I have taken a wee break from painting due to other work, but as ever, one thing inpsires another and even as I am stitching, hand-dying fabrics, and thinking of doll stories, ideas are being born for new artwork. I love the cyclical process of what I do and how everything relates and integrates.

Last year I was so unprepared for the holday season in every way and this year I have vowed to work myself gently into it. Making the things I love to make, a repetition of tasks that calm me and inspire me. Knitting, then felting, then crocheting, then embroidering, then beading, then stitching my cuffs (I love the whole 1,2,3,4 etc methodical sequence of creating these and the object that is the end result. Just building up an inventory of items and hoping that somehow, somewhere, some people will love them as much as I do.

My accessories shop is starting to look as if I actually take care of it, and I had a moment today when I just felt satisfied and pleased. A realisation that I have finally found my aesthetic. I guess it has always been there, especially in my artwork, but today really was the first time I truly felt happy with my accessories shop. The banner, the avatar, the featured items and my recently posted items, evan the photography (something I have struggled with for such a long time) all a perfect reflection of me and the things I love to make. The colours and tones, the muted, aged feel and atmosphere that comes from the things I create. Of course I will never be completely 'there' as in reaching a final destination, but I do hope my work will continue to develop along with my aesthetic and personal taste and character that hopefully is evident through all my artwork and the things I am drawn to creating.

Gosh I had so many other things to talk about, but I guess this is where my mind and thoughts were taking me today. I do however have some very exciting news which I shall reveal in my next blog post. I do hope you are well, happy and satisfied with all that you are 'creating', whether that be objects to cherish, or finding your path in life.