Hello there!
Now if my late non-blog posting was anything to go by, you might think that I have not really been up to very much work-wise and creativity-wise. My Etsy shops show no new work to speak of (even before their current short-term closure), and things may seem pretty quiet. However I am happy to say that behind the scenes, in my 2nd floor studio there are many cogs turning and the resulting mess is a constant reminder that in-fact at any one time there are several projects on the go (infact the mess that also tends to creep into every other room in the house beyond the door of the studio is certainly proof of this....)
The truth is that I do find it very difficult to balance my online shops with creating work for galleries and shops and in particular craft fairs at this busy time of year (if anyone has any hints on how they manage all this I would welcome any advice!). However I am hoping that in the early months of next year I can get back to creating new work specifically for my online spaces.
Lately I had been intrigued by the fact that many of the stories for my dolls tend to describe their homes and environment just as much as they do the individual named character. I initially had grand intentions of creating sculptural windmills and lighthouses and ruined houses to bring to life these homes ( I may yet progress to this in the future - we shall see!) . However on my twice weekly drive through Nottinghamshire on my way to and from my part time job I began to notice the very simple and intriguing proportions of the homes in this area. Cottages that are stout with large deeply sloping roofs and old mill buildings and farm houses that are tall with relatively small roofs and many windows - all with wonderful aged textures and patterns.
So this has been the inspiration for my latest work - 'Dwellings' - all possible homes for my characters and with a similar use of colour and aged texture, some are even hand embroidered in a similar style to my dolls (umm house below took me roughly 5 hours to embroider a couple of weeks ago......) but I do love them. There is currently a collection in the Debbie Bryan Shop & Studio and I have only just today delivered a couple more to the Harding House Gallery on Steep Hill in Lincoln (along with a couple of paintings and 3 dolls) for their annual Christmas Exhibition.
I really am hoping to make more of these soon and am looking forward to experimenting with various proportions and styles and pattern. I am hopeless at remembering to take my camera with me for my journey to work and rarely have time to stop for too long due to my schedule. Perhaps soon I shall take some time to show you the wonderful buildings that have been my latest inspiration.
I do have plans which will hopefully enable me to plan my time more effectively for next year and help me to spend more time creating and less time standing freezing cold at craft fairs for very little return! I will hopefully be able to blog about this further in the future but would also love to hear your own experiences of managing the varying aspects of your creative life and doing more of the things that do work and less of things that don't!
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