SIRF Carnival Olympic themed sketches

I swim like an artistic brick but have, strangely, been given the theme of 'in the water' for this years Olympic themed costume fest. I've attempted to take the sport out of sport as much as possible. Here is my selection of unsportsmanlike sketches, I'm hoping that adding goggles and swimming hats to each costume will save me.... I'm also going to be making a big structure all about synchronised swimming...

these people are swimming so much like fish that they have turned into actual fish - except one who's turned into a butterfly and is obviously doing Butterfly stroke- god, I love sport.

 sailing boats drifting along in the Stockton sunshine....

this is a canoe - its really a rather slim and stylised whale but the two 'canoeists' are paddling it anyway.

A synchronised swimmer wears a backpack of creepy synchronised doll swimmers, who dance playfully in a Busby Berkley style around an art deco (well hopefully) styled glitzy pool. (Note the big white toothy smile - which is compulsory)

Divers - a swallow dive (see what I did there to avoid actual swimming...) and a frog man (ditto)

stitchery for a 1950's Diamond Jubilee Carnival Queen

I've set up a little 1950s corner in the studio here in Norway to make a start on the costume for a kitsch 1950s Jubilee Carnival Queen. The backpack pieces are part made and in England waiting to be assembled.

The embroidered bodice panels are full of things relating to 1952, the year the Queen came to the throne.   Amongst other things; the bar code was invented, atom bombs were tested, Singing in the Rain was at the flicks and Muffin the Mule was on the box...
(I suppose this should read 'made in Norway')

 I've also been brushing up on my fifties beatnik speak daddy-o!

Bird Viewing Area at Anderby Creek, Lincolnshire

We've been on the beautiful Lincolnshire coast creating a wildlife viewing area at Anderby Creek. Here are the photographs of the finished piece.

Steel viewing window

Interior of the structure

 Hands creating bird shadow in steel

exterior of the viewing area

We held a workshop with the children from Manby Beaver group and made 'jewellery' or totems for the animals from driftwood and shells. They printed the names of their chosen creatures on them + we attached them to the ends of the structure.

More new embroidered work - Little Red

A Scaled up interpretation of part of an ink drawing I did a while ago.

New embroidery work - Crows

Monkey Sees

Deep in the Woods a Crow is Singing


Crow's Eye Q

New work that will get it's first outing to the Beetroot Tree Gallery in a couple of weeks for their show 'Four Legs Good..." more details to follow nearer the time. I'm wondering if these need embroidered text but I'm kind of enjoying the space without the usual words.

A BIg Flowery Dog

We've been working on a giant floral dog for this years Bradford Lord Mayors Parade. Here are some photos and (if it works!) a little animation of him 'yapping' in the workshop.

DIamond Jubilee carnival sketches

The Badger and the Bear - illustrations

The Badger + the Bear
How the Fox got his boot


Badger + Bear's Ferret-Go-Round

Yorkshire Art Loop Exhibition II

The Yorkshire Art Loop Exhibition is moving to the Print Workshops in Mirfield. It opens on Thursday 12th Jan. The poster has opening times and dates.

Steampunk Interactive Table Commission - Bradford Industrial Museum

My partner Lucas Stephens and I were commissioned to design and make an interactive piece for the Steam Gallery at Bradford Industrial Museum. The initial designs I came up with had a steampunk look and as it turned out the Museum had a Steampunk exhibition in the pipeline so we were asked to complete it in time for the exhibition opening in December. The table has lots of mechanical bits and pieces for people to explore, moving scrolls, a sheep race, drawers and cupboards to look in, secret buttons, spy holes to find and a game to play involving a spinning disc and cards.




The sheep race in action, 'Oves Mira Mechanica' means - Marvellous Mechanical Sheep






We call this contraption the 'Fancy'
The embroidered scroll contains quotes from the mill workers