Celebrating UK Artists 8: Hels Sheridan

Welcome to the 8th interview celebrating the talents of British artists in the field of scrapbooking, photography, mixed-media, art journaling, feltmaking and quilting.  Some names you may know and some may not be so familiar but they are all hugely talented.

Brief Bio

Hels has been crafting in one form or another since she was a little girl when she used to cover herself, her Grandma and every available surface with glitter and cotton wool. She really got bitten by the papercrafting bug back in 2003 when she took up cardmaking and scrapbooking. 

A chance meeting with Tim Holtz in 2007 made Hels realise that her true passion lays with anything inky and stampy. She created her blog, the aptly named Ink On My Fingers (pinkleart.blogspot.com) in September 2007, and she shares snippets from her daily life along with tips, techniques, tutorials and artwork. She has been published in several craft magazines and is currently on the Craft Stamper Design Team. Hels is a Certified Ranger Educator and has been teaching workshops for the last three years and she is also a regular demonstrator at the Alexandra Palace craft show. More recently, Hels has brought her art and passion for crafting to Create & Craft TV with the wonderful Studio 490 range, that, in Hels’ own words is “the best range of crafty stash in the world”  (she even put on a Jeremy Clarkson voice when she said that!)

*Who or what are your creative influences?  And why?

One of the most influential people in my crafty life is Wendy Vecchi. I love her products, stamps and her unique attention to the tiny details that are a major part of Wendy’s Art. I get a lot of inspiration from nature too; sunset and sunrise are those special times of day that flood my mind with colours that get my creativity flowing.  Of course, it would be remiss of me to mention that the main influence in the techniques that I use is Tim Holtz. I have a passion for all things Distress and really don’t bother to use any other inks to colour with – in my mind, they do the job I want them to do.

*What is your preferred medium of creativity?   What appeals to you about this?

I am a Ranger girl at heart and have yet to find a Ranger product that I don’t like or want to use. Their inks, sprays, paints and powders are by far, in my opinion, the best in the World.  I view things in the Distress palette now too... so a sunrise would be a smidge of Wild Honey with a smattering of Worn Lipstick and Tumbled Glass.

*What other areas of creativity do you dabble in?

 Oh how I would love to be able to say that I can knit, sew, cook and bake. But I can’t... so I don’t even bother trying!  I do, however, make jewellery... necklaces and bracelets, bag charms and baubles... if it is pearly or sparkly it will get used.  I also love Altered Art. I have got boxes and boxes of old bits of junk in my Room of Stash, all awaiting alteration; I will get around to them one day!

*What is one of your earliest creative memories?

Making mud pies and adding pebbles to them to make them pretty!  Seriously!  Making Christmas cards whilst watching Blue Peter on the telly and getting thoroughly covered in glitter and cotton wool. My Grandma had the utmost patience with me and my card making endeavours. I remember once making a bluebell card using tiny twists of coloured tissue paper... ahhh happy days.

*Pablo Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”   How did you find this transition worked in your life?

Haha, I never grew up!!!

*How did you find your creative style?

I kind of stumbled upon it. I started making cards and progressed from there.  Seeing friends using rubberstamps and ink and loving the results pushed me to explore my creative side.

*What activity do you use to jumpstart your creativity?

Ah, when Mr Mojo goes off on his holidays eh?  Well, I will for sure tidy up the Room of Stash. Then I will get a sketch book and draw a few ideas down for tags. Tags are my “go to” thing to make.  Along with the tag there will inevitably be something Tim Holtz, be it stamps or embellishments, Grungepaper or Grungeboard. Sometimes if the Mojo is really taking a long break I will go and make some jewellery... or go for a nosey online at shops and see what products are out there that I might... ahem, need!

*Describe your style in using 5 different words.  Share your thoughts about these words.

Mmm, a difficult one ... I think my style is evolving all the time. Something that I made this time last year is going to be different to what I make right now. I think that because the world of craft is ever evolving, tastes change, fashions change, new products arrive in store... and my own styles vary. I am definitely grungy and inky. I can’t do clean and simple – I always end up over embellishing it. I am definitely a more is more crafter.

That’s more than 5 words. Ok, I am being good now: grungy, inky, stamper, floral, distressed.

*Favourite art gallery or museum?

My favourite museum is not actually “arty”. It is the National Railway Museum in York. That comes from my background on the railway.

Where you can find Hels

Blog:  http://pinkleart.blogspot.com

Twitter: Hels_Sheridan

If you were able to ask Hels anything what would you ask?  Please add your question to the comments below.

See you next Friday for an interview with Karen Rao.

Wordless Wednesday

Start the Week Right

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, 

because your character is what you really are, 

while your reputation is merely what others think you are. 

John Wooden

Celebrating UK Artists 7: Kirsty Wiseman

Welcome to the seventh interview celebrating the talents of British artists in the field of scrapbooking, photography, mixed-media, art journaling, feltmaking and quilting.  Some names you may know and some may not be so familiar but they are all hugely talented.

*Brief Bio

Since my mum bought me my first “things to make” kit at the age of 6, I’ve been constantly fidgeting with and fashioning bits of paper and fabric.  I even used to make my own Sindy clothes from loo roll and sweet papers.  This incessant urge to create is still with me, I don’ think I shall ever tire of it.

I enjoy most paper craft projects but my sole love is scrapbooking.  Combined with a real passion for photography, it’s a pastime I will always enjoy

*Who or what are your creative influences?  And why?

Colour combinations and pretty photos inspire me.  I'm a devil when it comes to buying patterned paper JUST because its so pretty.

*What is your preferred medium of creativity?   What appeals to you about this?

Although scrapbooking is my one true love, I'm not averse to getting inky and messy – but it has to be a controlled mess……. I'm OCD with untidiness

 

*What other areas of creativity do you dabble in?

I'm particularly fond of digital art and creating graphics.  I can do that on my knee whilst watching TV with the family.

*What is one of your earliest creative memories?

Besides receiving my make and do kit at 6 years old, I clearly remember making a little land out of objects from around the house.  The road laid out with pegs, books turned into houses, washing lines made with cocktails sticks and cotton, toilet roll tubes to make tunnels, cotton wool to make clouds.  I loved building that only for my brother to trample all over my masterpiece!

*Pablo Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”   How did you find this transition worked in your life?

I think you are born an artist.  Some choose to allow it to consume them.  Rather like it consumes me.

*How did you find your creative style?

I can’t quite pinpoint what my style is although friends of mine will know a piece of my “work” if they see it.  I say that they know its one of my layouts because it would either feature my daughter or my dog!

 

*What activity do you use to jumpstart your creativity?

I usually create at the end of any day, just to wind down.  I can go for a full on art journal session or simply make a quick card from scraps and leftovers.

*Describe your style in using 5 different words.  Share your thoughts about these words.

Bright – I love bright colours and use them most

Happy – colours reflect a mood and they are generally happy

Graphic – I like to follow design principles

Pretty – I like an element of “girly” in a project

Textured – the more layers and objects to “touch”, the better.

*Which is your favourite technique?

I love layering most followed by misting and ink splatting

 

*Favourite quote(s)?

I have a million inspiring quotes that I have on my pinboard at Pinterest but my most favourite one right now is

“Im not fat.  Its just my awesomeness swelling up inside”

 

*Where to find Kirsty

Website: www.kirstywiseman.com

Blog: www.limegreenbogiegirl.blogspot.com

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/kirsty-wiseman/40/526/229

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirstywiseman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kirstywisemancrafts

Sorry about the lack of photos this week.

If you were able to ask Kirsty anything what would you ask?  Please add your question to the comments below.

See you next Friday for an interview with Hels Sheridan.

And the winner is ...

The winner of last Friday's giveaway is Gill.   

The book will be in the post as soon as possible.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for an interview with Kirsty Wiseman.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Start the Week Right

You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.  

Max Lucado

Celebrating UK Artists 6: Linda & Laura Kemshall

Welcome to the sixth interview celebrating the talents of British artists in the field of scrapbooking, photography, mixed-media, art journaling, feltmaking and quilting.  Some names you may know and some may not be so familiar but they are all hugely talented.


This week we have the joy of two guests interviewees, Linda Kemshall and her daughter, Laura.

*Brief Bio

Linda painting

Laura drawing

We are mother, Linda & daughter, Laura who work together as DesignMatters, an online teaching resource established in 2001.  We have always enjoyed teaching but found it increasingly difficult to accept all the invitations we received, especially those that involved long distance travel. The perfect solution was to offer online courses. We’ve done this successfully for 12 years and for the last two and a half years have also offered DesignMatters TV. DMTV is a web based subscription TV service covering all the creative techniques we use in our own artwork. The most recent venture is the digital print service Laura is offering at Fingerprint. 

We exhibit our work individually and as part of two groups, SiX and Friends and thr3fold. We established thr3fold together with Canadian artist Catherine Nicholls and have published five thr3fold journals so far. These are printed publications that include a CD with video content. Laura and I also co-wrote ‘The Painted Quilt’ for publishers David and Charles.

*Who or what are your creative influences?  And why?

We are fairly self sufficient and don’t seem to need many external influences. That sounds almost arrogant but it’s not meant to be! Perhaps it’s because we have each other as kindred spirits and we work so closely together that we don’t really need anyone else’s imput. Having said that, we do enjoy visits to galleries and museums and like to keep current with the art world in general rather than focussing only on the world of textile arts.

*What is your preferred medium of creativity?   What appeals to you about this?

Both of us are probably best known for our quiltmaking but there would be no quilts if we didn’t make paintings and work in our sketchbooks to explore themes and develop ideas. We love painting, printmaking and altered books as much as we love working with fabric and thread. Fortunately we can often translate our sketchbook ideas directly to cloth, especially now we have the facility to print large scale images on fabric. Both of us are currently exploiting the creative potential of digital print to create quilts with much enlarged original drawings and paintings.

What other areas of creativity do you dabble in?

This might be a very long list! I think when you love to work with your hands you appreciate most areas of creativity don’t you? As I’ve already mentioned, we love printmaking. I have a small printing press which allows us to make intaglio prints and collagraphs but we also print paper and fabrics using block printing techniques and lino blocks. We dye almost all the fabrics for our own quilts and use lots of different surface design techniques such as discharge and painting. We knit, make clothes, embroider.......... The list goes on and on - it might be easier to say what we don’t have a go at!!!

Linda's Romans Sketchbook

and resulting quilt

What is one of your earliest creative memories?

Laura remembers sewing with a big plastic needle and lengths of wool when she was very small. I think she may have been about three years old when I introduced her to sewing cards. I always think children learn by example and they love to copy what the grownups are doing. I was always sewing and so it was natural that she and her sister would do the same. Just like cooking - my mom used to stand us children on a chair so we could reach the kitchen counter to roll pastry. There was a terrific mess of flour everywhere but we learnt to love cooking (and eating). I organised a young quilters group for a number of years when my children were small. The children loved to make quilts and were thrilled when they won rosettes at the quilt shows.

My own creative memories are not of sewing but of cutting things up! My sister and I were given old, glossy shopping catalogues and a pair of scissors each - we enjoyed hours of happy cutting out of clothes to dress our paper ‘dolls’.

Pablo Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”   How did you find this transition worked in your life?

I was lucky in that I never stopped being totally absorbed in drawing and painting. I went straight to art college on leaving school and Laura’s experience was very similar. I can understand that people’s lives get in the way of their creativity but for us it has always been a full time occupation and not a hobby that has to fit in around more mundane activities. I believe you need to be a little bit selfish. Anyone can make time for what’s important if they want to. For us it’s not an option, just a way of life!

Linda's sketch

Linda's Bird in the Hand quilt

How did you find your creative style?

By making lots of work. As the saying goes, ‘just do it’. You can read all the books and take all the classes going but the only way to learn and develop personal style is by sheer determination, experience and effort. The more work you produce the easier it is to become discriminating about the quality of what you create. You find yourself constantly evaluating the results and making comparisons. If something works, do it again, if it doesn’t try harder next time!

What activity do you use to jumpstart your creativity?

A deadline works miracles! We make a video every week on a creative subject that is dear to our hearts or something we are involved with in a current piece of work. Knowing that the cameras will be pointing in your direction is a great incentive to get going! Sometimes an exhibition deadline or a competition theme is what starts the ideas flowing. Sometimes we just respond to the world around us because we can’t resist making something beautiful. Almost always the first part of the journey is to work in a sketchbook.

 

*Where you can find Linda and Laura

www.lindakemshall.com

www.fingerprintfabric.com

www.lindakemshall.blogspot.co.uk

www.sixandfriends.blogspot.com

www.thr3foldjournal.com

Book Giveaway (because it's my birthday today!)

Would you like to win a hardback copy of Linda and Laura's book, The Painted Quilt.

Although aimed primarily for people using textiles, the ideas and techniques found here will inspire mixed media artists and art journallers.

To have a place in the draw, leave a comment below by 9am on Monday 20th August and Mr Random Generator Husband will be put to use again!

If you were able to ask Linda or Laura anything what would you ask?  Please add your question to the comments below.

See you next Friday for an interview with Kirsty Wiseman

It's getting nearer

Just a couple of days now until I have a table at a Craft Fair in Solihull. Click on the link to see what yummy items will be available.

I will be selling my WhollyCreative journals including these:

This is my first craft fair in the UK.  

I had a successful table at a Ladies event in Florida last year where I sold all but 4 of the journals in this photo.

So roll on Saturday!  Hope to see you there.

Bernice

Wordless Wednesday

Start the Week Right

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Celebrating UK Artists 5: Anneliese Bates

Welcome to the fifth interview celebrating the talents of British artists in the field of scrapbooking, photography, mixed-media, art journaling, feltmaking and quilting.  Some names you may know and some may not be so familiar but they are all hugely talented.

Our fifth guest is Annelieses Bates

*Brief Bio

I am a certified Ranger Educator and teach mixed media art workshops.   I also create articles for Craft Stamper Magazine and produce artwork that I sell in my Folksy Shop.  I have a husband, three beautiful children, a Japanese Shiba Inu (dog), two Chinchillas and a hamster.

*Who or what are your creative influences?  And why?

My Dad is my first one, he is what I would class as a true artist, can turn his hand to anything and is quite simply brilliant :o) His sketches, drawings and paintings are excellent.

Tim Holtz inspired me to become more creative just after I had discovered scrapbooking and I've gone on from that really.

My mum. She creates beautiful art, (She never thinks she does, but I love it !)

And my Daughter Saskia, she is a very intuitive artist, she has real skill and talent (from my dad obviously !) I enjoy watching her come up with new and exciting ideas.

 

*What is your preferred medium of creativity?   What appeals to you about this?

Oh gosh !, not sure I could limit it to just one ! hmmm, I suppose all things inky would cover it !

*What other areas of creativity do you dabble in?

I like to make jewellery, I own an Indian bead loom, Basically I'll try anything ! I recently went on a felting workshop which is something I’ve wanted to do for some time, and I really enjoyed it

*What is one of your earliest creative memories?

I remember making a brown sugar paper rabbit at Primary school, it was for Easter for my mum, We stuffed them with cotton wool and stitched the edges. I believe my mum still has it.

*Pablo Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”   How did you find this transition worked in your life?

I try to keep an open mind to most aspects of life, allowing things and people to just be what they are, I think so long as you can appreciate these differences and enjoy them, you keep that child like interest in life and what’s going on around you, that can only reflect in your art, in your spirit of adventure, trying new things 

*How did you find your creative style?

Lol, I think I'm still finding that ! I would hate to think there is only one, perhaps like fashion I prefer to be a bit of a chameleon, never quite what people expect !

*Describe your style in using 5 different words.  Share your thoughts about these words.

Oh gosh .. well Craft Stamper described me as a female Tim Holtz, so I think that implies I like Grunge ! :D

Vintage I love aging things and collecting knick-knacks to add to projects

Eclectic : I never know what I'm going to use next, anything goes

Unplanned : I don't plan what I make, I just do it

Fast: I don't dwell on pieces, again I just do it ! :D

*Which is your favourite technique?

I don't think I have one of my own, I know that when I demo at the shows people like to see the alcohol ink resist on a glass slide technique ... that always goes down well !

*Where you can find Anneliese

Blog             www.anneliesebates.co.uk

Website        www.creativejourneyworkshops.co.uk

Twitter          @the vintage workshop

Folksy Shop   http://folksy.com/shops/thevintageworkshop  

If you were able to ask Anneliese anything what would you ask?  Please add your question to the comments below.

See you next Friday for an interview with Linda & Laura Kemshall.

Plus there'll be a (special occasion) giveaway.

Craft Fair

I'll be at this Craft Fair.  Hope you will come to see me.

Wordless Wednesday

Start the Week Right

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. 

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. 

Catch the trade winds in your sails. 

Explore. 

Dream. 

Discover.

Mark Twain

And the winner is

 Sorry about the delay in announcing the winner of my giveway on my Great British Blog Hop post.

I asked Mr Random Generator (ie my Husband) to choose a number between 1 and 19.  I know this isn't a very scientific way of doing it but nevertheless he chose 15. (I wonder if that had anything to do with his birthday being on a 15th?)

Anyway, #15 was the lovely Judy with the comment:

"LOVE THIS! It's such a great album to celebrate the year! - Judy in huntsville-al"

I'll be sending Anita your email address Judy so expect the prize in your inbox sometime soon.  And enjoy using the wonderful digi papers.  For those that didn't win, Anita's designs can be found on Etsy.

Thanks for all the lovely comments.

Bernice

Journey across the northern Hemisphere

Welcome to the Journey blog hop around the UK, Canada and the United States.  We are a group of ladies who met through an online business course and other creative courses.

We have chosen Journey as the theme for this blog hop.  It’s a word that can be interpreted spiritually, physically, literally and creatively and we hope you will enjoy your journey as you hop around our blogs.

Here’s your itinerary

Bernice  (you are here)

Carolyn

Marjolaine

Paula

Anita

Susan

Nana

Who knows what you may find as you travel across the northern hemisphere today!

My Journey

Journey can be a very over-used word especially if you watch reality shows. I only watch Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice and it certainly was totally over-used in early series. However the whole point of these programmes is to get the celebrities from point A (no ability) to point B (ability) which is the definition of journey - moving from one place to another.

Throughout our lives we make many journeys of different types - physical, spiritual, literal.  My journeys have taken me from childhood to adulthood, singleness to married, non-believer to believer. I've put on weight, lost weight and put it back on. Currently I'm attempting to lose it again. I've managed to lose 15 of the 35 pounds I'm aiming to lose.

In work terms I've trained and worked as a teacher, spent 13 years a church administrator and currently I'm enjoying being retired as well as making mini books for my Etsy shop, WhollyCreative.  I have a Wholly Creative blog too.

My creative journey has been up and down. I was really good at needlework at school and hopeless at art.  At my school you either did Physics and Chemistry or Art and Domestic Science (which was Cookery and Needlework) and I was told to give up Art!

I didn't do any kind of art or sewing until in my middle 40s when I did City & Guilds Creative Embroidery. Then I stopped again.

In the last couple of years I discovered Scrapbooking and then Art Journaling which has lead to a new creative journey.  

And alongside all these journeys I have travelled too.  I've taken journeys within the UK, Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand.  This year my journeys have included a weekly walk along paths all over the middle of England.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that I do lots of online creative courses and have 'met' lots of lovely people in Facebook groups. Some of these lovelies are taking part in today's blog hop. Do journey round their blogs.  The next stop on your route is

Carolyn

Celebrating UK Artists 4: Sian Kibblewhite

Welcome to the fourth interview celebrating the talents of British artists in the field of scrapbooking, photography, mixed-media, art journaling, feltmaking and quilting.  Some names you may know and some may not be so familiar but they are all hugely talented.

This week we move away from mixed media artists to a Felt Artist, Sian Kibblewhite.

*Brief Bio

Taught for 30 years and retired 2000, since then I have completed City and Guilds Creative Computing and been awarded a Medal of Excellence.  Have studied City and Guilds Feltmaking to Diploma Level during the past 4 years.  I run workshops and write articles on many aspects of textiles.

 

*Who or what are your creative influences?  And why?

My grandmother was a tailoress and craftswomen and experimented with textiles in 1950 onwards, I was surrounded by fabric and was encouraged to sew, knit and crochet

*What is your preferred medium of creativity?   What appeals to you about this?

Anything connected with fabric and thread.  I love texture, colour and the ability to create 3 dimensional effects and layers.

 

*What other areas of creativity do you dabble in?

Painting and sculpture and designing on the computer.

*What is one of your earliest creative memories?

I was always interested in creating patterns and drawings in Primary school

 

*Pablo Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”   How did you find this transition worked in your life?

I went to a Grammar School and was encouraged to study more academic subjects thus my teacher Training was in Biological Sciences.  It was only when I qualified and went to teach in a Middle school that I was asked to teach Art as well as all other subjects.  My preparation for the art sessions started a passion for a Multicraft approach.

*How did you find your creative style?

Difficult to define, I have always been interested in the landscape and everything connected to nature and I seem to return to it time and time again.

 

*What activity do you use to jumpstart your creativity?

I take loads of photographs and then I sketch from photographs.

 *Describe your style in using 5 different words.  Share your thoughts about these words.

I don’t know whether I have a style as such, I am interested in creating an impression of a scene.

*Which is your favourite technique?

Layering of fabric and burning areas of the surfaces to reveal underlying layers.

 

*Favourite art gallery or museum?

Design Museum in Gent, Belgium

 *Favourite book?

Celebrate your creative self by Mary Todd Beam

*Where you can find Sian

Website: www.fabriclandscapes.co.uk

If you were able to ask Sian anything what would you ask?  Please add your question to the comments below.

See you next Friday for an interview with Anneliese Bates.

Hop .. hop ... hop ...

So having hopped with the Great British Blog Hop yesterday (and don't forget it's still going on today)

I'll be encouraging you to hop again on Saturday with a Journey across the northern Hemisphere.


Come back on Saturday to find out the significance of this photo

And in between, on Friday, you can meet my next featured UK artist

Sian Kibblewhite

Thanks for stopping by

Bernice

Wordless Wednesday