Beautiful day!

Views from my daily walk to studio through Burgess park, another London inner city oasis.Today everything looks more alive and intense enhanced by the glorious light and the good news of ACE funding towards latest commission 'Gardening with Morris' 

Gardening with Morris

Beginning studio sketches, digging around Morris's designs. 
I can't help wanting to return these designs back to the soil. 

With Winter months approaching rapidly it seems a good plan to prepare the ground for this new project. The studio floor is covered with fruit and flowers and beginning to feel like an unkept allotment.                                                                         

Morris's choice of simple meadow flowers in Daisy and more exotic pomegranate and lemon trees in Fruit have become 2 of my favourites.

William Morris wall papers

Today a very exciting visit to wallpaper manufacturers for Sandersons and Morris & Co. I have been treated to visit the original block print archive and shop floor production where some of Morris's designs are still laboriously hand block printed while hundreds of meters of his and today's designers are machine printed per day.

Morris & Co are very generously donating Morris's wall papers for this next commission.

Arts and Crafts House, Then and Now

Discussing with curator Antonia Harrison my new installation for exhibition 'Arts and Crafts House, Then and Now' at Compton Verney. The exhibition traces the origins, legacy and enduring appeal of the historic Arts & Crafts Movement and its fascination with the creation of the home and link to the garden. The commission will consist of a new living wall tableau including William Morris botanical designs, new glass and ceramic pieces and a new collection of painted plants. This is my 1st visit to the wonderful grounds and gallery at Compton Verney. Their permanent collections include a great collection of British folk art and  magnificent trees which grace the surrounding landscape designed by Capability Brown.

Winter indoor gardening

Preparing for new installation ' Sanctuary' at Touchstones in Rochdale Sep 2014

Pop up clay garden, The big draw at the Garden museum , London Oct 2014

Participant on the Tea(m) event at the Gerald Moore Gallery Feb 2014

Between September and Xmas my studio activities are increasingly involved with aspects of indoor gardening.

LIFE AROUND THE FOLLY AT THE GARDEN MUSEUM

Detail of porcelain pool and plants

Peanut form with Widows bonnet

Bead vessel on moss with weed

Bird vessel with red headed weed

Balancing bead vessel with moss and branch

Porcelain pool with grass

Porcelain roots and Cow parsley

Black form and bone branch

Last few days of Folly with a Cercis at the Lambeth Garden museum. The tree goes back into the studio on the 19 June and will be pruned into sections. Branches will be available for purchase from beginning of July.

A CERCIS MICRO WORLD

Green fuse: the work of Dan Pearson is now open and the 'Tree folly with a Cercis' is now live at the Garden Museum. It has once more taken a new incarnation in this new space. In the background - a collection of photographs of Dan Pearson's old Peckham garden by Howard Sooley. Included a picture of the living Cercis in full bloom with red heart shaped leaf.

----------------------------------------------------

SCHOOLS TREE FOLLY WORKSHOPS

A week of creative workshops making tree follies with local school groups. Fresh stories and myths have emerged around oak logs and branches collected around Walpole park. These can all be seen under the trees next to Oak folly and heard during the Big lunch event on 2nd July.

AFTER THE RAIN

Marigolds and Mulenbeckia are thriving. Tracey from the gallery waters regularly and recent  summer rains refresh both the colours of trunks and ceramics as well as plant growth.

FOLLY IN WALPOLE PARK

The last day of setting up Oak Folly in Walpole park. My intended scheme of  French marigolds, lupins and  purple-leaved Ranunculus ficaria 'Brazen Hussy' has been slightly modified. By the end of next week there will be some additions with logs brought to life during schools workshops at the PM gallery.

------------------------------------------------