On the 27th of December I went for a walk in the woods near my grandparents house. My brother and dad were looking for sticks and twigs to whittle (dead ones, no live wood!), but I just wandered around the familiar paths. Noticed some trees with green spraypaint marks on their bark, like the black spot for pirates. A sign on the gate said that an oak disease had left trees with 'bleeding lesions', so they were having to cut down about fifty dead trees. Here are two trees on death row.
I hope everyone's had a very nice Christmas. I did, my brother made me this bird table with an 'H' carved in. Best present ever! No birds on it yet - and it will be moved to Kingston on Sunday. Maybe I'll get a parakeet on it. I got some linocutting things so on Christmas Day I made some prints of the tree. You can't see but without the wedges the tree is actually at a 45 degree angle - we bought it discount from the garden centre.
Having a lovely break, got about a million books on the go, and working on a very exciting personal project!
This is Werner Herzog's documentary 'Encounters at the End of the World'. It's about Antarctica and the people that live and work there. Herzog says it's not another penguin film. And it's true: it is the most beautiful film that changes the way you see humans, as well as having the most amazing sequences of underwater filming. There are philosophers in Antarctica that drive forklift trucks, linguists on a continent with no languages, a plumber who keeps a bag packed with raft, sleeping bag, tent, everything he needs to leave at anytime. There are scientists who celebrate finding three new species under the ice with an electric guitar concert of the roof of their lab. I don't want to give away anything else that might impair your wonder on seeing this film.
You really, really, should watch it. It's all on youtube. (Or, I watched it on More4 last night so it might be on 4OD). But if you don't watch the whole thing, at least see this excerpt from an underwater dive. It starts at around 3.30 in the link above. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
From the Age Concern charity shop at the bottom of Sutton, for £1.99. I collect fuzzy felt, I've got fuzzy felt ballet, farm animals, house...lots of nice ones. This one came with one scene already done. It's a nativity - but look above Joseph's head. I think it's Dumbo...
Today I baked three cakes: one coffee cake with honey and maple syrup butter icing, and two cinnamon cakes with honey butter icing. Two are for my grandparents 80th birthday party on Saturday - it's tea at the Ritz-themed. And one of the cinnamon cakes is for my house, who are all suffering with essay. I was considering icing 'fuck essays' on the top, but I thought the possibility for a comedy mix up was too high.
In other news, Caitlin has made a mod roc whale that is drying the bath.
A few weeks ago graphic designer Jonathan Gray came to Kingston and did a talk about his work. He did the cover for Everything is Illuminated by Jonathon Safran Foer, one of my favourite books. He also showed us some pictures about the Central European classics series he did covers for. After the Wave on Saturday we detoured to the book stalls under the bridge at Southbank, and I found a copy of one. It's a brilliant brilliant book, beautifully written - every sentence is peculiar and so evocative.
"Grandpa Rafik, my mother's father, died for good a long time ago - he drowned in the river Drina. I hardly knew him, but I can remember one game we played, a simple game. Grandpa Rafik would point to something and I'd say its name, its colour, and the first thing that occured to me about it. He'd point to his penknife. and I'd say: knife, grey, and railway engine. He'd point to a sparrow, and I'd say: bird, grey, and railway engine. Grandpa Rafik pointed through the window at night, and I said: dreams, grey, and railway engine, and Grandpa tucked me up and said: sleep an iron sleep"
Also, today I bought a brilliant bike lock, in strangely similar colours.
After a long, drawn out project. Two day group project to make a monument for a mini speakers corner in our studio. We (me, Theo, Kelly and Emily) celebrated our right to free speech, whether it be serious or nonsense (or both which is characteristic of Speaker's Corner).
We asked year one illustrators to write what they would change in the world on a tiny piece of paper, which was then put into the parcel addressed to the House of Commons and sent by first class stamp - all legal- via balloon.
