Colour from the season - Sweet Chestnut Leaf brown

It was 4th November 2010 that I first posted the colour of fallen Sweet Chestnut leaves and noted that they were the exact colour of our beautiful and foxy dog Chip. Twelve and a half years with us, my son Josse and I collected her as a tiny bundle from Ilfracombe Dogs Trust rescue centre in May 2002. I'm so sad that she died last Monday, I miss her terribly.

First chance last night to sketch these seasonal leaves which always remind me of her...

Waiting patiently for me outside the studio a few weeks ago...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Hot off the print table!

I'm happy to say that my textile screen-printing workshops are officially up and running!! The first two day workshop went as well as I could have possibly hoped, and was inspiring as well as creative!
Here are a few images…

It was an intensive two days and very productive!

Pinning down swatches…

Fascinating demonstration on the heat press..!

Theory and practice…

Preparation…

Keeping a record…

and then production..!

Abstract imagery…

as well as botanical..!

Using two silk screens onto furnishing linen/cotton, bleached and natural…

I really enjoyed having such lovely creative people working in the studio and everyone wants to continue!  Therefore coming soon, in addition to further introductory workshops in screen-printing and Photoshop, there will be specialist one day dye and print masterclasses and an ongoing (intermediate stage) print club…

For more info and booking visit https://sampickard.bigcartel.com

Colour from the Season - Beech leaf rust

No doubt the woodland is wearing Autumn colours, but as the leaves start to turn and fall, I find myself at odds with the season and am working in the studio on a design which involves putting leaves back onto the branch.

A few years ago I drew a number of silhouettes of beech (and oak) branches and though I've used these for a number of designs, I always regretted not putting detail into the leaves and so had drawn some of the beech leaves separately with the thought of re-connecting them one day - well that day has come! It may have been easier to have begun again, but I'm enjoying the variation of working in a different way...

Although not quite finished - I thought I'd include here its seasonal colours in stripes for a change...

The reason I'm not out and about in the woodland and Moor this past week is because our beautiful dog Chip has become too ill to go out. She has been so much a part of my studio life for the past twelve and a half years that things just won't be the same without her...

Aerial Field Patterns

I've been away on a fabulous holiday to Crete. I didn't take a sketchbook or even a pen as I decided I should practice doing other things occasionally!

There's not much to recommend budget air travel except perhaps the incredible view of the land below and fields laid out like a vast patchwork quilt spread over the earth. On the return flight at a point somewhere between the Swiss Alps and France the view below looked like this! In between other work I've started making a note of these field patterns.

Rough patch...

The full picture...

a few miles later...

(It's not exact!)

Highlights of Crete included visiting Heraklion Archaeological museum (which houses the most extensive collection of Minoan Art in the world); The island of Spinalonga (read Victoria Hislop's account of the former leper colony on Spinalonga here); The remarkable guide who showed us around Knossos and brought the palace and Minoan culture to life; and last but not least the  hospitality and generosity of the Cretan/Greek people.

Back down to earth - welcome October! (belatedly).