Exmoor inspiration

These cushions are taking up residence in upstate New York, Lucky things!!! (and yes I do feel a bit envious!). Moorland Rabbit led the way in October last year and now Moorland Fawn and Pheasant are heading over to join him which is just perfect.
They are my nostalgic take on the 1960's - Reminiscent of reading Enid Blyton, riding in Morris Travellers and drinking lashings of Tizer! I screen-print every one (front and back) and so they are all unique. I've become really fond of them all, but especially in these colours.

In much the same vein I've been revisiting favourite Moorland plant drawings and capturing the essence of them in loose inky plant drawings. Here I've overlaid them onto a monochrome version of the tartan backgrounds from the cushion prints - it's just the starting point for a new scarf collection (but which I expect to be in full moorland colour!).

Heather...

Gorse...

Marram Grass...

Excited because our first Photoshop workshop starts tomorrow.

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Club Rush Brown

I nearly didn't post these - my walking companion (Pete) thought these Club Rushes too dull to bother with, and you may agree with him!

In their defence, their flower heads catching the faint sunshine were like little orange beacons glowing. Maybe I have a serious case of wearing rose tinted specs here, but they were one of the most colourful plants in the dunes at the North Devon Coast last weekend and I thought them worth a mention. Pah who needs show off tropical colour and glorious sunshine anyway! - think Harris Tweed... 

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Sinecio Silver

A belated welcome to 2015!

Although it's slowed a little, I am as inspired by seasonal colour as I was when I started this journey in 2010, documenting the colours I found in flora and fauna. Like a slow revolution it affects my design work and uplifts my life.

This elegant plant, although only a half hardy garden perennial and so not built to withstand icy weather, nonetheless perfectly captures the colour and mood of a frosty January morning.

Sinecio cineraria, aka Silver Dust wears a felted coat of the palest silvery grey and patches of an unexpectedly vibrant green where the frost has bitten it. I found a pile of them dumped in the woodland a few months ago and so transplanted a few to my garden!

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.