Colour Stories 2017

My year so far has been mainly in the print studio developing colour stories selected from a few of the many hundreds of colours I've documented over the past 5 years (hurray!!!). I feel so excited about the latest development in this journey that's gone from flora/fauna, to colour, to sketch, and now lastly to print. A body of work informed by the colours I've collected and noted from the North Devon landscape, my garden, other peoples gardens! Every colour reminding me of times past, people I've loved and days out and about with our lovely dogs.

Here are the first two colour stories...

The first colour story is from my daily walk with Luna. Brambles, ferns and perturbed pheasants as I scramble through the banks looking for her!

Once I had decided on the colours, they were then developed and recorded as Reactive Dye recipes so that I will be able to re-produce the colours over and over. This takes time, carefully adjusting the dyes and colour balance, allowing for the underlying grey tone of the natural linen, until I'm completely happy with the colour and feel its the best that can be achieved.

The second colour story is from the sand dunes. Club Rush, Marram Grass and Magpie feathers, all from the extensive dune systems in North Devon. Subtle, sandy, coastal. Working from the principle that the colours from the landscape will be as harmonious and uplifting to look at and live with inside as they are out. 

I may mix and match these colours i.e. not only work with them in their individual colour stories, but the really important thing is - that the colours above are now translated into dye recipes and therefore onto my textiles!!

I'm recently using Instagram to show more of my print and product developments, find me  @sampickard_textiles

Colour from the season - Hard Fern green

As a self-employed designer/maker,  I'm pretty disciplined on the whole. I rise early, walk Luna and start work by 9am. I usually work until 6pm, but sometimes later. I also often work on Saturday and if I'm running a screen-printing or Photoshop workshop, I work all weekend. The plus side is of course that I love my work and as long as I don't beat myself up for not getting something done, in the main, no-one else does either.

These attractive little ferns, which grow everywhere here in North Devon are called Hard Ferns or Blechnum spicant (slightly strange name so called because of their leathery form (?)). I've made time to sketch a few of them, to feature in a new wall panel along with a couple of other ferns, which I hope to put on screen and print at a super-sized scale next week.

I generally design what I would love to live with myself. As Oscar Wilde so aptly said -

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken"...

In case you wonder what soft ferns look like? I'm attaching a photo of a Soft Shield Fern (Polystichum setiferum) below...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Monterey Pine Needle green

Inevitably seasons pass and everything gets a little older. Even the Monterey Pine in the Heddon Valley was looking the worse for wear when I visited it last week after weeks of wind and rain. It seemed to be leaning over even more than usual. I went after the storms especially to gather a few of its needles for a new design I'm working on. Even after the tail end of Storm Frank (?!) I had to scramble around the banks to find a few small branches as it doesn't give up its cones, or it would seem, its needles very readily.

Challenging on the eyes to distinguish between the background and foreground needles, I had to really concentrate, not unlike drawing the Monterey Cone! (here).

Rich earthy colours of the needles...

A sight for sore eyes on a grey January day. The Hunter's Inn with Monterey Pine (behind the right chimney).

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Spray Chrysanthemum orange

There's nothing like a Chrysanthemum bloom to re-ignite my motivation to draw however tired I'm feeling!

These spray Chrysanthemums are locally grown and infinitely more appealing to draw than the equivalent supermarket variety. Long stemmed, unpretentiously ragged growth and rich shades of burnt orange. Their warm colours are a welcome foil to a grey Winter's day, and I have every intention of finding the time to draw all six stems, here's the first...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Butternut Squash Yellow

When you need to relax you want colours that are calm and natural, such as the combination of yellow and tan shadings in this Butternut Squash. After an intensive few weeks of workshops and screen-printing, I was completely shattered on Sunday, therefore painting this Butternut Squash was a perfect way to unwind...

It's skin was almost exactly the colour of Naples yellow acrylic paint from Windsor and Newton, (which might be useful info for anyone else thinking of painting one).

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Grey Squirrel Grey

Last week I was thinking that I might quite like to draw a Squirrel and then yesterday (serendipity), Pete phoned from the woodland to tell me that he'd found a dead one and would I like to draw it? My thoughts were - it's Friday night can I draw a Squirrel? No! Saturday can I draw a Squirrel?...well, perhaps, maybe it's just possible...so I said yes please.

Therefore today I sat him up, drew him and documented his peaceful Arcadian colours, here he is...

it's my first mammal...

(He's buried in the garden now, rest in peace little Squirrel...)

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook

Colour from the season - Hydrangea Green

In the limelight, refreshing late Summer colours of Hydrangea paniculata.

Over the bank holiday weekend I sketched one flower head (it took ages, all those little flowers!), then decided to sketch another flower (with more care) which turned out almost exactly the same! Very enjoyable anyway (and alive to boot)...

Luna preferred the Purple Elder...

Uplifting Summer screen-printing listening has been from Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear - 'Silent Movies' from their fab debut album 'Skeleton Crew'...

Colours from the Season - Bumblebee ochre and how to rescue a bee!

I love bees and in fact since childhood have saved many of their lives. When we returned from Cornwall Design Fair last week I was dismayed that a Bumblebee (I think, male Bombus Terrestris) had got stuck in my studio and died. I decided to draw him, document his colours and at the same time post some bee rescue information at the same time.

We had a tiny back yard when I was growing up, but my dad had a hive of bees in it, (he also had hives on Exmoor with a bee keeping friend). This is where I learned about bees, how a bee can easily become exhausted with its efforts to gather pollen, need rest and sometimes even, resuscitation, particularly if it's getting near dusk. If a bee doesn't manage to get home before nightfall, particularly in cold weather, it will die. If it's stuck in your kitchen, conservatory or greenhouse, it will die.

Therefore, if you see a bee exhausted, but not yet dead, this is what you can do:

If indoors collect the bee up very carefully onto a card and take him outside.

Take a teaspoon and dip the tip into a jar of honey, add a few drops of warm water and stir with your finger to dissolve and dilute the honey. (If no honey available use sugar).

If the bee is very weak you can tip a few drops from the spoon near his head (don't drown him).
Sometimes you need to help him a little by edging the spoon towards his nose.

More often than not, the bee will sense the honey, and you'll see his long tongue, which works like a straw, find the honey water and he'll start to gather strength.

As he gains strength, be careful, keep your distance, you don't want to get stung.

After five or ten minutes he'll fly off!

Read more about our declining bee population, and why they need our help, here, here and here

Sketch in progress

Bee rescue...Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum

and another...

Red Mason bee? Osmia Rufa

detail Bombus hypnorum (there's his tongue)...

'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step' - Lao Tzu

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Magpie feather blue

Two for joy!

Magpies have been flying into my field of vision lately. First on a amazing vase exhibited at my open studios a month or so ago by ceramic artist, Jacqueline Leighton Boyce (see below). Then last week I found a single feather across my path, I'm superstitious about Magpies - is that one for sorrow I thought? but when it was followed by a similar feather in the same spot a week later, I decided, two for joy!

Colour wise I was astonished to discover an iridescent cyan blue edging the soft brown along one side of both feathers. I had to draw them because they were so marvellous.

The "Magpies" vase was too beautiful to part with. I love the fact that it has a Magpie on each side, therefore although one is hidden you know joy is just around the corner. It is without any doubt, one of my favourite things...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colours from the Season - Rook feather black

Right in the middle of clearing one end of my studio to display work for Art Trek open studios last week, I was given a young dead Rook that had been killed on the road. Too big to be stored alongside the Thrush and Bullfinch currently in my freezer, I had to struggle to make time to sketch him but as always with drawing, I felt much the better for it.

A juvenile Rook looks a lot like a Carrion Crow, and so is difficult to identify, but the colour of the beak and shape of the head, suggests that this is a young Rook. Unexpectedly majestic close up; Victorian Gothic black plumage with iridescent purple highlights; dusty brown downy back feathers; slate grey beak and, on the sides and underside of the beak, slashes of pale pink...

Bank holiday sketching...

Right handed...

Photographed progress of the sketch.

If you happen to be in North Devon next weekend, please drop by my studio (looking fantastically tidy) and say hello! Second and final weekend for Art Trek open studios with Jacqueline Leighton Boyce, Judith Westcott and Mary Melling.

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Swallow feather blue

The Swallow's journey back and forth between the U.K. and South Africa is miraculous, they arrive in April and May and usually depart in September, travelling 200 miles a day, maximum flight speed 35 mph! They are such an uplifting sight to see and herald the Summer, (as long as there's more than one of course).

Sadly this Swallow got trapped in a barn last Autumn and couldn't make the journey to it's winter home. Desiccated as he was in reality, I chose to paint him at peace and who knows, perhaps he's already flying in another life.

Such iridescence in that blue - truly extraordinary..!

pencil sketch...

paint before a touch of ink.

Many thanks to Judith for bringing him round for me to sketch, see her wonderful lino-cut prints here

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Tulip (Grand Perfection) Red

A more colourful notebook page than usual! inspired by the group of Tulips painted by Phillip Reinagle for 'The Temple of Flora' by Dr. Robert Thornton.

When, last week I spotted a pot of crimson striped tulips in the market, they made me think of this painting, and as I'm fortunate to have a full size facsimile of Dr. Thornton's book, I heaved it out to have a look.

Apparently Dr. Thornton bankrupted himself creating this book, known and prized primarily for its wonderful illustrations, it's also filled with poetry and exquisite hand flourished scripts. For further reading, there's a very good article about it with more illustrations on Dunbarton Oaks research library and collections blog here..

Far too large for a coffee table at over half a metre in height!

One of these days I hope to have a chance to draw a few additional stripey tulips to join the one above, meanwhile I'm in the middle of a Spring clean up of the studio in preparation for a screen -printing workshop at the end of the week, (necessary every time unfortunately as I'm pretty messy!)...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Celandine Yellow

When the sun shines Celandine open their petals almost backwards to face it, I feel like this about Spring sunshine too so I have a fond affinity for Celandine and pleased to discover that it was also Wordsworth's favourite flower.

In Spring much of our garden is a spectacular carpet of this scruffy little yellow flower which is 100% uncontaminated yellow (matched to my eye) in my printed CMYK book...

After spending hours creating a design with Beech, Gorse and Heather (not at all bad), I discarded the idea and instead have given the Beech a solo focus as a large panel.

Printing in late afternoon yesterday, the sun streaming in and a Spring green colourway.

Printing the outline, and cleaning the squeegee before lifting the screen.

To satisfy an urge for some pattern in this print, today I added the repeat design created from notebook drawings (in brass). The Beech collection (cushions, runners and large wall panel) will be for sale in my shop fairly soon!

Happy first day of Spring..!

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Blackthorn grey (plus Exhibition News)

Aware that I haven't put pen to paper for quite some time, yesterday on my regular morning tramp with Luna, I peered out from my waterproofs into the horizontal hail and biting wind to see if there was anything, a single branch, a leaf, a dull or colourful something, anything, that I felt enthused to draw (it is February after all!). Look what I noticed, isn't it amazing!? I thought so, a natural barbed wire (ouch!).

Actually grey, just in case you hadn't already heard, is 2015's new black. It's not just clothes, but hair, walls, and there's a seasonal abundance of it here in Devon. Combined here (as it was on the branch) with Scarred Blackthorn red, (think Pantone colour of the year Marsala??) it's right on trend. Top tip... If you paint Farrow and Ball's 'Dove Tale' with a slash of 'Brinjal', you'd have a room not far off the fabulous warm colours of a Blackthorn branch...

I love this fine porcelain vase, perfect for such a Blackthorn branch, by Gilda Westermann...

Some early dates for 2015 fairs and events where I'll be exhibiting my textiles:

Selvedge Spring Fair - The American Museum Bath, March 28th.

Art Trek Open Studios - North Devon, May 23rd/24th and 29th/30th.

The Contemporary Craft Fair - Bovey Tracey, 5th - 7th June.

MADE Design and Craft Fair, West Dean - 18th - 21st June.

More to follow later in the year…

…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.

Colour from the Season - Great Spotted Woodpecker red

The last two months have been busy, I've worked almost every day including weekends yet I have still fallen behind with deadlines, which is unusual. Honestly, I think I've been quite sad and maybe this has been the incentive to finally draw this beautiful Great Spotted Woodpecker that a friend gave me earlier this year (he's been in the freezer).

I drew two sketches, I liked aspects of both, the wings and feet of the first and the head of the second (below). The feathers are mainly soft neutrals, contrasting black and white spot patterned, and a dramatic red crown - I thought Constructivist colours...

The first sketch...

(spilled the ink)

and in every rare spare moment - I've been training Luna..!

'My Head is an Animal' by Of Monsters and Men (2011) is what I'm playing to death at the moment. This one's 'Slow and Steady'...



...from my seasonal colour sample notebook

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.

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...

Colour from the season Shaggy Ink Cap - Black (and Mushroom Ink)

Last week I spent a few days camping on a woodland site. One of the many magical things I discovered was a small clump of Shaggy Ink Cap mushrooms (Coprinas comatus), which although fairly common, I hadn't seen before (perhaps because they only last a very short time). I decided to collect their ink and then draw them with it…
 

It's not difficult to make Mushroom Ink from Ink Cap's, I leaned how from the Natural History Museum (kids only!) website here.

First sighting - already past their best.


The following day and they're starting to drip.

Carpe Diem!

Mucky!! (edible too though I didn't sample)

A couple of days later - (Sieved) Shaggy Ink…

After drawing these mushrooms with their ink I can now report:
that it's fairly watery; slightly gritty; and smells strongly even when the ink dries, of wild fungi. I have no idea as to it's lightfastness or longevity but can highly recommend just for fun!!

lovely Vdub...

…from my seasonal colour sample notebook.