Monday, September 24, 2012

Finishing Touches

I've been busy. I was going to say like a bee, but sadly bees don't seem to have been busy at all this year. Has anyone else noticed the severe lack of honeybees? I've watched this garden for the past 14 years, since we moved here and this year has got me worried.  There have been so few, I spotted this one on the window sill the other day.

 I'm just putting finishing touches to the book illustrations now. Here's a glimpse of some...
  And then I'll be turning these into paintings  for 'The Enchanted Forests' Exhibition at The Green Tree Gallery in West Sussex. 


 Autumn in my little studio, is cosy. I had a tidy up and hung up a twiggy chandelier. 

Here's some more pics from inside ...

Hope you are enjoying Autumn?
  x

16 comments:

  1. Hello! As I can see and feel, you are ready to meet Autumn! Your studio really looks cosy with all those fir-cones and feathers, while the lights wear the atmosphere of dark, dreamy afternoons and evenings, warmed by cups of hot tea/coffee...
    I like the illustrations and wish you good luck! (I'm impressed by the Wind).
    Your sketches promise new, lovely paintings. I'm much intrigued by the last one!!! (my profession has become my "second nature")
    Have a marvellous Autumn!!

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  2. A magical end to my Monday reading this. Looking forward to seeing those finished paintings, they seem perfect for Autumn nights already.

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  3. Your studio is very sozy and full of much inspiration. I would love to sit there and soak up the atmosphere. Love your drawings.
    The honeybees are trying to make a come-back here in the States, after a bad few years of bee colonies dying out. We had more bees this year than in at least three years.

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  4. Maybe your honeybees had all come this way for the summer as we had more then I've seen in the eight years I've lived here. Two swarms even took up residents in trees at the edge of the lawn just where the forest starts. Crazy buzzing all summer!

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  5. your studio is so pretty. you really can feel the magic :)

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  6. It has been a terrible year for bees, the weather and lack of pollen at crucial times alone has been catastrophic.

    We need to make a plea for weeds. Encourage the dandelions. Then plant a thyme, marjoram and hyssop year. Anything they like to provide energy for them.

    I love the pictures and your studio is a little haven of creativity. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Am feeling a little privileged to view inside your wonderfully magical studio, what a sweet place to create and bring dream and visions to life Karen!Thank you for showing us and you must been over the moon with your finished wonderful, illustrations! I too, wish you the bestest of luck with these.....
    Keep cosy Karen, autumn is a little sad like the summer has been here, with dreadful rains!No wonder there has been so little sightings of bumble bees and butterflies around us....
    Love Maria x

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  8. Yes, bees have had such a hard time this year.
    Just seeing your picture of the hare playing with a puppet theatre, I thought what beautiful puppets your wooden animals would make.
    Your studio looks lovely and cosy!
    Dan
    -x-

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  9. gorgeous pink cupboard....love that and the hare in the corner!

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  10. Even all the beauty of your artwork and studio cannot ease the ache in my heart as I agree that I, too, have seen far fewer honey bees than usual this year. Sadly, I can say that pollination simply failed to happen on the anticipated scale in my garden so there is a dire lack of autumn fruit. On a more upbeat note, the warmer days of the last week (we won't talk about today's weather) I witnessed many tens of honey bees 'sunbathing' on the stone walls of my cottage. I have never seen this before.
    Autumn Blessings to you ♥

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  11. Here, I had a fair amount of honeybees, but surely fewer than years past, concerning.... I love seeing the inside of your studio, I've got a laurel "chandelier" in my house - its a big, twisty laurel branch with twinkly lights, best kind of luxury ever! Happy Autumn to you!

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  12. Oh my goodness, I love the enchanted forest sketches . . . can't wait to see them come to life.

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  13. Your sketches are magical. I especially loved the one of the rabbit with the marionettes. I love autumn and I can tell you do too.
    Cenya

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  14. Oh my goodness those pencil drawings look amazing, I love the paintings already! Your studio looks like a lovely place to work, really interesting to see what things surround you as you paint. One of these days I'll get round to photographing mine, there'll be one or two familiar things there! ;)
    Jess xx

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  15. Loved the peek into your studio - you have the same collections as I have around my workspace. Your sketches are beautiful and it will be lovely to see the finished paintings. Funnily enough we all signed the Friends of the Earth petition regarding bees today. There have been so few around our way this year too. Karen x

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  16. Thank you for sharing your workspace with us! Seeing what inspires others inspires me, too.

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It's great to hear from you! :-)