Painting Toadstools And Jack O Lanterns

October offerings.  

I've decorated my wind fall birds nest with colour, to brighten up the fading days.

On the previous blog post, I had an urge to paint toadstools. I've seen quite a few out and about and some in the garden but sadly not any fly agaric which I was hoping to spot. 

So instead I painted some...

It's good to step away from whatever you are doing sometimes, just to be indulgent and fill the creative urge. I added a robin for a finishing touch, just because... ;)

Sunday's walk lead me to this magical Briony plant twining among the hedgerows. There were some fallen berries, so I popped a couple in my pocket and planted them in a pot when I got home. This would look so beautiful in the garden and would hopefully spread in the wild hedgerows nearby too. Fingers crossed they germinate? Does anyone know if they are easy to grow? 

This evening the little pumpkin tea light holder was lit. It's the first year I think that I haven't got around to doing a real one. I was going to today, but decided to use the time on painting instead.

As a child, pumpkins were never as popular like they are now.

Instead we made Jack o lanterns out of ‘mangel wurzels’ These if you don’t know, are sort of like a turnip or swede. A couple of nights before Halloween us naughty children from our estate would go to the local farmers field and pull our lantern out of the ground. Running home with them in the dark, like a scene from Harry Potter, they looked like stolen mandrakes covered in mud. Once home we would leave them by the back door until Halloween, then we scooped them out, carved a face added a candle inside and threaded string to the lid to carry around. They normally lasted until Bonfire night.

🎃✨Happy Halloween 🎃 Happy Samhain✨ May your pumpkins and jack o lanterns burn bright tonight! x 

Conkers, A New Painting And The Shoes of A Different Era

Where did those Autumn children go? Those who collected these woody treasures in excitement and laughter, in competition to get the biggest and most perfect winning conker to hang on a string?

All grown up, with children and grand children of their own, yet I'm sure there are conkers in their grown up jacket pockets, or on their window sills just like my own?

There were so many on our walk, we just couldn't resist stopping for five minutes to have a play.

As we left I'm sure I heard the faint echoes of that laughter of years ago? And I smiled remembering.

I love Autumn with it's fungi. 

 Golden leaves and bright berries

There are late jewels in the garden. Flowers that are having a second wind in this mild October weather after being held back in the hot dry summer that we had. They shine even brighter now everything else in the garden is falling asleep in muted russets and brown.

During dry days I've been saving seeds for next year. And making sure I put them in marked packets and keep them indoors. Last year a cheeky mouse feasted on all the sweet pea seeds that I had saved as I left them in the greenhouse.

On my desk...

I have been longing to paint Autumn things! I have a huge desire to paint toadstools!  However am so behind on my winter paintings, they will have to wait for now. 

I took some 'in progress' shots of one of my paintings recently completed. 

You can see how long I've been working on and off on this one, as I'm still wearing sandals in the photo. :/ I painted it A3 size though which didn't help with speed, as I had forgotten just how long that size takes to paint.

Here's the finished piece....'Spellbound in the Forest'

And a close up...

Although I haven't finished (it's sort of) partner painting yet, I've made this one available as cards, a print and a notebook as I felt time is ticking on and some folk like to get a head start on their Christmas gift organising?

You can find all my new additions to the Etsy shop here.

Wooden Hanger Update

I've had some people messaging me recently regarding wooden hangers ready for Christmas.

I'm so sorry to disappoint, but I won't be doing any this year, as I just haven't had the time.  My little shop has done soo well, which of course I'm extremely grateful for. But being busy comes with a price and this year I've just found it really hard to find the extra time to create as much as I would have liked. It's hard as although I'm busy, I've not reached the stage where I can afford to employ help to pack orders to free up my time. This is also why I haven't (as promised to some) organised my wholesale either. So, a big rearrange and organisation needs to be done soon. And a new batch of wooden hangers will be first on the list for the new year.

******
I am guilty however of taking two days off to be an artist of a different kind a few weeks back.
We often get film crews come to our little village and it's been used for numerous movies and tv dramas. Being a villager we sometimes get the chance to be background artists or what they used to call extras. This was the case for me.
The late September weather was in our favour as I stepped into shoes of a different era...
Back to 1928

 to celebrate

and cheer the kings royal artillery.

and band

I'm not going to show you myself in full costume, but will tell you that I looked more like a Mary Poppins than a Lady Mary ;)
Can you guess what the movie is?
It was Downton Abbey! which should be coming to the big screen next year.  It was a fun two days, making memories with my Son and Daughter, who also got to be extras too!

Until next time...
I hope your October is filled with magic?
X

The Quiet Ones

We are faded, invisible, and sometimes pale to insignificance.

Sleeping?

No.

There is a translucent shine, like moonlight filtering through trees in a forest.

A heart light, shining out for all that we believe in.   

Do not assume lack of words mean lack of wisdom.

Our eyes are quick.

And our vision is clear.

We have strength within more akin to a bear than a human

Yet we are guided beneath the light of angels wings.

The Quiet Ones © Karen Davis

Pictures from a day out at the Cotswold Sculpture park near Cirencester Gloucestershire. Do pop in for a visit if you are nearby, you won't be disappointed. £1 of the £5 entry fee goes to Oak and Furrows wildlife rescue. Isn't that great!

Tread Gently Little Star Child

Are you ready for Autumn? For silver spider web spangled walks, dew dropped spotted toadstools, woodsmoke scented evenings curling up with a hot chocolate or herbal tea, writing your dreams, potions and spells, maybe in one of my new notebooks?
I've just added some new designs using some old Aceo paintings I did a few years back. You may remember them or you may be the owner of one of the originals?
Because they were so small (being aceos) it was difficult to know what to do with the designs?
After much playing around, I think they work well with the old book theme?
I've tried to capture a magical feel to them too, by adding words to each book.

The notebooks are all A5 size this time. ( I may do some A6 too  at some point?) and come secured with hemp string and a label.

More card designs have been added too. 

Owls.

And the whimsical pumpkin design that you may remember I drew last year?

Perfect for lovers of Halloween. These will be selling singly or in a pack of four.

And... the 2019 calendar.
This year it's a smaller A5 size. Neat and compact and fits nicely in little spaces.

Tomorrow is the last day of August. She has almost gone...
As the last glimpse of the tails of her ragged robe faded over the hill, she gifted me a garland of hops entangled around prickly treasure.

I'm hanging it upside down to dry, then will bring inside as Autumn decoration.

Until next time...
Tread gently little star child.
x