Tuesday 14 February 2012

A Woodcut Print For St Valentines'



Here's a very simple two colour design woodblock print I made a couple of years ago for the tartist for St. Valentines' Day. It's actually an MDF print to be precise which I find quite easy to carve but unfortunately MDF being a really soft material doesn't tolerate too many impressions before it breaks up. I used a block for each colour with this one, rather than my preferred reduction method and was kind of taken with the loose registration between the two colours.

Sunday 5 February 2012

Snow Comes To Mersea Island

So the snow arrived just as the forecasters had predicted, it must have been snowing most of the night because we had a covering of about six inches when we awoke this morning. After a cup of tea from the warm confines of our duvet the tartist and I decided the best course of action was to get outside in it (not innit!).



So we decided to go for a bracing walk down to the Artcafé, where else? for a coffee and a bacon sandwich.


The snow was quite deep and powdery







When we arrived at the Artcafé there was already an improvised sled park as quite a lot of people had obviously had the same idea as us and were warming themselves inside.



As we left the café to continue our walk someone came skidding along in a plastic fish box being towed along on a rope by a Landrover. Please believe me when I tell you this is not at all unusual when it snows here on our island, and is often indulged in after the pub when the bruising effects of such a ride can be dulled by one or two 'tinctures'.


The houseboats on Coast Road



We continued our walk along the coast past the sailing barge 'Dawn' who has become something of a fixture these days on our waterfront as she over-winters beside the oyster pits.



Just beyond in the distance can be seen packing marsh island with the iconic Packing Shed standing on its' stilts amidst the ice.



And the sea really has been freezing this past week when temperatures have barely clawed their way over freezing point during the day, and during the night have been well below.



On past the Company Shed just opening up for business as we continued past and on up The Lane.





When we arrived home tingling from the cold the stove was still well alight to dry us and our boots out, we love our stove, especially in weather like this.



And the tartist cooked us a 'cockle' warming chilli con carne, very seventies, but was just what we needed to complete the day.