Hi people!

Last year I did an 100 days of summer project to buoy me up creatively during the enormous-glorious (sometimes-laborious) Texas summer.

This year, I am doing a photo-a-day project, starting on Saturday 25th May and ending on 1st September.

I have been scooting around the internet and my own, dear brain, gathering a list of 100 inspirations. Most lists that I found are for 30 day projects. Pah, lightweights.

If this seems like fun to you then I heartily welcome participation. Let me know where you’re posting and I’ll be sure to share.

The List:

1. linger
2. red
3. where no cars go
4. high noon
5. blue
6. quiet
7. sometimes
8. hello, my old heart
9. now
10. here
11. favourite
12. precious possession
13. after all
14. you
15. them
16. 10am
17. happy
18. morning
19. myself
20. here
21. favourite
22. little
23. evening
24. orange
25. light
26. shadow
27. Favourite place in my home
28. Making the most of it
29. lately
30. here
31. favourite
32. first
33. could do better
34. afternoon
35. the other side
36. lately
37. wearing
38. Need to get out more
39. I made this
40. here
41. favourite
42. evening
43. pattern
44. material world
45. Impressed
46. Time to pretend
47. trouble
48. It’s the end of the world as we know it
49. Saw this and thought of…
50. here
51. favourite
52. texture
53. My neighbourhood
54. Sunglasses
55. Someone I talked to today
56. Sleep
57. front door
58. typography
59. window
60. here
61. favourite
62. some nights
63. My wheels
64. Challenging
65. Drink
66. B&W
67. I ate this
68. Mess
69. Friend
70. here
71. favourite
72. paper
73. art
74. Every day
75. blue
76. Shoes
77. Deep
78. Shake it out
79. Wood
80. here
81. favourite
82. this is the one
83. graffiti
84. body
85. eyes
86. up
87. wouldn’t it be nice
88. youth
89. age
90. here
91. favourite
92. stopped to notice
93. green
94. tomorrow
95. hang me up to dry
96. slow it down
97. portrait
98. colour
99. dream
100. the end

At the moment I am passionate, teary almost, about dark grey.

The shadow box I made this week is not grey but it’s almost as good because it nests happily, somewhere between all of the elements in this room (grey) which, by the way, has been vivid in my “one day” imagination for a couple of years now:

[Source: http://weheartit.com/entry/8609031/via/ayumiumiu#]

Oh my, this blue, it says it all:

I was imagining something cottagey, cobbled and nooky when I made my way to the gig. But of course, that was just misplaced English imagination. Instead, the horizon was panoramic, the sky vast and bounding, the yard matter-of-fact flat and it was welcoming and wonderful in a distinctly Texan way.

I watched the waving trees as the music rose and pondered the joke-and-wonder of just being here and getting to see this:

In the Winter’s crystal whisper:

I have also been working on another larger-scale paper-cut of a Purple Martin. I like their story: Each spring they return to these parts and people help them out by providing little nesting places. Purple Martins, you see, can struggle because of other, more dominant types of swallow. God bless the underdog. [That's a Stoney lyric, which ties it up nicely, full circle. See what I did there?]

Homework at the bar:

Levi and one of his loves at Full English. [It passes the Brit test, by the way.]

We found this in our lounge. We put it in a jar. A few weeks later, we opened it. It smelt of fish.

Taking in the new:

Conquered by my six year old, at his request:

And after all:

This made my heart full:

Walking:

Wild Texas:

I’ve watched him work on this collection of songs for years now and these last few have been pretty epic for us. High highs and low lows. Brutal and beautiful. And there have always been these songs and they are very much of this time. They are deep, true, raw, sinking and soaring. This man has something to say and by gum does he say it well.

And it’s time to get this album out! Nope, scrap that. It’s way past time. But… here we go!

Stoney has launched a Pledge campaign to get this thing done. You can pre-order the album or be part of the journey in a bigger way by becoming an incentivised investor.

That’s where I come in. I am working on some paper-cuts inspired by his lyrics. Each piece is an original illustration and a one-off and is available as part of the Pledge incentives.

First-up, this swan, inspired by a line from the song Defiantly Loved. More to come shortly.

The river rolls on with a grace upon its shame. A faithful white swan, loyal to its poisoned veins.

I am working on a large-scale paper-cut of a Cedar Waxwing. I chose it because a flock of them really brightened my day earlier this year.

I used a photo as the basis of my illustration which I think gave me problems because the head was in intense shadow and it made it hard to translate to paper-cut. But still, it’s not wasted, it’s learning. It’s very different working bigger.

Fig 1. Daunting paper.

Fig 2. Quinn was making me nervous with those cars.

Fig 3. It bears a meadow in its breast.

Fig 4. Taped on for now at the end of my desk.

I’m also peeking over the brim at bigger, next projects such as an exhibition (I’m running out of wall as you see) and larger scale paper-cuts on salvaged windows. My Pops has been a God-send with all his practical know-how, window-toting and ingenious (and esoteric) wobbly-window-stabilising schemes.

Other than that, more sweet paper-cutting:

The second one is for the very special Ymuno Festival which takes place in Narnia Wales each summer. It’s inspired by their 2013 theme, “heartland” and they have put it on a t-shirt. It’s so gratifying to see something I’ve made on a t-shirt. I feel sneaky-famous.

I’ve also continued my foray into jabot making. I bloody love them. Are you excited to see my dirty dishes?: