A midweek weekend!
We had a bit of a break from our usual routine this week. We spent Wednesday at my mum and dads farm helping with the sheep clipping. Now, when I say helping it should probably be "helping"!
Me and the boys spent most of the day in the garden playing, interspersed with bursts of cooking and washing up! I did manage to tear them away from their toys for long enough to go over and see the clipping in progress. I used to love clipping time as a child, the noise, the bustle, the smell! Mostly it was the numbers of extra people needed to chase sheep here, open and shut gates there and the fact that we got to eat lunch and tea with everyone else in the shed!
Watching someone clip a sheep is kind of mesmerising, a bit like staring at the flames in a fire. It's the rhythm, the white noise the machines makes, the long smooth strokes the clippers use right down the length of the sheep, the repetition and the joy and delight of the sheep when it's let go, minus it's fleece. They rush off out of the shed, skipping, jumping and bleating like lambs, it still makes me smile!
On Thursday we headed to Pittenweem for the fantastic Pittenweem Arts Festival. It's an absolutely brilliant settling for a Festival, with 87 venues opening their doors to the thousands of visitors who flood the town during the week long event. Their invited artists this year are all huge favourites of mine and if you're not familiar with their work go and have a peek, Alasdair Gray, Bridgid Collins, Jonny Hannah and Keith Brockie.
We met up with some friend of ours (Mr & Mrs K of An Ordinary Life) and we had a thoroughly lovely day! We hung out on the beach. Building castles from stones and drift wood. Wandered along the street to slurp some ice cream.
And I managed to nip away and wander in and out of studios, workshop and houses marvelling at the talent and work on display and soaking up the atmosphere, it was bliss!
My highlights this year were catching up with Louise Scott and Philip Raskin. I met both of them at Scone Game Fair and absolutely love their work.
I was going to add a list of all of my favourite artists and then realised I was listing just about everyone who took part! So instead I'll direct you to the Festival website which has links to all the artists personal websites! http://www.pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk/artists.php
We rounded off the day with two tired boys and fish and chips on Anstruther harbour!
Me and the boys spent most of the day in the garden playing, interspersed with bursts of cooking and washing up! I did manage to tear them away from their toys for long enough to go over and see the clipping in progress. I used to love clipping time as a child, the noise, the bustle, the smell! Mostly it was the numbers of extra people needed to chase sheep here, open and shut gates there and the fact that we got to eat lunch and tea with everyone else in the shed!
Watching someone clip a sheep is kind of mesmerising, a bit like staring at the flames in a fire. It's the rhythm, the white noise the machines makes, the long smooth strokes the clippers use right down the length of the sheep, the repetition and the joy and delight of the sheep when it's let go, minus it's fleece. They rush off out of the shed, skipping, jumping and bleating like lambs, it still makes me smile!
On Thursday we headed to Pittenweem for the fantastic Pittenweem Arts Festival. It's an absolutely brilliant settling for a Festival, with 87 venues opening their doors to the thousands of visitors who flood the town during the week long event. Their invited artists this year are all huge favourites of mine and if you're not familiar with their work go and have a peek, Alasdair Gray, Bridgid Collins, Jonny Hannah and Keith Brockie.
We met up with some friend of ours (Mr & Mrs K of An Ordinary Life) and we had a thoroughly lovely day! We hung out on the beach. Building castles from stones and drift wood. Wandered along the street to slurp some ice cream.
And I managed to nip away and wander in and out of studios, workshop and houses marvelling at the talent and work on display and soaking up the atmosphere, it was bliss!
I was going to add a list of all of my favourite artists and then realised I was listing just about everyone who took part! So instead I'll direct you to the Festival website which has links to all the artists personal websites! http://www.pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk/artists.php
We rounded off the day with two tired boys and fish and chips on Anstruther harbour!
Costa del.......Pittenweem!
I had a brilliant day with some friends on Friday at the Pittenween Arts Festival. It was a glorious, sunny day and the whole of the East Neuk looked gorgeous. It's the first year that I've been to the Arts Festival and I'll definately be back! I've put together a board on Pinterest of my bestest favourites!!
We saw some fantastic work and in no particular order of fabulousness, loved the work by Anita Hutchison, Susie Lacome, Hilke MacIntyre, Susan McGill, Dot Sim, Weft Textile Studio and Workshop (actually a shop on the quay side SO, SO, SO, worth a visit anytime!), Frances Wilson (couldn't find a website for her, but this is a link to a profile of her AND it's got photos of her stunningly beautiful, gorgeous, fabulously lovely porcelain. I can't tell you how much I'd love to own some of this.......but I fear it would not mix well with two small boys. Well MY boys anyway!!) Alison Midson at The Backgate Gallery (sadly no photos of her linocuts, they are lovely!) Heather Cunningham. I think I've exhaused my vocabulary of "lovely" adjectives!
My preparations for Perthshire Open Studios are now well underway. Just as well because it's only 3 and a bit weeks until it starts! I'm excited, nervous and terrified all in equal measure! I've almost finished painting the studio and I can't believe how much better it looks. It's been on the "to do" list for at least 3 years but other "more essential" things kept overtaking it. I'll post some before and after photies when it's all done.
My preparations for Perthshire Open Studios are now well underway. Just as well because it's only 3 and a bit weeks until it starts! I'm excited, nervous and terrified all in equal measure! I've almost finished painting the studio and I can't believe how much better it looks. It's been on the "to do" list for at least 3 years but other "more essential" things kept overtaking it. I'll post some before and after photies when it's all done.