Observation and sensing the world around us.

It is truly wonderful to be able to walk at this time of year. We have already had a few grey skies and chilly days now to really appreciate the bright sunshine and warming sun of a fine autumnal day. Yesterday was such a day. The sun shone bright and the clouds that caused the overnight rain scudded high above us as we climbed up Holly hill, Dargate.

Looking out and down the hill.

We stood to one side of the Bracken fringed path to let a group of walkers past and in our stopping we were able to marvel at the view down the hill, across the fields towards the Thames estuary. I could pick out the curve of the coast from Seasalter westwards and locate a few boats moored on the Swale at Oare. Looking beyond them, the atmospherics allowed a series of clear outlines of varying horizons, similar to a theatre set, mapping the distances away from us.

A naturally framed view.

One of my favourite books, 'Country Bunch- an anthology of the countryside' by Miss Read has a piece by Eleanor Farjeon on the poet Edward Thomas. In it she explains how Edwards father had given his children a piece of sage advice, to 'keep your senses fresh' and how Edward was able to do this, even as a soldier in the first world war.

Stormy sky clearing more sunshine.

'He could not live a day in the open air without being given something to 'enjoy enormously'; clear weather, flat shingle, a line of trees, the tallness of a church tower on a marsh, even a row of huts- he liked what he saw. And knew that nobody else liked it as much as he did.'

This is how I feel on such a gift of a warm, bright and sunny early autumnal day. I feel by making time and walking in nature, slowing down and allowing myself to observe, to 'look beyond looking', I can really feel connected to the place. Walking with others especially other observant artists is a very simple and enjoyable pleasure.

Walking speed, amongst the fallen leaves.

These lager fir trees on the top of the hill are a local landmark.

We stood leaning against a farm gate on the way back down the path and were happy to chat and point out to each other what we could see. Large black birds, perhaps crows, were spiralling up ahead of us, making a great noise and commotion. The longer we looked the clearer it was that they were mobbing a couple of larger Raptor type birds, who nonchalantly spiralled up higher into the sky.

Looking through the abundance of Rose hips, by the path edge.

A couple of Dragonflies and a Peacock butterfly flew over and displayed their own precious beauty to us. It did not go unnoticed. We 'enjoyed enormously' both the breadth of the distant view and the closer treasures that we observed.

The views were extensive. 

Our senses were awakened and we could clearly hear and feel the crunch of the abundance of acorns that covered the path back down to the car. The wind started up with a chill in it and we gratefully got into the sun-warmed car to find a local pub to have lunch.

The path out of the woods, thick with fallen acorns.

I will be opening the doors of my beautiful straw bale studio once again this year to exhibit my own and Alison Lees work as part of the Canterbury Festival, the theme is still 'The Spirit of Place' as it is an ongoing art project based in Kent.

You can keep up to date with our explorations and discoveries by looking at www.facebook.com/EastKentSpiritOfPlace

Inked imprint of feathers, found on a previous walk.

Open times are 11-5 daily on the weekends from 14-29^th of October. We can be found at house number 25 on the Whitstable trail. Please see the webpage www.ekoh.org.uk for more information.

 I can be contacted on 07432679164 or clare@people-to-place.co.uk

Gentle and Raw Power

The news at the moment seems to be filled with hate filled words, natural disasters, destruction, conflict, fear, suffering and threatening behaviour. Even writing this list starts to make my breathing more shallow and I feel upset.

Sarah Corbett.

So imagine my joy as I heard a quietly spoken lady explain Craftivism to me and others at a talk last night in Whitstable. Sarah Corbett talked of an approach to activism that was beautiful, kind and just. I left the talk inspired and empowered by her gentle powerful words. She is highly articulate and is a joy to listen to, so if you are able to catch her next event in Kent I urge you to. (It's on 25th November at the Folkstone Quarterhouse.)  

Her awareness of the world is not weak or fluffy, she comes from a background of truly understanding the injustice that exists and quietly plots and plans her response to it. But instead of shaming, demonising or adding more angry fuel to the fire, she approaches her goals and the people concerned with love and respect. Using strategic questioning, emotional intelligence and I expect, humour, she uncovers the correct powerholders to approach and acts as a critical friend, encouraging them to change their minds and use their power for good.

The actual handicraft element is well thought out, created within a group and is personal to each Craftivist. There has been some recent press coverage of her work as she is logistically clever and uses timely events such as London Fashion week to gain publicity for specific injustices within the fashion industry. See the link here for more information.

I found her approach resonated with me. She mentioned she had been burnt out on many occasions because of her deep need to act upon the social injustice that she saw yet her introvert nature and hypersensitivity combined to make her feel that a direct action approach, alongside often loud and aggressive protesters wasn't a sustainable one for her to take.

Her new book.

Her website, www.craftivist-collective.com explains so much more and shows some of the beautiful, humble work that she creates. Her new book comes out on the 5^th of October and can be pre-ordered from her online shop. She will even sign it and wrap it up for you with a ribbon for no additional cost, even that gesture shows you what a lovely person she is!

Another book I have just reordered as a gift for a friend is 'Sometimes a Wild God' by Tom Hiron. It is a wonderful raw and touching poem that is wonderfully illustrated by his partner Rima Staines. They conceived the idea of 'Hedgespoken', a travelling off-grid storytelling and theatre project a while ago and in recent years have made it happen. Hedgespoken runs out of a 1960's Bedford RL lorry which has been converted to be a home and 'go anywhere' stage.

Painting by Rima Staines.

The poem, 'Sometimes a Wild God' is both powerful and beautiful and I think it's about returning 'home' to ourselves. We can easily become distracted from our true path and forget what an experience it is just to be here at this time. This poem celebrates our wild natures and reminds us to connect: to nature itself and the wild raw power that we each own. One line in particular reminds me of my obligation to live life fully.

...'Wondering how you got so old

And where your passion went.'

Passionate poetry.

It is indeed a wake up call, as I wrote earlier, the news seems to be full of hate filled words, natural disasters, destruction, conflict, fear, suffering and threatening behaviour. But I wonder whether both approaches to life, Sarahs' gift of the act and word of 'kindfullness', (a mix of mindlfullness and kindness) alongside Toms' reminder of our essential connection to nature, that we are made of it, could combine to create a truly valued and sustainable life.

This is what I will be concentrating on for the next few days. I aim to buy a 'My Footprint Kit' from Sarah and after walking and reflecting on this combination of views, I will create my own stitched words. This image then becomes a heartfelt reminder to reflect upon my own personal beliefs. I will hang the completed stitched footprint by the front door to remind me of what is important. It will hopefully guide me when I leave the house and ground me when I return.

'My footprint Kit' from the Craftivist Collective shop.

NB; All photographs above are not taken by me, they are for reference only and were taken off the respective official websites.

I will be opening the doors of my beautiful straw bale studio once again this year to exhibit my own and Alison Lees work as part of the Canterbury Festival, the theme is still 'The Spirit of Place' as it is an ongoing art project based in Kent.

You can keep up to date with our explorations and discoveries by looking at www.facebook.com/EastKentSpiritOfPlace

Open times are 11-5 daily on the weekends from 14-29^th of October. We can be found at house number 25 on the Whitstable trail. Please see the webpage www.ekoh.org.uk for more information.

 I can be contacted on 07432679164 or clare@people-to-place.co.uk

Cabinet of Curiosity, from last years Open Studio event.

Time- collecting and connecting

There are many reasons why we don't do what we want more often, but my consistent one is that there will always be more time, 'I must just do this first, so that then I can do X, (what I really would prefer to do) another time.' I even plan to 'reward' myself, so that I can get these 'more important' things done, with self made encouragement.

A collection of beach finds, all ready for inspiration.

My house and workplace has clues to what I'd prefer to be doing, there are collections of objects to print with, draw, paint or just inspire. There are books I want to read, shelves of them in fact. I seem to collect piles of objects around me to give clues and indicate what else I could be doing. This could be seen as the unconscious becoming conscious and taking on a physical form. Just being there and shouting out to be recognised and acted upon!

Detail of dresser, filled with inspirational forms, patterns and colours. 

I rearranged a few rooms last weekend and I surprised myself by the quantity of books that I am looking forward to reading, that is...when I have the time. The realisation that only I can give myself this time is a wake up call. We all have the same amount but time can be wasted, I know that Facebook is my main time-waster and reading and re-reading the news, I know that The Guardian live updates become scarily compulsive when a big news story is on.

I do understand that we are fascinated by others stories and the news and Facebook feed me well and would continue to do so and even choke me on my own gluttony for this should I not have any will power to turn it off/put the Ipad down.

Sketchbook in studio, a reflective journal of my collections and connections.

But, my choice of career, that of an artist and designer means that it is my job to literally look beyond the stories that are fed to me and create my own. Making work opens up an experiential process which feeds my soul. Taking materials and giving myself the time to create original pieces of art is a wonderful way to 'fill' time. But I find myself not doing it enough. If I treat it seriously and timetable it into my week, then it happens, but there are often just too many other things that take up my time. So, it is with this realisation in mind that I recognise I need to prioritize and edit what to expect of myself, in the time given.

My first woodcut, ready for printing.

Going back to the first paragraph in this blog- 'There are many reasons why we don't do what we want more often, but my consistent one is that there will always be more time'. Well that's not always true either. A friend passed away earlier this week., so that long delayed meet up and cup of coffee that we promised ourselves last November didn't happen and now will never happen.

Life is precious, time is limited. We all owe it to ourselves to use it wisely.

Butterfly on Clover at Victory Wood, Late summer.

I will be opening the doors of my beautiful straw bale studio once again this year to exhibit my own and Alison Lees work as part of the Canterbury Festival, the theme is still 'The Spirit of Place' as it is an ongoing art project based in Kent.

You can keep up to date with our explorations and discoveries by looking at www.facebook.com/EastKentSpiritOfPlace

Open times are 11-5 daily on the weekends from 14-29^th of October. We can be found at house number 25 on the Whitstable trail. Please see the webpage www.ekoh.org.uk for more information.

 I can be contacted on 07432679164 or clare@people-to-place.co.uk

Nostalgia and Familiarity.

I have been keeping myself distracted from world events by going out walking, planning and making artwork and re-reading wonderful books about seasonal living in the towns and villages of the British countryside.

I wonder whether this is truly healthy. Certainly the walking part is, there has been research published recently by Public Health England that walking for just 10 minutes each day can add many benefits to your life including a 15% reduction in the risk of dying prematurely. (Shockingly, PHE said 41% of middle aged adults, (6 million) walk less than 10 minutes continuously each month.)

Walking is so much more fun in a friendly group.

But, bathing myself in nostalgia; re-reading country living tales from the earlier part of the last century? Perhaps not, but a daily dose of a chapter before bed, makes the 10 O' Clock news far less terrifying and I sleep well.

Alice Puttullo's work at YSP. Wallpaper, fireplace, pictures and mantelpiece ornaments.

Making artwork has taken a break this summer as I juggle childcare and work but I have many plans for when I feel freer which isn't not long now, I know this as I have been counting the days. I want to start a new project this November called 'Hearth and Home', it's in its planning stage at the moment, but that is a very exciting place to be. I want to move on from the Spirit of Place project and look at our relationship to home. I was taken by Alice Pattullo's 'Of House and Home' exhibition on show at the YSP last month, (see the last blog for more information on this.)

Dalmation mantelpiece ornament.

This year I have had a log burner installed into my home and I am already looking forward to the colder weather and an excuse to create a fire in my living room. This warm heart to the home is just waiting to be lit. Heart and hearth are such similar words that I guess they must have a common origin. It is this type of enquiry that will push my research forward and create images and written work that will fill up another large reflective journal, or two...

King Charles dog, Staffordshire pottery card replica.

One of the books I have been seeking solace in is more contemporary but still has the same feel of the older books. 'Village People' by the late Paula Yates is a wonderful perceptive and sometimes poignant view of her and her family’s move from full time London living to settling into the more seasonal and small town world of Faversham. Compton Pauncefoot is the literary name that she rechristens it with, but her love of the place comes through and her descriptions of the passing of the seasons, local events and beautiful nature writing is reminiscent of one of her writing heroines, Miss Read.

'Village People', Paula Yates

Describing the allotments by Davington pond she writes, 'A few of the brave locals willing to risk heat stroke were stripped to the waist and feeding bottles of beer to giant marrows the size of small pigs; one sat looking wistfully at an onion the same size as a small bungalow in Southport.'

Susan Hill, the writer behind the terrifying 'The Woman in Black', wrote a beautiful book in 1982 that I cherish. It is called 'The Magic Apple Tree- a country year', she paints the village year in glowing colours, the people, the events and the familiarity and celebration of the seasons. It is her story of moving into the countryside and becoming happily immersed in its rhythms.

She writes, 'Summer did come at last and, when it did, it was one of those summers of poems and stories and country pictures, a once-upon-a-time summer, it was hot day after day, week after week, so that we slipped into a dream, where we imagined it never ending, a paradise world of long, golden days.'

'The Magic Apple Tree', Susan Hill

Another two wonderful writers of this genre are, obviously, Miss Read and Alison Uttley. If you are feeling a need for distraction from the news at the moment I heartily recommend a nostalgic break by reading 'Thrush Green' or 'A Country Child' as soon as possible. One dose of this before bed will allow escapism, encourage wonder at the natural world and hopefully induce a peaceful nights sleep!

'Thrush Green', Miss Read

I will be opening the doors of my beautiful straw bale studio once again this year to exhibit my own and Alison Lees work as part of the Canterbury Festival, the theme is still 'The Spirit of Place' as it is an ongoing art project based in Kent.

You can keep up to date with our explorations and discoveries by looking at www.facebook.com/EastKentSpiritOfPlace

Open times are 11-5 daily on the weekends from 14-29^th of October. We can be found at house number 25 on the Whitstable trail. Please see the webpage www.ekoh.org.uk for more information.

 I can be contacted on 07432679164 or clare@people-to-place.co.uk