Monday 27 July 2015

Rainy Evening...

It's a grey misty evening and I can hear the rain pitter-pattering down outside, but I don't find this a reason to be gloomy - on the contrary. I switch on my lamps, put on something warm and comfy, and settle at my desk with my notebooks and pens laid out before me. This is the perfect time to enjoy some contemplation as I scribble away and make plans for future projects.

 
I have this little old bureau in a corner of my living room and it's where I sit and sew, and write, and piece together my bits of inspiration. I've had my own desk for as long as I can remember - when you love stationery as much as I do, a desk is an integral piece of furniture.
 
I always have a journal on the go and for this I like to use Daler-Rowney artists sketchbooks. These have been my preferred books since I was at art college and I love starting a new one. For something a bit more special I'll treat myself to a Moleskine. I didn't know about these until I started working at a bookstore but they're definitely on my list of favourites.
 
 
Another benefit of all this rain is that I know the plants in my garden will be vibrant and refreshed after their long cool drink.
 
Good night x
 
 


 

Monday 20 July 2015

Design Inspiration

In my very first post I showed a sample of my design work but neglected to give any details about the work, so here's a bit of back-story; it was from a series of designs I did inspired by royal sashes. This is the mood board I created:


I love the elegance of these very regal draped ribbons and enjoyed playing around with it in my designs, creating a modern slant on a traditional idea.

These are a few more from the same series:-

 
I studied Fashion Design, holding a BA Honours Degree in this subject, so I guess there will probably be quite a lot of focus on fashion and style in my posts. I've been interested in fashion since I was a young girl and would fill notebooks with designs and pore over the pages of my mum's 'Vogue'. That interest has stayed with me and my own style has certainly gone through some changes over the years from the pink, spiky hair of my teenage years to the more casual, elegant look I aspire to now.
 
Amanda x
 
 

Monday 13 July 2015

Rob Ryan at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

YSP shop - Rob Ryan window display
 
Last Thursday evening I went along to an artist talk given by Rob Ryan at Yorkshire Sculpture Park - what a brilliant evening. It was so reassuring hearing Rob talk about himself and his work because it made me realise I'm not the only one with ridiculous amounts of anxiety.

Rob worries about things to a ridiculous level, he overthinks everything; so he creates his work purely and selfishly because he loves to do it, it makes him happy, and it allows him to have a dialogue with himself, reminding himself how wonderful and amazing the world is.

I've always loved Rob's work but feel an even greater connection with it after hearing him speak and, after a week of feeling stressed and anxious, I left the event feeling  much calmer and eager to throw myself into my own work.


a summer evening at ysp