Last year, as Christmas approached, I re-read
'His Dark Materials' by Philip Pullman. I wanted to revisit the story before I read
'Book of Dust' which was about to be released. I enjoyed the books even more second time around, so much so that I had a yearning to visit Oxford and the colleges that were Lyra's playground. Me and my best friend from school went there last month for a short break which I thoroughly enjoyed. In my mind I'd envisioned a magical place...it didn't disappoint. I was utterly captivated by the layers of history.
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| School of Divinity - Bodleian |
My current project is inspired by the transforming power and magic of books, and there I was in a city dedicated to knowledge. I couldn't help but imagine myself as an Oxford scholar.
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| The Dining Hall - Balliol |
As for my project. The second and third pieces are now complete...
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| Sleeping and Crows #2 |
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| Sleeping and Crows #3 |
...and I'm quite pleased with them. I've been trying different stitches and techniques with each of them so that although they are obviously part of the same series, they have some differences. I'm working on freeing myself up more, not labouring over a piece too much. There are still another five pieces planned for this project and I am eager to see what I will do next but this is always the busiest time of year for me so it will happen when it happens.
Amanda xxx
