Presses old and new.

As the sun shines on this glorious summer I have been sitting at my desk painting Christmas candy canes and St Nicholas himself, none of which I can show alas!

However, we found time to return to London and revisit Hammersmith, this time with camera and ticket to visit Emery Walker’s House, possibly the most well preserved Arts and Crafts House in Britain. Although there are no doubt grander houses, to step through the doors of No 7 Hammersmith Terrace is to enter the world not only of Emery Walker, William Morris, Rossetti and Cobden Sanderson but to enter a more domestic, feminine world that made this house into a home.



Emery Walker was a typographer, printer and mentor to William Morris; they met through their shared political ideals and became great friends. Emery helped in the establishment of The Kelmscott Press and was a partner in The Dove Press with Cobden-Sanderson. If you visit the house you will be taken back to the days when Emery was a married man with a young daughter Dorothy, who continued to live in the house for the rest of her life. When Dorothy grew older she had a young Dutch companion who also remained there until her death, thus ensuring the continuity of both the house and its contents. You get a real sense of homeliness here, not only are there original Arts and Crafts furnishings, wallpapers etc but also paintings, prints, books and all the paraphernalia of life - an eclectic mix of possessions which make this a home rather than a museum.

You can wander through the garden which fronts the river Thames and get a glimpse of Hammersmith Bridge where Cobden-Sanderson was believed to have stood before he threw the entire type from the Dove Press into the water below after a bitter dispute with Emery. I wonder if it is still there in the muddy depths and what ghostly tales it could tell?



After taking some refreshment at The Black Lion, we continued our walk to Kelsmcott House where we saw some prints being made on William’s lovely old Albion Press. I came home with some purchased for the bargain price of £1 each!

And now for my news; goodness knows what William would have made of our modern world but, the first of my picture books has been made digital and is in the app store now. You can see it here- “White is the Moon” (Auryn Inc) has moved into a new millennium complete with sounds and words, which appear when you touch different parts of the illustrations. For example, if you touch the moon, the written word appears and a voice says “Moon”, how exciting is that? William must be turning in his grave! I hope not.

Moody Blue.

Maybe because the weather turned cold again, maybe because memories of loved ones past took hold and became overwhelming, my mood this month has been blue.



These are the times when nature soothes and lifts the spirits. I walked in fields of blue, through great swathes of bluebells and forget-me-nots which carpet the woodlands around my home.



and of course nothing on earth keeps a person more grounded than walking with a dog.



There have been lots to keep me busy in my studio, cards and prints to make and post, new paintings to begin and artwork to scan. Listing a new item takes almost as long as its creation followed by the photo shoots. I have to confess to enjoying playing around with the later. As a child I always wanted a shop of my own and am having great fun with my online version.



Last but not least, I have been in the process of making some of my children’s books available as digital applications and have become a creative partner with Auryn Inc. I hope to see the first title “White is the Moon” available soon and am excited about the new opportunities this partnership may bring. Auryn have some beautiful titles on their list, my absolute favourite is “The Little Mermaid” as told by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger. Auryn’s version has the most beautiful underwater effects complete with splashing fishes and rippling waves. You can download a short free version just to try out, you will be amazed at how very lovely it is.

Children's Book Giveaway

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments you left about my children's book. It has been very heartwarming to read them, I really do appreciate your visits. This week I am hosting my own giveaway open to anyone who cares to enter. I have a signed copy of “White is the Moon” to give to you but first, I hope you will help me in a little market research. I have recently had some postcards printed, there are two sets available in my Etsy shop and I am wondering which people will like the best? So, if you would like a free, signed copy of my book please leave a comment below and say which animal postcard appeals to you the most.

I have always loved frogs, though I know that many hate them, it was lovely to see so many tadpoles whilst walking yesterday. We have been experiencing very heavy rain and cold, wintry weather but yesterday saw a bit if sunshine so we put on our dog walking boots and headed to the fields. The rain has made everything look so fresh and green, cowslips and primroses in flower, every cloud has a silver lining I suppose!

I will choose a winner on Wednesday the 2nd of May, so bye for now and good luck.

HURRY! HURRY! Book Giveaway and two interviews.

I am having a very lazy week, my blog friends are doing all the work for me! I have two online interviews; the first about art licensing and you can read it here on Alex Colombo's art blog The Moon from my Attic

Secondly, for a chance to win a copy of my book "White is the Moon" all you have to do is visit "Good Books for Young Souls" where I have been interviewed by Wendy.

To enter the "White is the Moon" giveaway all you need to do is leave a comment on Wendy's blog, following the links and leave a comment but please HURRY because the giveaway finishes on Thursday. Please note Wendy can only ship to a USA address. However,I will be hosting my own giveaway on this blog next week open to everyone.

You can also try out the "Look inside feature" in the Amazon shop to give you more idea about the book.

Thank you so much Alex and Wendy and good luck everyone.

My heart is like a singing bird.

Illustration taken from "White is the Moon"

“My heart is like a singing bird” from the poem “A Birthday” by Christina Rossetti best describes how I feel right now as we prepare for Easter. This year we hope to also celebrate my husband’s birthday together with four generations of our family.

You may have noticed the addition of a link to “White is the Moon” in my sidebar. This children’s picture book was one I first worked on when our boys were little, now we have a grandson old enough to read it, albeit with his own hilarious adaptation. “Once there was a fish and the fish was called Seymour” and “Pink is the pie” has replaced “Pink is the crab” after he saw it had a close resemblance to a cheese and onion pie! I am waiting for samples to arrive, of the book that is, not the pie. When I have them I will do a giveaway.




We have also been enjoying unbelievably sunny March days; warm enough to sit in the garden in tee shirts and jeans. Ted the dog has been treated to extra long country walks, making the most of the weather before it changes back to cold and grey.
The woodland near home is carpeted with wood anemones and shining stars of celandine, birdsong fills the air, in particular the very lovely music of the song thrush, blackbird and yellow hammer.
Grandson George can be seen proudly wearing his Easter Bonnet, made with help from his clever mum.

The lovely little embroidered bird is from Chloe Redfern, a mixed media artist who has an Etsy shop called Slightly Triangle. Her decorations are absolutely delightful.



I have been painting daffodils for my portfolio, maybe to end up on a paper napkin or greeting card one day? Sometimes it is nice just to work for the sheer pleasure of painting from life.


I hope your Easter days are filled with sunshine and birdsong too.

Irish Music and Children's Ballet.

Alan Cutts is an Irish musician and composer who, amongst other things, has created a musical interpretation of “White is the Moon”. Alan composed the music for a fifteen minute ballet designed for young players ranging from grade 3 to grade 8.
This musical extravaganza was first performed at the Wexford Festival in 1993 by the Wexford School of Music and the Wexford School of Ballet and Modern Dance.

As luck would have it I did not get the chance to attend so can only imagine the evening, how I wish I had a time machine! Alan now tells me that he has a website and has made the music available- in script form only… sigh. However he has promised that he will, one day, make an audio file so I live in hope.

I felt deeply honoured that my little book inspired a musician, many of the images were in turn inspired by the landscape and wildlife of Eire so it was pleasant to consider the work being performed in Wexford.

If you visit his website you can hear some of his audio files, I have been smitten by the heavenly choral music Suantrai (Irish Lulaby), such exquisite singing, well worth a visit.