Johnsons Island Artists Open Studios Exhibition

My 'hideaway' art studio on Johnsons Island is opening it's doors next weekend, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May, for two days of artistic delights, live music and creative inspiration. A little blurb on it below -

Johnsons Island is home to a flourishing colony of artists and crafts-people. Gazing at the shimmering canal waters from its eclectic collection of buildings it is easy to understand why.

Sculptors, painters, printmakers & artisans from this thriving community will be opening the doors to their studios over the weekend of 12th to the 13th May from 10am-6pm.

Nestled beside the first lock linking the Thames to the Grand Union Canal, one passes the Brewery Tap on Catherine Wheel Rd, before crossing a footbridge and entering into another world. History, art and nature are woven together in this unique island setting, as Samuel Pepys would agree when he sailed past for an illicit assignation with the Brentford lady in 1660!

Come and meet with the creators of such esoteric products as hard wearing and eco-friendly bicycle baskets and bags, the local mosaic artist who is showing her work at the Olympic Village View Tube, one of the artists who designs laser light shows around the world when not making unique prints or the paper and wire sculptor who has a two minute walk to her studio from her narrow boat home.

Tara Winona webpage has launched! www.tarawinona.com

This week has seen the unveiling of www.tarawinona.com!

It is with great pride and slightly square eyes that I launched the Tara Winona webpage.

A very big thank you to a dear friend and talented lady Kat - without whom I would never have got here.

Tis the season to paint folly!

Tumbling amongst my paints I decided to create Christmas cards slightly different from the norm ...

What if a flock of butterflies were to magically create a Christmas tree I asked myself...

And what if I was to sketch them gainst a sunset sky?

And what if they were to fly on wings of gossamer lace?

Off to the printers on Monday!
Mwah!

Be the someone .... a story about planting flowers

A few years ago I moved in with my darling into his bright beautiful flat. Inside everything was vibrantly coloured and alive, a gorgeous welcoming space. Outside was a different story. The garden of the old manor house had been neglected and lay drab and bare. There were echoes of the glory it must once have been and yet no one had loved it for years.

And so I spoke with the neighbours. They all agreed 'someone should do something' and yet no one wanted to act.

'You don't want to plant anything, it will get nicked!' said one neighbour.

Each morning I would look out the window at the grey garden and think what a shame it was. Then I remembered a story about a couple who every day jogged past a bedraggled rose bush and every day said 'someone should prune that rose bush!'
Until one day they became the someone, and they pruned it...

... And so my darling and I went to the garden centre and came back with plants and seeds and bulbs. We began digging and planting and sowing and weeding. The sun set and still we had not finished.



















'Oh, you don't want to leave them out! They'll be gone in the morning!' said the neighbour as he walked past. We decided to trust and lined the unplanted flowers up against the house.

In the morning we rushed down eagerly. The plants were still there. Again we dug and planted and sowed. Neighbours came with cups of tea and biscuits for us. People from down the street came to stop and admire our work and encourage us.

When we had finished, with aching backs and dirt smeared faces we looked at our efforts and felt a warm glow in our hearts. The old manor house with its flats seemed to stand prouder in the evening light. We dreamed of what it would look like as the bulbs came up and the vines grew.

A few weeks later we bought garden furniture and sat eating our cereal in the sunshine surrounded by flowers. 'Oh! That will definately get pinched!' said our neighbour staring at the new table as he went to get his morning papers.

The next day other neighbours were sat at it in the sun looking happy. 'It's fantastic!' they exclaimed and cooked us dinner that night.























As it grew warmer we had BBQs with neighbours who became friends. People from down the road would stop to chat as they passed by. Our bulbs flourished and our flowers multiplied. We learnt alot, what to plant, when and where. Each of our plants became like our children. We even grew tomatoes! A sense of community grew as neighbours began to use the garden and get to know each other.

---------------

One day a miracle happened ... the neighbour who had been sure everything would get nicked was out in the garden ... watering seeds. And he was smiling.

Gorgeous We Make London pop-up shop!

The lovely 'We Make London' pop-up shop in Hampstead was running all this past week. Crammed full of unique hand-made objects up a gorgeous cobbled alleyway in Hampstead it was a truly inspiring occasion. From artworks and prints to childrens clothes, lampshades, jewellry, cookies and toys, it was a huge success and a great opportunity for us creatives to meet, mingle and share ideas!

I met some very inspiring people and we spent a very enjoyable opening night with pimms and brainstorming. What a range of creative talent! I was very proud to be a part of it. A big congratulations and thank you to Mary and Julie for all the hard work.

Sharing the work of some of the inspiring folk I met -

Sarah from Shark Alley is an extraordinary jeweller, creating papermache shapes which she then bejewells - just divine! http://www.sharkalley.co.uk

Tanya from Strikk makes incredible knitted creations and is also a fab photographer (borrowed this photo from her!)  http://www.strikk.bigcartel.com/blog, 

Utterly inspiring Vanessa from Lovely Gorgeous things who makes totally utterly natural vegan body products. www.lovelygorgeousthings.co.uk

And  Chloe from Hatastic, who creates hats to die for! www.hatastic.folksy.com
 

Creating a simple Facebook name

Today I had an epiphany!Thanks to fellow etsians, I discovered how to change my horrible long Dalek style address to a simple https://www.facebook.com/tarawinona. 

My facebook address used to look like this
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Tara-Winona/119511181442274?v=wall

Once you have 25 likes you too can create a simple name! Go to -

www.facebook.com/username

Make sure you go to the page section and type in your page name and the name you would like.

Thank you to Sleepy Hollow folkart and Dab Hands for the helpful tips (-;

Art, daffodils and wine along the canal

What a gorgeous success our exhibition was! Such a diversity of talent and a constant flow of visitors coming to our island, I was very proud to be a part of it. We had a rocking opening party and the weekend passed in a blur of interesting conversations, croissants and many cups of tea..

It was lovely to share our little piece of paradise and wonderful to get feedback and comments.

Art needs the vitality of being seen and rubbing up against life and humanity otherwise what is the point of it?!

I haven't talked so constantly and smiled so much to so many people since getting married! I awoke this morning with aching cheek and a happy heart. How blessed I feel to have a studio in such a magical spot. My little Aladdin's cave...

The next exhibition will be weekend in June as part of the London Open Studios. Better get cracking!

A butterfly almost ready to fly!

I have spent a couple of glorious days getting my fingers messy and playing with my paints. My African Butterfly is almost finished...

For now I am leaving her to look at her and contemplate. I am so frightened of ruining her essence at this stage that I must stop and collect my thoughts. At the moment I think I will draw just a couple of simple lines to denote her hair.

I have loved bringing her to life.

More butterflies work in progress

And some more butterflies!


















I thought it was interesting to show the progression of a painting and the nail biting angst in the decision making process... Here is the current piece I am working on - first I create the face and the butterfly.

What colour? How detailed? What style? Will I ruin it if I add this? Have I captured what I set out to achieve?...
.... there are days when I leave my studio and I feel as if a hippo has been sitting on me!














It was a difficult decision whether to keep the eyes of the girl as they are or to use the butterfly markings. I decide to keep her eyes, as a window into her thoughts.


















Then I paint her neck, upper torso and jewellry. Again a decision - intricate jewellry or simple? What colours?

I almost went for a turquoise neck piece, however I love the orange warm sunset hues in this and when holding up a turquoise coloured piece of paper to her neck, it was just too disctracting. The focus must be her eyes and the butterfly combined with her regal poise.

My next step will be her hair ... I love the hints of strands of hair and the incompleteness of the first butterfly picture I did back in November ( http://tarawinona.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-have-finished-my-painting-oh-what.html ) I feel I should do that with this one also. There is a spaciousness to it. And what of her hair style? Should she have a coiled head piece (my current preference) or little dreadlocks? Or be shaven? And then I must move to painting her eyes and finishing the butterfly...














Oh sometimes how I miss the pixel pushing of my computer! I notice that my once sharp brain has become sluggish in making the decisions - to used to my undo button enabling me to test many options. Now I must learn to use my creative intuition again!

... some weeks later
Returning post snows, Christmas and adventures in wild Wales I have finally got my fingers messy with oil pastels and paints and almost completed my African Butterfly goddess.

Dreaming Elephant

I have a gorgeous nephew who when he was born he didn't like to sleep! So I painted him a 'dreaming elephant' to gaze down on him and accompany him in his dreams.

My husband, mature and handsome fellow that he is, was jealous that my nephew had got the painting and not him! So I painted another and decided to share it with the world.

Weeks later in my busy buzzy bee pre-Christmas buzzing I am finally listing him on etsy and posting him here for you all to giggle at.

Here's to sleep my darling nephews and niece! xx

www.tarawinona.com

I have launched Tara Winona Art to the world!

I feel incredibly grateful for all the feedback, support and encouragement I have recieved. Thank you to you all for taking the time to look at my creations and send me your messages.

It is a strange and wonderful thing to swirl away into my paints and my heart. Recieving so many messages after finally summing up the courage to share my work truly means alot. It gives extra purpose to my step, strength to my courage and joy in my creating.

Thank you!

cards! cards!

I have always loved cards. I collect them and stick them on my wall, the images and messages on them inspiring me and becoming part of my 'courage armour'. I look at them to remind me of things I want to do, paintings I admire or ways I want to be.

And now I am creating my own. I have put my little red angels onto them and they look GORGEOUS! I gave one of 'Faith' to a friend about to make a big leap of change in her life. I was so touched by her response - I dream that they may inspire others.
















On the back of the cards I have written -

I got a bit teary when I wrote it (call me a big sop!) as I remembered the times when I needed a helping hand to see the rainbow through the clouds. I do hope my paintings make a difference.

I took my first printed cards carefully down to my studio to take photos of them for my etsy shop page. I was concentrating so much I didn't notice that the tide had risen and overflowed onto the banks - wet feet for me!  Luckily I made it to the safety of my doorway and had a lovely afternoon watching the swans float by as I painted.

my hideaway studio

Because the universe is full of grace I was one day gifted with a studio. Somewhere in London on the river, full of magic and ripples of light sent scudding across the water. Herons sit looking like old wise men and if I am very lucky I catch the blue opalescent flash of a kingfisher.

I wanted to share it with you - this magic space which enriches and inspires me.

balance

One of the things I have often struggled with is the balancing of the passion of my heart with the reasoning and logic of my head. 

Which one is the correct one to follow?

Often one will pull more than the other, as though I am in the middle of a balancing act walking through my life. When they are in balance I am able to walk straight and with confidence. When I allow one or the other to pull unreasonably I can veer off in the wrong direction and fall off my path.
      

Rather like a tightrope act finding the right balance in life! I had to paint it...

   

this journey

And this creation is a journey into the unknown parts of my soul

And that is what holds me back.

The unknown.

Rather than allowing the passion of my soul to push me forward.

I hesitate.

Afraid of where this path of uncommon steps may lead…

My talent takes me to the cliff edge

But it is I who must choose to jump

Into creation.

I do not know where it may take me.

It can be frightening, these swirling mists of creativity

Waiting to be deciphered, calling out to be heard.

It leads me to a place that no one else can go.

It is I, solitary, at the cliff’s edge.

Contemplating the leap.

Alone.

     And yet …

                 …replete with abundance.

This colourful world.

My soul.

The rainbows of my imagination

Are my communion with Life.  My expression of humanity.

They are my response to the world.

I want to take them deep within me

Re-capture them and then fling them back out in joy.

I am not truly alone here.  I am surrounded by many jewels.

It is the knowing of which one to pluck.

And the courage to follow the journey to its completion.

And so I leap into the unknown and discover

  

 I

           

        Can

                      Fly

                                             Tara Winona   -  Copyright 2010

leap of faith

Many many moons ago I was lured away from my art by the pull of bright lights and overseas adventures. For as long as I can remember I have been saying 'one day when I get a studio'...

... then, one day, I got a studio.

And I had to put my money where my mouth was. In a deluge, all of the ideas I had promised to finish baking 'one day' came flying at me. In the downpour I stared into the limitless expanse that is creativity and felt a little afraid. What would I paint? Could I paint anymore? 

In a daydream I saw myself poised on the edge of a cliff, blindfolded, about to step off. Not knowing what the future held once I took the first step, trusting that something would catch me as I flew or fell. The feeling I always get when I am about to make a big change in my life. Taking a leap of faith, I was stepping out into the great unknown of my future.

I knew I had to paint this feeling, to make a visual concrete reminder to myself that would help me should I falter - to give me courage, creativity and fierceness as I uncovered my old talents. 

And so I painted 'Faith'. 

I painted her 20 times until she felt right. Rusty skills becoming cleaner with each use, tears of frustration mingling with the paints. 

'One day' I breathed a sigh of contentment - she was done!

As I continued in my new artistic adventure, I listened to my friends and the women around me talking. I saw many of them teetering on the brink of making big changes, taking great leaps into the grand adventure of their lives. They kept reminding me of my painting. And so I plucked up my courage and decided to share 'Faith' with the world.

On a momentous day I went and bought an archival printer, some gorgeous inks and the most delicious paper I could find. I took a deep breath, pressed the print button and flew!