My orchids

My orchids are doing amazingly well.  They are flowering like mad, in spite of being winter.  Even one that has been dormant for about three years, has started to flower as well.

Here is a selection of photos - I have taken dozens of them!  Their colours cheer up the grey and wintry weather.

And I had great fun taking the pictures, as you'll see.

Hail and rain in my garden

Yesterday we had heavy rain and hail in our city.  It was grey and dark but the white of the hail gave a strange perspective on things.  Here are some photos taken from inside the house, through a large glass patio window.  By changing my position with respect to the glass, I can achieve different focus effects.

This first photo focuses on the wet glass.  The out-of-focus white behind it is the hail on the ground.

In this second photo, I am focusing more on the outside, the hail on the patio floor, and the hose laying there.  There are still wet marks left by the rain on the glass. The whole thing is much fuzzier.

In the third photo, I am focusing more on the ground and the hail on it.  The patterns on the patio flagstones produce interesting effects, reflected on the wet window.

Lastly, when the rain stopped, I went outside and focused on the hail without a glass between it and my camera, so it is a much sharper photo.  I have no idea what the red spot is - I only saw it afterwards, when I loaded the images on the computer - but it certainly becomes a feature!

Hope for sun tomorrow!

Goodnight!

Alicia

Strange light

With so much rain and grey skies we are getting here in Somerset, punctuated with bright sunshine from time to time, we have these short periods in-between the blue and the grey skies when the light is really strange and beautiful.  I managed to capture one such moment in our garden this morning.

Then I looked next door and saw the pigeon sitting on the tree, again with strange light on the bare branches.

I've been taking more photos lately - tomorrow I'll post some from the heavy rain and hail we had today.

Goodnight!

Alicia

Designer Crafts exhibition, London

I have some work in this exhibition, held annually by the Society of Designer Craftsmen.  I spent the weekend in London, attended the private view on the Friday, which was very busy, and spent Sunday there, helping to steward.  I met a lot of visitors and friends.

Here are some images of my map quilts in situ at the gallery - the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1, just off Trafalgar Square.  The exhibition is open until Sunday 19th January, 10 - 5 every day, except for the last Sunday when it closes at 4 pm.

This is a view when you enter the gallery - The Night Road is in the foreground, with some ceramics;  some glass pieces are visible on the background to the right.

Mayfair 1671 is hanging next to some beautiful wood pieces.

And my third piece is Seaside Town, in front of which stand a number of pieces of book art - I really loved them!  Very original.

If you are in London this week, do pop round to see it.  There is a very nice cafe in the gallery as well.

Alicia

London Lights

Today I went to London for the day to take the work to be shown at the Mall Galleries - a whole suitcase of quilts.  Considering the problems that we've been having in the UK with flooding and disruption of trains, the whole trip went very smoothly indeed.  And in London, I not only sorted out the gallery questions, but had tea and a chat with an old friend who is showing in Designer Crafts too, and went to the National Portrait Gallery to see a fabulous display of portrait photographs.

When I came out of the gallery it was dark, and I found myself in Trafalgar Square, which was very busy with people, buses, lights, reflections on the wet pavements, and generally an energising atmosphere.  I did not have my camera with me, but I took some photos with my iPhone.

People rushing home after the day's work.

... taking the red London buses...

View of the National Gallery from Trafalgar Square

Good night!

Alicia

Designer Crafts

This year - 2014 - my first exhibition will be at Designer Crafts.  This is the annual exhibition of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, to which I have belonged since the mid-eighties.  The Society itself is over 100 years old, and it was founded, among others, by William Morris.

The exhibition is at the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London, SW1, just off Trafalgar Square. Walk under Admiralty Arch, towards Buckingham Palace, and it will be 30 metres ahead on your right, in one of the Nash terraces.

It includes a wide variety of beautiful studio crafts: ceramics, glass, jewellery, wood, paper, metal, contemporary furniture, textiles of all sorts, mixed media.  It will be open from 10th to 19th January, 10 to 5 pm every day, except for the last Sunday, when it closes at 4 pm.  I will be there at the private view on Friday 10th, 6 - 9 pm, and also stewarding on Sunday 12th January.

If you are in London during those dates, I do recommend a visit - and not only because I will have work there - the whole large show is wonderful to see - it has the WoW! factor I always look for.

Have a happy start to the new year!

Alicia