Willow Sculpture Workshops

I am going to be delivering a course of Willow Sculpture Workshops during the Edinburgh festival this year.

I'd been looking for a venue to host a few workshops and found out that the Out Of The Blue Drill Hall, a venue just around the corner from me, were looking for workshop type things to complement their new Festival Fringe Venue this year. Its a very cool building with a strong creative buzz about it, theres lots of stuff going on there over the festival so I'm looking forward to working there.

Its a bit confusing I know, you thought I was a Textile Designer.. Well I am! I just do this also. Its really good fun and gets quite addictive! but in a good way.

I've tried to keep it fairly cheap... Its £40 for 3, 2 hour sessions, including equipment and materials. Follow the link below to the Out Of The Blue website to book tickets and for more details...

http://www.leithonthefringe.com/workshops/wicker-workshop/

Box of bits and bobs

Made of Strong Stuff Cake!

My sisters made this amazing cake for my 30th Birthday back in April, complete with edible logo!

Donation boxes

I surprise myself with my continuing interest in objects and imagery related to the catholic church. I should take this moment to remind you that I am agnostic and pretty anti catholic from my experiences of being raised as one, but have developed a fascination with things related to Catholicism. I see the aesthetic value in these objects/images and feel a familiarity with them, but at the same time I'm maybe poking fun, making a statement and also venting some frustration at the way the religion operates. It really matters that people reading know that Catholicism was a part of my upbringing and so a part of my life, until I got wise and realised it was all nonsense. But my point is... I have earned the right to play with this subject and am not using it as a short cut to be a controversial designer/artist, like so many do.
All that aside, I love these boxes... I hate what they're doing, taking every opportunity to make money from people seeking comfort, but I love them as objects and the whole thing just humours me also. Its weird, I have an affection for these things also because of what they are, its very strange...

The Douglas Bay Hotel

I found this postcard online, which is of a place on the Isle of Man called 'The Douglas Bay Hotel'. Its a very haunting image for me as I stayed in this hotel on number of occasions with family as a child, but the Hotel itself is no longer there... It was devastated by a fire in 1988 and was then demolished shortly after.

From Alfie Gallogly

My brilliant Uncle Alfie has recently got in touch with me... He has come across a document signed by my great grand father Peter Gallogly and his Landlord Deputy Lieutenant Lawder of the Barony of Carrickallen, on the 15th day of December 1902 in which Peter gets a 50 year lease on a piece of land upon which he builds a house.

What a lovely thing...

Thanks Alf!

Mary Mary quite contrary...

If you didn't know me better, you would I was demonstrating my religious persuasions here...
Its a nostalgic image for me.. the quality of the print, the washed out colour etc, its all very comforting to me, but not in the way it was intended to be.

Mary Mary quite contrary, how did your belly grow? being a virgin and all that...