Time To Say Goodbye

My absolute greatest pleasure over the last few months has been watching the daily comings and goings of the ducks and geese and other birds on the reservoir beside my studio.

Late one afternoon at the start of summer, Joss and I strolled along the water‘s edge.  It seemed deserted but for us.  Then, as we watched, eleven pairs of ducks, all with several young…plus two pairs of ducks without families…and one solo duck….gradually emerged from their snoozing spots in the bushes and took to the water in one massive convoy.  It was spectacular.

As the summer wore on and the babies grew, the birds no longer felt the need to hide away and took to resting out in the open.  So it became a kind of game to spot just where they’d chosen to sleep and groom themselves today.

The resident groups have been augmented by visitors now and then.  Like the pair of herons who flew low across the water one evening.

Now autumn’s here and the birds are thinning out.  Some have left, others are preparing to depart.  But some will stay to keep us company all winter.

Spreading Hope

It’s been a busy day, but I made time for some quick, EPHEMERAL ART – leaving a message of hope on a moorland path for someone to find.

And there was time to BE A BIG KID by walking the length of a log, one careful foot in front of the other, arms stretched wide to keep my balance.

Both activities are part of Falling Into Place – the new e-course from Dixon Hill.  The first session begins on October 3rd and you can read all about it here.

Swan Dive

Photograph by Vivienne McMaster

Before I lead my own e-course next month, I’m carving out some time to be a student myself.

Vivienne McMaster is one of my favourite photographers and teaches some of the best e-courses on the internet.  They’re always beautifully presented and chock full of inspiration. 

Her most recent offering is Swan Dive, and I’ve been avidly looking forward to this one ever since she first mentioned it was in the offing several months ago.

It’s all about playing with layers and textures and other photo-editing goodies.  In other words, right up my street.  It basically gives me licence to spend hours and hours doing what I enjoy the most – messing about with photographs – and to feel perfectly justified in doing so!

Today I rolled up my sleeves and got nice and photo messy in Picnik with an image I shot a couple of weeks ago.  This is it, straight out of the camera….

The collage below shows some of the pictures that emerged as the messing about progressed….

But after several happy hours of experimentation and play, this is where I wound up – the image with which I was most pleased….

Two days into the course and I am having such a fine old time already!

Teaching at Texere

Meet my wonderful students!

These lovely ladies were in the Stitched Postcard class I taught at Texere Yarns in Bradford on Saturday afternoon.  And did we have fun!

We sloshed about the silk paints, experimented with the embellishing machine, hand stitched, machine embroidered, cut, ironed, glued, collaged, beaded…and wound up with such pretty creations.  See for yourself!

Some are finished, some are works in progress.  But all rather lovely, don’t you think?

A big thank you to Chris and Robin of Texere for their help on the day….and especially to the amazing Tasleem!

Falling Into Place

Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me oodles of pleasure to announce today the launch of the first Dixon Hill e-course!  Ta-da-da!!!

Falling Into Place is a gentle exploration of Place and self that will connect you more intimately to your surroundings and help you find your place in the bigger picture.

In it, you’ll find the same tools I use on a daily basis to delve into the world of Dixon Hill.  With a whole lot of other stuff besides.

The six week course is truly accessible to anyone - children would enjoy it as much as adults.  It’s been specially designed to fit into the busiest of lives as well as allowing scope for those with more time to spare.

The first session will begin on October 3rd and registration is now open.  You can read all about it here….or click on the e-course tab at the top of the page.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about it….and will be delighted if you choose to join us.  And very grateful if you help spread the word.  The more people who find themselves Falling Into Place, the better!