Launching the Ark

A long, quiet winter is now behind me and all the happy little daffodil heads are nodding away either side of the drive to the house.  Spring is here!  Seeds are sown!  Showery weather is back!

So this is the perfect time to launch Ark, a collection of work full of boats, birds and beasts (in a variety of unlikely combinations).  After making the work, I have only a week left to clear the cobwebs and the clutter from the studio in order to turn it into a temporary exhibition space.  But, it is amazing what a lick of white paint and some new spotlights will do.

On show will be textile wall hangings, framed textile collage, original textile and paper collage (mounted, but not framed, and selling at very attractive prices), hand made books, greeting cards and the odd experimental objet d’art.  And I have published a new book to accompany this show.  Ark, the book, features images of the key pieces of art work from this collection, along with some of my poetry and the occasional  photograph of Coigach and Assynt, my local patch of land and sea.

Ark, the exhibition, runs from Wednesday 25^th of March until Wednesday 8^th of April, 10 am until 4 pm each day.  If you have not visited my studio before, you can find directions on the Open Studio page of the website. I hope some of you will manage to come along to see the display and to buy a copy of the book.

If you cannot visit, but would like to experience the essence of the work, then you can buy a copy of Ark, the book, online by visiting the Prints and Publications page of the website. 

Co-incidentally, my long-time and occasional collaborator, Mairearad Green, has a new body of work on exhibition at an talla solais, in Ullapool.  Tìm (the Gaelic word for ‘time’, and which is pronounced ‘cheem’) runs from 27^th March until 17^th May.  This collection of bold and expressive paintings is accompanied by a new album of mesmeric music, also called Tìm, and I am delighted to have made a small contribution to the lyrics.  To buy the album and to find out more about this exciting project, visit Mairearad’s website here.

Well, this is a busy spring for me, since the Ark exhibition is quickly followed by a creative retreat, also running from my studio.  Then, for the rest of the spring and throughout summer, life takes on a more leisurely pace with, generally speaking, my studio open to visitors on Wednesdays until October (always best to check the up-to-date times via the website if travelling from afar).  Other than that, I plan on living an adventuresome life in 2026, as much as I can.

I wish you all the energy and optimism that comes with the spring solstice.

Jan

An Open Field

Well, that’s it folks! I’ve finished my last week of proper teaching. No more endless ‘To Do’ lists or lengthy lesson plans, just a wide open field of possibilities for this next stage of my life. Yikes!

Talking about fields: the last course was called A Field of Stitches, and with me were a great group of people with whom to end my teaching career. To get a flavour of our adventures, have a look at the Field of Stitches page of the website.

Another reason for writing to you is to remind you that I am taking part in a group textile exhibition at Studio 44 Gallery in Largs. The range and juxtaposition of works on display is exciting to see, so do go along if you can. The exhibition runs until 6th July, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm.

So, I am entering this summer with an open mind and an open heart, wondering how it will shape up. I will likely make some small work and, in fact, a few new pieces are already on the online shop of my website, if you want to look. And then, eventually, I will start thinking about the next exhibition, which will be in the winter, at my own studio.

But there is no hurry for any of that. Let the summer begin!

Happy Summer Solstice, 2025.

Jan