Having a Ball

A while ago I was approached to donate a piece of art work in order to help INTO-Giving, based at the University of East Anglia, to raise funds for the building of an Orphans and Vulnerable Childrens Centre in Lusaka, Zambia.

Many artists from all over this region and beyond have agreed to donate their work as part of a grand auction to raise money. You can see more on this website: www.artballnorwich.co.uk


At a very swish Ball being held at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich on 9th September 200 guests will enjoy a Champagne reception, four course dinner, auction, raffle and dancing.

All the donated art can be seen now in the online catalogue on INTO-Giving's website, (above), and will also be on display at the Forum in Norwich from 1st to 3rd September. Bids can be taken at anytime before 9th September via the website.

They say that seven is a lucky number and below is a picture of Lot Number 7 in the auction - so I hope it IS lucky and that someone bids a ridiculous amount of money for it, for a good cause!

I have called it 'Patchwork and Paisley'.

Little and Large

So, I'm in a desperate hurry as usual and the above picture is TERRIBLE, I know. The bunting came out beautifully, but you cannot really see it in that picture!!

These close-ups are better. Obviously I have yet to string it all together with some pretty ribbon, which I have still to get.

But it all fitted into the kiln really well around the larger pieces like this one below.

Its a Quilt Block design which I make quite a lot of, called 'Whirling Pinwheel', only this time I have tried to limit the number of colours I use - but there still seem to be a lot in there when I now look at it!

I have just taken on a new gallery in Norwich called The Grapevine - some of you may know it. They now have several of my larger pieces on display, so I expect I shall have to crack on and make a lot more of these now.

Good job I love what I do and that it all has a home to go to in the end!

Bye for now - Cathy.

Beach Huts, Bunting and Buttons

Well? In the words of Rolf Harris, 'can you tell what it is yet'?

It is the first wet clay stage of my ceramic bunting which seems to be going mad this year. I dropped some off at a gallery last week and it was gone the next day.

Because I don't make large batches of anything, I tend to vary (and hopefully improve) the design each time I make something. I would find making batches of fifty or so cups/jugs, all the same, excruciatingly boring, so this way of working suits me fine.

These strings of bunting will have little hearts and flowers on the flags, as well as the usual stripes and dots. These have just been bisque fired today and are now awaiting a glorious glazing session.

Speaking of Bunting, earlier this year I made a larger one of these beach hut bowls below. In this smaller version, as usual I varied the design, and added a string of bunting connecting each hut. I created this design myself - it's not a traditional patchwork block like many others I do - so I am really pleased at the way it has turned out. This one is still warm - fresh out of the kiln today.


The colours positively sing of summer - really bright and gay (in the original sense of that word!).

And last but not least, my little flower buttons which I have to make masses of, as they are the ones I 'sew' onto my mixed media quilt bowls. The ones at the top are Christmas (there! I've said it!) buttons, which I will be taking to a few craft fairs towards the end of the year.

Now ..... I have to get back to my newly acquired garden swing seat. If I spend more than half an hour lying on it I find that when I'm in bed at night, I get the sensation that I am still swaying! Weird.