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The Waiting Game
I fear that reality is getting a grip on my life and I might never submerge myself into the warm golden depths of artistic pursuits ever again. I am trapped in my bed, the fourth day of flu taking its toll. It has been almost 3 weeks since I arranged pieces of tile , moving…
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Winter Holiday Wishes
The snow is deep on the fields, and the car is stuck in a ditch about a quarter of a mile down the road. I haven’t done much work in the last few days, and succumbed to the cleaning and sledging (guess which I would rather do!) Happy Winter Celebrations !
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Stop Motion Animation and Svankmajer
I like making my mosaic animations, they bring another dimension to my work. It is a way to experiment and develop the original idea, and really bring the mosaics to life. Then the work can metamorphose in a much more spontaneous way than through my mosaic series. It takes a bit of time, but no more…
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Frozen in time
It isn’t long now before I have to get some new work finished for an exhibition at the Craft Gallery at the Dartington Cider Press Centre (famous for its Dartington Glass) . It has been a busy year with lions and workshops and the work I have been planning for this exhibition has had to…
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Big Bird
It is too cold to work in my shed. I have an energy saving heater in there – so energy saving it barely warms up above 0 degrees. Even with my thermals and my fingerless gloves, I am still too cold to work. It is mostly my feet. I wear two pairs of socks, the…
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Glass fusing and fried eggs
A couple of weeks ago I was a student for a day on a glass fusing course. My only past experience with glass fusing was when I was 12 years old, when I made a pendant. I still have it, but unfortunately it broke into two when it was dropped a couple of years ago. The course…
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The Somerset Illuminated Carnival
Every year in November the Somerset Illuminated Carnival takes to the streets delighting and surprising the crowds it draws from all walks of life. The floats are a cacophony of music, lights and theatre. The largest procession is in Bridgwater, and then smaller processions travel to different towns in Somerset. The processions are held in…
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Abroad in Bath
I had to invigilate the BANA (Bath Area Network of Artists) exhibition in Bath today, where I am exhibiting my Chagall inspired mosaic “Bella’s Secret”. Before I went to the gallery, my partner and I stopped off for a coffee, mint tea and baklava in a Moroccan restaurant. To my delight their was a mosaic on the…
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Stained Glass Mosaic Workshop at Creative Glass Guild
Last weekend I was teaching the glass on glass method and glass on wood at Bristol Creative Glass Guild. My students were all happy with their achievements and you will see why if you visit the page on this blog http://katerattray.wordpress.com/mosaic-workshops/stained-glass-mosaic-workshop They are all beautiful creative pieces, and I especially like Carla’s rendition of the “Guggenheim”….
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The Art of Refinement
It is always interesting to study an artist’s work throughout the years and notice how they progress or change their style. Modern artists such as Picasso and Matisse learnt how to draw and paint during early life and at art school in quite a traditional and realistic fashion. They went on to develop their own…
