Masque with a dash of colour

Every time I looked at the angst-ridden mask wearer I wanted to add a little colour - so I did.
A little rough round the edges, but it'll do for now.

Interpret this

It is said that doodles can be interpreted as an indicator of the the state of mind of the doodler.
Last night, with no particular purpose, I was pushing the pencil around, and this image seemed to emerge from the shapes. It felt logical to go with it, so worked into it and made it more presentable. I wonder if the passing psychologist could have a look at it for me and tell me what it means.

Show yourself

Isn't there a theory that an artist will often include aspects of themselves in their work?
Why is it then, that when I have a brief break in the adrenaline and I have the temerity to have a doodle just for the sake of it, I will draw skinny naked guys?
Here's me, in reality making a fine job of looking like Captain Plumpy, and at a time when I could be absent mindedly revealing my true self, I do stuff like this? What's that about?
No doubt any passing psychologist could provide a rational answer.

If you know anyone, please drag them along to tell me what the deal is.

Not so Dark Satanic Mill

A few days ago, I went on a site visit to the old hosiery mill that is going to become the vibrant centre for many small creative businesses.
I mentioned a while back that I'd become a member of the steering group involved in putting the plan together and making sure it works. What started out as an excuse to drag myself away from the drawing board for a while has turned into quite an adventure.

The venture is really exciting. We're going to have an art gallery, studios and workshops for a wide range of creative processes. There will be rehearsal rooms and recording studios in the lower ground floor, a stylish cafe vibe on the floor above, performance space for intimate little gigs and a place where the resident artists, and those from the Hinckley and Bosworth area, will be able to offer their work for sale. There's also going to be a space to hold workshops for stuff like community art, teaching sessions or group events.
In addition to providing the space for fledgling and established artists to do their thing, there's going to be all the technology and business support to help everyone make a real go of building their passion into a successful business.
At the moment, it looks like it'll take a couple of years to get the place into shape, but I'll keep you updated as things move along.

The photographs show the outside of the building, the space with the folks in hi-vis jackets is the size of the gallery and the other image is the area that will become individual studio workspaces.

All very exciting.

A cat goes forth

Tiddles, the cat I drew for the first time a few weeks ago, seems to be running away with himself. The feedback I've had for him has been great and there have been wonderfully positive posts about him on various forums. My friends at Heritage Crafts asked me for another - apparently it was their intention to have a set of four Tiddles designs, however, such is the enthusiasm for the character, they want more so they can keep producing more of their cross stitch kits of him.

It's my intention to try and get him onto other merchandise. I just have to find the time to get him out to see people. I hope he's not hungry when other people meet him - it could get messy.

OK, so he may not be as cute as a fluffy kitten, but he's honest and doesn't pretend to be something he isn't. A bit like me, really.
Here's Tiddles the fourth.