A trip to Paris

Last week I went to Paris with my course mates for a couple of days as part of our next project! I had a good time, but unfortunately had a stinker of a cold was was probably not the best company for my course mates... but i'm better now and enjoying looking sat the photos I took in-between swallowing cold and flu tablets and sneezing!

 I went to the Louvre and saw the mona lisa, the iconic glass prisms' and the Venus De Milo!

 Unfortuantly the cold restricted what i couls taste, but it didn't stop me sampling some delicious goodies (as usual). The fruit tart was really good and cheaper than back home! it even had a lovely sprinkling of pretty green pistachios which was a nice touch.

Notre Dame! All I could think about was the Disney film 'Hunchback of notre Damn, which is one of the films I practically spent my childhood watching! That and the lion King, of and Matilda were my three favourites (they still are actually...)

The 'eyes of Notre Dame' :) for all those Disney fans ;)

Beautiful stained glass windows.

Candles that you can buy and light in Notre Dame for loved ones!

 On one of the bridges in Paris where couples and friends have locked padlocks onto the bars and written love message onto them which was really cool to see. I think it's a lovely idea and took a few snaps to show you all!

 More padlocks :)

A yummy French baguette with ham and cheese salad! Being in France really made me want to learn French properly. I did have a few lessons in high school, and did remember a couple of words and phrases, but nowhere near enough to have a conversation! Maybe one day I will learn another language, hopefully french of Italian!

 Lastly a quick snap of the type of chairs in the tube station. I love brightly coloured plastic chairs and really want some in my own house (when I can afford a house....) 

London with Mum

So mum and I went for a long weekend to London a few weeks back to spend some quality time together before uni. It was really special and we had such a great time! We went to art galleries, ate tons and tons of cake and went to the natural history museum (and of course did a little shopping!!)

We visited the Nordic Bakery where they serve these delicious cinnamon rolls. they are quite filling (even for me) but warm, sticky and sweet with a lovely taste of cinnamon.

The decor it very spacious and simple which really works well and is well worth a visit for a quick coffee and a cake.

I LOVE Damien Hirst. I'd heard many reports about the exhibition, not all good, but I still really wanted to go, and I have to say it was one of my favourite exhibitions I've been too. I think his work is so interesting and really stops to make you think about the topics he's investigating, also his aesthetic is just incredible and everything is so brightly coloured yet some are natural and delicate. So worth it seeing, and already increased my love for him....

This is one of his pieces, it's outside the TATE modern where the exhibition was.

We went to a really cool French patisserie cafe in Soho called Maison bertaux  

where they sold this yummy fruit tart (It really reminds me of the cream cake in Matilda, which is my favourite film of all time).

 We also visited primrose Bakery in Primrose Hill which has a tiny little shop but delicious homemade cakes and cupcakes. 

I had a brownie and ice tea in another little cake shop (we really did eat a LOT OF CAKE ...)

The Natural History museum was really fascinating. We went to the inside out exhibition which explains and shows all about how the insides of animals work. Unfortunately you couldn't take photographs so that was a bummer!

They had these beautiful jars full of real animal specimens kept in preserving liquid as samples in the lower floor. There were all kinds from reptiles to fox's and birds, all kept in hundreds of jars. 

 Mum having her usual drink of choice, sparkling water! I had a pear juice (this was also in the Nordic Bakery)

 Mum also had a very jammy flapjack in another cafe 'Fleetriver bakery' near Holborn. it was extra delicious and I kept sneaking a few pieces.

 We also visited China town, I just love all the packaging! The colours and text are so vibrant :) I bough Scott some Panda biscuits from here as a small present, we usually get them from Selfridges but they were much cheaper here which is a bonus!

And finally we got the train home... :(  Such a wonderful time and Thank you to my mum for always being there and making things special x

Art project - Jelly insects

As some of you may know, I'm currently doing an art foundation course in Wrexham, and I'm about to embark on my final major project which I'm very excited about. I don't usually blog about my art work so much, but I particularly like these jelly insects I made as part of my last project. I used plain gelatin for the most part, and added some green food dye to one set. I wouldn't consider myself a photographer, but photography is a way I can show many of the day to day things I either find interesting or create. But as someone who just takes pictures for fun, I was quite pleased with the results! The jelly reminds me of a sort of foetus, like the insect are being born.

They have a fragile quality to them, and the gelatin is reminiscent of a block of ice, preserving the insects over a long period of time.

This one in particular looks to me like a fossil.

The green dye looks quite good here as it adds a bit more contrast, but generally I think the clear gelatin is more effective as it

doesn't detract from the way the light refracts the insect inside.

I personally like art that has a scientific visual to it, such as Damien Hirst's work including his shark in the tank. Also Candy Jernagen's documentation of everyday life and surrounding's. It brings to attention the beauty and interest in everyday life, and makes you stop to notice the tiny details. My work used to be a lot more decorative and lack, well, substance I guess, but if Ive learnt anything this year, its that it can be a lot more fascinating and motivating to try something a little more meaningful and take a swing towards a science investigation style of art.

David Shrigley 'Brain Activity' exhibition

As I said in my London post, I went to an exhibiton of David Shrigley's work called 'Brain activity' and I loved it! I'm usually more into decorative art and a sculpture girl, but he had some incredibly humorous drawings that really made me laugh and changed my opinion on drawing and illustration. 

The gallery was at the 'Southbank Centre' which is a lovely gallery that I first went to last summer when Tracey Emin had an exhibition (FYI - I really like Tracey Emin).

David's drawing's/illustrations are simple yet really tap into everyday thoughts and situations, and provoke a smile and a giggle which is something that I look for in artwork. He manages to bring to light the humour of everyday life in a simple and easily readable way.

I'm not the best at explaining myself, I mean well but it never comes across to others the way I'm thinking it in my head. So if you're interested in a much more interesting and educated description of his exhibition,  I suggest you read this - Article on David Shrigley exhibition.

David had a range of drawings and illustrations, photography, sculpture and paining.  I liked these two photographs, as again they amuse me in that way that makes your lips curl at the side when you look at them.

Many people argue 'what is art' and sometimes I do question what some artists do. But my idea is that if someone is trying to express and idea, opinion or thought, they can do so in whatever media or way they like, and that is art. Yes this painting above doesn't look technically impressive, but the simplistic qualities and colours choices, anchored by the wording really please me. It's just making you stop and think about things that you wouldn't usually consider as art or interesting - such as a bird eating a worm. 

I even brought the book this time. I don't usually, (as much as I would love to) as they can be pricey, but it's always lovely to have the memories and inspiration in your hand that you can look over at other times.

The above picutres are all from google images, as I always feel awkward taking pictures in galleries!!

London in 24 Hours

Scott and I went to London for a night and a day on Monday. Scott's a volunteer for the 2012 Olympics in London, so he had to attend a training day in Stratford, and I tagged along for the ride!

We ate breakfast, then went our separate ways. I spent the most of the day walking as you tend to do when your in London, eating, and trying to visit some art galleries. Then when Scott had finished we met up and went to Nando's for some lovely chicken.

I think the colour is lovely on this sign at Chester Station and the brick wall is gorgoeus too.

The weather was pretty grim but we still enjoyed our brief stay!

 I wore my new United States flag trousers which I Love, with my Red Dr Martins, and a black coat to keep the rain off!

I had a delicious raspberry macaroon from a delicatessen in Covent Garden.

There's not much greenery in London but I loved this hanging Ivy under a walkway on the way to the Waterloo underground.

Whilst crossing the bridge at Embankment I found this collection of broken skateboards which were beautifully distressed and full of interesting colours!  I later realised there a mini skate park further along, which explains the mass graveyard!

I went to a wonderful exhibition by David Shrigly called ' Brain Acvitiy' at the South Bank Centre, and it was really inspiring, and actually quite comical. It had me in a fit of laughter at some of his drawing's which isn't the best idea in a silent gallery but hey ho ! I enjoyed it.

I will post a little more about his exhibition later...

After all the walking I got tired and needed some more energy in the from of glazed sticky buts from one of the salvation army stands. They re very yummy but a bit hard on the old molars!

 Finally we ended out short stay with a meal at Nando's. I Love Nando's. The chicken is delicious, you get to help yourself to drinks and sauces and they have bottomless frozen yogurt. What more can you ask for?! I usually have the double chicken pitta bread (medium spiced) with corn on the cob and chips. Scott had butterfly chicken and chips. We then left London at Euston Station and had a lovely chat and a few games of chess during the 2 hour train ride back home! 

Valentines 'Sweetheart'

 For Valentine's day, I created these two candy 'Sweet hearts' for the shop window display for my parents. We wanted something a bit different from the usual pink and red heart shapes, and came up with this quirky idea.

 These pictues arn't very clear as I took them once they were already in the window!

 This is a very simple DIY as I wasn't planning on making it a DIY, but once you have the supplies and idea, it's easy enough to make.

You will need :

Wreath or wooden/ plastic frame

LOTS OF GLUE STICKS for your glue gun, or super glue.

Variety of Sweets

White paint

Fishing Wire.

 1). I used this wooden wreath as the base for my heart. But you could use any other hollow shaped wreath or wooden frame to make one. With hindsight I would have chosen white as the undercoat, as the red darkened it a little too much, and I think white would look fresher and brighter. So if you are trying this out, spray or paint your base white and leave to dry.

 2) You need a heck of a lot of brightly coloured sweets. We used Lollipops, candy hearts, marshmellows, liquoirce and Quality Street as out main ones, but you can use whatever you like.

 3) Basically use your glue gun to attach the sweets to the wreath! I liked adding lots of greens, blues, red and yellows, as I felt primary colours worked well, and green brightens up the wreath better.

4) Keep checking what your wreath looks like from a distance and make sure that you dont leave any gaps, or have too many of the same colour by each other.

5) Lastly leave to dry and attach clear fishing wire to the top of the wreath, which will enable you to suspend it.

And Voila, one candy sweetheart for your valentine, or to hang on your wall.