Jump on the Merry go round .....

Jump on our first merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women as they link hands around the world and tell you a little about their lives in art and craft

Once a month a group of eight fantastic artists and craftsmen (or do I have to say 'crafts women' these days?) are getting together to post at the same time - all answering the same question. We are all linked to each other so you can go from blog to blog (a la carousel) and have some interesting reading.

The first question is "What was your journey to your art/craft?".

This is a hard one for me as I don't think it was a journey at all. Typical! I've always made stuff, I think. I've always drawn little pictures of people hair, eyes and mouths but no head bits. They had knobbly knees and big boots and were generally quite cute. I drew them as cards for friends as at the time the shop bought ones were sorely lacking in something. Everyone loved them. "You should do something with them" was something I've heard over and over again over the last 20 yrs! But I never did! And I haven't! I still draw them every so often. They are simply part of me and I don't think I intend to every 'do anything' with them!
Beyond that .... nothing really! School reports said I 'could do so well' if only I tried - but I didn't. So that was that! I went to art college to study photography because there wasn't much else for me to do. There I met my greatest pal ever, Ruth. We promised we'd 'do something' creative one day and live next door to each other with interconnecting garden gates. During my rambling years straight from college I ended up in North Carolina (Ruth came too, for a bit) where I randomly painted flowers onto plant pots and bicycle frames. I did a fabulous flower mural on someones bed & breakfast room doors too! I always yearned for a studio but what for? I didn't really know. To draw more people with no heads? Years passed. I was a researcher for an author, I worked at the Daily Mail, I became a gardener, I had three children. Then Ruth started to make wooden things and sell them along with a friend of hers. It worked but then they moved counties and Ruth asked me to do it with her. So I did. Now I paint the wooden stuff and Ruth does everything else! Silversmithing, knitting, painting, sewing, felting and all manner of fantastic skills that I can only marvel at. I am half an acre, she is the other half and one day we will be a whole acre, with those interconnecting garden gates. We will have a studio of which the doors will be flung open, the coffee on, the hammocks in the apple tree and we will gossip and paint and laugh like we always have done.
And now I am content! I don't have a studio - I have a gloomy north facing room! But I love it. It is my studio and it is full of paint and mess, wood and bits. I have never been so happy as when I am sitting there, radio on, spotting and painting, sanding and varnishing. Everything I make is in my Etsy shop. I do a lot of fish. I don't have an affinity with fish but I love to paint them. I don't know why! So, that is that. I don't understand how I ended up here but I did and I know that I have found the right thing for me to be doing. I find it easy - so easy - the colours, the patterns, they just come out. I don't even plan then. They just arrive and as time goes on I discover more ideas that are dormant inside somewhere. I'm thrilled to see what is in there! Now - of you go and read everyone elses journeys! They are all listed right here ......

• Andreanna, Glamasaurus
• Agathe, Le Bar du Vent
• Charlotte, of Fancypicnic
• Lily, lilypangart
  
• Fabs, Easterya Jewellery Creations
• Marian, Florcita's Art
• Ruth, Birdland Creations
• Sara, Sara's Texture Crafts