 |
| Kurbits II reduction linocut by Teresa Newham |
The bunting has been packed away for another year and the dining room has resumed its' usual function. #HertsOpenStudios 2018 is over! Sue and I have had more than eighty visitors during the last three weeks, many of whom have been kind enough to share their own artistic adventures and aspirations with us, and allowed us to share our own experiences with them.
 |
| me, preparing to print - Sue's paintings in the background Photo © Sue Wookey |
I've been working on a design for a traditional Swedish kurbits - we're putting on Sondheim's A Little Night Music shortly, and as the show is set in Sweden I thought the prints might be suitable for raffle prizes. The Swedish artist Viveca Lammers has made an interesting YouTube video on the story of the kurbits and one on how to draw your own version. I was entranced both by the design and by the music in the videos!
 |
| my take on a traditional Swedish design . . . © Teresa Newham |
The smaller version was a straightforward cut, which I printed between sessions, adding the gold embellishment by hand. Cutting the larger reduction version turned out to be a meditative process, as several of our visitors remarked; again, I printed this behind the scenes, as I couldn't run the risk of being interrupted. An Open Studios demo has to be something which can be set aside at any moment, quite possibly for a long time.
 |
| Adding the gold to Kurbits I © Teresa Newham |
Meanwhile Sue was painting some much admired watercolours at the other end of the table, some out of her head and some based on memories of holidays in County Kerry. On the final Saturday I did print 'live', making some of last years Christmas cards to sell at church. Well, it was the feast day of the archangels St.Michael, St.Gabriel and St.Raphael, after all!
 |
| Sue demonstrating watercolour while I print up Christmas cards © Teresa Newham |
* A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim is a PBGS production and will run from 10th - 13th October at the Queen Mother Theatre in Hitchin. For further information or to book tickets click here.
