Busy Times in May

What a brilliantly art-packed month! I've just returned from a lovely weekend in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. I was there to install my 'dangler' garlands at Fresh Air 2009 a biennial outdoor sculpture festival held in the grounds of the idyllic Old Rectory in Quenington. Ana the curator found me a beautiful spot to hang them, under a walk way of Laburnum trees. The intense yellow of the petals made the colours of the garlands sing, though the petals were rapidly falling to the ground. Something I have found from these new experiences of installing my work outdoor is how the pieces seem to complement and be complemented by intense floral colours. Though my work uses the most artificial colours and materials imaginable, they do not seem out of place against the shouty flowers of May.

We stayed in a miniature thatched cottage. I love thatch! Its giant outdoor embroidery/hairdressing, what a fascinating craft. I also called into the magical Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, where cabinets of curiosity hold wonderfully idiosyncratic collections of objects. My favourite was the 'Recycled' cabinet of objects from all over the world made from waste materials. These included a place mat from India woven from punctured velvet tape, a by-product of the Bindhi industry! The low lights and crammed cases meant that people inspected them with torches, all this created a magical sense of discovering something precious in these objects though they may have little monetary value.

All in all its been a breathless month with three installations for as many festivals, coupled with workshops and artists trail days. On the 9th I was in Bollington, making in the sculpture garden as part of the Artist Trail. On the 17th I was making bottle flowers with the good people of Chorlton. I've been blown away by the positive and enthusiastic response of everyone I've met at the festivals. I couldn't have asked for a better reception for my Glittering Fall installation than 'wow', which I overhead lots of times as I sat at my temporary workshop under the wisteria canopy of the The White Gallery. Thank you to everyone who has seen or taken part in any of the festivals I've been involved with in May. A huge thank you goes to Fiona at The White Galley for giving me such a brilliant opportunity to exhibit in such a beautiful place.