Just Finished . . .

I've been busy getting in a tiz about getting things finished this week and wondering whether this latest piece is any good! Still not sure as it is a tad different from what I usually do. It's one of two pieces that are heading off on a trip to the big city next week - the RA Summer Exhibition!! Oooh, err!! Yes, I know, horribly ambitious of me and as I'm going to be up against many and more talented folk I am not holding my breath, I can hope, but . . .

    Anyway, here is the thing itself, titled "Extinction:Passenger Pigeon".
The poor passenger pigeon was very sadly wiped from this planet in 1914 by us of course, from billions when America was first colonised to nothing. The last of these birds died in captivity and was called Martha. It just struck a note with me and I suppose this is my tribute, whether it is worthy of Martha and her species I  don't know but it is done.
   I stepped outside my rather precision edged box in this picture, tearing paper as well as cutting and I also included maps, this was hard to do as it involved brutally hacking into a book and I really hate damaging books because I love books to the point of obssession! A girl can never have too many, but I digress! A bit of symbolism got thrown into the mix too: I left the egg and the birds blank and un-detailed to show they are no longer here. The text is a very brief history of the bird but the inclusion of the name of the last survivor I think makes the whole piece more poignant.
   There will be a very excited entry on here if it gets selected but as I won't know 'til May it is now time to forget about it all for a while!
   On a more realistic note I have just got involved in the "pop-up gallery" being run by the very lovely Sue. She has decided that the remoter areas of the Dales need a small invasion of we arty types! The next pop-up will be at Tunstall, near Richmond, all are welcome and there will be drop in workshops too. I shall be doing a papercutting one. I've diversified a bit and am getting some little bits and pieces printed up from my papercuts, cards, bookmarks that sort of thing, and in colour too! Here are some rather splendidly coloured bookmarks, I do hope people are still reading proper books and haven't all gone "kindle" mad or I'll have to eat them!!!!