Anyway, I was going to share this post on St.Patrick's Day last week as planned, but thought with the day that was in it everyone would be too busy having fun to bother reading my blog, so I decided to leave it closer to Easter and prepare it then.
So here I am!
This year for me is really all about new beginnings, new directions and deciding on what is working for me and what to leave behind.
By now, I have figured out what works and what products I have been creating work best for me.
I do have a tendency to jump around a bit, trying my hands at different things and it can become all a bit confusing. Sometimes it's best to stick to what you know, although it's fun to try other ideas and way's of creating designs but it just gets a bit much.
The theme of the Seashore has been an ongoing theme with me since ahem ... the year 2000, so yes 16 years of exploring the Seashore theme. Yes, Nature was thrown in from time to time, but I keep going back to the Sea.
I love the Sea, I live minutes away from it and I've always felt close to it.
Something keeps drawing me in and I never tire from it and to date all has gone well.
By now if you have been following my blog, you will know that I love research. Below are a few Images that I've saved to my computer via my Pinterest page. All images have the original credit under the photos on Pinterest. I don't own these Images but if you need to know where they came from you know where to look. I also have secret boards.
I pinned these to my board 'Trends 2016'.
It's funny, I usually don't follow trends and like to stick to my own taste in Colour and so on.
But surprisingly there is always a colour or two that pops up that I have used or might be thinking of using. It's strange!
However, I do buy at least two Interior Design Magazines per month, I would rather reach for these on a shelf to that of Fashion led Magazines. Although I do buy the occasional one just to keep up on what's new, as I do love my fashion too!
I love Interiors and secretly love programs such as 'A place in the sun', 'Escape to the country' and 'Fantasy homes by the .... wait for it... Sea!! I just love looking at houses and Interiors in general.
From time to time I would look at Trends, we had to do a lot of that in college for projects and in a way it is important to be on top of what is going on or in season. But in the end everything goes!
Luckily for me Blue is big this Spring/Summer 2016 and it will flow into Autumn/Winter as well so that fine by me! Colours such as Teal and Peacock Blue are huge. There are many other trends too, one I'm also loving is the 'Warm Metallic's' trend and you will notice that I have a love of Copper with Blue or Gold and Blue. (See Images below)
I use hints of a Japanese metallic yarn in weaving, it's a very fine yarn but has a lovely sheen to it and I also use gold and copper leaf and gilding pastes in metallic tones in mixed media and I've worked with copper wire.
So far this year, I've done some re-branding I have a logo (finally!) plus I got Vouchers done.
I've been developing some new pieces, see an example below.
Next stop now is to upload an online shop, one does exist on ETSY but all I've done so far with that ages ago was a public profile. Time to re-look at that, as from speaking to other designer pals it's a good thing to have.
This year I hope to expand my stockists, so far I have three altogether in Co. Wexford with two of these located in Gorey and probably adding more as time goes on in other counties. That's the long-term goal anyway and I have my heart set on something I've always wanted to do and I'm working towards that. I think or at least I know I am ready for it now.
I've a much clearer goal set and my goal is to stick to what I know and do it well and hopefully everything will fall into place from there.
I am weaving at the moment, I'm experimenting with Indigo dye and techniques in Ikat. I've been having fun tying resists onto hanks and just developing my ideas. Like I mentioned before in a previous post, I'm beginning to create a balanced link which is what I'm trying to achieve. Lampshades and framed works I'll return too shortly and I'm developing new pieces too. I'm mixing textiles with a non textile material as well for another project which I hope you'll like.
I've also been looking at trade shows and inquiring about them, but I've made no decisions as yet. However, I do have my eye on one but that's ages away still.
I went walking with a friend the other evening and she told me I should make a bucket list or a list of things I'd love to do or that I want to do and set out and try and achieve them. So that's kind of where I'm at. I do have a bucket list board on Pinterest alright and an tick one off that list, which was to ride on a camel. I got to do that last year it was fun, bumpy but fun!!
So anyway, please see below some Images that I've pulled from my Pinterst Profile, that have been inspiring me as of late.
Do keep an eye on my Facebook page for updates and Images and I shall post hopefully some Imagery of my own for you in April.
The link to my Pinterest profile is as follows ... https://www.pinterest.com/grainnekenny/
:) Gráinne x
First of all here are a few Images of recent work that I've made.
Images from Pinterest - Blue and Gold Inspiration - All Images credited on Pinterest.
