Christmas angels everywhere...

Dare I say it?

It's that time of year again.. 

  I have been making papier mache Christmas angels..

As lot's more one of a kind papier mache brooches. 

You can just get a peek at the top of this photo.. 

Brooches will be going up in my bigcartel shop this weekend.

Angels Wings...

Looking at medieval church angels gave me inspiration... 

What started off with a simple idea... 

I then got carried away and made them much larger than I intended..

Phew! 

I should have made them in the summer when papier mache dries out much quicker...

Angels...

Burning the midnight oil..  

Sold

Painting angels..

Painted on found wood, husbands garage and a beach find.

Acrylic and gold leaf on wood.

Icons

Once again I am distracted with angels and twinkly stars..

It must be that time of year...

I got my sweetheart to make the wooden frames which are a triumph I might add.

Real gold leaf and anything that sparkles in candlelight.

These gentle ladies are almost finished.. 

And will be available soon..

I should be doing a thousand other things but..

Christmas angels were calling.. 

Some chose dresses and some wanted coats.. 'it's cold this time of year' they said. 

With shoes and boots painted, some chose stripey tights.. Busy, busy, busy.. 

Candles,stars and hearts, some called 'I have letters to post'...

Then they all chorused.. 'We need crowns'.. 'Golden crowns please'.

Full colour next update.. 

Angels watch over me please..

Not a lot of work getting done this past week or so... 

Just changing some angels giving them a little gold leaf.. Here they are drying on an old kitchen cake rack.

I've done something awful to my back, this afternoon I went to the local cottage hospital in Falmouth for Xrays.. Fun, fun fun, couldn't get my socks or boots off let alone my leggings then the indignity of trying to get up onto the Xray table with one of those dresses on with the giant slit up the back... Fun, fun fun.. Got to laugh, pain killers are working...

On my workbench - Recycled angels

Christmas tree ornaments..

Ice dancing

Jack frost left his ice dance on the INSIDE of my bedroom window.

You can just see the top of the window latch at the bottom of the picture... 

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a 

'Merry Christmas and a very Happy New year'

The Angel is one of my charity shop finds.

Angels have their names... At last!

Angelica 
25cm x 25cm

'Angelica' - close-up

'Angeline'
25cm x 25cm

'Angeline' - close-up

 'Angelle'
25cm x 25cm

 'Angelle'- close-up

What a task, who said art was an easy option?  Not only do I struggle with the painting, I have also been struggling to name these 'angels'.  It has taken me several weeks and thanks to all of the lovely ideas that you sent me, they now have their names. What would I do without all of your help and support...Thank you all.x

I need a name for my angel..

The first of the oil on paper Angels is finished,  I have given her touches of gold leaf.  She just needs a title... Any ideas my blogging friends? 

oil on paper.. An angelic update

I thought you might like to see the angels once again and the progress and changes that have been made.

 (I'm afraid that the photographs are not that good)

 Notice the 'special' holding clamps...

They are almost finished, just last minute touches to do..

'Remember me' - A Christmas angel

 'Remember me'

This is not like my recent work it is a development of the installation
'A Common Thread' that I made earlier in the year.  

'A Common Thread'

 

I wanted to make an art doll... An angel, that was slowly hand stitched with needle and thread, allowing my thoughts to circle, while trying and make sense of them as I stitched.  She has no features to her face just the words 'remember me', she didn't need a face, just memories.

This little angel has sections of the poem 'Remember me' stitched about her body it was written by Christina Rossetti 1830-1894.  It starts

Remember me when I am gone away, 
Gone far away into the silent land...

I have chosen this poem for it is very dear to my heart, it is a beautiful poem about love and loss, if you read it you will understand, if you know my story you will understand it a little more.

She is made of quilters muslin which has been tea stained, vintage lace, metal shim... a small piece from an old hymn book and an old button.... A lenght of Ribbon. On the back of her golden wings is a piece of an old song book with the hymn 'Away in a manger'.
The angel is a weighted sitter doll this means that she can sit on a shelf un-aided.

The angel also has a piece of ribbon that can be been looped under her wings for hanging, this can be easily removed if the ribbon is unwanted.

  We all have angel's in our lives that we love and sometimes loose

....this is a little angel dedicated to their memory.

Tiny angels...12.5x12.5cm

Just a 'Little Angel' waiting...

12.5 x12.5cm

...for her artist to finish her....... Her left eye needs adjusting and a couple of other tweeks.....

Acrylic on watercolour paper which has been textured with dressmaking tissue.  Hoping to get her finished in the next day or so.

Oil on paper.. looking a little strange at the moment...

3 Angels...A work in progress

I found some water colour paper at the back of the cupboard, stuck some tissue from a dress making pattern on it... The dressmaking is not going so good... then gesso and now oil paint, but like all paintings they take time to develop, the tissue adds a texture which is lovely to work on.  It's also nice working on something small, they are only small about 10" square.  I shall post an update in a couple of day's the oil paint is taking an age to dry in the damp weather.

'elf'

This little fellow is off to visit Cindy for the Thimbleprims' 2010 Handmade Holiday Ornaments Swap... Have fun on your Christmas tree little elf.

My modern Icon

Having got back from my Norfolk holiday and being completely inspired by all the religious artifacts and Icons that we saw, I have been painting my own version of an icon.

about half way through

getting there

Finished

I've used acrylic paint on a 10"x12"canvas.