Hi loves, I thought it was about time to give you a little recap/overview of some of the commissions and requests that I've worked on over the last few years (nearly 4!?). Some favourite-thing-ever's and never-again-thank-you's... but I'll leave that up to you to guess which is which. I am incredibly grateful to each and every customer (buyer & recipient) who's reached out and trusted me with their special project, and for the wonderful feedback you've each given. January 2021, an anniversary cyanotype for Jess: Chris requested this for his (then) fiancé to celebrate their 10 year anniversary - the brief was wonderfully vague, and fortunately, I knew them well enough to know what sneaky details to add in. I had a two-week turnaround to have it in his hands for their anniversary, and honestly, I was so thrilled with it, as was he... and luckily, Jess was too! I've written a lot more about this here: https://www.libertyfeist.com/post/especially-for-you and I'll leave it there, because I tend to start rambling on and gushing about these two and this project - so much love. + when they ELOPED to Devon in 2022, they surprised me at the studio (flashing their shiny new wedding bands in my face and making me totally fan-girl out) with some of their wedding flowers to 'donate' to my art supplies, and it seemed only fitting to give them a mini cyanotype workshop and show them how to make their own cyanotypes using their fresh wedding flowers. 2021/2, "southwest feng shui" painting: This was my first commission for someone I didn't already know, and also a real challenge as it was yellows, browns and squares - where my style is more blues, whites and rounds. I felt a lot of pressure on this piece, as it wasn't just a thing to look at, it was meant to represent an energy, and ultimately, it had a job to do - to provide the energy to attract love luck. As well as working with the rules and guides of Feng Shui, I used Rose Quartz & Amethyst crystals (crushed up in the paint, and whole glued behind the canvas), and specifically chosen essential oils in the base layers of paint; all with the set intentions of clearing the existing energies of its destined home, and owner - forgiveness, healing and self-love in the owner, before attracting another.... at the time, yes this was bold of me, I wasn't 100% on what I was doing but I was trusting my gut; now I'm really glad that I did this, and I hope to continue this extra attention - I've since discovered you can reiki artwork (!!), so that's for sure on the list of additional services from here on out. February 2022, a gift commission for my sister: Olivia requested an illustration of her with her bridesmaids - there weren't any photos of all four of them making their bouquets on the morning of her wedding. And wishing to have a reminder of this special moment, shared with her closest friends, she asked me to create this. She asked for it in a similar style to my "From Her to Here" piece (this request became a bit of a theme...and led to a change in my artistic era in 2023) The piece now hangs in her lounge, which is really special, and lovely for me to see when I visit for "oh, I drew that!" moments. June 2022, a Mother's Day gift for Wendy: Newlywed Vicki requested this piece for her mum (Wendy) as a huge thank you, and love note, for Wendy on Mother's Day, following her wedding. In the gorgeous Nkuku frame is a delicate cyanotype of Wendy doing up the buttons on Vicki's wedding dress, also included are some of the wedding flowers, and a copy of Wendy's reading from the ceremony. I think I'd really enjoy doing some more keepsake style pieces, incorporating little treasured items. 2022, full branding pack for Me & Frank: logo, colours, full website design etc. My Mumma was having a rebrand for her existing biz venture, and she asked me to make a website.... which led to a logo, a new brand direction and ultimately me squeezing my way in from freelance designer to part of the permanent team. Pictured is her finalised logo (though as I say, the business is continuously evolving, so we may be about to rebrand again!), and two handouts for journalling workshops and full moon gathering events. This 'commission' is now ongoing as a part-time job, completing a wide range of design work, social media management, content, handouts and running workshops. With more big fat juicy plans developing as we go on! check out what's new: www.meandfrank.info August 2023, illustrated birthday invites for Jodie: I actually met Jodie through the first Me & Frank events, which were loosely based on my From Her to Here illustration's story... she then adored, and quickly bought a print of my illustration. So, as she approached her big 40th birthday, she wanted something in a similar style to give out as her birthday party invites.... it was genuinely such an honour to work on this, and I'm looking forward to doing more designs for Jodie in the future - we've got biiig plans! Knowing Jodie so well, and knowing this was destined for other people who know and love her, made it fun to sneak in little details to see if anyone else picked up on them. For example, her iconic chonky glasses, the Libra (her starsign) constellation, the little moons on the Es mimic her business logo. I also didn't want to draw a 'posed' perfect portrait for jodie - so I asked her to send me a film of her dancing (which was adorable to watch), and took screenshots of her in motion, laughing and being carefree, and drew from those. Jodie has a BEAUTIFUL jewellery business: Jerne by Jodie September 2023, a congrats print/card for Chris: Inspired by the invites for Jodie's party, Lauren commissioned me to do a card for her friend and colleague Chris Appleton, as he'd just signed a new brand ambassador deal with Shark Beauty. She was flying out to New York go to an event with him, and wanted to give him something that stood out as "not just something from a shop". Having not really drawn a bloke since college, this was a nice challenge, I set aside two days - which it absolutely shouldn't have taken... but I tend to take FOREVER on new projects that I really care about*; second guessing and criticising every mark, and overthinking, researching heavily, especially when I know nothing about them, luckily Chris is a celeb so it was easy to find out things like his star sign, and have a wide catalogue of photos/poses to pick from... but the man's hair changes SO OFTEN, it was really tricky to pick a style to commit to paper. Lauren told me that Chris was really pleased with the card (thank fuck), it's moments like this that make me take a second to value my skills, because it's not just making something for someone - it's providing someone a special gift for them to give to someone they love. *one of my overthinking moments was that Chris also works on the Drew Barrymore Show... so like, you know, there's every plausible chance that he might have shown her it the next time he was on set (obviously a very small chance) but the thought that DREW FUCKING BARRYMORE may be alerted to my existence, or that my artwork may be in her magnificent presence, then that was enough to dedicate my whole fucking soul to the project for two days. Trust me when I tell you that the far-off fantasies, manifestations and adrenaline levels were BOLD and high af. I care about all my projects, but I get overly invested in a select few. January 2024 onwards, GIFs for businesses: Somewhere in 2020 at the pre-crawling phase of my baby business, I got very excited about creating my own branded stickers for Instagram stories... and a very close friend at the time told me it wasn't really a smart move and a huge waste of my time, I needed to build a business and client base first (valid, but at the same time, how dare you!?) ... well, fast forward to 2024 and I'm now focusing on illustration and wellbeing based art - what could be more apt a time to reignite that desire to make stickers. I've also made a lot of stickers for both Me & Frank and Liberty Feist Studio using my illustrations, which I'm thrilled to see being used by my growing network of beautiful friends who also work in the creative & wellbeing world. To use these yourself - just search the business/person's name in the gif stickers, i.e. me and frank / liberty feist / jerne by jodie etc. (Not all of them made their way to Instagram, no prizes for guessing which one got flagged as R rated... shame on you GIPHY!) There are several commissions still in the works/on the back burner for one reason or another, and some which I've chosen not to list. But I hope this has given you a little taste for my work, evolving and multi-hatted. If you want to know more about any of the projects listed above, you're likely to find this on my Instagram - reach out and I'll point you in the right direction. If you are interested in talking to me about a commission for yourself or someone you love, please please do get in touch! https://www.libertyfeist.com/commissions Liberty x

A WORK OF (HE)ART - A STORY OF REJUVENATION Let's just agree to pretend that it hasn't taken me a year to post this... (blog written throughout the year) 25th September 2021 saw the second year of the cyanotyping community coming together to celebrate World Cyanotype Day, united in a love of blue and this magical alt-photography process. The piece was lovingly developed as a response to the prompt of Rejuvenation and celebrates of the highs and lows along the journey to understanding ourselves and growing as a person. I had a year's warning for this date... and I left it up to the morning of the deadline to finish my artwork. I got distracted for a while, thinking about the same topic which my 'interconnected' piece was based on last year - I thought of picking that back up - also with all the gardening I'd been doing lately, bindweed was on my mind and I started focusing on analogies. I'd had a lot of ideas for this in the months leading up to WCD - but something wasn't right about them. I was thinking too much, trying to make all these clever little analogies translate to the page and focusing on the outside factors (people, places etc.) of my journey too much, rather than on myself at each point. So, I refocused, I looked deep inside and I said "okay, let's just be honest" - I decided to make it about ME, for me. Selfish? damn fucking right. Here are some videos I made to explain what was going on (and going wrong!) In an unsurprising turn of events, I ended up loving the digital version so much more than the cyanotype. And I am more than okay with that. It wasn't a competition, it was a celebration, so there were no requirements to enter other than the use of cyanotype... so it took it easy. Lately, I've been really focused on not pushing myself to the point of resentment - something that's happened so often with other passions I've invested myself in. So, I decided, before I even started, not to push this too much - to accept whatever outcome came from the process within the deadline, and submit, no matter what. so that's how it went - here's what I submitted to the online exhibition: I've made good use of this 'little' sketch since the WCD deadline, making other little artworks using the individual figures, and made a few videos using the digital and cyanotype versions. I've been overwhelmed by the support on this little reel - I haven't had this much engagement and level of lovely comments on a post before, so I was really pleased that it came on such a personal one. It's got over 1k likes; I know social media praise isn't everything, but damn, that's got me glowing! This project has been so important to me, it's shifted a few blocks and already influenced a few other artworks and projects. I had the digital version printed in the largest possible size and it now hangs in my studio - sometimes I just stare at it, like "yeah, I made that..." both the journey and the artwork. It fills me with pride and inspired me to figure out the rest of the journey, because it is far from over and I know it's leading somewhere fantastic. And in the interests of growth - here's a shout out to 'the bindweeds' that force us forward and encourage us to strengthen our boundaries. P.S. please stop slipping back into my life and being all charming... thanks (not sure this still works... so much change! but if you want a poster larger than A4 email me!) let's take a second to appreciate this progress from initial sketch to massive poster: "Between her & now" initial sketch "From Her to Here" finished design Well, it's now September 2022, and not only have I not started this years' entry (due in 3 days... classic me), but I still haven't gotten around to redoing the cyanotype of From Her to Here ... but a pretty full-on year! There's obviously something blocking me from doing it just yet, and I am still on this emotional, spiritual and physical journey, doing the hard head & heart work, stumbling plenty, but getting up and carrying on eventually. I like to think that I've come a long way since I drew these versions of myself, and I know I have a long way to go yet, but when I look at them, I can thank them each, and promise that I'll keep going. I would love to redo this in another few years, to see how it may change, what milestones may be added, what things I might then be brave enough to show further back. love x

Hello, well, I haven't given up just yet... which perhaps was the real challenge all along!? It is currently day 30 of 40, and I have closed a total of nine projects. So, with 10 days left, I hope to (start and) complete the other 21 projects...some of which, I haven't even confirmed titles/ideas for, so yeah, it certainly looks like a panicked finish is in sight. I spent a lot of the week telling people about the vase and book, and the rest catching up on family commitments and tasks unrelated to the studio. But here's a little summary of the things I did achieve for this #30BY30 challenge. Previously closed projects: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 catch up on week 1, and weeks 2&3. PROJECT #9: DOES IT CYANOTYPE? so, pretty much as it sounds - taking a bunch of stuff and seeing if I can cyanotype it... and generally ignoring all advice on how to do it properly and just going for it. Most of these bits need to soak for days, so photos and video to follow soon + should really do a glass experiment. PROJECT STATUS: OPEN PROJECT #10: SIGILS PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED PROJECT #11: COLLAGE I'm not sure this one really needs much explanation - I have recorded some footage which I'll eventually add here... Basically, I used to collage ALL THE TIME as a kid, and it's something I haven't done much of in recent years. So I wanted to connect to that childhood passion, using/recycling 'scraps' from my passions and interests as an adult. I was more than happy to settle this as a complete project after my first collage attempt, because I think all I really needed from it was a reminder of how fun it can be, without overthinking it and trying to design a whole range. I'll leave that for another day, when I've not got 20+ other projects waiting for me. PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED PROJECT #12: MEMENTO MORI latin for "Remember that you must die" A project which explores and celebrates the beauty of death and it's inevitability. PROJECT STATUS: OPEN PROJECT #14: SELF DEFENCE Okay, this was a prompt suggested by Saskia when I asked for suggestions on Instagram... and I finally found something I was passionate about (and able to draw) in response. I do most of the explaining in this video, so I'll save myself some typing time and let you listen to me instead... here's some of the inspo I had in mind while I was sketching it up in my mind... progress thus far: There's still plenty more to draw; it isn't quite the quick, easy, flowing drawing style I managed in From Her to Here, so it's taken a little longer than I anticipated. PROJECT STATUS: OPEN PROJECT #18: BRIDESMAIDS This project is a commission for my sister Olivia, who wanted a digital sketch in the style of my "From Her to Here" piece, celebrating her best friends, and the morning of her wedding when they made up all the bouquets and button-hole pieces for all the bridal party. She loved that moment so much, but the photographer hadn't got a photo of all four of them together - in steps Libby. I have started designing this digital sketch, trying to work in all the little aspects that Liv has requested, and working to her chosen colour pallet (not my usual)... I think it'll come together nicely. I filmed my screen for the whole process, so I'm sure I'll be making some cute little videos in no time. PROJECT STATUS: OPEN PROJECT #20: LET THERE BE LIGHT This honestly has to be the quickest and easiest of all the projects so far!! I'm absolutely chuffed with the result and can't wait to use it regularly as a mood setter in the studio, something to calm me when I'm getting anxious or over stimulated and panicky. I'd been looking into trying to fit small lights into frames for a while now to backlight these delicious fennel firework patterned coffee filters, but I hadn't been happy with any of the test thus far. Then on Friday while giving it another thought session, I stumbled across this adorable little night light cube - that was it! It didn't have to be a frame at all, it just needed to be beautiful and backlit... this was even better because you then had FIVE surfaces to cover in yummy blues. Saturday afternoon it arrived and as soon as I could, I ripped it out of it's packaging, quickly did one "test" i.e. held up a small section of cyanotyped coffee filter, and said "YEP!", then just went for it! Armed with my trusty ModPodge (please sponsor me) and a whole lot of faith, I got straight to it, no plan, just passion. I managed to get the whole thing covered using one complete coffee filter, cut and folded around the box... I think my wallpapering lessons from my sister earlier in the week really aided this, so thanks Liv! And didn't I just pull it off - what a fucking triumph! Though I couldn't help feeling a little bit like Loki when he gets the Tesseract, the pride, the power... that magnificent blue glow!! PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED 1000% want to be selling these soon... imagine it with a cute cityscape or custom portrait collage... My mum suggested that I do the same thing on my aroma diffuser too, which obviously I need! NEXT WEEK: I obviously want to round off most of these projects, and go back to complete #6 the Meridian Clock too. I also plan to start a few of the following: 8. CURTAINS 13. EMBROIDERY HOOPS 15. SELF PORTRAIT 16. LOVE (book) 17. CROWN 19. UNDIES 21. XXX 22. FREYJA 24. FABRIC 25. PAINTING (following a prompt via FB) 26. WET CYANOTYPE 27. BLUE DAY / POWER OF BLUE 28. [TBC] 29. HELD 30. EMIN:ATE

Hello my lovelies, I didn't have much to report last week so I thought I'd combine the two (Yeah, I just didn't want to write it) So... things suddenly got very messy and busy in the studio over the last fortnight, I seemed to try and use ModPodge in nearly every project. We are currently on day 22 of 40, so grab a coffee and see what I've been up to. PROJECTS OPENED: 8 PROJECTS CLOSED: 4 (5 if you're reading it on Sunday!) PROJECT #1: SODIUM CARBONATE (continued from WK1) Thank goodness for that, on day 20 of 40 I was starting to get a little nervous that I'd only closed one project so far... I mean two isn't much more, but fuck it, let's celebrate! 🍕🍷 Because I'm still pretty bloody brilliant, just can't commit or concentrate 🤷 I cheated slightly by using leaves that my good pal Mother Nature had already skeletoned for me (instead of me having to boil them in this gross smelling chemical) - and created a three leaf Cyanotype which was half dipped in the mixture to turn it yellow. I'm actually really happy with this, and sort of wish I'd done a few more - so probably will soon. There was a lot more to the process, in terms of tests, I filmed a lot more 1: end result (still wet) 2: post vinegar rinse 3: post hydrogen peroxide bath 4: during the sodium carbonate bath as the colour starts to change from blue to purple to yellow (fucking magic) ... yes, I basically just copied that from my instagram caption, but the overwhelm is real, and there's more info below if you need it: While this is definitely something I'll be doing more of... PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED PROJECT #3: ARTBOOK (continued from WK1) Well, it would seem that I was SO pleased with the result of this in week one, that I just didn't touch it for a week or so. That's a lie, I picked it up a lot, flicked through, admired it; basically shoved it in the face of every family member who came near my studio... but I didn't add to it for a while. Earlier this week, I decided to be okay with the fact that I probably wouldn't be making any more pages - these are mini projects afterall, and maybe I said all I needed to say in those five little double page spreads... so it was time to glue it together, pop on a cover, and smother it in gold. I am still incredibly in love with this book, with every flaw, every swish of gold, every truth so blatantly displayed. I can't wait to make more.... and between you and me, there might be another one, sooner than you think under this 30 by 30 project, in response to the Grayson's Art Club prompt of 'LOVE' - my sister and I were discussing it at length while decorating, featuring lots of "OH FUCK OFF _ YESS!" in response to ideas.... it'll be possibly, the most personal and exposing project I have ever worked on and I invite that level of cathartic exercise into my life, especially during this damn retrograde!!! [videos to follow] PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED PROJECT #4: VASE oooooooooooooooooooooooohhhh the vase. Who knew, that at age (nearly) thirty, I would be so damn fucking proud of a paper mache project... well, I did a jolly good job of not planning or following a trusted recipe and making a fuuuucking mess in the studio. But, hey, it really came together! I tried to use as much recycled materials as possible for this, luckily I've kept all my paper recycling and packaging for the last year or so, and happened to have deflated the balloons sent to me for my friend's virtual hen-do last year, so I was pretty much set! After a far too watery first layer, I thought I'd get creative and (very loosely) followed a recipe for a flour based paste for my second layer. Quickly painted it in a thick layer of white gesso before sunrise as I had family commitments to attend to and knew I'd hardly be in the studio... The next morning I felt like it was time, and I began collaging on my fennel firework designs using the coffee filters which I had cyanotype exposed last year and were sat in a box being ignored... and topped it all off with a thick layer of ModPodge hard seal before heading off to my sister's for another day of decorating.... which gave me an idea - she had this new tub of PollyFilla which was like a mouse, and went on the walls so beautifully - I wanted it, I needed it, and after a few more days of us all being incredibly forgetful, I got it. Last night she popped over with a little box filled with filler for me to play with. I already learnt so many lessons for next time, which is good. I also REALLY wanted to dip it in concrete, so there's no if, I will be making more! WOULD YOU BUY ONE!? It's really making me think about how much more there is I can do with cyanotype than standard prints (not that they aren't tricky enough, and mesmerizingly beautiful!) but I've always wanted to make homewares and fashion items, and maybe I know how to do that my way now. I'm still waiting on things to dry so I can decide how much to sand and how much to paint, but I've already tried flowers in her, and SHE IS A BEAUTY - may need to treat myself to some new tall dried flowers and seedheads for this fennel stunner. Annoyingly, I didn't keep any fennel unpressed when I collected it... so if you have any, let me woo you! PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED PROJECT #5: MAKE IT HOLLY So this is a project I signed up to before Christmas, but I've only felt creatively capable during this #30by30 period - so why not include it in the challenges. I was asking for prompts and "make this in your style" challenges, and I already had one! Holly's brilliant project "Censor Me, I Dare You" focuses on the bullshit nature of censorship of the female body in the modern age - which really is nonsense. I really struggled to commit to my modifications on this piece - I think because I knew I only had one shot at it, and had already accidentally got Sharpie on it while marking out the possible text on acetate. I so wanted to produce something breath-taking, and I didn't quite trust myself to do that at first leap. In hindsight, I am glad that I procrastinated, because then I suddenly had the idea of the coffee filter instead of thick paper - a much softer modification, fleeting almost - like a fine scarf draped across the body. The lightness of the tear juxtaposing the harshness of the implied action. I found it really hard to write on this photo paper in my new dip fountain pens... I thought I'd take a slight upgrade from my trusty Waitrose kebab sticks (you know the ones), but bugger me it took a lot of getting used to! There is an obvious fuck up, but, hey, that's life; learning to love yourself is messy, and it's hard, and it hurts, you hesitate, you struggle, you shy away a little, but ultimately you shine. you can read more about Holly's work and this project on her website: www.hollyinks.com Why not come to the exhibition? Or buy an artwork: 50% of profits from each print sale go to the chosen charity of that artist... pretty cool idea right!? (I've requested Rowcroft Hospice) PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED PROJECT #6: MERIDIAN CLOCK This one's been an idea in the works for a while now, but I'm struggling to figure out how to make it authentically in my style - as I have many styles... but it hasn't felt right. Basically a friend and I, during a course on meridian corrections, came up with this idea to make a BEAUTIFUL clock which would easily tell you what was going on with your body at the time you were looking... as a physical clock on the wall, not just a paper or digital diagram you have to find to know. For me, I wanted it to know how best to plan my day, or to understand why I was identifying certain issues or positives at certain times and what it meant, and for Rebecca, as a practitioner to use it both personally and professionally as a tool in her magic-working. I may trying to sketch it out by hand with colour markers and fine liner pens instead of on Photoshop. I definitely need more time on this. Or possibly, to care a little less and just get it done, because I know deep down, she will love anything I make, and as this literally doesn't exist in the UK market for her, it is already guaranteed to be the best... things seem a little easier when you look at them like that. PROJECT STATUS: OPEN PROJECT #7: RUBBISH PHOTOGRAPHY Take the trash, enjoy the treasure. This was a beach clean project - a one day activity & creative session to create a small series of artworks depicting the waste on our shores. Once again, a project I have been meaning to try for a while, which is why this 30 by 30 is so useful for me - trying things out with the prerequisite of them being quick and not needing much planning or explaination, just giving it a jolly good go! I think there's something quite morbidly fascinating/ macabre about the similarities between the finished results of my artworks and what sealife see in the water - they are just shapes, shadows... non-threatening nothings, almost appealing; which is why they are such a danger to animals. The ghostly shapes, appear to float and dance and there is certainly a level of beauty, whether or not that should be celebrated or not is down to the individual. We can at least celebrate the fact that they are on my page and no longer in the sea or on the shore... (luckily took a bin bag, as there was more than one poo bag left sunning itself 🤢) I'm pleased to say that, although I got thoroughly distracted for the middle 6-7 hours of this one day project, working on all the other open projects (and some left over pizza), I now have 15 A4 cyanotyped artworks complete. I will be selling this series in my shop and donating 50% of the profits to charities (TBC) ... trouble is I now just can't decide whether to add to them now that I've 'closed' the project - fine liner details or gold!? [photos of prints TBC when dried & pressed, + videos] PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED more info on beach cleaning: https://beachcleans.org.uk/ https://www.beachclean.org/ https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/clean-up-seas-and-rivers-for-wildlife-and-people https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/great-british-beach-clean/ WEEK THREE.... I definitely have a few projects that I can't wait to start, and just as many that I'm quite hesitant about. But I will get through them all! I'm thinking of listing all the ideas I've got... as a guide when I'm asking others for suggestions of prompts. I'm also thinking of maybe getting a head-start on this year's Grayson's Art Club prompts because that really makes a lot of sense with them being due in March anyway. Sodium Carbonate Paint It Blue Art Book / Book of Poetry Vase Make It Holly Meridian Clock Rubbish Photography Curtains Does It Cyanotype? Sigils Collage Memento Mori Embroidery Hoops Self Defence Self Portrait LOVE Crown Bridesmaids #30BY30 #LFS30BY30 #ArtChallenge #Cyanotype #DevonArtist #30by30Challenge #LibertyFeist

Oh hey, a week's gone by already! [RECAP ON 30 BY 30] In the first seven days, I have started four projects - though, I've not really stuck to the initial idea of trying to make the majority of the mini projects a one-day thing. Oh well, I'm certainly not surprised by that. By far, the one that's filled me with the most joy is project #3: the artbook... and that's one I'll absolutely be returning to soon to delve a little deeper and make some more. Thank you so much to everyone who's following along on my stories (I see you) and who have messaged - I really value your feedback, support and suggestions! Keep it coming. PROJECT #1: SODIUM CARBONATE Okay, I could have spent more time on this, or potentially even bothered to follow the guidance. Obviously not though. There's still room to work on this, as it's potentially a pretty cool idea - so the powder Sodium Carbonate when made into a solution with water works in two ways in this mini project. Firstly, you can use the solution to make 'skeleton leaves' if you boil it (I didn't boil it)... this should have been really cool - so there would just be the 'bones' of the leaf left, thus making much sharper and quicker/easier to expose leaf cyanotypes. Secondly, when applied to a processed cyanotype, the solution breaks down the blue pigment in the paper and starts to turn it purple and then yellow... which is pretty cool! I had an issue on this first piece because I wanted to change some of the colour but not all of it, so I was squidging it on using a sauce bottle, and trying to quickly wash it off before it altered anywhere I didn't want it. Not easy, but for a first try, I'm pleased with the potential. I think I'll have one more quick go at this; process the leaves properly, and then take a little more time on processing the cyanotypes to get something I'm happy with. All in all, a good experiment! PROJECT STATUS: OPEN PROJECT #2: PAINTING WITH CYAN TAKE ONE... Underwhelming. Inspired by fellow cyanotype artists such as Ellie, I wanted to try my hand at painting with the cyanotype sensitiser to create the artwork before the magic of the UV booth... so laying down the yellow which would become blue. I'd made a few fennel cards over the autumn where I'd very freely and haphazardly coated the paper with sensitiser, but this meant that once exposed and processed, I had these different tones of blue from where the brush had swished over it a second time, or suddenly sploshed a little extra on a final swish than over the whole - so you could see brushstrokes... combined with the fennel and scattered pollen, it made for a beautiful almost galaxyesque visual. So it wasn't about the exposure time, or the amount of light blocked, it was a predetermined light & dark, made by the brush and this magical yellow solution. I decided to do a painting of something, and one just abstract - but got a little big for my boots. I tried to paint a whole seaside scene, which actually looked okay during the first wash and the vinegar rinse, but once the print hit the hydrogen peroxide, all tones magically went the same dark navy and the magic was gone. I didn't actually really know how to do the layers, which to paint first, and I hadn't sketched it out yet... but I tried using a blocking liquid to keep the white areas white (definitely smelt out of date) which sort of worked. I think also I'd opted for a very thick cotton rag, which possibly was too fancy for this project, and I may have had better luck with a watercolour page or something smoother. With the 'abstract' piece, I just threw as much as I could at the page, using any tool that took my fancy just to test things - incl, bubble wrap and even my drink (lemon squash). fucked it. Definitely need to have another go at this one, but not overthinking it, keeping the shapes and layers simple, allowing it to dry naturally between layers. TAKE TWO... I couldn't leave it as it was, so I simplified, set out with no fixed plan and made these two. i love flowers, and especially doodling them, so I doodled with my little paintbrush and delicately built up a yellowy coating ready to hit the sunbeds. And they turned out okay! I'm still learning about how much is too much - some of the bits I tried to make darker with thicker layers of sensitiser, then decided to sort of jellify and therefore blocked the light reaching the initial layers and so it came out very pale - you can see this most in the writing, I kept dropping on extra bits of the yellow liquid and watching them bleed along the pathway of the word, I enjoyed it so much that I overdid it. Another lesson learnt! Where this worked really well though, is on the dotted flowerheads, where the sensitiser was too thick/not thoroughly dry before exposure (I'm impatient!) the middles are much paler where if this was say a watercolour, it would be the darkest once dry. Ironically, I'd regretted not leaving the text white but didn't want to use any extra props, so if I'd known that overloading would result in a white area, I would have overloaded the whole line of text to make a fully white "grow". I like to include lots of photos of the process, because it's difficult to articulate the process, and how much of it is chance and unpredictable... you're never really sure how much will wash away, and what will stay. PROJECT STATUS: CLOSED PROJECT #3: ARTBOOK My little heart beats with pride, she feels heard. Thrilled with this one, I've been meaning to experiment with some artbooks using cyanotype for a while now, I just wasn't quite sure how, and I overthought it so much that I inevitable abandoned/buried the idea every time. But I finally did it, or at least, started it. So the idea is, I made these little books as a test for a project at uni (they were so tiny!) using scans/photographs of A3 artworks from my art therapy self-portraiture project. The artworks were generally all nude photographs, printed very basically on the library repro printer, which I had then embellished in a mix of printmaking methods, very raw and expressive, featuring a lot of writing and drawing as well as mark making generally. I loved them. They really summed up a lot of the things I was going through at a difficult time in my life... it made them beautiful, approachable, and well almost manageable. These palm-size books told a story of loss, pain, and acceptance. In the uni project, I tried very hard consciously and sometimes unconsciously to disguise what I had written - I was doing it for the process, the catharsis, the release... I didn't need (or really want) anyone seeing what it was I had written, especially as one of the major topics wasn't just my story to tell and I was protecting the other party... I don't need to do that anymore. This project, I'm not hiding the words - I'm framing them, putting them centre stage, spotlighted. I love poetry books... but I think my favourite (for style and approach rather than content) is Rupi Kuar's - a friend recommended her book to me at a time when I had to make a lot of big decisions, and listen to my heart a little more. I've wanted to design my own, in my own style for a while now, having written poetry and lyrics for about 15 years, but never really 'put them out there'. I thought of designing this digitally, or having it all hand drawn but then recently it occurred to me that yeah, I could do all this in cyanotype - seamlessly combining handwritten poems with flowers, drawings, photographs, and I guess even some printed words too. And for it to be BLUE the colour of the throat chakra, the colour associated with voice and self-expression, the colour most often linked to sadness, but also to nobility and holiness, the sky, the sea... blue, is such a complex beauty. [someone remind me to add a whole page about the importance of blue] So here are the first 10 pages that may or may not make it into my first fully cyanotyped artbook / poetry book. Drawings, flowers, words from the heart; a cathartic and honest process, art therapy for a lover of blue. I've made mini artbooks before, I've done art therapy projects before, but this is my show, my story, and this time it's personal - an open book, nothing to hide, no one to protect but myself. I think a lot of things I've been passionate about have led up to this and amalgamated to become something quite magical. I just need to make the rest now, and figure out how I want to assemble & bind the book... it's obviously going to have some gold additions! I think you can probably tell, by how much I've written about it, that I'm so passionate about this. PROJECT STATUS: OPEN side note... would you buy one? WEEK TWO.... I have a few things in mind, a commission idea which I've been discussing with my sister for a while now and maybe a one-day-challenge may be a good way to focus me in on starting/completing that. I've also opened up prompt suggestions to my followers, and have already received some thought-provoking suggestions. #30by30 #30by30challenge #artchallenge #newartskills #steppingoutsidemycomfortzone #arttherapy #artbook #cyanotype #cyanotypebook #poetryandart #azule #blues #cyan #cyanotypes

#30BY30 Okay, so I've had a bit of a creative block so far this year - which is absolutely fine, we all get them. I think we need them, I needed the time to rest, for admin and to sort through the mountain of mess in my studio - I'm not sure there was any time to create if I had been up for it! BUT As I enter my thirtieth year (...hmm) I decided that the best gift that I could give myself this year was a gentle art challenge... so, in the 40 days leading up to my birthday, I plan to play, experiment, vent, move, mould, smash, and make a jolly good mess in the studio (or elsewhere) in whatever artform and medium feels right, to complete THIRTY small scale projects. I'm giving myself ten extra days, firstly because I WANT TO START NOW PLEASE, but also as you may have noticed, my attention span isn't always the sharpest, and I need to give a little gentleness to myself as to prevent overwhelm... I don't think I have ever stuck to a 30 day challenge; too much structure, too much pressure, I get bored. I don't really like my birthdays*, so I'm hoping this will help. Follow along with my challenge via my posts & stories on Instagram: #30by30 / #LFS30by30 and I'll also be trying to pop up a weekly blog post showing what I've managed that week and any ideas I may have plotted for the next week. THE PROJECT STARTS SATURDAY 8 JANUARY Look out for a special project to celebrate Betty, as we mark 100 years since her birth on 25 March 1922. *nothing to do with aging, because THIRTY IS STILL YOUNG! I have just historically found them terribly underwhelming and a recipe for disappointment. hoorah for pessimism.

YVES KLEIN - possibly the artist most linked to the colour blue... he even invented his own shade! Here's a snapshot bio/about Klein → (read more on his official website) Yves Klein is best known for his Anthropometry series, where he used naked females as 'human paintbrushes' to create large scale paintings replicating the body's form and movements. I first saw Klein's works in Paris in 2008, but never really committed the name to memory (I've never been terribly good at remembering artist's names... that's why we have Google!), he probably came up in Art History at school or uni, and I know I saw further works which I didn't link to his Anthropometry series. I've seen hundreds of blatant rip-offs of his style by armature artists, often just for personal use, that I had dismissed the idea of trying something in this visual for so long. But as I began to follow and explore more "draw this in your style" challenges on Instagram, I started to be slightly less of a dick about stealing an idea and making it your own - because after all, the first thing they teach you at art school is that no idea is original. So, I decided to tackle one of the greats - my way. I'd been looking into a way to produce nudes in a different way - to represent the naked body, but I wanted it to be real, accurate and honest... I started looking up body prints, and there he was everywhere (or people embracing his style): Klein, and his big sexy blue body prints. Well fuck. That's it! I'd wanted to play around more with wet cyanotypes, and why start small and safe when I could go ALL IN and make a huge fucking mess that may just result in something beautiful... and my oh my, didn't it just! It's technically the reverse of his methods; using the female body as a paintbrush to apply paint directly to a plain surface, while my way is using the plain body (... albeit wet) to remove/alter the 'paint' from the 'painted' surface. If you know me well, you know that I am an absolute SUCKER for wordplay - so to be starting a project inspired by/ in response to Yves Klein that involved laying down.... How could I not call it RE:KLEIN !?!? In my new project RE:KLEIN I am starting to produce works inspired by Klein's Anthropometry series, but taking on the role as artist and model - taking the control back to the female. NOTE: I'm pretty sure this is really really dangerous, so PLEASE don't try it at home! I was super careful to have my washing set-up at the ready, and scrubbed myself thoroughly to make sure all the mixture was removed from my body. Here's a video about it all: CHEMICAL REACTION This project fascinated and seriously fulfilled me - because it wasn't just about the chemical reaction of light hitting light-sensitive material... it was about physically changing chemistry - with my wet body. Disrupting the process, and in theory 'ruining' or fucking up the materials before the actual exposure - to reveal an image that isn't really there! The body as a paintbrush, but more than that - the body, captured in a moment, like a kiss on a window that lingers, but this doesn't wash away. I find it all very exciting! ROUND ONE [30/06/21] Nervous... but excited! I wasn't sure at all how wet to be (...stop it). I had the shower running and the pre-coated paper on the floor ready. I'd vaguely measured my torso against the page so I sort of knew where to kneel to delicately (ha, not) lay down on the page when wet. A fair amount of bleeding - water that is - around certain crevices.... But I was amazed by the level of detail copied over to the final piece. If you look closely, you can see pores and hair follicles, and even stretch marks! I tell you what, it's bloody magic - witchcraft! FUN FACT - someone got in touch to let me know that if you flip the image upside down, the markings of my belly button look like an Egyptian third eye symbol! I can't explain to you how much I love everything about this. (though I think it possibly looks more like it, up the right way) The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol known all around the world. It symbolises healing, protection, rejuvenation, rebirth, resurrection and wholeness. ROUND TWO [05/07/21] In this second experiment session, I decided to go and put my bloooody face on it. I feel some serious 'lost at sea' vibes coming through in this piece. Likely influenced by having #SongToTheSiren (the @wolfaliceband cover) blasting on my shower speaker while I made it - I just kept adding water. It almost looks like she's drowning - but doesn't need rescuing. Just the one print on this day... keeping things simple (and there was only one more sheet pre-coated). I took a big fat risk here, and decided to see what magic might be created with applying my damp face to the page as well as my body... and I think she paid off! There's a definite SQUASH visual on where I've really clearly tried a little too hard to make sure enough of my face came into contact with the page - I didn't want just a cheek, so there was a fair amount of squashing, rolling and weird neck contorting to make sure this much made it to the processed piece. Again, the level of detail just astounded me - the pores, the hair follicles, the lines on my hands - all of it. I'm honestly so happy with her, I left this exposing for about two hours, and tried sploshing a massive glug of white vinegar before the peroxide gave it some stunning turquoise tones amongst the deep royals. I was disappointed that having gone through the effort to include my damp hair, that it didn't come through more clearly --- you only really get one go at this, and I needed to keep my right eye shut due to the potential contact with the chemicals, and get my arse back in that shower PRONTO. Also I just don't like washing my hair too often - ha. I put these images on Pinterest and all the suggested "visually similar" images were jellyfish - and you know what, I'm happy with that. My tits look like jellyfish. ROUND THREE [11/07/21] In this experiment session, I decided to see how wet fabric affected the cyanotype mix. And yes, I could have tried it with just fabric, and not my entire body... but where's the fun in that! So I hopped in the shower for experiment #1, and flopped myself onto the paper with FAR too much water on my body --- so it sort of just flooded the paper, and I wasn't sure if I should try and mop it up - but my priority was to get back in that shower and rid myself of chemicals... After that I slipped my favourite lacy undies over my already wet body - I wanted to try a version where the fabric wasn't too wet, so I misted myself with a plant spritzer bottle (the glamour!) and lay down to produce THE most beautifully intricate wet cyanotype I have ever seen! I honestly had no idea that the lace would transfer like that - it was BEAUTIFUL! I already have a habit of talking to myself, so I spent the rest of the day just in awe saying things like "I'm actually fucking brilliant", "God, I'm good", "I'm bloody brilliant!" - and I think we can all agree, that we all need more days like that! For experiment #3 I had already leapt back into the shower in the undies, so went for another undies one, which proved my theory above correct, as this was again just a bit too wet... there was still a large amount of detail in the bra transfer, but nowhere near as wonderfully as in the previous attempt. And as with the first print that day, there was some flooding on the paper - I guess I'd forgotten to dance quite as much in this session to shake the drops away, or perhaps I was just less hesitant. Anyway, the flooding happened, and I made sure not to get too disappointed as I hopped back into the shower for the final scrub down to insure my body, face and hair were completely free of the sensitiser. By the time I got the prints back to the studio, the third print had bled into what sort of resembled a mermaid tail (albeit very squashed) so I thought "fuck it!" and decided to embrace that as a theme. Of course, I just happened to have some seaweed hanging up in the lab, so quickly gave it a little soak and sploshed it liberally about the paper... then some shells... and some seaglass... yes, I got carried away. I don't really think it's appropriate to be reserved and subtle when it comes to a semi-dangerous nude-ish mermaid self-portrait ... wouldn't you agree? When it came to finally washing and processing these giant sheets... I got a little cocky and keen, and the one I had been the most excited for, caught on the bathplug chain and tore - devistated for a second, I chose to go with it, trying to hold it together (in every way) and hope for the best - well, during the peroxide soak and with all the lifting to and from, she ripped... fuck. But you can't deny she's still beautiful, we all live with the scars of our process..... WHAT'S NEXT? So, as I said, it was all a little reckless and potentially very dangerous... so I only made a few. I would really like to make more, but I'll be more cautious this time, do a little more research into the chemicals and any hazards. Other ways to body print: I've been looking into other ways to bodyprint, which could then be used to form the image exposed on the cyanotype. I.e. flour or paint on Perspex - something where a substance would be altered or removed with contact on the body, allowing the light to reach the sensitised surface. But nothing quite comes close to the level of detail achieved in this mirror image print process so far. I'm certainly not ready to put anyone else's body at risk to model for me as I've asked in the video... For now, these big blue beauties are hanging on my studio wall, I need to properly photograph them soon, and potentially scan them if I can find someone with a big enough scanner... I'm so fucking proud of myself for this project, even if it leads nowhere - because I thought outside the box, took a risk, and really surprised myself... though deep down, I knew I'd pull it off. FEEDBACK Recently someone emailed me about the project, having seen my video on YouTube, with their varying comments on what they'd seen & concerns about my continuing the project. It was lovely to read that someone had liked my project so much that they were suggesting ways they thought I could continue it safely - but there's still a lot of thinking to do to try and replicate these incredible results safely. I'd love to know what you think - so please let me know if you have any ideas or feedback on what you've seen. much love, Liberty & the nudes x

A PROMISE TO GET BACK TO MAKING ARTWORKS THAT CELEBRATE THE GLORY OF THE FEMALE BODY. Somewhere along the way, I covered up and shied away, and forgot how liberating and beautiful it is to express yourself artistically through nude self-portraiture. I love seeing artworks made by women, for women, about women. [womxn] That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy other art, and appreciate the talents of male artists (I’m not an idiot), but at this stage in my life, I feel drawn to all things female. I’ve been working super hard with my amazing kinesiologist/mentor, Rebecca (Pioneer Your Life), to step into my sort of glorious divine power as a creative woman and to harness everything that I’ve been too scared to harness and just love myself a bit more. If I remake this video in a few months time, it would come across so much better – but I wanted to make it now, because the thoughts and feelings are all inside me know, I just haven’t mastered or fully accepted all of them yet. But I will…. oh fuck yeah, I will! some examples of my old uni project can be found here and in my Transcending blog post. Okay, so as it stands, this is the only boob in my shop: and that really just isn’t enough! I have obviously made a lot more booby paintings and cyanotypes over last 3 years, because the ‘joke’ had to have come from somewhere, but the number that I currently make and feature is unacceptable. well, the number of cyanotypes in general that I make and feature is unacceptable… but let’s not go into that. &YET, I STAYED. [A3 cyanotype + gold] document.querySelector(‘.product-block .product-block’).classList.add(‘is-first-product-block’); I need to work on celebrating the sacred female and channelling my divine connection to the goddesses of mythology and history – which is something I’m currently journaling through and trying to explore both personally and professionally with the help of Rebecca. I’m still coming out of this funk I’ve been in, and I just know that when things eventually all slot into place, I will find myself in this incredible place creating wonderful things and surrounding myself with magnificent women. I’ll do a post soon on all the amazing female artists that I love, and chuck in all their links so you can have a browse. Got something to contribute?? drop me a line on instagram dms or here: Name * First Name Last Name Email Message * happy for me to contact you? absolutely fine no thank you Thank you!

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION — a project in progress Torquay (TQ2) is the place I have called home for the majority of my 29 years… I had this idea one morning, and ran into my studio half-dressed (what’s new?) to scribble down the thoughts in my journal before they were lost. I want to produce a sort of local poster, capturing my favourite parts of various areas – and I know this has been done (brilliantly) already by many wonderful women in the South West – but not with photographs, and not with a neon palette, and not all the things I like in a poster – certainly not for Devon anyway. I tried to find it, and I couldn’t, which is why I think it’s important to produce it. Because I feel like someone once said something like: if you can’t find the artwork that speaks to you, go out and create it! Below are some of the examples of what’s already out there… (we have quite a few Hillfolk and Becky Bettersworth posters in our house actually) So I jumped on Photoshop, and started to have a fiddle around with this idea using a few photos picked out of my phone’s archive. I think with the translucent neons, I’m trying to replicate something that I love in the tactile quality of screenprints, but this doesn’t quite come across in the experiments below. I think a lot of the punch of the neons is lost in the act of making it translucent. I so wish I’d done a screenprinting course while I was at uni! It’s definitely something I want to do as soon as I can, it would be so nice for this project… but I will carry on working with my existing skills and tools for now. PHOTOSHOP PLAY SESSION #1 You can sort of see the idea evolving through the images as I played around with different settings and photos… I much prefer the end three, even though they don’t fit into the NEON brief, but they appeal to me. I went back and began to experiment in other styles. I felt like first batch of poster ideas, weren’t quite quirky or bold enough for my taste, I also wanted them to feel a little more like a modern take on the old style posters, than simply an art print. I seem to have this obsession with a circle cut-out of a photo on a white page… but I think I need to get passed that ideal for this project, fill more of the page, make more marks – be bolder! again you can see the ideas evolve between saves… PHOTOSHOP PLAY SESSION #2 I want to provoke interest, and encourage nostalgia… I DON’T WANT TO MAKE ‘NICE & PRETTY’ – I WANT TO MAKE A STATEMENT I flirted with the idea of just going for a very honest local’s point-of-view for living in a tourist town… created half in jest, half in exhaustion… but I don’t know if I want to go down a road that may end up being a tad meme-esque. Perhaps at some point, if it works out organically – for now the idea will remain an idea. (don’t worry, these aren’t the finals!) The kind of vibe I am imagining and attempting to translate to the page, is something worthy of the Love Frankie aesthetic & their sort of clientele’s taste… to feature in the kind of home I want to have (again) one day. I will make a video on this subject & project soon – I’ve been busy with home improvements & self-care… and plan to spend another week or so taking things easy, while I restore and rebalance under the the new moon in Taurus. FEEDBACK: I really really want/ need/ value your feedback on this project as it evolves, I’ve not shot for it yet but I’m starting to plan which visuals / what sort of views to look out for and any fun tricks to play with. so come at me with your opinions and feedback please! what locations do you want to see do you want to see straight landscapes/ landmarks/ monuments OR more ambiguous visuals such as leaves and less well known buildings etc… get quirky or keep it simple email / message / dm me on any platform to let me know what you think of it so far.

Alice is a statue that I grew very fond of in Kingston’s Cemetery. The grave on which she stands is dedicated to the memory of Alice, her husband James, and their son John. I love graveyards, and cemeteries, and I always read the dedications. I started referring to my favourite statues by the names on the dedications, and the habit kind of stuck. I started this piece up in Kingston, in 2019 when I lived there, having photographed Alice many times over the last 8 years on various visits to the cemetery, I thought it was finally time to cyanotype her. I don’t remember if I made her for myself, or intended to gift her to my parents, but one way or another, they wanted her, so she’s theirs now. For Christmas 2019, I decided to make all my gifts by hand and had far too many ambitious plans, which inevitably I left to the last minute and had no time or money to start again when half of them failed. On Christmas Eve my parents saw me stressing over all my failed gifts and said about theirs (I’m not good at surprises) “don’t rush it, you can finish it later… have some wine instead” … well 15 months later, I finally handed over the finished artwork today! Here are some photos and videos from the process: SO HERE’S ALICE watching over our hallway, just a subtle artwork on a subtle wall…. I’ll definitely be ordering some thicker Perspex for this frame, as although my parents say they don’t mind the warped shiny reflections, I do. I totally get why IKEA stopped selling frames with glass in them, but WHY pick such flimsy plastic to use in it’s place!? If you have a project in mind that you’d like to discuss, please contact me, I’m always looking to take on new commissions and expand my portfolio.

Have you seen Grayson’s Art Club? if you haven’t, it’s worth catching up. if you have… then you’ll know he invites anyone and everyone to submit their artworks on each theme. Well, I decided to finally be one of those people! So here’s a run down of my second submission on the theme/prompt of ‘WORK’ – and this one’s all about my granny Betty. Betty Odello Marshall 1922 – 2013 YES, I AM OBSESSED WITH MY GRAN! I adore(d) Betty! everyone who knew her did… She was the sweetest and kindest woman, who gave the squidgiest cuddles, and was always singing. Not only was she an incredible grandmother, but a brilliant artist and was a hugely important inspiration and role model to a young creative Liberty. So when I started thinking about WORK and what it meant to me, it was pretty clear I was going to pick Betty (again). Betty worked as an artist for many years, under the name Odello Marshall, gaining much recognition in the South West and regularly selling out her exhibitions. She painted from her home studio in Kingsbridge, Devon, which is where I decided that if my other life ambitions didn’t work out (Farmer’s wife / Sniffer-dog for the police), I would become an artist too, with my own home studio. Well, the police thing didn’t work out… and I’m still waiting for the right farmer to come along, so art it is! THE TWO DAY MAKE For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to chuck the previously mentioned dodgy batch of cyanotype sensitiser (which seemed to be endless!) – so I used that for the coating the smock, hand brushing it on, and inevitably running out, so I had to make a new batch anyway… yeah, I don’t learn. It was another cutting it fine situation, but I managed to submit my video, photos and text in time… a baggy smock is surprisingly difficult to photograph at night, on a cheap stool with a glass of wine or two there for moral support. I am so damn proud of this piece, and it’s really lovely to have something to keep and treasure in this way. I spent a jolly long time making these videos as well – so I’m going to let them do the talking from now… Here’s the older project I mentioned from 2013 (a few months before she died) – it was for a project called “Still and Moving Image” in my first year at Arts University Bournemouth. I think I’ll write another blog post in more depth about my lovely Betty soon, so I can share all the amazing stories about her. There’s so much so say, but I don’t have the capacity just now… Please do pop onto my YouTube channel & hit subscribe I’m sure there will end up being lots more videos soon! Also see my last Grayson’s Art Club artwork for the prompt of “DREAMS” which is focused on my aspirations and desires. #cyanotypefabric #memorialart #smock #portrait #originalcyanotype #selfportrait #cyanotype #shortprojects #graysonperry #graysonsartclub #quickmakes #liberty #challenges #libertyfeist

Have you seen Grayson’s Art Club? if you haven’t, it’s worth catching up. if you have… then you’ll know he invites anyone and everyone to submit their artworks on each theme. Well, I decided to finally be one of those people! I looked it up, and classic me, I’d already missed THREE submission dates by the time I looked. But there were three more, one was the next day at midnight, so I decided YES, I’ll give it a jolly good go. The theme/prompt was ‘Dreams’, and I had no idea what to do… and certainly didn’t plan to spend quite so much time on the artwork as I did. MUCHA LOVE FOR ALPHONSE! I adore Mucha! I think I adopted my love of Mucha from my mum and eldest sister, who introduced his work to our home, and I gradually caught the bug. In 2017, my boyfriend (at the time) took me to Prague for my birthday, so I got to visit all the wonderful museums and see Mucha’s work, as well as explore the city and architecture steeped in Art Nouveau beauty (and he got lots of beer). Since then, I’ve seen more exhibitions of his work, dressed up as his girls, and even decorated our home bar inspired by his style. I’d written in my journal about starting a Mucha project recently, I had an idea to possibly start offering to make Mucha inspired custom portraits for people … I made a one for my sister in 2019 – but she doesn’t like having her image online, so I can’t show you the work – we’d taken photos in dress-up at the Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth (2015) when she’d come to see me at uni. I managed to manipulate this phone snap into something fairly impressive as a Christmas gift – with gold leaf of course! So when I started thinking and journaling on the prompt of DREAMS for this challenge, a Mucha style unconsciously flowed from my pen. I also thought about dreams in the sense of ambitions and realised hopes/goals. And maybe as vain as it sounds, I thought about myself. THE ONE DAY MAKE So, I had one day to complete this as yet undecided artwork and submit it (with accompanying short video, photos and blurb) by midnight … I’d woken up late, had webinars to attend, my printer was on the blink and I still only had the dodgy batch of cyanotype sensitiser in the lab – WHAT COULD GO WRONG!??!! Well, I spent five hours on the digital aspect of the work – that’s five long hours of fiddling around on photoshop, working in the fastest & choppiest way I could (so imagine how long it would take if I needed it to be neat!?)… leaving a grand total of 5 hours to print the negative, expose the cyanotype, then process, soak and dry it, before adding gold leaf, filming a hello message, writting a blurb and photographing it + upload time. Needless to say it was within a half hour of the deadline that I finally saw the “thank you for your submission” message. I spend a jolly long time making these videos as well – so I’m going to let them do the talking from now. The first is the five hours, sped up to fit in just over 76 seconds of dialogue cut from my video to Grayson. The second is clips I shot throughout the evening, gradually freaking out a little more about my lack of time and preparedness…. Annoyingly, somewhere in the last month Squarespace decided that it will only accept YouTube or Vimeo videos on the blogs of it’s users, so I’ve had to try and up my game a little to make my ramblings YouTube worthy: filming in landscape mode like an adult (but with portrait aspects in mind) and actually talking to the camera – it was all an effort. But with practice, it’ll be like second-nature in no time. (editing out all the umms, yawns, nonsensical rants and tired pauses) I also had some webinars to attend, so imagine editing several layers of your own voice, on a glitchy web-hosted (free) version of a video editing software while also listening to several women talk about how they’ve totally got their shit together… nightmare! FINDING MY VOICE Okay – for those of you who know me well, you know I am certainly not afraid of a selfie, but that I hate public speaking or talking on camera … WELL, last year I swore to Pioneering Your Life that I would overcome my fears, and over the last few weeks I finally have!! I think this whole piece is sort of a big HOORAH for all the things I’ve learnt in therapy & coaching and life in the last two years, so fucking huge thanks everyone* who’s held my hand / given me a kick up the arse / challenged my thinking / had my heart / listened / helped me stand alone / walked with me during this time. & A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO CHLOE – for leading her cyanotype workshops & teaching this amazing craft in London (when allowed), I attended one three years ago in Kingston and just look what happened! * there’s a little handful of people who I love SO SO SO much, that don’t like having their photos/names shared online, so I can’t list them, but you know who you are! You’ve been there for me through thick and thin, been a shoulder to cry on, a brain to pick, and a voice of reason to my erratic thoughts… Please do pop onto my YouTube channel & hit subscribe I’m sure there will end up being lots more videos soon! I am currently filming for the next Grayson’s Art Club prompt of “WORK” which is focused on my granny’s art career, which is intrinsically linked to my own. #portrait #mucha #originalcyanotype #alphonsemucha #selfportrait #cyanotype #shortprojects #graysonperry #graysonsartclub #quickmakes #liberty #challenges #libertyfeist