What a load of old Cock and Bull!

Vista Print had a stunning offer on postcards and someone said, go on, get some cards done of your tiles and at the time it seemed like a really spiffing idea...of course my tiles tend to be square so despite all my playing with them I just could not get them the right size for the specifications. No trouble at all, I will just whip off a couple of rectangular panels which of course being postcard shape will upload perfectly well , welll perhaps with a trifle adjustment needed.

So there I was yesterday afternoon doing a panel of a splendid Bull we have in the field and knocking off a couple of white suffolk chooks before school pick up. time , glazed, glossed and in the kiln overnight all ready to be photographed before fast approaching deadline and in between the other little things that get in theway and are called family life.

Cold today, run out of gas, waiting for tanker to arrive so can't open kiln until it reaches room temperature what with thermal shock and all on the glazes, delicate sensitive things that they are, but it being colder than cold its takes far longer to cool down and reach current room temperature which must be, by my reckoning, and the fact I can not feel my fingers, about minus3.

Gave up waiiting and took them out regardless, which warmed up my fingers very nicely thank you, photographed then several times, and then several times again. Finally ended up with image that looked passable.

Now for the easy bit, upload..upload? Not on your Nellie, wrong bleed size..wrong trim size, wrong resolution..everytime I correct something then something else has shifted...deadline getting closer and closer, technically minded husband at work, school pick up time fast approaching ..panic setting in!

Never mind..I am sure it will all come out in the wash, meanwhile, here they are, even if they never get to make postcards thanks to my inability to shrink trim and bleed at least you have seen them..

Vista Print simple free upload ? Ha!!!...nothing but a load of cock and bull really..

Purple Coo

Based on the design of the Coo on the Purple Coo website ( with kind permission of Lixtroll the artist) this is a an exclusive members only tile, painted to order, price 5 pounds sterling plus 1.50 postage and packing. If you want to order more than one tile please ask me about the extra postage costs as obviously these will differ. Overseas members if you would like on please let me know where you are and I will look into delivery costs. Tile size is approx 4.25" which is I am told roughly 10cm .

If you would like to order one please email me with your contact details via unpeuloufoque@free.fr

A germ of an idea

One day, armed with a box of oil pastels purloined from my Mother, I occupied myself for an entire afternoon blissfully drawing stylised orange and yellow flowers with green leaves over the red brick wall against which our rather dilapidated Victorian greenhouse stood. I was about 5 at the time and knew exactly what I wanted it to look like.No one was overly impressed with the resulting work of art, including me.

However no one told me off either. I went and sat in the bottom of the great big wooden cask that served as the Greenhouse's water butt and brooded on my ineptitude at capturing the pictures in my head and translating them onto a flat surface.

Faint traces of it can be seen still, although the greenhouse, and sadly the water butt, has long gone, and I have been painting on fired earth ever since.

So from those first seeds of creativity which were allowed to blossom unfettered by my kind parents, I have progressed from bricks to tiles... and I am going to use this spot to show some of the things I do.

Hope you like them. Pop in when you have a free moment.

Illustration. 4.25" tile Nasturtiums: see my website for details.