Memoirs Of A Neurotic Zombie

...erm, illustrated by me!

I can now share this cover i worked on for Faber recently, they have a big cover reveal going on today on selected literary blogs, each one also sharing a unique extract from the book. I also received a very nice email from the author, Jeff Norton, today. It's always nice to know an author likes the cover, sometimes you just have to hope! The authors i've worked with recently have all been really cool and have contacted me just to say nice things. It's very much appreciated!

the full cover wrap

Harry Juniper Country Potter

I received these as part of my gifts from Jakki for my birthday recently (43, sheesh!). Jakki went the long way round to get the book, which i appreciated. I've always wanted to see more of Harry's sgraffito work and this book offers up plenty of new viewing. I think Harry works around jugs very fluidly and he's a good draughtsman. I only previously owned two of Harry's smaller jugs, I now also have this small mug with combed decoration and his signature on the base.

Then the other day, while looking up Harry's mugs, i saw this lovely slipware salt pig, or salt kit. It was being sold from Bideford, rather appropriately, so i just bought it. I'd not seen a Harry Juniper salt pig before, it's about 9-10 inches tall. It's nice to have somethings i can actually use, rather than look at on a shelf. Nice to see a bit of slip trailing going on too. I'd still love to get my hands on one of his larger sgraffito jugs though!

An earlier find. Who were Maisie & Denys? why do i own their
Golden Wedding Anniversary jug?

and i've blogged about this small jug before with it's typo!
It should be an A in Giffard, Weare Giffard Hall.
Anyway, it's nicely nestled between a Matt Grimmitt owl and Trinity Court Pottery face tankard/jug

...well, at least i believe this one to be a Juniper.

Painted Drawers...Or The Family Unit!

Been clearing out my workroom at home (yes, the clay room...shhhh) and thought I'd snap these drawers. Just the usual dull Ikea ones that everyone has, but years ago i'd started to paint on them, intending to make a whole unit covered in family related imagery/photos. I tried to paint them all pretty quickly and not be over fussy. Never completed it, but i still like the ones i did finish.

That's my Grandad. Then me and my big sister in 1977, Queen's Silver Jubilee.
I can still remember standing in my front garden and wearing that hat!

and peeking out at the bottom is my Nephew, the first of mine or my sister's kids
... and he turns 18 this year... Yikes!

This was me when we went to Blackpool to see the 'Illuminations',
I think it was compulsory in the 70's! I can clearly remember sitting next to my Nan.

This still makes me smile. I copied the painting below, which my Mum painted when we were young.
I used the technique of copying a picture with it upside down, i wanted it to be slightly 'off'.
I think i achieved it! 

Love that painting, it now hangs in my workroom, with lots of other relevant nick-nackery.

I'm Milk

I thought I'd just share with you non facebook Bloggers the kind of madness we fb participants have to put up with! Relentless online 'quizzes' and the friend's posted results. What country are you? what punk artist are you? They drive me f'ing nuts. Sometimes I feel like i'm wasting my time posting anything on this blog... but this shit?... well, i doubt you could get more mindless! Sorry, if you've ever done one... but what were you thinking???... oh, you weren't ; )
I'd posted this drawing on fb yesterday and my friend Bryan had suggested that it's like "I'm Spartacus!"... "I'm Milk!" i think everyone that's had enough should start posting the line "I'm Milk!". Our time has come!

Pier Progress

Strolled past our town's pier recently and it was so nice to see so many people working on it. There were visible signs of progress, you can see the new pieces of it's structure. It's decline is being halted, ready for it to spring to life again over the next year or so. Looking forward to walking out on it again one day.

Magic 9's

Bit of random blogging here, but thought I'd share anyway. I can't remember when i discovered this, but whenever i mention it to anyone they haven't heard about it. I think it's even sometimes taught in schools as a way of helping with nine times tables (you can always double check your answer). You can find examples of why it works, mathematically, online. I just like knowing it. Here it is *drum roll*...... no matter what you multiply nine by if you add up the resulting digits it will always end up coming out as nine. Try it, grab that calculator.

9 x 9=81  8+1= 9

9 x 25= 225  2+2+5=9

9 x 3587= 32,283   3+2+2+8+3= 18   1+8=9

9 x 568798765= 5,119,188,885   added together= 54    5+4=9

and you can go on all day, it will always come back to 9.
Now go bore someone ; )

Hastings Jack And Blogger Paul

Had a lovely day on Monday out at Hastings Jack In The Green Festival. Great location up on the West Hill overlooking the old town and the fishing fleet. The weather was good, few beers, live music, drumming troupes, morris dancing sides, giants and a big walking bush... sounds good to me. I also met blogger Paul (Bommer), who was visiting from his Norfolk base. It was lovely to finally bump into him and Nick and grab a quick chat before they ventured off to meet up with other friends. Only after they left did i think that i should have got a picture! then i saw these on a friends facebook post and borrowed them. I'm hiding behind Jakki in one and apparently ignoring Paul in the other!... i really wasn't! Anyway, they'll do for this post. Paul's getting fully into making Delft tiles and i can't wait for him to get right on top of the process, we both like a bit of pottery do me and Paul!

Tex & Tennessee not doing a pose for me!.. with one of the giants

Tennessee also lost his first top tooth, not much of a smile though!

What TV Should Be

I've been catching up on this new series of The Trip to Italy, with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon on BBC Two, directed by Michael Winterbottom.
It's such a classy bit of TV and it has a really nice tone/warmth to it. The previous series was great, but this is just as good, if not better. I love the same old voices being rolled out, but always the best are the Micael Caine-offs! You need to see it in the context of the show, in full, but here's a clip. I've also included an bit of the first series, with the first Michael Caine face off. I love these two together, they play themselves brilliantly!