I am currently a Christmas elf, getting on with my preparations for my Open Studio on 24/25 of November. I will be offering cards and small gifts alongside my stained glass work. Please see the Charlbury Christmas Artweeks map here.
I spent last week creating two Christmas cards to print in linocut. The first is a complex folded creation with the Three Ships sailing in - note to self: a three page card with 6 pieces of printing is rather labour intensive, but I am pleased with the outcome. The second card is a portrait of our dear cat, Georgie, sitting on the dining room windowsill. She, of course, declined to pose as requested. Luckily, I am very familiar with her habitual pose. I do like black and red and the qualities of printing by hand. I don't have a press; I am quite happy using the back of a wooden spoon.
Now I am making a couple of small mirrors in leaded glass; one in seascape colours, the other in heathery landscape colours and textures. Meanwhile, my hanging glass stars are safely salted away in chocolate boxes, along with other pretty decorations.
​Soon I will have to source some locally made mulled wine syrup...which I hope to offer you when you visit.

I am just back from Sardinia, looking at my sketch books. I loved the strange cork oaks you see all over Sardinia, stripped of their bark. The bark takes 12 years to grow back before it can be harvested again. I also used my camera to capture the way the cork oaks are swept by the prevailing winds in the rugged uplands in the centre of the island, below.
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Sardinia is full of wonderful archaeological remains - hundreds of bronze age stone structures called 'Nuraghe', and I enjoyed seeing the artefacts found at these sites. For my own work, I am always on the look out for pattern, and for expressive detail, which I like to analyse a bit further on my return.
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I even found a dragon's head amongst the exhibits in the Museo Archaeologico in Cagliari - I am currently on the look out for dragons as research for my next commission, a dragon panel for a cottage door. The challenge is to find some friendly (but not cutesy) dragons. This one, part of a Roman lamp, is impressive, but not definitely not friendly.