Show Your Face on Friday - Inspired by June Walker.

Hello and welcome to Magpieheaven! Oh, my goodness! I am so honoured! I just saw that Kim at 'Show Your Face' has been inspired by me this week, along with three other artists whose work I love - Lee, Susi and Valerie Jael! And here am I sounding like the student who arrives at school not having done her homework on time, but with an abundant supply of excuses! I am really behind with linking up; commenting on friends' blogs and in writing blogs myself at the moment! Our family - including our dear old cat, Daisy - have not enjoyed a healthy summer! First my mum came down with a throat infection and flu, then my son and finally myself! Daisy is an elderly lady and she is poorly from time to time. She chose the day before my daughter's return from holiday not to get to the litter tray on time and soiled the beautiful, freshly laundered duvet cover I had just placed lovingly on Matilda's bed to welcome her home! The laundry had to be done again immediately - at 1.00 am when I had just returned from seeing an old friend who looks after his elderly mum!
Anyway, enough complaining! This summer I also discovered Kim Dellow's wonderful blog where we are invited to 'Show Your Face on Friday'. This has been a great place for a whole group of people interested in 'making faces' to hone their skills, experiment and just have fun! Please click here if you want to find out more, be inspired and link up yourself! Last summer I joined a fantastic class called 'The Imaginarium'. This was where I rediscovered that I love to draw faces and that it doesn't matter if they are not perfect - they just have to be fun. I've been participating in Mary Jane's excellent Tinytopia class this summer and now I've discovered the joys of Pyrography! So...this week I'm inspired by Mary Jane's class and also the art of June Walker. I love the way June places her portraits in a fantasy land and also the bright, dream-like colours she uses. I wanted to translate some of the dreamy quality to the little wood-burned houses I've been creating.

Because this is work in miniature, I couldn't manage so much colour on the faces, but I hope this little clown's hat made up for it!

In this fantasy land even the trees and the sun have faces!

I love how June's colours are always so vivid and spring-like. I wanted to evoke that same quality, but with translucent PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints and charred wood.

A little while back a friend asked if I would create her a tiny house/wardrobe inspired by C. S. Lewis' 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. I have now made this for her and I also created a second one. I want to give my friend who is caring for his mum a little gift and I'm not sure yet whether he would like the miniature house above, or the recent Narnia 'wardrobe'.

It's very wintry so I might save it to give for Christmas.

 In my version of the land of Narnia, all of Nature has a face to show!

I will never forget the magic of being read this story when I was at primary school and that sense of following Lucy into the snowy land beyond the fur coats!

Thank you so much for stopping by Magpieheaven today. I do hope that I will be able to visit more blogs in the coming week and see all the exciting projects my crafty friends have been creating! I do hope the coming week will be a creative and a healthy one for you! And thank you Kim for 'Show Your Face on Friday'!