I know, I know, I have been a terribly disloyal and an uncommitted blogger. A lot has happened since my last entry and to summarise; I got engaged and had a career change.

Quite by accident I began working at a primary school, initially as a visiting artist and then as an education practitioner. I have worked  with people with special needs sporadically for about 15 years and have always loved it, but being a teacher was never a consideration  That is, until I found myself teaching art…and I fell in love with it!

And henceforth I have been on, what feels like, the never-ending path of teacher training. Here I am, still an artist and now also a teacher, hurrah!

I haven’t had much time for my own artwork. I can however share with you this little treat that I did over Christmas as a gift.

]]> http://www.siobhanbromley.co.uk/all-change/feed/ 1 http://www.siobhanbromley.co.uk/exotic-explorations/ http://www.siobhanbromley.co.uk/exotic-explorations/#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:19:42 +0000 Siobhán Bromley http://www.siobhanbromley.co.uk/?p=672 Hi there one and all,

This is a very brief post mostly to plug the most beautiful little place I have ever had the pleasure to experience in the UK. Granted, I know as much about plants as I do about chemistry…it’s all voodoo to me. However, you don’t need to understand horticultural happenings to appreciate real natural splendor or applaud serious hard work and commitment.

Set back in (almost) the middle of Norwich ‘ye olde fine’ city, is a house and a garden. But you would be forgiven for missing the house as it lies nestled amongst and half buried by a tropical jungle of the kind one would have to travel thousands of miles to see. Giant parasol-esque leaves, heaven-reaching bamboos, fluorescent flowers, defensive looking cacti and geometric shapes to make you boss-eyed. There is even a remarkable tree house you can clamber up to in order to survey the jungle from an altogether different angle.

The gentleman responsible for such gloriousness is ex-botanical illustrator and horticulturalist Will Giles. Not content with being an extremely talented chap, he also happens to be one of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

And guess what?! Will invites members of the public to enjoy the fruits of his labour of love over the summer by opening his doors to Joe public. So I must implore all those in Norfolk or indeed planning a visit this fine way, to make a trip to ‘The Exotic Garden’ and climb your way through thick foliage. The place has the same affect on one as the labyrinth was famed for, you shall forget where you are or whence you came. All that will matter are the moments you spend in the calmness of Will’s garden. And if you’re really lucky you’ll encounter some of the exotic feline wildlife.

Go forth and forage!

www.exoticgarden.com

(actual size: 2.4″ x 3.1″)

Please excuse the photography, I need to enlist mr 11thstudio to take some decent shots for me.

(actual size: 2.4″ x 3.1″)

It has been far too gorgeous with my little world being awash with the soft pinks and whites of blossom trees. I t is fair to say that I have been considerably slack with my website of late and for this I do apologise but I have somewhat preoccupied with other changes in my life. No excuse, I know.

So, what have I been up to exactly? Well, most importantly, I have started doing a bit of teaching and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  I can imagine myself in 15 years time having a lovely little studio from which I run fab art workshops for kiddie-winkles where they can be as creative and crazy and wacky as they like.  There was infact a very interesting article on the BBC News website recently which discussed the need for art education in primary schools to be more creative to appeal to more to boys.  I was delighted to see that Children’s minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry said: “Learning to think creatively and express your ideas and imagination are, in fact, amongst the most important skills to learn and are indeed needed throughout adult life.” Here here!

Ooo, and lastly, I recently had my book cover design for Trentham Books re-printed for anther of their publications in the series:

I was perusing yummy moleskines website the other day and low and behold I stumbled across my own artwork. I got featured! I’m so flattered to find my work on another blog, specially amongst other featured artists of such talent.

Check it out and other moleskine porn at: http://www.moleskinerie.com/2009/01/inspiration-.html.

Happy thursday to you all…not long until the weekend now!!

Well, it would seem that my devious plan for sketchbook domination is working and I am cycling through the pages of my moleskine. It’s only early days but I’m now at the stage where if I have to something normal such as housework or eating, I find myself trying to hurry it along so I can get back to my scribbles. And I know it’s bad but if I’m chatting to someone I find I’m often thinking, ‘I could be listening to you AND doodling…damn those unspoken social etiquette rules!!’.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit my little www bubble. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Fanks!

Anyway,  here’s another page of swirliness:

Here are two recent doodles:

None the less, I had a wonderful time taking part in the school’s ‘Tudor Day’. The teachers and children were all dressed in marvelous period costumes and a parent was acting as Queen Elizabeth I for the day. My job was to play the Royal court artist. I sat with the children and drew the Queen’s portrait with them. It was all very proper and authentic, I have to say, and the staff did a wonderful job of bringing history alive. There were even real life minstrels, the Mayor of Norwich and a re-enactment of a knighting ceremony!

I thought I’d post the portrait I did. It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but it was a fun quicky. Plus, I did it in pastels which I have not used for over 10 years…I think I shall be amending that! I forgot what a fabulous medium it is.

First was the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008′ at the Natural History Museum, London. I visit this every year and it really is one of my favorite yearly events. Not only is it a celebration of the phenomenons of nature and photographic skills, but it is deeply evocative. I feel the same pang of wonderment and awe looking at the photographs as I do when I watch documentaries such as Planet Earth. We are so extra-ordinarily lucky to have these stunning images of events which many of us shall never witness, at our fingertips. Many of the photographers spend weeks and even months staking out an animal just to capture one momentous shot. I truly am in awe of nature and in awe of the dedication of these artists. If you don’t have the opportunity to visit the exhibition then I urge you to purchase the catalogue online.

The second exhibition was ‘Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990–2005′ at the National Portrait Gallery, London. It included over 150 photographs by the celebrated photographer, interweaving her professional work and autobiographical images. From her more well known images of celebrity figures such as the famous photo of a nude pregnant Demi Moore to the deeply touching documentorial shots of her dear friend’s battle with cancer. It was a well executed exhibition yet I have mixed feelings about her work. Whilst there are a few elements of her style that are not to my personal taste, there is no doubt that she is a very talented photographer. The way in which she can at times, in a simple portrait, portray the person behind the eyes leaves the viewer breathless. In spite of this I did feel that she is somewhat over-rated. Yet perhaps that is my ignorance as I really know very little about the history of the art of photography.

The exhibition did get me all fired up about portraits though and it’s certainly something I would like to gain more practice in. It is such a fine art and is so very difficult to do well that I am intimidated by it…I shall add it to the list of techniques to explore.

I hope you all had a magical Christmas and New Year. Mine was lovely and busy as ever. I did far too little artwork, ate far too much food and got thoroughly spoilt by my nearest and dearest!

I did managed to do this piece as a wedding present for a very lovely couple who tied the knot over the festive season. Congratulation wishes to them! The wedding photographer was 11th Studio and the stunning images should be appearing on his website very soon.

Anywho, I wish you all the best for this new and exciting year. May it be full of adventures and you realise your dreams.

x

These are two pieces I’ve done to replace the ghastly default thing that looms above the pages of my blog.

Here’s a sweet morsel for you to feast your peepers on:

(actual size: 2.4″ x 3.1″)

I am terribly sorry for being so disgracefully neglectful of late, but I have been busy, honest! I have been spending much time wading through the quagmire that is computer land, learning and perfecting my skills in Illustrator….and it makes me feel funny! Seriously, my eyes go fuzzy, my brain feels like one of those knotted balls of elastic bands and time and space alter in speed, reality and dimension.

On the upside, I have found it very rewarding….eventually. The rare moments when I get to throw my arms in the air and squeal to the still unpacked boxes in my study, ‘I…oh yes, I, Siobhán Bromley…am a freaken’ genious!!!’, are truly priceless.

So here’s something I’ve been doing recently. The colours need tweeking.