I’m sorry it’s been such a long time since I wrote an update. I had a pretty busy summer and autumn, but that’s just an excuse. If you’ve been perched on the edge of your seat waiting for my next email, I’d like to offer my huge apologies.
I’ve got two big bits of news to share! The first is that I’ve etched two new pictures. My favourite is this sea serpent.
Sea serpents are all decended from The Mighty Stoorworm. She was so big that, when killed, her teeth fell out and became the islands of Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe.
I used oarfish as my inspiration (they are often mistaken for sea serpents), along with the sea serpent in Where the Wild Things Are. This was one of my favourite books as a child and has had a lifelong influence on me.
I did plan to etch more than just two pictures in the last five months, but I’ve not been able to do much etching because of a hand injury. (In May my right hand suffered tendon or muscular damage). My hand gradually improved until I was etching about three hours a day, which is about half of what I used to do. Unfortunately, I overdid it at the end of September and my injury recurred. Sigh.
I’ve not done any etching since, but will soon start my fourth picture. In fact, I’m writing this newsletter as procrastination from making that all important first pencil mark.
My other big news is that I’ve taken delivery of 1000 copies of Folkland Fables!
They arrived from Hong Kong just too late to get them into shops for Christmas, so they’re sitting in my log cabin till the new year when I’ll approach new stockists.
This is a very exciting time for me, but also very scary. It’s been a big investment to buy these books, so I’ve got to get them into shops as soon as possible. However, I hate approaching places to sell my work. I keep telling myself that the worst thing they can say to me is ‘No’.
So, come January 3rd, I’ll take a deep breath, pull on my big-girl-self-promotion boots and go for it.
I’m turning my Folkland Fables pictures into colouring sheets at the moment, with the aim of bringing out a Folkland colouring book in time for North Fife Open Studios in May next year.
I’m selling individual colouring pics at Christmas fairs which include details of a colouring competition to win Folkland goodies.
To celebrate my new venture, and as a wee Christmas pressie, you can enter my competition for free!
Follow the instructions on my website to save my will o’ the wisp colouring picture. Then you can print it out and start colouring.
Hope you have fun with it over these dark winter nights, and I can’t wait to see your results.
Like I said, I’ve got stalls at several Christmas fairs in the next few weeks. Please come along to say ‘Hello’ if you fancy getting friends, family, or yourself some Folkland related gifts.
I’m going to be at:
Saturday 30th November 10 till 4 – Cupar at Christmas Craft fair at Cupar Old Parish Centre
Sunday 1st December 10 till 4 – Artist Led Christmas Market at Off The Rails ArtHouse, Ladybank. This features the work of fourteen Open Studios North Fife artists, so there’ll be a lot of original art on sale as well as prints.
Sunday 8th December 12 till 4 – Carnegie Hall Christmas Fayre, Dunfermline
Saturday 14th December 11 till 4 – Ministry of Craft, The Steeple, Nethergate, Dundee
As always, thank you so much for your support and your interest in me and my books. I truly appreciate every single one of you.
Have a lovely Christmas and a fabulous new year, and I’ll be back with more regular updates in 2020.
Jenni x
Twitter: jennigudgeonart
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