World Kindness day

 Still preparing for opening on 3rd December. It's a bit of an unreal time. I'm used to having the house to myself all day and didn't realise how much I've become accustomed to it being just me and the naughty kitties. My husband has been working at home now since mid February and having a great time - no commuting and fitting in lots of bike rides by getting up with the lark (actually with the cats when they get bored and hungry - usually about 5.30am).

I didn't get to photograph all of Candabytes work yesterday before the light went so here's the rest of it today. They are passionately committed to environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, using recycled materials and even having vegan envelopes. Buying their uplifting prints and cards doesn't just bring happiness to you and any potential recipients, it treats our world with kindness. 

Don't forget, you can buy or reserve anything for sale at the open house by emailing me at Bluebellwouldopenhouse@gmail.com. We're still hoping you'll be able to see it in real life... 

Candabytes - Always A3 Riso print £20 unframed 

Candabytes - A3 Riso Birds and Bees print £20 unframed 

Candabytes - Loveheart Foxes A3 Riso print £20 unframed 

Candabytes - Boats and Waves A3 Riso print £20 unframed 

Candabytes - Riso cards A5 square

Sunset at Sea and Boats and Waves

£3 each (4 for £10)

Candabytes - Riso cards A5 square

Birds in Flight, Look Up and Shine Bright 

£3 each (4 for £10)

Candabytes - Riso cards A5 square

Have Courage and Paws for Thought

£3 each (4 for £10)

Candabytes - Riso cards A5 square

Birds and Bees, Always and Loveheart Foxes 

£3 each (4 for £10)

Spread a little happiness

 A gloomy day during a pandemic. It's been difficult taking photos of all the artists' work with skies like these. I very rarely take photos inside anyway; maybe I need to get more practice. But I like to feel the air and changing atmosphere on my skin. Which is why four o'clock today found me walking down to the beach in the rain to take photos of the "sunset".

However, not all my indoor photos today were a write-off so here's a little of the joy you can find at the open house. 

Beaubottletops - What a Wonderful World £200 

Approx 16" square 

Beaubottletops - Brighton £30 

Approx 8" square 

Beaubottletops - Rainbow Mouth £18  

Approx 5" square 

Beaubottletops - West Pier £15 

Approx 5" square 

Beaubottletops - If Not Now When  £45 

Approx 9.5" square 

Beaubottletops - Octopus  £15

Approx 5" square 

Brighton View Shop - Rainbow Family £35

Approx 8" square 

Brighton View Shop - Love Birds £22 

Approx 7" square 

Brighton View Shop - Take the Plunge  £22 

Approx 7" square 

Brighton View Shop - Rainbow Tree £30 

Approx 7" square 

Brighton View Shop - Little Blue House  £15 

Approx 5" square 

Brighton View Shop - Modern Brighton 6 £15

Approx 5" square 

Brighton View Shop - Hanover Houses 10 £80

Approx 8" x 23"

Candabytes- Sunrise at Sea

A3 £48 (framed) £20 (unframed) 

Candabytes- Sunset at Sea

A3 £48 (framed) £20 (unframed) 

Beaubottletops Xmas decorations 

£5 each (£9 for 2)

All items on the blog can be bought or reserved by emailing me at Bluebellwouldopenhouse@gmail.com 

Lockdown art

Lockdown seems to have one of two extremes in inspiration amongst artists. Some felt crippled by the uncertainty, unable to clear their heads of the mess of thoughts and unable to find inspiration. Some found it a time of experimentation and felt a huge impetus to work. For me, it was very much an escape. Lockdown was really hard on young people and two of my three children really struggled, one with the change in routine, one by a five month furlough from a much-loved performing job. 

My usual medium for art is alcohol inks but,  as my youngest child is asthmatic and very sensitive to the smell, I decided to embark on some fluid art with acrylic paint. It's delightfully messy and unpredictable in nature which helped me with the general lack of certainty. 

Some of the work will be on display for the open house. You can get a sneaky peek below. All works are on box canvas and finished with four coats of gloss varnish. 

Bluebell Roebuck - Under the Sea

Acrylic on A4 box canvas £40

Bluebell Roebuck - Inside

Acrylic on box canvas approx 16" x12" £65

Bluebell Roebuck - Drift

Acrylic on box canvas approx 16" x12" £65

Bluebell Roebuck - Long

Acrylic on box canvas approx 8" x20" £80

Bluebell Roebuck - Pele's Cavern

Acrylic on box canvas approx 16" x12" £65

Bluebell Roebuck - Inside

Acrylic on box canvas A4 £40

Bluebell Roebuck - Ride of the Valkyrie 

Acrylic on box canvas A4 £40

Bluebell Roebuck - Sea Rhythms 

Acrylic on box canvas hexagon 10" from flat edge to flat edge £50

Bluebell Roebuck - Up

Acrylic on box canvas approx 16" x12" £65

Bluebell Roebuck - Flotsam and Jetsam

Acrylic on box canvas approx 16" x12" £65

You can buy or reserve anything for sale on the blog by emailing me at Bluebellwouldopenhouse@gmail.com 

Mainly monochrome

I'm glad I allowed an extra couple of weeks to set up the open house this time with so many guest artists. I normally only have about eight but exceptional times lead to exceptional measures. So many artists have seen their income dwindle this year and have had the disheartening experience of working with an event in mind only to have it cancelled. I know I'm luckier than many having a husband who has been able to work from home throughout. So I made the decision to fit in as many extra artists as possible without taking space away from my regular artists and found myself with a total of twenty-five! But this means there will be so much new work to discover when we are able to open and and do much to show you in the meantime.

If you do see something you love, don't forget that you can reserve or buy anything I show here by emailing me at Bluebellwouldopenhouse@gmail.com. 

Janina Chowaniec - Blue Flag

Reduction linocut A4 in A3 frame £70 

Janina Chowaniec - Evening Iris

Reduction linocut A4 in A3 frame £70 

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 3.5" tall £15

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 6" tall £60

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 6" tall £50

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 4.5" tall £45

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 6" tall £50

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 7" tall £50

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 3" tall £15

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 4.5" tall £30

Janina Chowaniec

Approx 6.5" tall £60

Polly Marix Evans

Empowering postcards - boxed set of 12 (3 each of 4 designs) £10

Individual linocuts 10"x12.25" £35 each

Polly Marix Evans

Yoga postcards - boxed set of 12 (3 each of 4 designs) £10

Individual linocuts 7"x9" £20 each

Rainy days and Mondays

 All my intentions of a mass photography session to bring you more of what's available for sale at the open house dissolved in a day of iron grey skies and pouring rain.

However, we are now into the last two weeks before opening (albeit virtually at first) so I spent the day making some face masks out of Christmas themed fabric.

Masks look set to be here for some time yet and will be essential for visiting open houses so we may as well have some fun with them. Mine use 100% cotton fabric and are fully reversible and washable. No excuse for the environmentally problematic disposable ones; sometimes it feels like the strides forward environmentally friendly alternatives have made during the last few years have reversed in a time of coronavirus.

I will be making more masks over the next couple of weeks but here's the first batch. £5 each with free UK delivery. Email me at Bluebellwouldopenhouse@gmail.com to buy.