Miniature Construction Site and Cake.
After the build-up and anticipation of last week’s delivery of goods to people experiencing homelessness and also the third anniversary of my brother’s departure from the physical plane, I rather accepted it when, on Friday, my body developed a sore throat. I did test for covid, but fortunately it has been a negative result and reaffirmed that this is just the common cold that I’ve had all weekend. Despite being indoors all weekend and slightly unwell, I feel exhilarated by last week, and being alive always brings me joy.
Our visit to the Whitechapel Mission last Thursday was easy, and apart from hauling huge suitcases across London, it was a fascinating experience, which I definitely hope to repeat in January. We met some volunteers who ran the mission, and they chatted with us while we unpacked our donations and put them in their delivery area. We also met two individuals outside the mission excited by our donations. I hope our donations help them, and I’m looking forward to returning in January, perhaps to visit other missions, too. I need to do a lot more research, but at least now we have a better idea of how to help and what is most needed. After unpacking our suitcases, we did then take them to the local grocery store, where we purchased food that the mission required. I’ll include a picture below of the food we bought. You’ll see my hands on the left side of the image trying to stop the food mountain from falling!
I’m so grateful to have had Katrina with me and for all the wonderful donations she got from everyone she knows. It has been an incredible experience in gratitude, that’s for sure!
So, if you’re still interested in joining me in January, let me know by the start of the New Year. I hope to bring another packed suitcase or two on the 21st of January 2025 and will update my blog closer to the time. If you can’t physically join me on that day, please consider donating via my donations page so I can use the funds to purchase items from our amazon wish list, which we’ve set up for this purpose.
Isn’t seeing all the food we purchased using your donations exciting? I still had money left over, which I’ve added to my donations for January.
I was rather thrilled to have a sore throat last Friday because I had a fridge full of delicious food and a warm flat, and as it was going to rain all weekend, I felt it was the best time to stay indoors, read and bake and eat. I did this and re-floored a miniature room I’ve been working on. I realise I rarely give myself time to really enjoy this sort of creative making, so in some ways, this forced convalescence has been a good wake-up call for my art practice. It takes so long to get a website and blog functioning as well as plan for classes, and I am still trying to arrange a venue for therapeutic art workshops, so I barely get any real time to work on my art projects. It’s been a nice reprieve, though I look forward to enjoying future creative adventures without an illness.
The mug in the top photo, “Le Chat,” was owned by my brother. I drink out of it most days, as I know he loved it, too. It was gifted to him by his dear friend. The artist is Taylor & Ng.
Throughout my weekend convalescing, I was conscious of how much I have to be grateful for, especially after delivering donations to homeless people. Not a moment goes by, especially in bad weather, that I don’t wonder how people survive on the street without the comforts I depend on.
This fun photo above was taken by my talented friend, Anya Shilonos, who I hope to invite back to my studio in the spring for some more professional photos, hopefully with more miniatures! Which means I need to make the time to make some more miniatures!
I plan to sell my quirky miniatures, which I have been preparing for about twenty years. The trouble is that I feel they’re too quirky to sell. People want to buy cute, sensible artwork, not peculiar, odd rooms that do strange things. I love them because quirky is fun, but having visited many galleries and shops, I can see that quirky isn’t a popular sales choice. With this clever shot by Anya, you can see why my miniatures are so quirky, though where I live now was greatly influenced by my interest in unusual spaces.
I love how Anya captured my brother in the off-focus images to the side of the long passage where I sit. She’s very creative, and I love her use of light. I’m excited to have her return in the spring and see how the light changes in this space.
Of course, I had to add this image of the delicious cake I made that came from a new cookbook I’ve bought, which I learned about through my lovely friend, Michelle. “The Irish Bakery” by Cherie Denham, with essays by Kitty Corrigan and photography by Andrew Montgomery, was exactly what I needed this rainy weekend. Full of relaxing reads and beautiful photos with tempting recipes. I combined the Date & Walnut Loaf with the Banana & Demerara Bread, and it became cake because I also added dark chocolate pieces!
So, if you think you might be coming down with something, I suggest making cake beforehand and enjoying a relaxing few days with a cookbook and a miniature construction site.
My Friday Lates Drawing Class at the V&A this coming Friday, November 29th, has three places left, so if you or someone you know would like to join, please book your place soon. I will repeat the same class on December 13th, so if that date works better for you, please book your place now. A few weeks before, I’ll add it again for January.
I keep these classes quite small, as I like to work closely with each person to ensure that the experience is enjoyable.
Thank you for reading my blog this week and hopefully exploring the links for further research. Feel free to comment or share my blog if you know someone who may find it interesting.
Peace to all,
Franceska
