Dutch Flag Spread

And when I had finished the page in my Vintage Gluebook I immediately started one in my Sketchbook. At the moment there are lots of Dutch images about in the newspapers due to the fact that the Dutch football team is playing in the final of the World Cup tonight (HUP, Holland!!) so I grabbed them gratefully in my capacity as Scavenger.

There is an old map of The Netherlands in the background which looks quite strange as maps in the old days were not positioned with North at the top. I tilted the page to make it more easy to recognize the country of my birth and added a scavenged photograph of myself taken in 1979.

On the facing page there are two of my own drawing scavenged from an old sketchbook I made during my City & Guilds Embroidery days in the early nineties. I made lots of drawings of old bits of blue and white china I found (scavenged in fact!) on the beach in Largs where we used to live at the time. Again I added a picture of myself, or rather two identical ones and hid one behind a photograph I took last year of delphiniums. This was turned into a transparency for some long forgotten project but was never actually used for that purpose which is why I could scavenge it.

I must say it's great to be able to do so much scavenging in my own possessions and I keep discovering lots of hidden treasure in my studio. Fun to see all that old stuff again after so long.

Will we win?

The Dutch football team is playing tonight in the semi-final of the World Cup against Uruquay and in honour of them we now have an orange flag flying in the garden. I suddenly remembered that years and years ago I was given this flag by a fellow Dutchie who lives nearby and I'm guessing that was for a previous world cup tournament.

Anyway, after searching the house from top to bottom (actually we only have one floor!) John finally discovered it in one of our kitchen drawers and he was then ordered to raise it outside, much to his utter embarrassment! If they win, it will stay up till the final. Of course I had to take a picture and the text on the flag reads: Hup, Holland, which means something like Come on, Holland. Will this be an orange day? We will know later tonight.

We will be watching accompanied by pizza and I even bought a vuvuzeala (I can't vouch for the spelling!) so John can have the authentic sound effects too. He is NOT pleased and neither are the dogs.

Tulip Cushion

After writing and uploading the previous blogpost I could not resist showing you this cushion inspired by the Dutch bulbfields. I made it quite some time ago (in fact it might just be a film photo originally!) but the fields have remained largely the same, as long as I can remember!

The cushion is on display on a vintage chair (from John's parents) in the corridor and every time I pass I wax nostalgic! It's a great blend of both John's and my heritage.