Welcome back to another edition of The Excitable Artist…
I love nature, but I’ve had it up to *here* with insects this month. Last week, Juan and I had a tense moment removing a wasp nest from the door of our shed. Juan was holding a bag underneath it and I was nudging the nest with the end of a broom handle from a safe distance away. Suddenly, instead of the nest dropping into the bag like we anticipated, the whole thing lifted off the door and took flight in the direction of Juan’s face like it was a missile onto a locked target. I saw Juan’s life flash before his eyes and watched in slow-motion as he whipped his whole body back in a move I’ve only ever seen done by Keanu Reeves in the Matrix. Frozen on the spot, I waited for the horde of angry wasps to come flying out at us… only to watch as the nest suddenly deflated and took flight up in the air above us like a piece of tissue paper caught on a breeze. It was empty. Praise bee! Pun, obviously intended.
As priceless as it was to see that look on Juan’s face (a memory I will treasure forever) I would still rather not be dealing with wasp nests particularly after the icky encounter I had with the dogs up in the highlands which landed Ollie in a cone for three weeks. You’ll get to find out all about that in the pupdate section at the end of this newsletter. If you’re a new reader here and you’re thinking “when the hell does the art bit start?” Well, you’ll find it sandwiched in between a picture of some curtains and a photo of Ollie wearing my top. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the format eventually.
Scroll down and let’s get reading…!
Let there be (one) light!
Things are certainly moving at a snail’s pace here in the house. Last year we got a monster amount of work done but since summer started and with my workload going up the DIY has gone down. But it’s okay because nearly all the big jobs in the house are done! Still waiting on that kitchen floor though…
Above, you can enjoy the one hallway light that’s made it up on the ceiling (writers note: at time of posting, I can say the second one has now actually made it up!) and below you can see the curtains we finally put up in the bedroom which came from my Nana’s house. It’s so nice finally getting to pull in some mustard to help the blue and red in this room pop.
And yes I got my new artwork up on the wall that I bought from Mark Hearld’s open studio event down in York:
Far from glamorous…
My studio has definitely seen tidier days. This is one of the reasons why I don’t run in-person workshops over summer because I am so busy with prepping for all my upcoming events. It definitely doesn’t make for a tidy venue space!
But whilst my studio might not be much to look at, there’s certainly more to see as far as the artwork is concerned… check it out:
I picked up my new floral original ‘Ladies in Red’ from the framers. Can you see the flying ladybirds! I think the red frame works even better than I could have imagined! This piece will be coming with me to Pittenweem Arts Festival this August…
‘Best Foot Forward’ (above) and ‘No YOU need a haircut’ (below) along with my latest stag original ‘Prince’ have all gone across to Heron Farm Shop and Kitchen in Strathaven near Glasgow. It’s a lovely venue so if you’re local please go check them out! All the pieces they have on display are available for sale.
At the Heron Farm shop they also have some of my cards and prints available. Here’s a nice shot from the cafe of my work up:
Prints & Cards
ALL of the above are now available as prints AND greeting cards! Which is exciting as I haven’t released new prints since last summer… they’re up on my website so check them out! I’ve added them all into the ‘new in stock’ tab so make sure you scroll down to find everything.
Coasters
Not only have I been busy painting but I’ve also been planning new stock! There’s a wildcat kitten and a pheasant coaster now available on my website…
Teatowels, coming soon…
AND, excitingly, I also have three new tea towel designs coming your way… they feature my most popular designs (highland cow, otters and flying puffins!) but with coloured backgrounds just like my occasion cards have. Here’s a sneak peek at the paper printout of the otter design so you can get an idea of how the finished thing will look when it’s ready in a couple of weeks:
Online Workshops
These are on pause due to my current workload! I adore doing these but I am fully booked with work commitments until middle of august. They will be back with a bang end of summer though… autumn is the perfect time to get the paints out!
I would also like to add that past recordings of old workshops are available if you email me! £15 per recording. Just get in touch: toriratcliffeart91@gmail.com
Pet Portrait Commissions
I have been working non-stop in the studio at the moment and have just had a wave of commission enquiries (mostly from America!) in thanks to one of my pet portrait reels going viral on instagram (Millie the dog, below!) which was incredibly exciting (hello to any new newsletter readers who found me recently thanks to that video!)
All you need for a pet portrait is a good photo. You can pay in monthly instalments to spread the cost - just ask, I’m happy to accommodate what works for you. Current wait time is about 3-4 months for commissions…
HOWEVER, even though I am busy, I am always happy to try prioritise paintings with deadlines, so even if you need the painting turned around really quickly, it’s worth getting in touch as I always do my best to squeeze people in!
Elsa, Millie and Rowan! An array of colourful animals.
Upcoming shows
I am very exciting to be back doing craft markets this year with Tea Green Events. Coming up, I’ve got:
Kelvin Grove in Glasgow 28th & 29th June
Bowhouse again on 12th & 13th July
I’ve then got Harrogate Home & Gift Trade Fair in July to find new card stockists
Pittenweem Arts Festival 2nd-9th August
The one I’m most excited about is Pittenweem Arts Festival… which I am very excited to say (not sure I’ve mentioned this yet) but I will be sharing my venue with my best friend and insanely talented jeweller Phoebe of Phoebe Jewellery! I loooooove her jewellery and always have her pieces on - she even designed my wedding ring.
I’m working on some brand-spanking-new artworks for Pittenweem. Last year was a cracker so I’m excited to return and with a new venue which is right by the carpark so you won’t even have to walk far. It’s also on the groundfloor and dog-friendly this year, woohoo!
Lord of the Flies
The other morning I was rudely awoken by the aggressive sound of a Formula One racecar roaring past my ear. Was it a car? Was it a plane? No, it was a house fly buzzing around my bedroom at 6 o’clock in the morning.
This was not the way I intended to start my day, nor Ollie, who was already awake and in full panic mode, packing his suitcase ready to move to a new home (he hates flies). Spud, meanwhile, hadn’t even opened an eyelid. Veteran newsletter readers will know that Spud does not get out of bed in the morning for less than a rib-eye steak and a blank cheque with his name on it. This was unfortunate for me and Ollie since of the three of us, Spud is the best fly catcher. It’s frustrating to have the perfect weapon at your fingertips but no way to activate it.
So, with a stubbornly unconscious Spud and with Juan away (and thus no one to feign sleep to in the hopes they might deal with the problem) it seemed by default that it was up to me to catch the fly. There I was, sleep addled, throwing myself haphazardly around the room with the coordination of a newborn foal, clutching the lid of a box like it was a lance and giving the slatted blinds what for as I attempted to swat the insect that was depriving me of sleep. Somehow, despite the fact that I was the only one in the room without border collie in my blood, I managed to herd the fly out of the bedroom and into the hallway so I could shut the door on it and finally get some rest. I convinced Ollie to cancel his taxi to the airport and we all managed to get back to sleep…
With this in mind, you can imagine it was Ollie’s worst nightmare come to life when just one week later we were up in Aviemore for a weekend with a couple of friends swimming in a loch when I realised to my horror that both dogs (who’d been foraging about on the shore) were completely covered in little black flies that had burrowed into their fur and were biting their skin! Poor Spud took quite a hit to the face and looked like a teenager with bad acne.
We legged it back to the car and by using a towel we managed to wipe all the flies off the dogs - their fur was covered in blood and large red welts had appeared around their ears, armpits and belly. However, after a quick google followed by a trip to the vets back in Edinburgh it was confirmed that they would heal pretty swiftly (and an antihistamine could reduce discomfort). Indeed, Spud’s bites disappeared in a couple of days, but unluckily for Ollie, he reacted rather badly to his and after I clocked that he was continuously licking them, I ended up having to rifle through my wardrobe to find something for him to wear that would block his access to the wounds while we waited for another vet appointment. As you can see above, we settled on a little blue leopard print number. I think you’ll agree that the top really accentuates his waist and makes his eyes pop. (Model wears size M, packing tape on wrists not included)
The next day I headed back to our vet appointment to pick up a cone. “Do you not have one at home already?” the nurse asked. “Uhhh…” I began awkwardly, thinking back to the cone Spud wore over last summer and how I’d upcycled it into a shaggy ink cap headdress for a fancy dress costume… “No, we will definitely be needing a new one please…”
Poor Ol was in the thing for 3 weeks and it was completely battered at the end of the it, splitting in half and making him look like one of those big lizards with the fans around their necks.
However, I’m thrilled to report that Ollie is all back to normal. Although jeez what a lot happens when I leave it 6 weeks between newsletters!
Thanks for rocking up to read my newsletter. If you’re local to Scotland, I hope to maybe see some of you either at Bowhouse or at Kelvingrove and of course do come along and say hi at Pittenweem, I’d love to show you my new work in person.
Hope you guys have a fantastic next few weeks… until we meet here again! Tata for now xxx
Ahh the perfect place to rest one’s head. Safe to say it didn’t last long.
Tori you can get soft buster collars and inflatable buster collars. We have one of each. Soft tends to work better than the inflatable. Both are nicer for the dog compared to the plastic ones but won’t make such interesting headwear for you 😂