In amongst all the family activities, the summer holidays have been packed with commissions, mark-making, new products and local markets.
I love attending the local markets because I get to meet, not only a great bunch of talented stallholders, but the people that enjoy my illustrations too. These markets really allow me to see what resonates with my customers – and I’m always a little overwhelmed by the wonderful feedback my artwork receives. It brings a real sense of joy to know that a little piece of Bumbumbee Creative will bring a smile to someone else’s face or will be going home with them to adorn their living room or nursery wall. I am so appreciative of everyone who makes the time to come to these local markets because it really does give all involved a ‘feel-good’ boost.
This summer I have been focussing a lot on mark making because it helps get the creative process flowing. Experimenting freely with colour, textures, mediums and shapes really helps you see what’s possible and sometimes you just have to follow where the marks on the paper take you – often in completely unexpected directions. I turn to mark making for a multitude of reasons but more often than not, it’s when I know I want to create ‘something’ but I don’t have a clear vision in my mind of ‘what’ it is I want to create (or how I’m going to create it). It was a happy coincidence when I discovered people seemed to love the shapes and the freeform way in which these marks were created.
From here, I created a few postcards and greetings cards and took them to the markets. There seems to be something about mark-making that connects with people. Perhaps these marks evoke memories of pebbles on the beach or mossy stones in streams – or perhaps it’s because these marks can be whatever you want them to be. It’s a visual language though quite abstract in its interpretation. Suffice to say, you will see some of these mark-making experiments make an appearance in some of my illustrations later in the year.
Over the six-week summer break, Bumbumbee Creative attended The Big Green Market in Burntisland Parish Church and the Robert Nair Craft Fair in Kirkcaldy, where my watercolour postcards made their debut as small prints, along with the coastal series cards. If you came along to either of these, thank you so much for your support – and if you didn’t manage to come this time, be sure to check out the local market next time it comes to town. It’s an opportunity to discover the array of local businesses in your own backyard, catch up with people in your local community, own original, hand-crafted creations and you’ll be supporting local initiatives too. I’ve met some amazingly talented people since stepping out into the world of local markets and I am buzzing with ideas for the future.