Sunday 16 October 2011

Look away now if you're easily spooked!

Autumn is always prime time for spiders in our house but I've never seen one like this before! Does anyone out there know what it is? I am really curious to know more.


He was huge and bulbous but with the most beautiful markings don't you agree?


With bugs and beasties in mind I've been working a little more into one of my altered books today. This one is about moths. I've carved a lino block and made a couple of test prints. The beauty of lino block printing is that I can carry on carving until I get the definition and detail I'm happy with. This definitely needs more work!


The image below is a gouache monoprint with a top coat of indian ink. It's a bit vague yet but I like the effect and think with a bit more practise it has potential.


I usually find autumn a melancholy time but today was another of those perfect days with wall to wall sunshine and a turquoise sky. I couldn't finish without showing you my forest pansy!


I know it will soon be finished but right now it's having a final flourish and is alive with colour.


Hope you've had a great weekend and managed to fit in some creative time!
Talk again soon - Linda

4 comments:

  1. Linda, it looks like a species of a crab spider with egg sac. I don't know if they are native to England. My Pansy Redbud is in its glorious fall color also. It really is a tree that shines all year. Wishing you a beautiful week.

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  2. It's a Garden Orb spider. And yes, very beautiful rather than creepy!

    I've been watching our Forest Pansy change too from my work room and just beyond it a Katsura. Just waiting for the first proper chill to make everything else catch up and there should be quite a display.

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  3. Thanks girls - I knew someone would know! In fact we have wasted some considerable time with google this morning and found it is indeed quite a common beast. The garden or cross spider. What confused me was its colour - kind of coral pink rather than the yellow/grey as described on the spider identification sites! And it was huge. Apologies for calling it a 'he' she'a quite obviously a big girl with eggs!

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  4. I have no idea what type of spider this is but if someone had asked me whose house it was found in I would definitely have said Linda Kemshall's because it's so beautifully designed :-)

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