by Toni Watts | Dec 28, 2013 | Blog, Materials and Techniques
Carmine red pigment… At Christmas, rather than buying commercial Christmas crackers, we make our own. Each member of the family is charged with buying a gift for one of the others – an enjoyable challenge to find something ‘just right’...
by Toni Watts | Dec 20, 2013 | Blog, Recent Work
We saw this beautiful Mute Swan with its mate on the canal near Grantham, on a bleak winters day. There was very little wind, so the bird’s reflection was perfect, with just enough distortion of the stems on the bank to add interest. It’s always...
by Toni Watts | Dec 20, 2013 | Blog
As I stood in the ruins of Furness Abbey, I wondered…what was the roof made of, when this building was in its prime in the twelfth century? Our village church has a lead covered roof, but it is substantially smaller. And if they did use lead in medieval Cumbria,...
by Toni Watts | Dec 13, 2013 | Blog, Recent Work
An elegant Indian Peacock with shimmering tail feathers created from blue coated silver leaf and gold ink. The frame is pure Art Nouveau, apart from the top border, the design of which was adapted from Indian architecture. The background building is, of course, the...
by Toni Watts | Dec 12, 2013 | Blog, Out and About
Furness Abbey lies, abandoned in rain-drenched seclusion, in a valley in southern Cumbria. A vast expanse of red sandstone, it’s ruined now, of course. Some of the large church is still standing, but you can see the crack running up one of the walls. And you...
by Toni Watts | Nov 27, 2013 | Blog
Welcome! After much deliberation and discussion with my nearest and dearest, I have decided to create a second website. This new site will home my work combining illustration, lettering and gold leaf (in varying proportions!). My wildlife art is happily settled...
