Billy Buttons and the Blueberries
Find your inspiration wherever you can get it!
I recently completed this felted picture which came from some very random inspirations. I was a bit stuck a few weeks back, short of time but had a creative itch to scratch and I hadn’t had the right opportunities to go out and explore the landscape as I normally would in order to gather new ideas.
As a keen gardener (keen in enthusiasm rather than skill!) and allotment keeper, I was looking through our seed packets to see what we had left over from last year and what we might need to buy. It was a rainy day, one of many rainy days that we have had recently, and subconciously I was probably yearning for sunnier and warmer times when we could sow seeds, plant potatoes and make a real start on growing our food once again.
A tatty, opened packet of Billy Button seeds caught my eye and I remembered these amazing plants from last summer that I had brought on from seed. They’re super cute little golden globes on tall thin stems - their official name being ‘Craspedia Globosa’ , although I much prefer their nickname!
The picture of these jolly little plants, like sunshine on sticks, gave me a little jolt of inspiration. This, together with admiring the wonderful pottery of Laura Lane on instagram during an evening scroll, began the formation of a picture in my mind.
The fresh colours of yellow and blue just sang ‘summer’ to me, and yellow always looks great beside purple so that became a part of the palette too.
So where did the blueberries come from? Honestly? I was thinking of a catchy title for the picture before I started felting it and I made some composition sketches and thought ‘Billy Buttons and……’
well,
‘…the Blueberries’ just tripped off my tongue! The bonus being that blueberries would tie in nicely with the colour palette…so why not!?
‘Billy Buttons and the Blueberries’ may well sound like the name of an unknown band from the 60’s, but it made me smile and so it stuck.
Here are a few photos of the process of making this piece. I made prefelts for the more defined shapes, I included other fibres besides wool like viscose and sari silk and I used wool yarn for the stripes. I also decided to add french knots - many french knots - to the golden globes to give that bit of extra surface texture. Yes, that was a great idea which took way too long, but never mind, I think it was worthwhile! This piece was an opportunity to test a few techniques at the same time as creating a finished picture, so I also learnt along the way too.
So the point of this post is…?
Well, I guess it’s just to acknowledge that creative inspiration can literally be found anywhere, even from a packet of seeds, and that art/creativity doesn’t have to be anything deep or meaningful and it doesn’t have to say anything particularly important…it can just be playful. If it gives you a bit of joy then it’s completely valid to take that little spark and create some art. Likewise, if the art you produce gives someone else a bit of joy, well that’s a win win!
I feel like the finished piece is light and airy, reminiscent of summer days and there’s also lots of quiet interest in the background that make you look a little bit closer. It wasn’t created from ‘real life’ - I didn’t set up that composition in front of me to work from (although I’d love to own one of Laura’s vases one day!), I just took elements of real inspiration and used my imagination to put them together in my own way. That’s what they call artistic licence isn’t it? I’m pretty happy with the end result, I think it’s successful in its simplicity and I love the ever so slightly wonky, jaunty effect the felting process has given to the vase - just need to frame it up now.
So while you’re out walking, or even if you’re rummaging in your cupboards, don’t forget to notice. It could be the colour or shape of a label on a jar or the curve of a country lane or lichen on a fencepost. If it makes you go ‘Ooh’, make a note or take a photo…it might lead to something else creatively.
I recently had an ‘ooh’ moment when I found this little pot at home. It’s something which must have been left behind from a previous generation that lived in the farmhouse and I love it…and I feel sure that this will feature in something in the future. ‘Forget me nots in a Little Mustard Pot’… or perhaps I should think of another unknown band name as a picture title - ‘Mustard Pot and the Marigolds’ maybe?!! If you have any suggestions, do let me know in the comments!
Sunnier Days at last…
Thankfully, the weather has finally turned a corner here in Cornwall and the sun has been shining. A trip ‘downtown’ to St Ives this week was a real joy…the sea looked beautiful sparkling in the sunlight.
With the drier weather, we now have planted our potatoes and sown some seeds…there is much to look forward to in the coming months. Gardening is a very optimistic past time!
Everything feels a little better and more positive with some sunshine don’t you think?
Until next time, keep noticing, stay curious and take care 💕
Thanks for reading
Tanya x