Tick tick tock….

Ahhhh! Last full week here in Bridge Street and last full week to prepare for the ROGHA exhibition. Funny how things digress from the expected. I thought my month here in Dundalk would be spent concentrating purely on getting ready for Echoes Exhibition, but this hasn’t been the case. Thanks to open studios and my blog posts I secured a number of lovely millinery commissions that took over. 

Still I got to meet some lovely new customers and potential clients. Best laid plans and all that jazz! 

This leaves me with just a week to gather together the myriad of ideas bouncing off my brain and get cracking on Echoes final pieces. Sad that by the end of the week I’ll be packing up my studio and moving back to Gullion. I found that the time I spent in a dedicated space away from home was more concentrated, less distractions and a different dynamic. It was wonderful to be surrounded by other artists, get their feedback and valuable advice. 

So I’ll make the most of the time I have left and get cracked by in preparation for the launch on Friday the 5th August. 

Mad hatting…

It’s amazing weather in Ireland and Slieve Gullion is shimmering in the sun…

Back in the studio this evening after a glorious day in the sun with the kids. Had time to play, put up the tent, make sure the chooks and the donkeys weren’t overheating, 4 lines of washing, beds changed, dinner made…. So to come into the studio for a spot of millinery and a cool down is my prize! That’s the beauty of a space here in Bridge Street Studios, I can come and go when it suits me and its concentrated time with no distractions which means I get so much more done! 

I’ve a gorgeous colour palette to play with this commission a little petrol blue and peacock combo…. Can’t wait to get it finished and see how it goes down. It’s destined wearer is a hat virgin and I can’t wait to see her face!

#irishmilliner #cushlaofgullion #creativesummer #bridgestreetstudios

Open Studios

Bridge Street opened its doors for open studios last Thursday and Friday which was a great opportunity to chat about how I work, inspirations and processes etc…. There was a wonderful buzz. 

Lots of connections made, great to see pals old and new pop in, thanks for the support folks!

I’m exhausted after it all! But it is a healthy lethargy!

Experiment week….

Time to push the boundaries this week! I may feel like I’m getting nowhere slowly but I am learning from my mistakes. After the buzz of open studios last weekend I’m in more reflective mood this week. It’s more a pen to paper week of planning and thought processes than a doing week. Plus there is a very energetic kids arts class happening next door that Dáithí, the mini maestro, is taking part in each morning proving more distracting than I’d anticipated, I think I’ll give mornings a miss next week. I think I need a day at home to clear the jobs and chores that are beginning to accumulate… A cluttered mind and all that.

I’ve got my artists blurb sorted and I’ve got a clear vision of what I’d like to express in my ROGHA “Echoes”exhibition pieces too it will be interesting to see if I can translate the ideas into action!!

Chasing my tail….

It’s been a whirlwind few days, moving into my space at #Bridge Street Studios but I have gathered my nuts and settled into my little (very cosy) nest. 

My plan had been to concentrate on my millinery to begin with but like all best laid plans I’ve needed to turn that on its head. #Tí Chullain has given http://www.roghashop.com some who space to fill and it’s open studios here in Bridge Street at the end of the week so I need to make make make felt wise…. As I have plenty of headpieces to show. 

Problem with being in such a creative hub is my imagination is ping ponging around my brain with possibilities… Now for the hard job, nose to the grindstone felt to the washboard suddy and soapy!!! I concentrated in some small landscapes on Saturday -Monday, they are now dry, stitched and waiting for frames. 

Today I’ll be working on some wearables, brooches and cuffs to have ready for open studios tomorrow night and Friday night. First I need some fuel, thank god #Strandfield is only 4 mins away from studio 🤗

So what do you do then?

The question you dread. Because, obviously, it’s impossible to answer without sounding like a maniac, which I may well be. Here goes, I’m a mom of four, who loves taking pictures, when I’m not gallivanting with dogs over Slieve Gullion gathering wisps of wool as I go. Then on the other hand I’m a milliner who will make you a chic bespoke headpiece for the races or a wedding, that is if I’m not too busy feeding Red Squirrels in the Ring of Gullion or organising Fleadh Rua. I might be shooting a wedding on Saturday or learnibg Irish with the hubs. I could be filming a reading of something I’ve written or teaching a workshop or taking my turn on  the football run. Or I could be elbow deep on fleece making a felted wall hanging or off in Amsterdam on a NunoFelt workshop? 

You see it sounds ridiculous … But it’s true, that’s what I do! ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ I hear you sigh which may well be right, but I’m constantly working on that… 

The best things are always a challenge. I may well run round like a headless chicken but it’s a path I have chosen. Our family life to some may seem like chaos but that’s us, we don’t work to a schedule, just wherever the path leads us.  It’s a fun road though.  

New Beginnings for Cushla of Gullion…

A new dawn… For too long now I have let grief and disappointment shape me and hold me back. Time to shake of the shackles and push through, time to wake up and emerge from the cocoon that has bound me for long enough. Time to spread my wings and at least attempt to fly, dare to dream. Let creativity be my saving balm and trust in the future and all it holds, but most of all for the first time in a long time trust in me. 

Today I took the first step on my journey of coming back to myself. I collected the keys to a new studio space where I’m going to spend the next month as ‘Cushla of Gullion’dreaming, making, rediscovering my lost mojo! I’ve set myself a challenge to take myself away from my comfort zone for a month, away from distractions and turn what has now become a sometimes pastime back into a job! 

Now it’s time to pack up and get ready for move in day, get ready to rock! As I gather all my things I realise how much stock I had all those buried dreams and ideas that never got passed my brain, never came to fruition. Time to give them wings and let them fly. No new stock for me, I’m going to see what I can produce with what I’ve got already, another challenge but one I’m determined to rise to. Wish me luck! 

#cushlaofgullion