Hi everyone. Ella here for this week's blog. This week is my last week working at Lucinda's gallery as Claydon House shuts in Winter, so Lucinda will not be needing my help until it re-opens in Spring. But alas, do not fear! I will still be writing the blog for Lucinda every week, so don't go anywhere!

This week Lucinda is going green! (Lucinda B: Actually I've been green for some while now, but finally found a company based in the UK for my products.) She has signed up as a distributor for Wikaniko a company specializing in eco-friendly products. Her page is : http://www.wikaniko.com/index.asp?un=1005076 where there is a huge range of  products. One of her favourites is the wicked Tahitian CreamOil which is a "Luxurious Body Butter/Body Oil" and it smells so good!

Handmade in Britain by Piyush Suri has been released. Lucinda has placed a copy in the gallery for customers to look at. The book contains some amazing ceramics, metal, glass, furniture, fashion creations and much more. Lucinda is featured on page 19.
 Here's a link where you can pre-order it on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handmade-Britain-Contemporary-Suri-Piyush/dp/1908126388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319980264&sr=1-1

Lucinda loves Maya Angelou, having read  the first installment of  her autobiography; 'I know why the caged bird sings.'many years ago. She has heard some of Maya's  poems spoken over jazz tracks before, which works really well. But we couldn't find the the piece. However this one fits just beautifully with this weeks images. Enjoy!

The free bird leaps

on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
on the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom. 




And now for a little levity, it's time for this week's humor:


1.  . Whatever happened to number one?? :))
2.  Sex is like air.  It's not that important unless you aren't getting any.
3.  No one is listening until you fart.
4.  Always remember you're unique.  Just like everyone else.
5.  Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
6.  If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.
7.  Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
8.  If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
9.  Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.  Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
10.  If you lend someone £20 and never see that person again, it was probably well worth it.
11.  If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
12.  Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield.
13..  Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
14.  Good judgment comes from bad experience ...  And most of that comes from bad judgment.
15.  A closed mouth gathers no foot.
16.  There are two excellent theories for arguing with women.  Neither one works.
17.  Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
18.  Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
19.  We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our ass ...  Then things just keep getting worse.
20.  Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night. ( Lucinda.B my personal favorite!) 




Last minute post! We are still looking for people to have stands at the craft fair which is part of the Fire-walking event on 4th December. Here at last is the flier. Table fee is just £35 inclusive . Call Lucinda 01296 733984 for more details.  

Have a good week!

Afternoon everyone. It's been quite a week in Lucinda's life. In between preparing orders for her many clients with galleries, Lucinda has been busy organizing the Fire Walk and Craft & Food fair on 4th December. If your not wanting to get your feet too hot then please sponsor Lucinda or a friend participating. To sponsor Lucinda go to the link, http://www.justgiving.com/Lucinda-Brown and please make a donation. 

Handmade in Britain's book is launching next week on the 27th, so make sure to look out for it to see Lucinda and many other talented British artist's work. 

To thank Paul West (my dad) for helping Lucinda create her new website she decided to make a single fragment of my face. She started making it last week and this week it is finally finished. Here it is:

Friends of mine and Lucinda's have said it looks like me and it really does. You'll now have to judge what I look like from Lucinda's work!

Lucinda has added a new artist to her gallery, Yannick Watanabe who has just completed her masters from Northampton University in Fine Art specializing in Stone Carving. We are very proud to be her first ever gallery and we are displaying her work in the Gallery garden where it fits perfectly with the scenery. 

We also have some new pieces by Lesley Maddox, who like Lucinda moulds faces. She uses clay to create a hollow piece of a human head and neck. When the clay cooks in the kiln is has an earthy texture which gives her pieces an interesting and unique look. 

Lucinda has taken more beautiful photos with her camera this week. So here are a few for your enjoyment! 

And now for the joke:

Three men were standing in line to get into heaven. It had been a pretty busy day, though, so St Peter had to tell the first one: "Heaven's getting pretty close to full today, and I've been asked to admit only people who have had particularly horrible deaths. So what's your story?"

The first man replies: "Well, for a while I've suspected my wife has been cheating on me, so today I came home early to try to catch her red-handed. As I came into my 25th floor apartment, I could tell something was wrong, but all my searching around didn't reveal where this other guy could have been hiding. Finally, I went out to the balcony and, sure enough, there was this man hanging off the railing, 25 floors above ground! By now I was really mad, so I started punching and kicking him, but wouldn't you know it, he wouldn't fall off. So finally I went back into my apartment and got a hammer and starting hammering his fingers. Of course, he couldn't stand that for long, so he let go and fell - but even after 25 stories, he fell into the bushes, stunned but okay! I couldn't stand it anymore, so I ran into the kitchen, grabbed the fridge, and threw it over the edge where it landed on him, killing him instantly. But all the stress and anger got to me, and I had a heart attack and died there on the balcony."

"That sounds like a pretty bad day to me," said Peter, and let the man in.

The second man comes up and Peter explains to him about heaven being full, and again asks for his story.

"It's been a very strange day. You see, I live on the 26th floor of my apartment building, and every morning I do my exercises out on my balcony. Well, this morning I must have slipped or something, because I fell over the edge. But I got lucky and caught the railing of the balcony on the floor below me. I knew I couldn't hang on for very long, when suddenly this man burst out onto the balcony. I thought for sure I was saved, when he started punching and kicking me. I held on the best I could until he ran into the apartment and grabbed a hammer and started pounding on my hands. Finally I just let go, but again I got lucky and fell into the bushes below, stunned but all right. Just when I was thinking I was going to be okay, this refrigerator comes falling out of the sky and crushes me instantly, and now I'm here."

Once again, Peter had to concede that that sounded like a pretty horrible death.

The third man came to the front of the line, and again the whole process was repeated. Peter explained that heaven was full and asked for his story.

"Picture this," says the third man, "I'm hiding naked inside a refrigerator..."

Have a good week!

Afternoon all.
Lucinda has officially organised the Charity Fire Walk with a gift fair and festive attractions. The event will be on Sunday 4th December in The Courtyard at Claydon House. If you would like to do the fire walking or have any questions ring 07921 127470 or 01296 730004. As it is for charity, we are looking for people to sponsor each other as well. If you do chose to do the fire walk, the charity is of your choice, which will allow the day to be even more enjoyable for you!
Lucinda is also looking for craft and gift makers for the gift fair, so if that is more your forte then please contact Lucinda through her email at cindyb1953@gmail.com. So either way please get in contact to get involved with what is sure to be a day to remember!

This afternoon Lucinda has had a visitor, Reg Turner, who is a contemporary and abstract artist from New Zealand. Reg has come over to meet Lucinda  after some friends in the UK visited the gallery and passed on her details. His paintings are absolutely beautiful, here is his website which I recommend you take a look at www.regturnerartist.co.nz. He also owns a luxury bed and breakfast in New Zealand called Song of the Tui, with some amazing views. Lucinda has been lucky enough to visit this paradise many years ago, now she has a connection there will no doubt soon return!. Here's the link http://www.songofthetui.co.nz/.

Sorry this won't be a very long blog as Lucinda is busy with Reg and some of her family is visiting. But nevertheless, the joke of the week:

A priest and a nun were returning from a church convention when their car broke down. They had it towed to the local garage and faced the fact that they'd have to spend the night in a motel. There was only 1 motel in town and it only had 1 room available. So they had a problem.


'Sister,' said the priest, 'I dont think the lord would mind, under the circumstances, if we spent the night together in this 1 room. I'll sleep on the couch and you take the bed,'
'I think that would be ok,' said the nun.


They prepared for bed and each one took took their agreed place. 10 minutes later the sister said, 'Father, I'm terribly cold,'
'Ok,' said the priest, 'I'll get up and get you a blanket from the closet,'


10 minutes later the nun said, 'Father I'm still terribly cold,'
'OK sister,' said the priest, 'I'll get up and get you another blanket,'


10 minutes later , the nun said,'Father, I'm still terribly cold. I don't think the lord would mind if we acted as man and wife for just this one night,'
' You're probably right,' said the priest , 'Get up and get your own damn blanket,'


Have a good week!


P.S. Here are some beautiful pictures I found of the sunsets around Claydon House on Lucinda's camera. 

Hi everyone, this week's blog is here.

 The event that Lucinda went to in Bristol went very well. She thoroughly enjoyed herself, celebrating 25 years of Church House Designs Gallery. She bought herself a gorgeous little pot, and sold some of her own pieces. She also remarked on how absolutely delicious the canopies were! So overall it was a great day.

This week Lucinda was mentioned in Four Shires magazine through The Artery Gallery in Banbury were she sells some of her work, which has brought some new customers through the door. Here's the article:

 Lucinda, and other businesses at Claydon House are organizing a potential fire walk event. Lucinda has already participated in a fire walk before, where you walk barefoot over glowing embers. Lucinda says it takes courage to do it, but it's a lot of fun. Maybe think of it as a way of warming up your feet in the winter months!  So if you are reading this and think "Hey! I think I'd like to have a go a fire walking!" please make yourself known to Lucinda by emailing her at cindyb1953@gmail.com as she would love to get more people involved. This event is probably going to be around the 4th December, with possibly a small craft fair and other attractions.

Most moved by Steve Jobs commencement address in 2005 here's a link http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
RIP Steve Jobs, an innovator and world changer.


And now for the joke:

Two women friends had gone out for a Girls Night Out, and had been decidedly over-enthusiastic on the cocktails. Incredibly drunk and walking home they suddenly realized they both needed to pee. They were very near a graveyard and one of them suggested they do their business behind a headstone or something. The first woman had nothing to wipe with so she took off her panties, used them and threw them away. Her friend however was wearing an expensive underwear set and didn't want to ruin hers, but was lucky enough to salvage a large ribbon from a wreath that was on a grave and proceeded to wipe herself with it. After finishing, they made their way home.

The next day the first woman's husband phones the other husband and said, "These damn girls nights out have got to stop. My wife came home last night without her panties." "That's nothing," said the other. "Mine came back with a sympathy card stuck between the cheeks of her butt that said, 'From all of us at the Fire Station, Well never forget you!'

Have a great week!

Hi all, it's a very sunny Sunday at the gallery today, and has been all week, so business for Lucinda has been very good. Lucinda's workshop is full of boxes containing fragments going to other galleries as she has been very organized this week.
Lucinda is off to Bristol today to celebrate 25 years of Church House Designs in Congresbury. Lucinda has been supplying them for 10 years now, and they have been really great for her business. She wants to thank them so much, and wishes them another great 25 years in the future!
As Lucinda is off today, one of her suppliers and great friends Liz Coulter is coming to help me at the gallery. Liz has a company called Splash Out Jewellery & Accessories and she has some of her stock at the gallery. Liz is great for the business of the gallery, and it's even better when she comes in for a cup of tea and a chat. Her products range from handbags to earrings anf from scarves to necklaces, and she has a lovely display at the gallery (which I try to maintain, but its nothing compared to Liz's talents). I, as a frequent customer of Liz, would recommend her stock for all ages. I have bought countless presents for teenage friends from her, as has my mother for her friends. Here is a link to her website : http://www.splashoutaccessories.co.uk/ where you can browse and order her products. My personal favourite thing about Liz's products are her bracelets, as she has a great eye for unique fashionable styles, and almost every day I have one of her bracelets around my wrists.  
Another date for your diaries is the 27th October when a book, which Lucinda has been featured in, is being released. Handmade in Britain is publishing  a book about "high quality, handmade British designs and crafts". Lucinda is very excited to be included in this, and is looking forward to owning a copy. The link to the website is http://www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/?p=1151.
Whilst the weather has been so lovely, I thought I would get out into the gallery garden and take some photos of Lucinda's outside work. Here is one of her large male torsos;

Lucinda makes male and female torsos in two sizes. She makes smaller ones which she mounts onto a background like the fragments:

(Left) A small male torso with texture.
(Right) A large female torso with orange and gold texture.

And to finish off this week's blog;

A young monk arrives in a monastery where he is put to work as a copyist.
After a few days, he notices that the monks making copies of the scriptures are all working from copies -- not the original. This alarms the young monk because he thinks of how easy it would be for mistakes to be repeated. And so he goes to the Head Monk and expresses his concerns.
"Yes, brother," replies the Head Monk, "You have a valid point. But this is the way we've always done it. Still, I better check to make sure there are no errors."
So off he goes to the cellar where he spends the entire night carefully consulting the original scriptures. In the morning all of the brothers go down to the cellar and find the Head Monk crying.
"What's the matter?" they ask.
Between the loudest of sobs, he groans: "The word is celebrate!"

Have a good week.