MADELEINE'S HEP HERD

felted crochet coral fragments Originally uploaded by MadeleineS . Well it's been ages since I posted anything here and I don't really know why or where to begin. I had my second hip operation in October 2009 and been recovering slowly since then. I've been far from idle over the months but not in a blogging mood. I think mostly due to post op fatigue and physiotherapy. Facebook is also partly to blame - it's been easy to keep in touch with friends and family that way but it's also a huge thief of time. Now that I'm back at the "day job" full time things are a bit more disciplined. So what of the arty work? I'm finally finishing off the coral critters brooches that I started in the spring. That's one in the photo. There should be a couple of dozen when I'm done. I've also made some nudibranchs and starfish and plan to send them off to the Irish Hyperbolic Coral Reef project in Dublin. 42 Mobius Mufflers! There's a bit of end ...

Alba ad Astra Originally uploaded by MadeleineS . Mike at Transreal Fiction has agreed to extend the run of the Alba ad Astra exhibition to the end of September. All the documents, so carefully researched by Gavin Inglis and Andrew C. Ferguson of Writers' Bloc continue to be on display along side my photographs. If you thought you'd missed your chance to see this fantastic piece of research into Scotland's engineering past then don't despair - there are still a few weeks in which to visit it at Transreal Ficiton, 7 Cowgatehead, The Grassmarket, Edinburgh. If you can't get a long to the show you can see the photographs and some of our research notes at www.madeleineshepherd.co.uk . The collective which constructed this exhibition is currently considering how to take it forward. We hope to be able to report on the expected return of the Golden Eagle capsule on 30th November, regardless of restrictions that may be placed in our path. We also hope to be able to rec...

Dissected Sweaters Originally uploaded by MadeleineS . It's been a while since I wrote anything for the blog. The supreme effort of mounting an exhibition and getting the studio ready for the open weekend so soon after the operation really took its toll. I more or less flopped after the 9th of August and the Edinburgh Festivals have mainly passed us by this year. Mike has been writing about the things we managed to get along to at Semaphore for Ducks if you're interested. Recovery is proceeding fairly well, with a few set backs as I get used to Edinburgh's different schools of bus driving again! I also fell out of bed this morning so I'm being a bit tentative about moving around right now. Balancing exercise and and rest is really difficult. I always think I can do more than I really can then come crashing down later. However, if I have a good week next week and get the all clear from the University GP, I'll be back at "the day job" during the follow...

Here's a nice shot of 0ne corner of my studio, looking uncluttered in anticipation of the Open Studios weekend which starts tomorrow. I've got examples of work from the last couple of years on display as well as a small selection of Alba ad Astra things. I'll be there from 2pm on Friday until the end of the private view and then 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Hope to see some of you there. Map and directions from Google .

Our next exciting open event at Coburg House Studios will be during the Edinburgh Art Festival in August 2009. The dates are 7th-9th August, and our opening hours will be 11 - 6 daily. If you would like to be added to our mailing list and receive an invitation to the private view of the exhibition please email coburg.house@yahoo.com As well as me, there are around fifty five artists working at Coburg House. Almost all of them will open their studios to the public. We look forward to seeing you there!

Stelarc eat your heart out - I've had a useful physical enhancement, replacing bone with cobalt-chrome alloy! My first hip replacement (4 weeks ago) seems to have been very straightforward. The second one is due before the end of the year. I'm extremely hopeful that I'll regain a lot of energy once I'm free from the pain and the drugs - until the arthritis finds a new playground! Right now, I get tired very quickly, am walking with two sticks and not allowed on buses or in black cab-type taxis in case I dislocate the new joint sitting on low seats or getting on board. This make things very frustrating as my head is as full of ideas as ever and I'd really like to be in my studio much more. It's made even more of a mess of the house than I usually manage. I have several aids for sitting at the right height, for picking things up and getting about, we've had to use the mattress from the sofa bed to raise the height of our bed. So the sofa frame is now cov...

Originally uploaded by MadeleineS . RM Art gallery, at 51 St Stephen's Street, Edinburgh, is about to exhibit eleven of my twelve Imaginary Invertebrates. They'll be on display from Thursday 4 June. The twelfth one is purple so didn't look right in the set. It's on show on its own in the Coburg House Gallery and will get some pink and purple friends to join it in time for the Open Studios weekend on 7,8 & 9 August. Calling these things invertebrates gives a pretty wide range to work in but they're really inspired by marine invertebrates like corals, sponges, starfish, sea urchins and nudibranchs among other things. No crabs or shellfish yet, never mind any land-based invertbrates. No two will ever be quite the same. I mix and match the yarns and improvise the shapes as I knit. The felting process is a mixture of machine and hand felting that also introduces scope for variation, deliberate or otherwise! One of the pieces in this set incorporates some shibori t...