Have you got a middle name? I do, my full name is Penelope Angela and ever since I could remember I've always disliked my middle name. Not sure why exactly, but I think if my memory serves me correctly I remember starting to dislike it after I saw a telly program in the late 1970's with a not so bright, but rather beautiful character called "Angie". I think it was an American detective sort of program. Thereafter I was teased about my middle name for a while with people calling me "Angie" and so the dislike started.
{I'm really sorry if I have offended anyone called Angela or Angie, I mean no disrespect or offence, this is just my thoughts about MY middle name and what I have felt about it over the years}.
I never really use my middle name so it hasn't been much of a bother during my adult years, but the slightly negative memory stayed with me until.... I discovered Angie Lewin.
She is one of my all time favourite contemporary printmakers working in linocut, wood engraving, lithography and screen printing. I bought the above book here and have paged through it and read it cover to cover these past couple of weeks.
Here are some of my favourite pictures of her prints in the book, there are just so many...
Angie, is just so very inspiring and is able to capture the beauty of the coast and country through her beautiful seed pods, grasses, flints, flower buds, seedheads and feathers. She also captures coastal plants and seaweeds as well as pebbles of interest amongst many other things. Do have a browse through her website linked above if you want to see more of her work and know more about her art.
Angie inspired me to ask to borrow this from a lovely kind artist friend...
To play with lino for the very first time ever and carve out this...
Which I then rolled some black ink onto to make this...
So exciting to place some of Alice's water colour art paper onto the lino-cut and then rub my wooden spoon over the paper waiting for the ink to print onto the paper...to print this...
What a whole load of fun and frivolous fancy. This is just what I needed to do over the last few days and now I hope to be able to continue playing with lino and ink to hopefully carve out a little Christmas design to make a card or two.
As for my middle name?
You can call me Angie anytime!
Have you got a middle name?
How do you feel about it?
xox
See you all soon.
I love my middle name. Although I never really knew my paternal grandmother I have her maiden name is my middle, so a solid link to the past.
ReplyDeleteHi Penelope! No middle name here...just plain old Tania...perhaps not so much of the old! Hee-hee...I love the name Angie. I think it's very endearing. And so I also love Angie Lewin's work. Just amazing! As is yours! So pretty...well done! Tania ♥
ReplyDeleteI love Angie Lewin's work too, have a couple of packs of her cards which I use for birthdays, etc. My middle name is Louise by the way and whilst I'm on the subject I'm actually Kathryn and not Kate. Although the only time I've been called Kate is when I was in trouble as a child or I go to the doctors!
ReplyDeleteLove your lino, I'm sure Angie L would be impressed!
Btw, thanks for your comment re my jumper, I LOVED it xx
I personally love your middle name. My middle name is Ann, just plain simple Ann. I only ever was called that when I was in trouble with my Mom or did something one of my Aunts didn't like. Then it was SHARON ANN! Oh well, we all have our crosses to bear. : )
ReplyDeleteInteresting craft. I have never actually heard of lino cutting and I'm not exactly sure what it is. I have been watching old episodes of "Last of the Summer Wine" and I know Cleggie was a lino salesman so I'm thinking it is a type of flooring that we here in the States call linoleum. If so that makes sense that it would make a great stencil. I love your design. Looking forward to seeing your Christmas designs.
Hugs,
Sharon
Lovely to see how you were inspired and then got on with it Penelope. Great start with the lino, brought back memories of school with lino and very sharp lino tools in the art block.
ReplyDeleteMy middle name is Rebecca which I much prefer to Lisa. My parents wanted to call me Rebecca, but my birth mother asked them to keep the name she'd given me. Dad would write Rebecca on cards occassionally and in one of my last chats with him he said I wish we'd ignored her wishes and called you Rebecca. I can see why she did it though as it was the one thing of hers she could leave me with. Names and their significance fascinate me. Our girls have two middle names each plus a double barrelled surname and Mike has none poor thing.
X
What a fabulous lino cut - and your very first! I can't wait to see where you go with this. Such a tempting craft. Have you seen the book "Printing by Hand"? Also full of fun ideas.
ReplyDeleteMy middle name too was the cause of some teasing when I was younger, and the fact is I dislike it so much I never tell anyone what it is! One of my sisters-in-law has given each of her 7 children 2 middle names - all very nice ones. :)
My middle name is Joan..and I've always hated it! I don't even really like my first name as it has just never sat well with me..I don't feel like a 'Carol' or a 'Joan'! I never felt as though I could do much about it either...unlike two of my kids who have changed their names to ones they really like...I know, my family is a bit unusual!
ReplyDeleteSarah is my middle name and I suppose I'm a bit indifferent to it. I just find it a bit 'boring' :) loving Angies work and the print you made is just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteVictoria xx
Have a look a Purple Podded Peas' blog. Celia Hart is a lino cut artist and you may like her work as well.
ReplyDeleteI thought your lino cut was amazing.
Liz
Your lino cut is amazing! Very good indeed :)
ReplyDeleteDo you think your parents went with a plainer name because your first name is on the unusual side... (maybe it's not, I just don't know of any other Penelopes!) I am Hazel Elizabeth and signed it Hazel E. blah blah.. for years. One day, years ago, one of my school kids asked me what the E stood for and one of my other kids piped up "Evil". Haven't used the "E" since- little jerk! They all got a good laugh outta that one! Sensitive- who me??
Have a great day, Hazel E. x
I think Angela is a great name! I'm an avid reader of Lindsy Kelk's books, especially the 'I heart' series which stars an awsome and ever so slightly crazy Angela. If you haven't read them already I really suggest you do, they're a great read and I'm sure they'll help you come round to your middle name a bit more :)
ReplyDeleteI've got 2 middles names - Evelyn Jane. Evelyn means 'little one to be loved' and was my great Grandma's name and Jayne is a family name passed down on my Mum's side. I love both.
I love your lino cut, it' looks great! I haven't had a go since school and you've got me tempted now...
aLittleBlonde xx
Her work is fantastic, I've seen it before, very good! Ada :)
ReplyDeleteLove that you found an inspiration to start liking your middle name.
ReplyDeleteMiddle names were actually a recent topic of conversation over in the Crochet Saved My Life Ravelry group and it seems like it's fairly common for us to dislike our middle names growing up and then learn to like them over time. That was definitely the case for me. My middle name is Lucille, after a grandmother, and I hated it as a kid because I thought it was "old" and boring and not exotic enough but now I've come to embrace it.
Your lino cut is so good!
ReplyDeleteMy middle name is Ann, which I've never liked as I think it's so boring - and it's the same as my Mum's which shows an even bigger lack of imagination!
x
My middle name is May after my grandmother, I have to say I love all my names, they are memorable (although to be honest once people have seen my hair I'm sure I'm not easily forgotten!) which an old boss of mine said always introduce myself with my name as it will stick...she was right I know....I've met very few other Faiths...I like being odd!
ReplyDeleteLove your linoprints, I can remember doing this in art classes in early comprehensive school....I used to pop Lino on my parents Rayburn to warm through and ,ake it easier to cut, I can still remember the smell.....ooh, I must try that again!
I really like Angela, I have a few friends by that name, also if you take off the a, it then spells Angel, isn't that lovely! My middle name is Lee which I like, I was Sandra but changed it to Sandi as I really disliked the way my mum used to spit 'Sandra' at me.
ReplyDeleteYour lino print is fantastic, what a talented lady you are :)
xo Sandi
What a huge importance is attached to names, no wonder it used to be considered a very forward step to give a stranger your name, as it gave them power over you. And names do shape the person. Our younger son is Christopher, but he is ALWAYS called Kit, even through his Royal MArine and Police careers, his superiors have always called him Kit and I always feel it has been good for him. Our elder son is Michael and was never shortened til he left school and became Mike...but he is still Michael to me!
ReplyDeleteMy middle name is Christine and I always wanted it to be Christina, as a child, as it seemed so plain, especially with my one syllable first name - Lynne. My husband has a middle name he NEVER uses as it is his grandmother's surname which had to be carried down and he HATES it - even the vicar agreed not to use it at our wedding! Lx.
OOOh, PS!!! I LOVE Angie Lewin and treated myself to her book a couple of months ago. BRILLIANT!. I have done eraser carving to make rubber stamps but your print plate looks fab...I'd love to have a go. It does make very simple shapes looks very professional doesn't it. Sorry that sounds not the way I meant it! Your plate is great!
ReplyDeleteI used to do lino cutting years ago ... you have me itching to pick it up again! Your print is just beautiful Penelope (don't know about Angie but I nearly typed P, which is what another Penelope friend of mine gets called!).
ReplyDeleteI adore Angie Lewin's work too and have that book, it was a present for my birthday last year.
As for middle names I loath mine yet it's perfectly ordinary. Actually I hated every part of my name as a child. I wasn't christened Annie but I adopted it in my teens - just added the i - and have been Annie ever since. At 14 I used to write that i with a little circle atop it instead of a dot and thought I was very clever, and I used a greek e, I think I spent my whole youth trying to be noticed!
wow Penelope, I remember doing that in Primary school! Haven't even thought of it since, what fun, have a fun and creative weekend XXX
ReplyDeleteI wasn't given a middle name so I was just plain 'Jan' which I hate. When I was 17 I was mad about the Poldark books & series, so took 'Demelza' for my middle name. I've used it ever since & still love it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was pregnant with my 3rd child, I watched the 'Darling Buds of May' series over & over. All the kids had several middle names so I gave my 3rd 2 middle names.
I took a lot of time choosing my kids names as I feel it's really important you choose a name that will travel well through their lives with them. I love all their names & luckily they like them too.
Hello Angie!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a middle name and feel completely happy.
I know some people who changed their names, for example the man's name had always been Peter Huber and suddenly it has been Peter T. Huber. I think he wanted to make himself mysterious. Anybody has been asking what the T. was. Theodor, Thomas, T.... Or a woman, known as Edith Müller now is called Edith B. Müller. I find it self-opinionated, can't help. Although they probabely say, I am jalous. ;-)
It's always nice to find someone we can admire with the same name. So enjoy your middle name.
Regula