Janet Bolton

For the past 4 years I have been lucky enough to go to Janet Bolton's course at the Cowslip Workshops. She makes the most exquisite naive applique pictures and is just the most delightful lady. I always enjoy hearing her speak about how she came to do what she does and tales of her life as a young girl growing up in Lancashire. Her work is just beautiful, unmistakeably hers. I usually do 2 days but this year I got to do all 3 blissful days. I meet up with Pennie and Janet who come from East Sussex and Oxford so it is only at these events that we get to see each other even though we email each other all year. We sit at the same table and immerse ourselves in the loveliness that is Cowslip. 3 wonderful days. I have booked up for next year already!





I haven't finished my piece yet so I am not going to show you it until it is done but I am very pleased with it. I will show you one that Janet made that is now mine. I treated myself to JB original! I had to have it as it contains some fabric that I gave to Janet. It's still at the exhibition and I can't wait to bring it home.

Here's a bad photo of it (my camera battery ran out)



And here's Janet showing my 4 pieces from each of the workshops.





Last year's piece was hard for me to do. My partner and I had just decided to separate and I was with his mother who I introduced to Cowslip. It was such a hard weekend for me, I felt blocked and unhappy. Consequently the piece never got finished and I just didn't like it. One year on, things are very different. Paul and I are staying together. The enforced confinement as we tried to sell the house has made us reconcile the major differences that were driving us apart. My work this year had a different feel to it I had a different feel to me.

This past year has been a very hard one, not one I would want to go through again but it has had some good things come out of it. It has made me reevaluate life, love, family relationships, friendships and priorities. I have the people around me that I feel happiest with and I am happier with my life now than I was. Pin It