JIM BERRY inspired kettle box....

THE LATEST on the Famous Five wagon...things are slowly moving forward.  Time is scarce having just graduated and the needing to earn money taking photographs too means that its one day on and one day off.  Really pleased with how its going though.  Typically for me I was not happy with the door which featured in an earlier post, so have painted over it ready to start again!  The wagon is the dark green colour it was when bought recently and the owners want to keep it as close to its original state as possible so colours choices are pretty limited but I have a little leeway...the weather boarding was a bitch to get back on once id removed it...not looking forward to doing it all over again on the back.  The most time consuming thing is the chamfers which takes aaaages!  Lacking in funds for gold leaf the owners have to make do with imitation gold instead, which I really like anyway and looks great once its weathered a bit.  

my degree show @ Bower Ashton BRISTOL in June....see the images properly on my photography website www.lisaebertphotography.co.uk

Victorian inspirational stonework in Central London

whilst out and about round London a few months ago I took photos of many victorian motifs all based around nature which reminded me of Gypsy scrollwork and inspired me in my own work.  The more you look for it, the more there is...

Halfsize bowtop for SALE

...and its a beauty, all lovely proportions and brand new!  painted in a traditional style (not by me).

Wagons in Coventry UK. POA. Call Micheal on 07770474111

More pics of the Bradford I forgot to post...

Some pics of the Bradford that I didnt get round to posting...really glad Its finished and pretty pleased with it...second time lucky for me, funny to think its been thru so many hands and been nearly completely rebuilt since the last time I painted it over 10 years ago.  As per usual these days, I just decorated over the top of someone elses base job...In other words I didnt prepare and paint the base coats of paint.  This is before I lined out the unders with green stripes.

Handy wagon parts shop in Wolverhampton,,,check it out

http://www.gypsywagonparts.co.uk/pages/SHOP-.html

An unfinished scroll on the door that I started yesterday, need to line the scroll and around the horse as on the original now, was a bit tricky copying scrolls rather than doing my own. 

Manny Hughes pony...

A trotting pony I had to repaint for a friend, originally made and painted by sonny in southampton.

Started the shamfors on the wagon before it started raining so heavily!...then moved onto stuff I can do inside while the weather is bad, if it persists will have to chuck a tarp over the side as I did with the last wagon, could really do with a shed to be honest but beggars cant be choosers!  Painting shamfors is the bain of my life...it takes so long, much longer than lining or scrolling.  Its so comforting to be back at it though, I LOVE IT. more pics to come. 

ps. wheels are done on the other wagon and carving ready to be painted...roof still waiting to be recovered (if anyone can recommend the best linen or light canvas for this job then please do)

made a start on the famous five wagon...finally!

The Kratch or hayrack

The 'REAL' Gypsey

The Famous Five wagon...

This is my latest job, and its the Wagon from the 1970s TV series of Enid Blytons 'Famous Five' and specifically I imagine the episode 'five go off in a caravan'!  This painting now all peeling and in need of restoration was by lovely Peter Ingram, and will be repainted by ME!! 

Finally earned enough money to pay for the porch brackets and get them sent in the post!  cant wait to have to time to start on these!  Its going to have to be a bit of gold leaf I think...copies of Watts of Bridgewater brackets on the travellers Burton Wagon.  Just realised too what a bugger they are going to be to paint!!!  on with the primer!!!!! :)

London trip provides inspiration

So much of the architechture in London was of the period of the victorian Wagon, I could plainly see the inspiration for the early carved wagons.  This is a couple of shots illustrating many more that I noticed during the day.

Carvings for the Burton Wagon!

Im so excited about getting the Carvings for the Burton wagon...I sent Wayne Harkus the pics of my preferred style (Watts of Bridgewater being the nearest wagon builders to my parts I went for their simple style, plus they always used the plainer "Chertsey style axle cases like mine) and he very cleverly carved them for me in amazing time! 

Bradford cart progress...

Here are some more pics of the progress last week before the Royal Wedding when I was hard at it in the garden trying to get it finished...have literally a couple of shamfors and just the green lining to do now on the unders.  The Shamfors were cut fairly deep for a small cart so I painted them a little differently to tradition, making the line on the outside much larger to break it up a little more evenly.