VictoriaJ

IMPORTANT

I have had 3 or 4 weeks where I have been struggling a bit. First overwork, then sickness and overwork, and finally taking some time off sick. I was at first very proud of myself because I was doing so well working so hard, and meeting all my commitments including at swapbot. Unfortunately now I am recovering I have found that while I was doing a lot I wasn't doing it very well. I even managed to send a letter to myself, instead of the recipient (with international postage!). I'm currently hard at work redoing things at work.I'll happily do the same here. If anything hasn't been received I'll happily resend, as it's likely to be my error. I'm also trying to catch up on ratings and hope to have done this by this weekend. I will rate every swap I receive. I'm not joining new swaps at the moment, but hope to be doing so again in a couple of weeks when I've checked and resent anything not received.

ABOUT ME

I live in London, UK. I love my city, and getting out and about to visit anywhere by the sea.

I'm fascinated by different places but have no opportunity to travel at the moment so one of the things I like best about the internet is getting to talk to people all over the world, and meet people I would never have crossed paths with in everyday life.

I spend too much of my time working.

When I have some free time I like to get creative. I enjoy creative writing, as well as many kinds of art. Lots more details of my art and craft interests futher down the page.

I am a VERY big sister. I have a half sister who is 9 (23 years younger than me). She's my favourite person in the world, and I particularly enjoy trying out crafts with her.

I struggle to motivate myself to get creative so I'm hoping that by joining artist swaps I will get some extra encouragement and inspiration. I'm very excited about the idea of trying art projects I wouldn't have thought of, and working on the same themes as complete strangers. I love to see other people's work.

I'm also interested in getting to know new people, and places. So I would be interested in swapping letters, or local items from different places.

I'm much more interested in new artistic challenges and sharing with new people than, well, stuff. The only items I'm really looking for are ghost books (see My collections).

I love paper.

I hoard nice paper and ink. Over 50 bottles of different ink, notebooks, loose paper.

Plain paper is irrisistable - all that space to fill with art or words.

Coloured paper, printed paper, wrapping paper... all wonderful.

Books are best of all.

Anything that makes me a cool big sister.

Cats. I am under the paw of my cat Pan.

Stories.

Eclectic.

I enjoy bold and colourful art, and art with strong symbolism. I like Mexican folk art , Indian folk art and traditional paintings, ancient Egyptian art, and some tribal art from around the world(North and South American, African, Australian, etc.). I like the more traditional tarot card decks, some examples of freemason art, illuminated manuscripts, etc. Also art and illustrations based on fairy tales.

I am happy to have art illustrating different religions and beliefs as I do not find that not sharing the belief spoils my enjoyment of the art.

I like funfair art. Carousel horses and ghost train skeletons.

I like traditional Japanese woodcuts. I particularly love the intense blue colour used.

I like black and white pen and ink drawings. I love the weird world created by Edward Gorey (who drew the picture used as my avatar).

I enjoy children's books. I like the illustrations of Jane Ray, Axel Shaefer who illustrated some of my sister's favourite books, Maurice Sendak, Quentin Blake...

I enjoy good cartoon and comic art.

I like lots of other artists and types of art. I always believe the absolute best art (book, film, etc.) is something brand new you love. Helping me find new art to love would be hugely appreciated.

I am easily distracted by bright and shiny things.

I aspire to one day having a room like the wizard Howl in the Miyazaki animation Howl's Moving Castle. (The background of his bedroom).

I like many death-related items. Day of the dead, egyptian grave art, cemetries etc. I don't think such art has to be gloomy, though I like it even when it is.

My favourite colour is purple, I also like strong reds and blues, and bright pink.. However in art any colour that is right for the piece is good.

.I like to experiment, and have a bad tendancy to collect different art equipment.

I like paper crafts. Drawing in ink, and painting. Cut paper and pop ups. Paper sculptures.

I'm increasingly interested in hand made books. I'm interested in all types of printing, including lino cuts and screen prints, and more recently hand crafted rubber stamps. I'm thinking that this may be the perfect art form for me as it allows me to combine visuual art with creative writing and wrap it up in my obsession with paper.

I like using recycled materials including making papier mache sculptures etc. Also painting and decorating second hand items and furniture.

I like craft which includes some practical work. Pure "art" stiill intimidates me, so I feel more comfortable painting on a book I constructed than a canvas.

I am hoping to develop more practical craft skills, and am also interested in incorporating modern materials in my craft. I'm saving up for some heat reactive paint, and some electrical components for craft projects.

I can make leaded glass panels, but don't currently have the money to take this further. I'd also really like to get back to making jewellery. I particularly dream of being able to try casting with silver.

I do some work with polymer clay.

I enjoy photography - though as soon as I get behind a camera I have a one track mind. Portals, portals, portals. Doorways in cemetries are my favourite.

I can't sew (though I'd like to learn), so I tend to avoid the fabric crafts. It's on my list of skills to acquire but after woodwork, metal work, and further experiments with glass.

My artistic experimentation is limited at the moment as I am temporarily staying with a family member. A bit of paint is OK, but taking over the house with attempts at sculpture would not make me popular.

Minimalism.

Spiders. I am arachnophobic. I don't mind small or cartoony illustrations of spiders (particularly given my love of horror themes) but a realistic illustration would make my flesh crawl.

I'm a vegetarian and I try to avoid leather, fur etc. and would not like to receive anything with such materials

Libraries. Museums full of interesting things (my favourites are the British Museum and the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford).

Places by water. I love the seaside - both quiet natural seaside and funfairs on piers. Places by rivers.

I love the botanical garden at Kew.

I collect local ghost books. I particularly like the more amateur or locally published collections. I'm always happy to trade for a new ghost book - and feel free to contact me to suggest a private swap. I'd also like any more ephemeral items related to ghosts - leaflets for ghost walks etc., items from local papers. Also any personally written stories - local legends or your own experiences.

I have a small collection of bats to cheer up my desk at work. All very small items, currently including a lego bat, a glass bat and some paper ones.

I love robots, particularly somewhat "old fashioned" ones, I like to buy tin toys, but robot illustrations. postcards etc. will normally make me smile.

Otherwise I just collect things as I go through life, particularly art equipment and books.

I'm an agnostic who loves religious art and ghost stories.

I love bold colours and black and white.

I love hand made crafts and everything high tech.

I love visions of the future from the past.

I love the cheerful treatment of death in Day of the Dead items.

I love the Walt Whitman Quote - "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."

We are all complicated and I don't think we should apologise for our contradictions.