A Winter Colour Palette

We haven't had any snow yet, here in Abergavenny.

But we've had some very cold days, brightened by lovely blue skies and a heavy dusting of frost that sparkled in the winter sunshine.

Unfortunately, I haven't been too well over Christmas so I haven't been out and about with my camera. But here's a wintry scene for a cool and sophisticated colour palette -

It's a photo I took of the lake in Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells, on an ice-cold December afternoon, before the days of the digital camera! And in spite of the freezing temperature, the hint of pink in the reflections of the setting sun, as well as the sun-shiny blue of the sky, give the touch of warmth needed to use this as a colour scheme for all sorts of design projects, even for home decor.

Here are some patterns I've created using this scheme - 

Dunorlan Park Quirky Polkas

Dunorlan Park Chevrons

Dunorlan Park Stripes

I think they have a distinctly Mid-Century feel and they are high-resolution .png files (20" x 20", 300 dpi). 

So please feel free to download them if you have a use for them - enjoy!

Autumn Trends in Abergavenny -

Time for an update on Abergavenny and how this small town in Monmouthshire is keeping up with the latest fashion trends.

Fortunately, in our modern culture, owls are not the symbol of doom that they were in the past and still are elsewhere. If they were, a shopping trip in Abergavenny would be very depressing indeed - owls seem to be taking up residence everywhere!

But the owls that are filling the shelves of our local stores and our window displays are decidedly friendly-looking, cute creatures - most of them not even looking particularly 'wise'!

And owls are also not the only woodland creatures to be popular this autumn - it wasn't always possible to photograph some of the lovely little animals - including squirrels and hedgehogs - that I spotted. But here are a few that were accessible to my camera -

My personal favourites are the Toadstools and I love them so much that I'm working on a new toadstool pattern when I get time.

I suppose it's a natural progression from the forests of the Northern climes to the unmistakable Scandinavian style of Christmas. 

And there's plenty of that in evidence in the Abergavenny shops, as well as the year-long trends, Black and White, Emerald Green and Chevrons, sometimes all three combined!

Strangely, though, I didn't notice these colours carried over to the High Street dress shops, though the styles were in evidence in Fair Isle jumpers, Chevron pattern knitteds and the ever-popular black and white. 

But the overriding colours are vibrant pinks and magentas continuing along the purple spectrum, right down to a really deep, dark aubergine:

This beautifully nostalgic lavender lace particularly caught my eye!

What will 2015 bring to tempt us to throw out the old and rush out to buy the new?

That remains to be seen. But this year's look at the way Abergavenny shopkeepers have responded to global fashion trends encourages me to believe that, small though the town may be, 'out in the sticks' doesn't mean we have to be 'out of fashion'!

September Fashion Trends in Abergavenny

Summer has well and truly given way to Autumn now and it'll soon be time to pack away the flip-flops and summer clothes.

But even while we were still enjoying the summer weather to the full, Mother Nature was warning us that all good things have to come to an end, even the best summer we've had for a few years. 

Would you believe I actually took these photos of a hedgerow just outside town at the beginning of August!

I couldn't bring myself to make the patterns from their colour palettes, though, until the weather felt a lot more autumnal . . .

Both colour palettes are authentically 'autumn' and yet what a contrast between the 'vibrantly flaming' and the more 'mellow, fruitful' face of the season. 

And then, on my way to a dental check-up last week, I passed a shop, rather on the edge of the main shopping centre, that specialises in outfits for the Mother of the Bride and Guests. 

The window display was certainly eye-catching! And even without my love of '70s psychedelic colours schemes and 'flower power', I'd have found it hard not to stop and take some photos.

I'm afraid the photos don't do justice to the brilliance of the colour palette. But maybe you can see why it stopped me in my tracks when I remind you of one of my recent posts?

So while the time may have come to put away our summer dresses and bring out some warmer clothes, it's looking as if, this year at least, we don't have to say goodbye to gloriously colourful clothes and accessories. 

And that's great as far as I'm concerned - how about you?

Chevrons Everywhere . . .

. . . and here are some on

Mugs, Mousepads and More!

Chevron Neckties

 

Trendy Necktie, Emerald and Blue Geometric Pattern by helikettle
   

(OK, so these are slightly 'decorated' chevrons!)

Spring 2013 - What's Trending Where You Live?

One thing I learnt as a result of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design course is to keep my eyes open and my camera at the ready, even when I go shopping!

I live in Abergavenny, a small market town in South-east Wales, not far from the border with England. Abergavenny is known for its 'Markets, Mountains and More . . .' and if I walk into town on a Wednesday morning, I hear the sounds of sheep and cattle from the livestock market on my way. And from the park I cross on my way to the shops, I can see Sugarloaf, Skirrid and the Blorenge, the three mountains surrounding the town.

Not exactly the kind of place you would expect to find high fashion in the shops. But in fact, Abergavenny has far more shops than you might expect in a town of fewer than 15,000 inhabitants. And there's a good variety, ranging from quite a classy little department store and independent boutiques to small branches of most of the national chains.

I've been too busy to venture outside of Abergavenny for a while so I don't know how its shops compare with other places, but my impression is that most of the shopkeepers have at least some awareness of what is currently trending.

So here are some Trend Boards I've made from photos I took in town this week and you can decide whether or not Abergavenny's style is up-to-the-minute or lagging sadly behind!

My first impression was that there was 'Nautical' or 'Coastal' everywhere. There is certainly a lot of denim, canvas shoes, boater shoes, more denim, blue and white, even more denim - and 'deckchair' and 'matelot' stripes. But I also found some butterflies - on mens' clothing, unfortunately too small to show up here.

There are also a lot of 'Conversational Prints', which anyone who read Part One of Repeating Patterns for Painters, will know are patterns with everyday objects as motifs. Today I saw sailing boats, bicycles and paper aeroplanes on men's clothing! And I was pleased to find mini-prints that could have been Laura Ashley's in the Sixties and Seventies.

There is almost as much 'Tribal' - mostly in black and white and again, lots of stripes.

These were the shop windows that initially caught my eye. Not all of the green is Pantone's Tender Shoots Green and I think the yellow may be more influenced by Wales' national symbol, the daffodil, than by Pantone's Lemon Zest. But it all looks lovely and spring-like. There are bright green trousers for men and even the charity shop's window sported various shades of green, teamed with check shirts.

I finally spotted some Tangerine Tango in Abergavenny - better late than never! It was almost always teamed  with bright pink, one of my own favourite colour combinations.

Reds ranged from Pantone's Poppy Red in the department store window, through rusts and Burgundy to Aubergine. And there are still plenty of large florals, polka dots and lace.

Turquoise abounds in Abergavenny, often in combination with pink and white - checks, polkas, florals, and some with a definitely 'oriental' feel about them! If the green and yellow feel springlike and the orange and pink combination reminds us of roasting high temperature, this turquoise, pink and blue palette is somewhere in between.

In fact, I've got my eye on that check shirt - it's just the sort of thing that I'd be likely to wear a lot when the weather gets warmer. But after last year's wash-out of a summer, I feel it would be tempting fate to buy something so summery while it's still snowing outside!

So what's your verdict?

Are Abergavenny shops keeping up-to-date?

And what's on offer where you shop?

.