Our guest blogger and Yellow House artist Laura McKendry writes her latest blog post from the autumnal surroundings of her London studio. After six months in the Spanish town of Cadiz, it's a striking contrast of climate and seasonal nostalgia. With a new commission to design a book jacket for Profile Books and a bespoke collection for one of the UK's favourite retailers, based on British Nature, to be announced in 2016 - it is an exciting time for Laura and all of us at Yellow House...
London’s harvest by Laura McKendry
It’s Autumn and we’re back, running at London’s pace.
Dark mornings we kitchen dance between kettle, sink, cupboard, toaster, and back. Wrestle small children into clothes whilst they chew on flattened toothbrush heads. Hurry out the door. We retrace route along broken London pavements, skirting round allotments, down littered alleys, buggy trundling, endless observations. ‘Look! That tyre’s popped?’ ‘Aeroplane!’ ‘That car’s on blocks’. Absent-minded kiss goodbye whilst he busily swirls PVA glue on sugarpaper, then I leave and the world feels surreally silent.
Slowly meander home, making mental adjustment from toddler monologue to internal to-do list. Kick off boots, flip kettle switch, layer extra socks and fire-up boiler.
Radiators gurgle their post-summer warm-up chant. Hands hug mug of tea. Gaze out of first floor window at terrace variations, city garden rows, cat balancing fence-top, birds swooping grey sky.
It’s been a very British autumn, noticeably after Spain’s intense heat. Blackberry picking makes for drawings with burst berries. Conkers polished by velvet linings shine in leafy windfall. Rose hips, scrunchy leaves, browning skyline. Hedgerow harvest gathered on London streets. Where dogs straining leads walked hot Cádiz streets, now they shoot across green city parks, walkers anorak-wrapped, hands deep in pockets, leads draped around coat neck. Urban freedom.
Pen drips ink to new designs; half pans of watercolour moist with jam-jar water. Brushes soak on kitchen roll sheets. Beautiful beagles, cockers, great danes, bounding, making their mark.
Garden birds gather through brush strokes, stick scratches. Much-missed BBC radio for company. A tea rings stains scrap paper. A palette of umbers, sepias, ochres emerge from summer hiding.
With thanks to Laura for these autumnal musings and if you have enjoyed this post, do follow Laura McKendry on her personal blog 'Bird & Beast'
Image credit for photographs taken in Laura's studio (c) Adrienne Pitts
