
Megan Dowsett is a creative consultant working with museums and galleries, and an illustrator who is finding her voice through personal and local projects.
Through the name Norris and the Flamingo, she shares the sense of adventure that runs through all of life, wherever we are on our journey. A sense of imagination, of possibility and discovery, for children and adults alike.

6 December 2014
The Palace Where I Live

29 November 2014
Lacey Vases



22 November 2014
The (almost) Finished Rag Rug

7 November 2014
Felt Baby Shoes


31 October 2014
In Celebration of the Gothic
A complete treat of a day out, Liam, Feets and I went to see Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination at the British Library. I wasn't sure what to expect - I don't think of myself as a big fan of the macabre, but we anticipated a good cross over of our interests.
Well, it was a fabulous, rich, comprehensive exhibition that left me determined to read a sequence of books that have never previously taken my fancy, and with another new list of favourite illustrators. I will never entirely understand the singular focus on the dark and sinister, but you can't fault the imagination of writers, artists and filmmakers in the gothic tradition!
A few artists I noted ...
Leonard Baskin, illustrated some poems by Sylvia Plath. This is Death Among the Thistles
Well, it was a fabulous, rich, comprehensive exhibition that left me determined to read a sequence of books that have never previously taken my fancy, and with another new list of favourite illustrators. I will never entirely understand the singular focus on the dark and sinister, but you can't fault the imagination of writers, artists and filmmakers in the gothic tradition!
A few artists I noted ...
Leonard Baskin, illustrated some poems by Sylvia Plath. This is Death Among the Thistles
Jim Kay - I can't find the picture from the exhibition, but the weight and extremes of black and white in his illustrations is incredible.
That's all for now, but there was of course a glorious reunion with Harry Clarke, Dulac, Rackham and Aubrey Beardsley. The temptation to return to monochrome is excruciating!
28 October 2014
More Spanish Sketchbook
A few more, slightly eclectic pages, from my Spanish sketchbook...
A detail from Picasso's Guernica, at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid

A few trees (from the garden in my fantasy palace!)
The very steep hill to my house ...


A few trees (from the garden in my fantasy palace!)

24 October 2014
Sue Walton at the Knitting and Stitching Show
A little distracted by a grouchy baby, for once I didn't leave the Knitting and Stitching Show with an exploding imagination. But one artist I did come across, who had me utterly mesmerised, was Sue Walton.
The majority of her display was based around felted textiles, and I was bewitched by the fanciful, fairytale lightness of it all. And by her use of spoons. Teaspoons dressed up as fairies, little theatre sets featuring teaspoons ... her work brought together my love of beauty and imagination in total harmony.
Unfortunately I can't find images of the exact display, but these 'Fork Fairies' from her collection, 'Jabberwocky' give a pretty good flavour.
The majority of her display was based around felted textiles, and I was bewitched by the fanciful, fairytale lightness of it all. And by her use of spoons. Teaspoons dressed up as fairies, little theatre sets featuring teaspoons ... her work brought together my love of beauty and imagination in total harmony.
Unfortunately I can't find images of the exact display, but these 'Fork Fairies' from her collection, 'Jabberwocky' give a pretty good flavour.
21 October 2014
Spanish Sketchbook



17 October 2014
A Field of Flowers



14 October 2014
Sorolla
I took a little jolly north of Madrid's centre to visit the Museo Sorolla ... I should confess, I'd never heard of Joaquin Sorolla. There's nothing like visiting the home of an artist - it's different to a gallery. In honesty, there was a small collection of paintings that I loved - they filled me with nostalgia for distant family holidays by the sea, and overwhelmed me with Sorolla's love for his own family. The rest, I was a little indifferent to, but his home and garden were an exquisite island of tranquillity.
7 October 2014
Richard Hamilton with a Baby


3 September 2014
The Summer Exhibition
I seem to have been to a lot of open exhibitions this summer! Which means I come back to my blog and reel off the list of artists I've newly discovered. So when I went to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy I decided to choose just one artist that I liked.
It always interests me at the Summer Exhibition that, without fail, I can walk into a room of beautiful work, and find myself accidentally picking out the work by the most established artists. It somehow seems to justify their role as an 'established artist', that the naked eye is still drawn first to their work. Perhaps though it also admits that realistically, the majority of the work in the Summer Exhibition is by Royal Academicians...
Anyway, I was fascinated by the work of Emma Stibbon RA. Wild, deserted, tundra covered landscapes, all in stark but textured black and white. They remind me of some of the more textured collographs I've seen, and of my dreams to travel to the most remote places of the earth.
And so I'm curious to explore her medium - which varies, but for most of the works in the exhibition, seemed to be Polychrome print. Whether this is how she did or not, I have yet to find out, but I'm curious to try the idea of painting a textured material onto the printing plate and using that to create the print. Watch this space ...
It always interests me at the Summer Exhibition that, without fail, I can walk into a room of beautiful work, and find myself accidentally picking out the work by the most established artists. It somehow seems to justify their role as an 'established artist', that the naked eye is still drawn first to their work. Perhaps though it also admits that realistically, the majority of the work in the Summer Exhibition is by Royal Academicians...
Anyway, I was fascinated by the work of Emma Stibbon RA. Wild, deserted, tundra covered landscapes, all in stark but textured black and white. They remind me of some of the more textured collographs I've seen, and of my dreams to travel to the most remote places of the earth.
And so I'm curious to explore her medium - which varies, but for most of the works in the exhibition, seemed to be Polychrome print. Whether this is how she did or not, I have yet to find out, but I'm curious to try the idea of painting a textured material onto the printing plate and using that to create the print. Watch this space ...
27 August 2014
Another Bit of Silliness


20 August 2014
Urban Art Fair
I stumbled across the Urban Art Fair a couple of years ago, completely by accident, when I was gobsmacked to discover a quality art fair on a quiet residential street just around the corner from my house! So of course I took the baby and made my way back there this year. It's a little late, but these were my highlights ...
Lucy Storrs - As someone who dabbles in feltmaking, I could spend multiple blog entries displaying the beauty of this work. I have NEVER seen felt used in such a fine, delicate, painterly manor. I've been inspired by feltmaking many a time, and I'm not even sure that this is the approach I would take, but I could spend all day looking at this work, how each fibre seems to have been laid individually, to complete the perfect painting ...
Harriet Riddell - Appealed enormously to my participative, community art mind, though she was 'doing' the art herself. She sat in a tent and drew portraits of the punters on her sewing machine. I think it resonated too thanks to the 'single line' nature of the drawing. I shall have to improve my machine embroidery skills!
Staffan Gnosspelius - Is a fantastic, inspiring, mesmerising illustrator, who took part in our residency project I Digress a few years ago. I'm just appealed by the quality and beauty of his work. Though this observation reminds me of my entry on beautiful books for children ...
Julia McKenzie - Beautiful work drawing in all my favourite themes - maps, nature, papercuts, birds...
Tessa Horrocks - I remembered these prints from my previous visit, so something about them must have stuck in my mind across the months. I love their elegance, simplicity, and the bridging of the gap between abstract and figurative, as always ...
Lucy Storrs - As someone who dabbles in feltmaking, I could spend multiple blog entries displaying the beauty of this work. I have NEVER seen felt used in such a fine, delicate, painterly manor. I've been inspired by feltmaking many a time, and I'm not even sure that this is the approach I would take, but I could spend all day looking at this work, how each fibre seems to have been laid individually, to complete the perfect painting ...
Harriet Riddell - Appealed enormously to my participative, community art mind, though she was 'doing' the art herself. She sat in a tent and drew portraits of the punters on her sewing machine. I think it resonated too thanks to the 'single line' nature of the drawing. I shall have to improve my machine embroidery skills!
Staffan Gnosspelius - Is a fantastic, inspiring, mesmerising illustrator, who took part in our residency project I Digress a few years ago. I'm just appealed by the quality and beauty of his work. Though this observation reminds me of my entry on beautiful books for children ...
Julia McKenzie - Beautiful work drawing in all my favourite themes - maps, nature, papercuts, birds...
Tessa Horrocks - I remembered these prints from my previous visit, so something about them must have stuck in my mind across the months. I love their elegance, simplicity, and the bridging of the gap between abstract and figurative, as always ...
13 August 2014
Collage Friday Returns

6 August 2014
Artist Discoveries
A recent holiday in Porlock, Somerset, and I took a relaxed moment to explore the lovely Churchgate Gallery. These were my favourite discoveries ...
Flora McLachlan - a printer and illustrator with an exquisite array of fanciful woodland prints. The majority of her work are etchings, but my love of collograph was brought back in full force by her collage prints. I shall have to get cutting and sticking again!
Peggy Lock - I was blown away by a series of screenprints and woodcuts taken from still lifes of blue china. What a brilliant, and beautiful idea! I love the sense of collage, and the need to slowly piece together this picture of so many layers.
Sue Onley - On a completely different note, the deep, rich colours of Sue Onley's paintings reminded me a little bit of the early, figurative works of Kandinsky, which are among my favourite paintings in history. No surprises then, that I liked these. They give such a wonderful glow of the countryside around where we were staying.
Flora McLachlan - a printer and illustrator with an exquisite array of fanciful woodland prints. The majority of her work are etchings, but my love of collograph was brought back in full force by her collage prints. I shall have to get cutting and sticking again!
Peggy Lock - I was blown away by a series of screenprints and woodcuts taken from still lifes of blue china. What a brilliant, and beautiful idea! I love the sense of collage, and the need to slowly piece together this picture of so many layers.
Sue Onley - On a completely different note, the deep, rich colours of Sue Onley's paintings reminded me a little bit of the early, figurative works of Kandinsky, which are among my favourite paintings in history. No surprises then, that I liked these. They give such a wonderful glow of the countryside around where we were staying.
30 July 2014
Coat to Bag
23 July 2014
Dinosaur Raah!



I always find Michelle's work refreshing, and her approach to everyday materials inspires my own. This exhibition is certainly another feast, I think my favourite part being what she managed to do with rubber gloves!
16 July 2014
12 July 2014
New Georgians at Orleans House Gallery


9 July 2014
A Dress for Feets

2 July 2014
Another Mobile

25 June 2014
The Art of Milk Bottle Tops


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