I would love to have been a writer. Unfortunately words don't come easily to me so I tell my stories visually (and even then they can let me down!). I have always loved the Hitchcock movies, wonderfully written and stunning to look at, not many filmmakers knew how to make black and white look so good. A tenuous link to this weeks Illustration Friday theme of tales and legends but I'm abusing my right to artistic license ;D
One of the drawbacks of being a professional artist (and I use that term loosely) is to have to explain who you are and why you do what you do. Not something I am especially good at because it doesn't matter to me if people know why I produce a particular piece - I would much rather they experience it from their own place in the world, to find their own message.
But explain I must, as difficult as that is, so not much time for being arty or crafty. Must get this done first!
Hmmm well this was a little experimental and didn't end up the way I originally intended but sometimes paintings just go their own way. It's a little frustrating when you know exactly what you want to do but your hands, or brain or something just doesn't seem to know how to achieve it.
This gap in my head has held me back for years and I suspect I know what I have to do to fix it...been here before, just got to knuckle down and do it!
Here is one of the canvases from the pile shown in the last post, or rather a part of it. I've gone over the original with delicate layers of paint and image transfers which will hopefully build into something a lot more interesting than how it was before. It's not so much that the original painting was awful, more like it was unfinished somehow. One of those ones you look at and cringe at because you know full well something's not right.
Yesterday I came back with my application form for Cambridge Open Studios so assuming I get it completed in time I should be participating on my own this year - scary thought - but I also brought back a pile of prints and paintings that have been lurking in the gallery, some of them 4 years old! Funny how you see things when you haven't seen them for a while, a lot of them will be painted over. I am really excited about this year, my colours have come back and I have lots of ideas brewing. I've said this before but there is change in the air, it was a bit of a whirlwind last year but this time it feels more settled and flowing in one direction!
Shelves have gone up in my room too so the clutter is one step closer to being contained, there might even be room for my sewing machine which still hasn't made it out of the box - oops!
Been busy giving my websites a bit of a spring clean and a rebuild ready for this year, got a few ideas floating round my head for a few changes here and there but I'm keeping that to myself for the mo! So forgive any weird little goings on and layout changes as I sort things out, normal service will resume shortly ;0)
Busy preparing for valentines day, making the cards, preparing my websites, generally getting organised!
So before you think this has turned into a craft blog, here's my latest painting. Yes it's been a while but with so much upheaval last year I just lost any will to pick up a brush. Knitting and crafting became almost like therapy, its easy to pick up and put down and requires no emotional involvement whatsoever. But now, 2008, we have moved house and settled in and ready to face the new year and all it's challenges. I haven't set any new year resolutions as such except for one. Focus. If I don't achieve anything else this year I want to look back and say I gave it my all. 100 %.
rather pleased with this one, the client in question wanted her favourite fabriano paper for the pages and chose this stunning dragonfly fabric for the covers. Think I might have to make another one for myself :D
I love this bit, when the pages are folded and the covers ready to be glued and stitched and it starts to feel like a book. Immensely satisfying.
I've had 2 days of printing and cutting and sewing and sticking for recent orders, none of which look particularly interesting so here are a couple of new knitting projects I've started instead. Knitting has become my new addiction (it used to be biscuits) and I'm in the honeymoon stage of buying wool and needing to start knitting with it immediately, regardless of what else I have going on. It's a good job I have lots of duplicate needles or I would be unpicking old projects to start new ones!
The difference is this time I have every desire to finish these; last year I was starting things which I fell out of love with fairly soon after starting them and they are still in a box somewhere. I might dig them out when these are done, we'll see :D
There we are, one tidy office. Trouble is it might not stay that way now the kids can get in - look at who I found taking down my photos to steal the blue tac. Hmpf.
One of my 'things to be achieved' this year is to keep up with all the groups I joined last year, or to put it another way 'to finish what I started'. Not least is the crafting365 flickr group from the lovely Lupin. I've decided to start afresh for this year (mainly because it's just easier to keep track of the days) so here is a couple of pics of the blanket my son has been after for yonks - if he's lucky he might get it by the time he's old enough to not care any more. Maybe I should start my own group called 'a square a day' if someone hasn't done it already. 12 done and counting :D
Well believe it or not this is my tidy office. Ahem, well nearly tidy. Was supposed to have been finished New Year's Eve but as you can see I didn't quite make it. I've tried very hard not to do the New Years resolutions thing as they are always things to fail at and I can't keep doing that. So my list for this year is things I am going to achieve instead of things I want to achieve but probably won't. So today I am going to finish tidying my room so that tomorrow I can sit down and start to accomplish everything else. How's that for positivity!
It's been 2 weeks of bliss. No work, no computers, no emails, no guilt, just time with the children and the tv and knitting and walks in the wood and me. The last 12 months have been taken up moving house and rebuilding my business and 2008 is a year to look forward to....
hope you all have a happy and prosperous new year!
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