Review/Preview…
Before I do these end of year things, I go back through my diary to remind myself what I have done. But it is not just the list that is useful, but whether things worked out, how I felt about them, and how my life impacted my work and vice versa.
The year began with a few scary health issues, which thankfully turned out ok, so a sigh of relief and a sign to get on with things, but these things do impact on your train of thought and the amount of brain space you have for other things.
Some things throughout the year were planned, worked on, but fizzled out, despite our enthusiasm, due to other people’s lack of same! There were also a fair few rejections that cost me a fair few pounds… Ah well…
There were some exciting radio plays for the band early in the year, on BBC Introducing. This gave us a real boost! Recording is expensive though, so as soon as we ran out of the decent recordings, the radio play also ran out. A lesson perhaps… although not sure what!
The trip to the USA was planned, I raised a bit of cash at my open studio to give me some pocket money while I was there, so that was great. It was stressful sending the work out to the gallery… but eventually all was well, despite one large parcel being sent to Jamestown N Carolina rather than Jamestown New York! I travelled over mid March for ten days of the six week exhibition. The journey mostly uneventful other than a slight delay on the last leg from JFK to Buffalo. I took advantage of booking assisted travel and I would do so again without hesitation. I arrived at my destination with my knees intact and no extreme exhaustion or stress. While there, with a gallery dedicated to a 15 year retrospective of my work, my mind was blown really. I did talks to students and fellow artists, workshops, had a wonderful reception evening at which I did a talk and also performed – the gallery director Colin played guitar for me for three songs and it was really great fun to give a live taste of the musical side of my work among the visuals. Then I did a few touristy things too, in the snow around the lakes. And the bit that stopped me feeling like I was thousands of miles from home was the warm welcome from Debra and her family who put me up and put up with me, and those days we just hung out together and talked.
I think the success of the year (it does feel successful) is measured by the occasions where I felt like an artist, was greeted and treated as an artist. When I got myself and my work back from the US (no hitches on the return journey) I had a solo exhibition to plan at the RBSA. (Five, Six, Pick up Sticks) I was really pleased with how this was received. I was happy with the hang, especially as it was quite a task to get it done!
Both of these events afforded me the opportunities to talk about my work, to review things for myself – especially through having had a retrospective and a solo show within a three month period. The reverberations are still being felt. At this end of the year, I now have to pinch myself to remind myself it all really happened!
Over the summer I did another project with Bill Laybourne and Helen Garbett for Workshop 24. This was called Radio Public Library and gave me the focus of activity, a place to consolidate and consider, in good company. I love working with those two, and they give my practice an outward look that I don’t think I could manage on my own very well. That is their strength, not mine I don’t think.
A big thing to happen for me personally was the birth of my first grandchild. This is obviously a huge personal change, but I have also found as the year has gone on, that this extra layer of family has effected how I think about the themes of my art practice. And that seems like a very significant change… more on that later I’m sure.
After interviewing and being part of the process of appointing the Graduate Artists for RBSA, I now find myself as a mentor and guide for them in the society. This is a role I am really enjoying. Throughout the year in addition to this role I have been able to do other mentoring sessions and have enjoyed them all. I have more of this to come in 2024, and I look forward to it greatly. I don’t want it to become a huge part of my life, my own practice is the most important, but I enjoy helping others to see the shape of their own practice, and that conversation always helps me refocus on my own too. If this grows slowly and gently I will be content.
Late summer and autumn I find myself developing new songs with Andy and Ian, but we don’t have many gigs booked, so it is quite nice to concentrate on the development of this new material. We have ambitions to get out into the world in the early 2024.
I’ve led a few workshops this year, small, but interesting. I’ve done a couple of Stolen Text workshops, have started a Sewing Circle (you can search for these on Eventbrite if you are interested) I’ve decided small but interesting is a better way for me. I can’t cope with the stresses of big commercial commitments, so a few people sat round my studio table works fine for me.
I also took part in a workshop with Helen G, making ink from natural materials. We both want to do more of this, so I look forward to doing more in the new year, and for those inks to make their way into my drawings. Helen has been a useful critical ally this year too. She has helped me take all the words out of my head, onto paper, and guided me into condensing them all into a single, fairly simple question that I am hoping will focus my thinking for a while.
Another big (ish) personal issue is the releasing of a small pension. This will give me a small increase in monthly income, but also a fund to use for Art Travel. The big thing will be a trip to see Stuart in Sweden in the early summer, with a view to us putting together a joint show. I also plan a trip to London again, and possibly Liverpool. Having stashed away a lump sum, and given it a title makes a huge difference. I have given myself permission to undertake these creative adventures, as a professional necessity. About three weeks ago, I decided it would be nice, if going to Sweden, to learn a few crucial phrases in Swedish, to greet the people I meet when I go. I signed up online to Duolingo, and suddenly I am obsessed with learning Swedish!
In the studio, I am undertaking large scale observational drawings, with a view to feeding and growing the abstract from these roots. Roots and rootlessness being the focus of my thoughts at the moment. The work that is produced will be the body I select from for my Candidates exhibition in April 2024 to become a full member of the RBSA.
When I look back on 2023, I see some amazing happenings, and I have a notebook full of things to take forward from that into 2024. This is what makes me happy. Things happen, I talk to people, I show my work, I talk to some more… things change… and then I have a collection of things in my diary to take me further on. As long as I can keep doing this I shall be very happy.
