Monday 20 February. Glorious sunshine. The mountains are back again looking majestic like a bride in white. The mountains are like the changing seas, are always different. Sometimes they even go on holiday and are not seen for days then return renewing ones awe and appreciation all over again. I bought the materials to lay in the floor of the studio, work starts tomorrow. The restorative power of manual labour is wonderful for clearing the mind and resetting it.
Sunday 19 February. A day of doubt but only a mild ?Black Dog? of a day. One of the worst feelings for an artists is doubting your own work, doubting its quality and fearing ones entire creative life if pointless, ones work is valueless and in turn ones life is valueless. The feeling of giving up is quite crushing but of course one is not going to give up a creative passion is too strong.
All artists should be on a mental disability allowance from the government because being an artist is a mental affliction which has been proved by scientists. I have suffered most of my life . On the whole I am not interested in being cured but a kind of pain management would be good.
My latest creative venture is the setting up of an artists retreat in France. It is a work in progress. The year has started off with unseasonally bloody cold weather reaching -11 at one point. A pipe managed to burst to add to the unpleasantness. Thankfully cold weather does not last long in south West France and is only prolonged by the proximity of the Pyranees mountains. It is milder now and I am getting more work done to my studio which I am converting from the old pigsty and hen house. It will hopefully be my permanent studio.
I love being in Sariac, Sariac-Magnoac to give the village its full name. I feel at peace here and content. It is a great place to work. I want to share this with other artists. Which is why it is to become an artists retreat.
This blog is about the development of this project and how my artwork also develops as a result and interactions with artists
