Well now.
Christmas table laid and presents wrapped and feeling quiet smug. Kids returning on planes and trains tomorrow night and I can’t wait.
I love Christmas and our very old beamed house lends itself to it. Deep red and green and gold – it glows in the firelight.
Every so often I come back from somewhere spartan and cutting edge and wonder to myself about dressing the whole place in cold twinkling silver, but somehow I know it wouldn’t work.
Today I went to talk about an open submissions exhibition we are organising for Sevenoaks Arts Forum -a group of 50 professional Kent artists that I facilitate. One of the Kent arts officers will be choosing the work for us and the hang will be co- curated with SVAF. We are aiming for a spare, curated, professional show – we have great talent – so why do I feel responsible for the content being good enough?
I visited my collection plate en route. Interestingly all the money has been left and it’s the items that have been swopped. The plate now boasts a plaster, glasses lens, bus ticket, rubber and a dried flower. The blue baby mitten has gone.
Interesting. Has the fact that it is called ‘Collection Plate’ made people feel that the money was sacrosanct and not to be taken?
It still has a week to go and it will be fascinating to see when I go to photograph it at the end if all the coins still remain.
I am embarrassed to tell myself that since returning from Burma I have managed to do next to nothing towards any of the show commitments I have for next year..
My elderly mother has been in hospital and that plus Christmas preparations seems to have sapped all my creative energy.
Nothing there…..quite unlike me. A bit scary.Odd.
I have made myself a lovely drawing space in the new room – with good light and loads of table top space to stretch out on..I am nesting quite happily in it using the computer. From where I sit I can now see the sky, a garden and birds and squirrels. Quite wonderful after my big studio without windows.
I seem to have that December feeling that you get about weight or exercise; I’ll just wait until after Christmas and then I will begin to draw again……….
Ros Barker and I have started the second phase of the Farningham Hobby Horse Project. We have had stands made for all 120 of them and are now seeking inside venues between now and next June.
The project has been invited to show in a local gallery for one week in March. A great chance to hold a private view for the village, and to reconnect the horses and their makers. We are intending to photograph both together as a historical Kent document.
What else I have done since returning:
Arranged the room into a drawing studio. ………………… Sorted my paints and given away a load of textiles and threads to another artist…………………… Organised the Art Forum that I run and held a speaker meeting and an annual wash up meeting. ……….. Started talks with another artist in my block to swop my large studio for her smaller one……………….
Somehow now I write it all down it seems that I have achieved more than I thought. Just not the drawaing.
Hey ho……….
