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Well… it has taken me a while but I think I’ve got a bit more of a grip on things!

I spent yesterday in the studio, heater on, lights on all day, scarf and studio cardi wrapped round me, clearing the decks and gathering together the work I am considering for the exhibition on the ground floor at RBSA that’s booked in from 25th February to April 5th. A good long run, where all visitors to the gallery will see it so it has to feel right. The problem in my head is that most of the work has to be for sale for this, as it is effectively in the shop. I have some large paper drawings, and some large drawings on fabric, that I’m not quite sure how I want to hang them at the moment. I also have some smaller, twiggy works, that will have more “sellable” price tickets on. But I have no illusions. My work doesn’t sell that well usually, and although selling is never my main motivator, it would be nice to come out of it with a few extra pounds in my pocket. However I don’t want to make work just to sell, because they probably won’t and then I’m stuck with stuff I don’t want and haven’t got room to store.

I know I have about a month before the hang for this exhibition, but I have other things I want to be concentrating on. I have signed up to do an online course with Camilla Nelson called Towards an Experimental Ecology of Line

https://www.singingapplepress.com/workshops

And I do want to concentrate on that as I am hoping it will prompt and enable me to untangle some of the complications in my practice, and shine a light on hitherto* unseen connections.

Every now and then I feel the need to sit on a metaphorical rock and view how far I’ve come, before deciding where to go next.

*I typed it and it made me laugh, so I left it in. I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “hitherto” before!

It’s been a while since my last post, primarily because of the Christmas holiday. This seems ridiculous but I think I lost a month or maybe a bit more due to that, and a variety of family events and circumstances. Which is fine, of course, but it does then take me another couple of weeks to get into the swing of things, and I don’t think I’m there yet.

I do need to have a sort out in the studio before I start working in earnest though, as all I’ve done is pick up stuff and dump stuff. The floor and the table need clearing before I can start working on anything. My main focus has to be my exhibition at RBSA. I want this to be an exhibition of current work, but also of work that can be sold, that will hang together as a coherent body. If I concentrate on sticks and stones there’s plenty to choose from. I will probably end up taking everything and seeing what works in the space.

I’m currently hampered by suffering a stinking cold, and could quite frankly do without it. It has sapped all my energy. So much so I have had to cancel a band rehearsal today. I love rehearsal time. And we have an in-store gig at HMV coming up soon. This will be a set of about an hour, so I definitely need the practice!

Like many people, I don’t do well in the dark wintery months. I know of quite a few people struggling to drag themselves into the light. As I get older it seems like a tougher task every year. Especially as over the last year my mobility has got rapidly worse. A knee replacement is on the close horizon for spring, so I am hoping for a speedy recovery so I can cope with rest of the year. It’s all a bit unknown and a bit scary…

But anyway… today I just have to think about today… I need to keep warm, rest, and drink plenty of water…