One thing after another! Just back from Florence; Delivered my first Art workshop; made a mad dash to Bury st. Edmunds to deliver 3 paintings for the Suffolk Open Studios exhibition; Welsh Residency; first week of term for my Thursday class then a quick repack for the residency in Cyprus. In between I tried to do some work in response to the residency in Maelor Studio, Corris, Wales.
Did this painting very quickly while still in Wales. It seemed to work better than a subsequent effort back home. See below
I always overwork things!!! Much better to stop while you’re ahead. Drifting back into my figurative comfort zone! So hard to realise when you are ahead.
Well having just about drawn breath, I now need to relax, go to Cyprus (tomorrow morning) and reflect on my next move. Was disappointed with the low turnout to my first workshop.
Although it seemed to be well-received by those who came and I did enjoy doing it, I know it takes time to build up a following. I have learnt quite a lot about the best format and general business planning side of things, but there’s a lot to organise and it does distract from my own artwork.
Do I capitalise and go forward with more workshops/classes or do I concentrate on my own art practice??? It’s a complicated balancing act and as ever… am aware that time is not on my side. Got to get it right.
Then of course, there’s the matter of taking my little picture down to the RA for the final judging for the Summer Exhibition.
Will try stop over-thinking it all.Just relax and enjoy the sunshine in Cyprus, keep painting and try to recognise when to stop painting!!!!
My life is on fast forward again. Well is it ever anything else? So hard to say no to any opportunity and so very conscious of time running out. ‘We only have one life so use every moment’… such a cliche but the older you get the more it resonates.
So…it was Florence with Alec last week. Somewhere I’d always wanted to visit. The birthplace of art in the Renaissance sense. Terrible admission, but actually Renaissance Art is not my thing. But it underpins everything else doesn’t it, so I had to see it? And the architecture was stunning and totally overwhelming.The little Leonardo museum was an eye-opener. It seems he invented just about everything from fork-lift trucks to modern surgery. The museum consisted of beautiful wooden models constructed from his copious sketchbook drawings…more ammunition for my workshop.
Siena was, if anything, even more stunning. Maddeningly, I FORGOT TO TAKE MY PHONE to Italy… so NO CAMERA! Can you imagine anything more frustrating than being in a country with so much visual eye-candy without a camera? But observing the selfie-taking hordes I soon became quite smug as I rapidly sketched and painted my memories which hold my impressions in a much more individual way, although less visually accurate.Began to wonder about the millions of images on my computer which I rarely look at twice. What’s the point???
So next week I go to Wales. A small residency where I hope to share time with two other artists as yet unknown. More painting and drawing I hope and maybe I will sneak in a camera too. Before that I’m delivering a Workshop on The Magic of Sketchbooks. An exciting new venture.
Then on April 22nd off to Cyprus Art School for a weeks residency with a small group of MA friends. It’s very, very basic but we had a great time last time we went and so looking forward to the sun. Oh, and more painting too.
In May I take my painting to the RA second round. Probably that will be the end of the story but still quite exciting to have got this far. So lots to blog about soon!
Life just keeps getting busier and more wonderful all the time.
