We are on holiday again. This is the last girls only week we’ll probably have. This week mum was 82 and we celebrated her birthday by drinking champagne and eating good food. Present were me and my sister and our daughters, my niece and her two children, who are my great nieces…..I am a GREAT aunt and all that implies. I bought my brand new sketchbook and went and sat on the beach to christen it. I’ve made images up here for many years and just enjoy the act of doing. Of putting colours and lines down on paper, just for the hell of it. But as I sat there watching the world go by and noting down little scenarios on the beach, I begin to think I’m getting to the essence of how my work will evolve. Despite tinkering with stitched textiles and rust dying and natural dying and many other things, the one thing that truly fascinates me is people and what they do. I make up little stories about them based on a momentary glimpse of something they say or do. I call this “observing” and was taught the art of people watching by my mum and her friend while on holiday in Tenerife many years ago. Now I can’t stop it and have little scraps of paper all over the place with scenarios I have witnessed. The question is do I want to take these forward? How do I want to take them forward? I need to begin a series of experimentation with ideas. I’ve started to look at past works I’ve done and analyse what I’ve done and do I like it and want to repeat it?
So, you see, I do have something to do after the great Edinburgh university drop off. I have a plan to keep me functioning. Well, I’m hoping I do.
