“Kissed by the Water’s Edge” is a mixed media painting inspired by the reeds that stood flanking the banks of the river… The way the reeds gently danced, swaying to and fro in the breeze, their heads nodding in homage to the water…sending soft kisses on the wind…

There’s something about a concertina sketchbook; the format seems so perfect for the narrative I wish to convey. It goes on and on and on. You can fold the book in various ways so different landscapes appear; a never-ending source of delight!

Of Quiet Moments is an expressive painting in a muted, soothing palette, inspired by early mornings, sat with a steaming mug of coffee watching the river come to life…a moment of calm before the day ahead…

Well before lockdown, I used to spend long periods beside the river. I loved walking along its banks, absorbing its changing moods and cast of characters; from the chattering swallows to the haughty swans, to fleeting flashes of blue and orange, to footprints in the mud telling of night time visitors.

This river landscape provided a whole world of inspiration…

And breathe…

The Patchings Art Festival is over for another year. I am home again. Everything is unloaded and packed away. Time to reflect. What worked well? What could be improved? Definitely a maxim to abide by is the following:

For me, creating art is a mostly solitary business. I am, at heart, an introvert; I don’t like drawing attention to myself. That’s not to say I can’t shout if I have to, or make conversation with anyone and everyone, but just know, that it’s not always easy for me. I have to give myself a ‘talking to’, and haul that metaphorical carapace around myself

Those liminal edges between land and sea and sky… Elemental forces at work; fast moving skies, crashing waves, constantly changing shoreline.

There’s a tiny frisson of excitement, a sense of ‘I am getting there.’ All the months of dreaming, imagining, planning - at last they are coming to fruition. The longer term aim is for my OH to construct a purpose-built studio in the garden, but for now, this small space attached to the garage has become my ‘art studio’! And how good does it feel to have a space to call one’s own, to be able to splash around to my heart’s content AND to leave all the materials out ready for the next session…

The end of a glorious summer day. The light was fading, sounds of the day melting away, punctured only by the chattering of the swallows and house martins as they swooped and skimmed over the surface of the water, before heading off to roost. I recall sitting on the riverbank, cool drink in hand, aware of the hush that was ‘settling’ over the landscape; that period before the stars of the nighttime - both in the heavens and on land - made their appearance. The trees and tall reeds seemed to bow to the river, paying homage, before sharing stories from the day; the meandering river carrying them downstream, scattering them on the breeze…

…but it’s fascinating how just a few words can speak volumes isn’t it? I posted this image on Instagram a couple of weeks ago and it had a big response; it really seemed to strike a chord with lots of people. I admit to having a bit of a love/hate relationship with Picasso, but this quote just encapsulates the way I want to feel when drawing or painting…

It’s funny isn’t it, how, setting out to do one thing sends you down a rabbit hole of another, totally unrelated thing… I started out, full of good intentions to de-clutter my old laptop - before it totally crashes. Opening up old folders, some of which included files I couldn’t even download because the operating systems no longer function, I discovered a veritable plethora of ‘stuff’: essays for uni, bibliography lists, H & S forms for long-gone exhibitions… to name but a few. But hidden amongst all these, were folders helpfully titled (!!!) ‘Photos for Twitter’ and ‘Carolyn’s photos’.

Do the words ‘new sketchbook’, ‘blank pages’…’pristine, white space’ and so forth strike fear in your heart? Do you collect sketchbooks as some people collect shoes, or handbags…? Believe me, you’re not on your own!! As you can see in the following video, I have amassed a variety of sketchbooks over a looooong period of time….and some sit there, as beautiful and unused as the day I bought them!!

A new year, and everywhere you look you are bombarded with advice on how to make resolutions, advice on how to stick to your resolutions, advice on how to do ‘this’ - whatever that may be, which will, apparently, result in a newer, better version of yourself… Make lots of intentions, hit the ground running and 2023 will be the year that everything falls into place. It all becomes a little overwhelming doesn’t it?

…we all like to think that people are waiting with bated breath for our latest painting, word or offering…or is that just me? But even though, with my logical head on, I know that not to be the case - I mean, really (!!!) - I couldn’t help but have high hopes for my latest ‘big rock’ - my limited edition print of ‘Dance of the Tulips’…

One foot, metronomically, placed after the other; the rhythm matched only by the lapping tide. The small, curving bay sweeps round before me. Ahead, in that liminal space between shore and water, wading birds dart here and there, dabbing at the sand. The blustery wind sends the clouds scudding across the sky, intermittent halos of light as they cross in front of the sun. Wind whistles through the backdrop of trees, the song punctuated by gulls, shrieking and squawking. In the distance, I hear the faint sounds of a chain saw.

Embracing what’s happening on the paper is a large part of my process. After experimenting with composition and colour palette, the initial washes and marks are so important. To be honest, I have been known to throw away a piece of paper (or at the least, add it to my collage pile) if I didn’t like the very first brush mark…

I have visions of Summer, a stately lady, gathering up the many layers of her crinoline dress, rustling as she walks away down the long hallway to Autumn…

But, night-time thunderstorms aside, the weather is being kind. Yesterday was warm with blue skies, high cloud; Summer is almost done, but not quite…

To be accurate, it’s not strictly ‘First Night Nerves’ - more like ‘First Time Exhibiting at Patchings Nerves’… As I write, it’s just over two weeks to go to the Festival, and all of a sudden that ‘Oh I’ve got ages of time’ feeling has suddenly become ‘ONLY TWO WEEKS!!’ Admittedly I have been a little distracted in the months leading up to the Festival…but these things do have a habit of creeping up on you. And whereas I have been consciously trying not to overwhelm myself with endless ‘to-do’ lists, in order to ensure that everything is organised, catalogued, printed etc, a tick list for the event is a requirement.

Even if you have nothing else going on in your life - no angst, no worries, no ‘its not life as we know it moments’ (after this past two years who am I kidding??) - sometimes the creative juices just don’t flow. Even if everything in your world is perfect, or at the very least okay, it seems as if the energy and inclination for painting has left you and, on the off-chance that you do manage to put brush to paper, its as though you have forgotten all you ever knew about creating. Everything you paint, in your head at least, is rubbish and that starts off a vicious circle of ‘well, why bother, it’s just going to be c**p again…!’ You are not on your own - we have all been there! But, what to do…

I succeeded in my challenge to do 15 minutes of meditation for thirty days - bar one, but as my Dad passed away during this period, I am not giving myself a hard time about missing that day. Am I proficient - hell no! My mind still wanders and I am continually having to refocus BUT… there have been times during the past days that the teachings and practice of meditating have come into their own. Remembering to breath during the funeral, enabling me to read the eulogy, staying calm when beginning to feel overwhelmed and focusing on positives rather than negatives have all helped me to deal with recent events…