This evening was supposed to be another special occasion - the Private View of a joint Exhibition where I am showing my work, at the Hatch Gallery in Christchurch. Now it is another virtual Exhibition and can be viewed online at www.hatchgallery.co.uk. Then the Gallery were taking my work to the Fresh Art Fair at Cheltenham which along with many events, has been postponed until later in the year. Another example of how we are all being asked to remain open minded about what is and isn't "going on".
The painting posted here today is "Kites" - this was being saved for Exhibiting later in the year, but life is too short and this image reminded me of the clapping for the NHS in our neighbourhood last night. Such a wonderful thing not only to show our appreciation but also reassuring to be out with your neighbours and in good spirits. I am now looking forward to every Thursday for this special event. I'm not painting or writing today so that the routine is different - if it isn't altered I can get very stale and bored. Instead I've made red bean soup, lasagne for later on and done some hand washing (which I find extreme boring but always feel really good when I've done it.) As it's Friday night I've made Joe his favourite meal - I think it's important to have things like this to look forward to. We were able to see Corfe Castle on the Purbecks from the cliff top this morning. This is a place I will really appreciate visiting again once the restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, I'm very grateful to be able to see it in the distance.
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I'm meandering back and forward between different jobs this morning. Feeling like I'm not doing much but if you saw my studio floor you wouldn't agree. I'm slightly grounded by getting on with articles about skies, trees and buildings. Recently I found a new way of working where I do most of the paintings for the article first and then write about the work later. I wished I'd thought of this sooner as it makes life much easier for me. But as I often say, hindsight is a marvellous thing.
Yesterday Julie and I discussed an article about Terry Waite who was in solitary confinement for 5 years - with no daylight, no books, no contact with other people and even had to have a hood put over his head when they brought him outside (and there was no mention from him of "We should think we're lucky in this situation", the kind of comment that is not inspirational to man nor beast.) He recommends taking good care of your appearance each day and explained that when he was in his cell, every night he folded his trousers and put them under his thin mattress to press them. I can relate to this so much as I notice that if I don't make an effort with my hair, clothes etc it has an adverse effect on how I feel. Yesterday I got changed for a Zoom meeting. Chris said "What are you doing?" I replied "I'm going out", imagination can be a very handy thing. Another Julie, a fellow Artist, is posting a photograph of her daily outfit on Instagram. I'm finding this intriguing as I love clothes and fashion. Today she is wearing a fabulous pair of black jeans adorned with swirling patterns of zips and most days it is some fabulous designer item that she has found in London charity shops. Thank you for this Julie. Instagram is a very inspiring platform. It can become an obsession but I recommend it if you don't use it yet. Especially in these circumstances as you never know what you may find or be inspired to do. My account is juliecollinsart and it's very easy to set up your own. Tonight is clapping for the NHS at 8pm. This kind of thing makes me cry - even just the thought of it. In the past I've so often said that I could never be a Nurse or Doctor and this situation brings it right home to our doorsteps. So, I'll look forward hearing you all clapping tonight. "The Best laid plans"
It's the 1st of April and today was supposed to be a very special day for the Private of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours at the Mall Galleries in London. I had a fantastic day lined up and was going to meet my friend and fellow exhibitor, Julie Green, who is a marvellous painter - mainly of landscapes. We were going to meet at the Mall Galleries and chat to all and sundry at the Exhibition until the official opening and Prize giving at 3pm. Then we were heading for a late lunch before visiting the Royal Academy to see the wonderful "Picasso on paper" Exhibition. Instead we've had a good talk on the phone and compared notes of our pared down daily routines. Meanwhile our paintings reside at the Mall Galleries until further notice. The exhibition can be viewed online - via the Mall Galleries or the Royal Institute of Painters in Water colours websites. It is well worth a look at the great selection of work, though not the same as in the flesh but it's really good that we have access to our computers, websites, video chats, FaceTime and numerous websites etc during the lockdown. As it was so clear and sunny this morning, I walked 5 miles at 9am. So I'm feeling very pleased with my exercise again today. En route we saw a police car and later on bumped into some friends - what a treat to have a short face to face chat at a 2 metre distance. As for the garden/digging, I'm hoping to plant a few things into larger pots later this afternoon. Yesterday I managed around 400 words and some more research for two of the articles I'm writing and will do a bit more when I've finished writing here. Normally I can write a lot more than this but my concentration span is not as long as it usually is. Julie said she was the same, as are many people I've spoken to. My creative suggestion today is to start an Art Journal - this will be a small picture, in any medium, each day rather than the usual written version. This is one of the views from our walk this morning. We walked from home to Keyhaven, through the nature reserve where life there was even more calm and quiet than usual. A great start to the day to blow away any cobwebs and banish any feelings of being locked in all the time.
I had the most amazing dream early this morning. In fact it was so believable it felt true - how fantastic is that. I was looking at a blouse with a very good friend, she loved the blouse and then asked what I was going to do today. I replied that I ought to be working but could go to town instead. She looked at me knowingly as if to say "Life's too short" and I said I think I'll have the day off and go into town after all. What a thought and soon enough I realised this wasn't possible after all. "The only thing is nothing is open so I won't be doing that." I still felt very upbeat and then Chris said well you could go and marinade the meat at Suzanne's - I forgot to say we're going there for dinner tonight. Fantastic, I thought and we're off out tomorrow night too. With that I woke up and eventually realised it was all a dream but the main thing was that I felt really good. It sounds obvious but in this situation, some days will feel very different to others. Some days will feel hard to get going and others days will be full of joy - nothing stays the same for long. I saw a great post on Facebook from a family who write down on a post it note every time they wish they could do something or see someone, but can't at the moment, for example "Give Granny a hug". They put the notes into a jar and will work through doing them all when things change. Apparently it's gone viral - I'm not surprised as it's such a lovely and positive idea. So the the things I'd like to do today include ordering a few more perennials from a nursery in Ireland (honestly I still have places to fill in the garden), some pilates (I did very well yesterday after writing the Blog), write some of my articles (I didn't manage one word yesterday!), do another drawing exercise - details below for those of you who'd like to do some art. Yesterday I did my drawing in paint from a tree out of the studio window. I wasn't pleased with the drawing at all but it got me into painting mode and then I was able to work on a few landscapes. Today choose an object and then for 5 minutes: a. draw it with your weak hand b. draw it with your strong hand without looking at the paper c. draw it with your weak hand without looking at the paper Have a lovely day. Today I seem to be taking an age to "get going" and haven't done any exercise yet even though I have my yoga leggings on. As if by wearing them I've actually done it. I slept very badly last night and couldn't switch my overactive brain off after I woke at 3am. I think I had disturbed myself by reading a letter from a lady in Italy that had been published in the Guardian. I picked up the great sadness in this letter and felt very upset when she said "and you won't know when you'll see your grown up children again." Of course I'd already thought of this with Sam being in London for the foreseeable and I haven't seen him since January. But it could be a lot worse.
If any one is reading this for some inspiration My picture today is of some tree sketches. If you can do some art that's a positive and today I'm suggesting looking out of one of your window and painting something with paint. No drawing first just go for it with the paint. Use a maximum of two colours so that you concentrate on the drawing. The trees here are painted this way and using only paint will give a fresh feeling to your subject. When I've finished writing here I'll go to one of our windows and do the same. The rest of the day will include some work on the Artist magazine articles, cooking, watering plants, some potting on, a trip to the Post Office (I've only been to one shop in a week), some painting and a Zoom meeting at 7am. I must admit I'm feeling nervous about using Zoom as I'm not very confident with any form of technology. Plus plenty of tea in-between all of this. Oh yes, and not forgetting my exercises! Wishing you a good day today. Today the sky isn't as dark as this but there's a fierce easterly wind blowing around the house and on the cliff top. Thanks to Dorset perennials, who delivered a box of plants last friday, I've been able to plant out a few new perennials in the garden. They'll have extra care and attention given the current situation. I see from messages and posts on social media a lot of us are getting back to basics, which is no bad thing.
I always loved the garden but I love it even more now. My Nana, Phyllis Bregazzi was a very keen gardener. I can't see a lupin without thinking of her as in the summer her front garden was always full of them. She was a truly great person who took up yoga in her early 60's and never had another migraine after this. She was her teacher, Betty's, pride and joy being her oldest student at age 80. Nana lived a very simple life. She would walk to the corner shop each day to collect what she needed to eat. Her skirts were made from two squares of fabric, a zip and some petersham at the waist. She was very proud when a skirt had cost less than £5. One of the most modern things she did was to use Grow bags for the tomatoes in her Greenhouse. Nana loved Grow bags, the Piano, Liberace, Woolworths pick and mix, watercress and her family. Some days she would look after us after school and her idea of tea was regular burnt toast. She had no idea how to discipline children, but interestingly I don't remember her needing to. What a breath of fresh air. Routine today - tea long walk on cliff top coffee and hot cross buns several loads of washing read some of the sunday times - particularly keen on the style magazine planted out the perennials now on the blog missing nana then lunch tea just a bit of art to keep my hand in (sometimes I feel frightened that if I don't do something it will go away) tea tv reading wine o clock sunday roast chatting at the table tv or reading sleep Happy Sunday the painting today is - A view of the Isle of Wight Haashed 2020
Day 2 I had a rough idea of how to start the blog today and although I am a great believer in a routine I'm also a great believer in flexibility. For me this means I usually get a great deal "done" but this is achieved in a rather meandering fashion. Today I'm having a very flexible itinerary. This approach works best for me as if I'm not in the best " frame of mind" to paint then I've found it's best to follow this feeling. Last week I couldn't bear to paint as I felt very destabilised by the general atmosphere that the pandemic had brought about. I had to dig for England to find my feet. This has worked well and now I feel ok paint again. Today I was contacted about this painting "Haashed 2020", and now it will be going from my studio to a new home. Normally I'm not at all keen on explaining my work. I prefer the viewer to find their own story or any personal point of reference in the paintings. For me the mystery in art is that hidden secret that can't be explained in words. I will spend hours looking at paintings and the best ones will reveal something new when you least expect it. Of course I can say that my work is undoubtedly inspired by the sea, the Celtic landscape where I was brought up, some sense of freedom from the practicalities of life, an obsession with composition, feeling and colour. And the list could go on and on. "Haashed 2020" is a painting about a beautiful horse who lived in a beautiful field in the Isle of Man. He was a magnificent creature who had been a top race horse during the early part of his life. Interestingly I was supposed to be working in the Isle of Man this weekend, teaching painting at Brightlife, a wonderful retreat in the north of the island. At this point in the day I would have been looking out over the mountains with the sheep in the field, directly outside the window of the studio where we paint. This place is very close to my heart and I do feel very sad not to have got there and can't begin to wonder when I may go there again. Instead I'm counting my blessings, I did some Pilates while I waited for my computer to settle down to write the Blog and will have a change of routine and go for a walk this afternoon instead of first thing in the morning. I'm amazed at how inventive a more limited routine can be. I've photographed my new landscape paintings to share with you here. I confess to continue to put off several administration jobs, such as accounts, spreadsheets and filing. So the paperwork is still in crisis with no management. Wishing you all a good day today. Today is the first day of my blog. The last time I wrote a daily blog I was lucky enough to be an Artist in Residence at the SPUD Observatory on the sea wall at Lymington. I would never have believed that only a few years later we would be in this situation. Almost everything from my usual routine has been cancelled. All of the Exhibitions and Workshops I had been booked for have been cancelled. This means inventing a new routine and a more simple way of life. My routine begins with tea and this is followed by exercise, which means a good walk on the cliff top or heavy gardening. There is a lot of digging to do here - something that was once a burden has now become a joy. Digging is very grounding and I find gardening an extremely therapeutic occupation. So far making art is not so easy as this is a much more personal matter, but including it in my new routine helps as it means that I will do something, even if it's only a small drawing. I have posted more images than usual on Instagram - some of these are from my sketch books or are finished paintings that I had been saving for Exhibitions. As I don't know when these will be on show "out there" I feel it's better to share them now rather than waiting for some date in the future. This is why I'm writing the blog. It's a way to keep in touch and show some aspects of the daily life of the Isolation Artist. The only commissioned work that I still have is writing monthly articles in the Artist magazine. It can be viewed online or delivered by post as a monthly subscription. This could be very useful at a time when people are unable to go to their weekly Art classes or any workshops they had signed up for as this magazine is full of inspiration, step by steps and numerous subjects and styles.
As I work from home most of the time I find it relatively easy to follow an independent routine. I appreciate this will be new to a lot of people and difficult to follow or set up. Starting the day with a list of some of the things you want to achieve is good. My list (in rough order) today Tea Walk Vacuum Coffee Write Blog Chat (on the phone or by text) Tea Some painting Lunch Sit outside (as it's sunny) A drawing Plant out in the garden Tea Watering plants Prepare a meal Chat Eat dinner Watch TV or read Read Sleep As many days stretch out in front of us I find it's best to think of today. One day at a time as each day is a different day, even if we have to stay at home. If you can achieve one drawing a day that's a marvellous thing. The new routine is giving me the opportunity to take stock and slow down. My pace has always been too fast and expect too much of myself. I can take time to stare out of the window or just look around. Have a good day and I'll be back tomorrow. The painting I've posted here today is "Solent", inspired by my daily walks on the cliff top here on the south coast. |
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