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I smiled to myself when I was asked the question: “what makes you tick?” in relation to my art work.
Tick…….?
I am chiming and pinging and gonging. No rhythmic ticking here!
I have a head so full of ideas that there is a right old racket in my head with bells and whistles too!!
So I have to bring this in. Harness the energy and make work that is exciting and brave but honest and authentic.
SWIM
And I regularly have to put my head in cold water to cool it off - probably why I love to swim. Life halts. For a while I am immersed in a cool calm world. It feels gentle, fragile but powerful. I am vulnerable but supported and I swim along a thin line of over and under: two worlds separated by a meniscus - two very different worlds which I am exploring with paint and camera and of course emersion. I even swum around the Scilly Isles in September - a long swim - for visual research of course. The colours and camaraderie of swimming buoy me along. You will see more of this subject reflected in my water works in 2022.
TREASURES
In October my Mum, daughter Nia and I enjoyed a trip to Yorkshire - painting the coast around Bempton. 8 hours of Mum towing her weeny van, we had a lovely dry weekend. I was amazed at the coastal erosion so evident. I often bring home treasures from my trips: shells and seaweed and the like but this time it was fragments of houses washed on the shore and eroded by time. I found these fascinating - bits of tile and brick and electronics. Fragments of homes.
RSPB Bempton
I have seen some great shows - Frank Bowling at The Arnolfini in Bristol and Freud, Minton, Ryan at the Vitoria Art Gallery - and feel very honoured to be a part of The Bath Society of Artists current show where my ‘Elphin’ has sold.
I received a Special Commendation at 44ad for my pieces Belle, and Dreadlocks and Dungarees drawing.
I am a finalist for Creative Bath Awards in great company. The awards are in December. I also enjoyed a wonderful printmaking weekend at Swansea printmakers with the amazing Kelly Stewart.
My Life drawing and portraits continue to be really important to me - always challenging and exciting and building towards a solo show in Bath in October.
OPEN HOUSE
So where can you see the products of my creativity? Much of it is on my website but much of it is just waiting for you at my Open House - November 25-28 and December 2nd-5th. To protect yourself and me its a booking situation again but easy to do here - and I would love to see you!
