December 2023

Dec 2023
Exhibition coming:

I will be exhibiting at the Whitespace Gallery in Edinburgh from Fri, 2nd to Sun, 4th February 2024.
The exhibition is called ‘Reflections 2024’ and will have new work plus some retrospective pieces.
After my last exhibition in July 2023, I thought ‘What’s next?’ There are so many directions that my art can take me. I know that I can trust my process but that doesn’t mean that making strong work comes easily; more that I accept that struggle is part of the process and is to be worked through. I have to be disciplined and put the time in. You don’t get better at anything by just thinking about it: you have to be a doer! We all live busy lives with many distractions and I find managing my work, home life and social life complicated. Getting uninterrupted time to make art and to be alone with myself is vital so I am constantly juggling to ensure I have the creative time I need away from distractions.

As a starting point, I’ve been looking back at some older work to find subjects I can go deeper on. Sketchbooks are like diaries and what is interesting and important to me finds its way onto the pages. I draw, paint, collage, print and paste in my sketchbooks. One of my happiest memories as a child is of being by myself, making mud pies. I learnt early on that being by myself and being creative helped me to process and navigate the world. I remember being told that I was ‘too sensitive’ but this is really a strength for an artist! I AM sensitive and I have learnt that I can be overwhelmed with feelings and empathy can cause me actual physical discomfort. Looking for beauty in the world and responding to it is what makes sense to me. With this in mind, it surprises me that my drawing is often bold and rough. I don’t produce delicate, romantic sketches. I put this down to my heritage and I believe that the work comes through me so there is a creative energy within us all that is passed down through time. Ancestry, society and place all combine to influence the marks I make. The sketchbooks are a place where I can express myself freely, a place to be alone with myself. A place to note, explore and process.

My studio is my ‘happy place’. I have been working on small studies in black and white because I am looking for strong compositions with good tonal variation. I’m pushing and pulling the paint around to see what marks I like. I am also looking for colour combinations from the environment around me to find local colour palettes. I see a lot of jade, soft blues and greys and pillar box reds. My work is based on what I know and experience and I never tire of looking around me and finding inspiration. I take pictures and make sketches to reflect on in the studio. I’ve also been setting up ‘still lives’ of organic materials combined with painted and printed shapes via a kind of 3D collage method. This exploration is the foundation and the resource for my painting.
It’s important to be free to follow the path that the work wants to take and not to try to control the outcome too much. Keeping the energy flowing and working quickly and intuitively helps the work breathe. Too much control deadens the work and makes it look contrived. Of course, there is lots of thinking, evaluating and analysing but that comes after the laying down of marks, shapes and layers. I like to take pictures of what I have been working on at the end of the studio day and mull over them at home, assessing what is working and what isn’t and then start the next day making adjustments and developing the body of work based on my analysis.
Looking at one of the small black and white studies, I noted the things I liked so I could do more of them to develop the idea. I like the balance of tones, the splashy paint quality, the ‘history’ of the layering, the putting down and the taking away, the contrast of the lines against the large shapes. These are ideas to take forward along with adding more richness through exploring different colour combinations based on my photos and sketch book colour notations. I do a few studies at one sitting, then select the ones I like best to analyse why they are working for me. This process of discernment gives clarity. I am developing and refining my visual language. Art making has been a part of our DNA for millions of years. The use of symbols found on cave walls from our prehistoric ancestors is evidence that they were capable of abstract thought and this is what makes us human. I’m not trying to depict a scene in front of me, I am painting what it feels like, represents, connects to. I like to walk in quietness and to take in the scenery. I am sure that you have felt that same pull of nature and the peace and awe that it brings.
The new work is based on my sea views and the connection I feel to the physical area where I live. There is a dynamism to standing on firm earth while looking at the surging, moving sea and observing the sights. Looking out to sea is less about focus and precision and more about changing, shifting shapes and catching glimpses of the land on the other side of the estuary. This changing panorama affects the spirit and I feel a pull with the tides that speaks of history, nostalgia, longing and wonder. You can never feel totally comfortable with the sea on your doorstep. It can rage and thrash bringing fear. It can gently lap sending you off to sleep like listening to a heartbeat. My work comes from an internal place. My role is to let it come out on the paper, canvas or board. If I try to paint a ‘thing’, it comes out too contrived and stiff so I do a lot of thinking, drawing, painting and through the regular practice of turning up and working, the art emerges.
So what is new? I’ve wanted to do a newsletter for a long while. The short winter days are not good times creatively for me; I find I have less energy so this year, I decided to use these dark days to do admin things like the newsletter. I don’t begrudge the time spent online because it’s something I can do even if it is dark. I think it is a good time of year for reflection too and I enjoy writing. I’m not sure what is interesting for people to read so I hope you have found it worthwhile. It’s important for me to make art that is authentic and personal and to be able to describe what I do simply and clearly. I believe that we are all creative and tapping into our creativity makes us feel connected, human and alive. In life, there are many distractions and we have obligations but making room for creativity enriches everyone’s lives. Making art is fun, stimulating, rewarding and an education. Hope you are finding the time to exercise your creative muscle! Watch a YouTube on Gelli plate printing – I am sure you will be hooked. You can also try collage – make use of the junk mail that comes through the door; cutting up and reassembling is calming and you only need a few minutes and very few materials. Set aside 15 minutes every day for a bit of drawing, printing, collaging and it WILL make a difference to your life.