Revived and Rested

I'm feeling very revived and rested after this xmas break.  I even managed to finish a painting and start a new one.

View of the Mountains from Beaumaris

I was fairly exhausted in the run up to this xmas and very relieved that I now feel recovered.  I also feel very hopeful for the New Year.  I have a instinctual feeling that something good is going to happen and lately I have been trying to practise trusting my instinct.  If my gut feeling says its wrong, then I'm going with it.
Learning to recognise the feeling of instinct or nervousness is tricky though and I have got these muddled in the past.
So I decided to put myself outside of my comfort zone and start applying for competitions. The first one I've applied for is Channel 4's, Show Me the Monet.  They attraction of having my work critiqued and a possible selling show in London was strong so I followed my instinct, ignored the horrible nervous feeling of 'What if I actually get somewhere with this and end up on telly!' and pressed the submit button.
I have also got a list of other competitions to enter and a feeling of great positivity.  I plan on making the Law of Attraction work for me this year!

Mountain View

View from Beaumaris to the Mainland.

My latest painting, again, not sure whether I like it. But I have learnt to do hide it away for a couple of months before I look at it again.  I used my new paints for this, which are very vibrant and colourful, exactly the sort I love to work with.

I've struggled with this painting, at one point, I whited it out and had to return some of the vibrancy.

I also used a board and not paper, which is out of my comfort zone, I feel very precious about using boards to paint on and it was a challenge to let go of having to produce a perfect piece of work.  When working on paper I am happy to make a mess and remain playful, to make mistakes and not feel that I have ruined whatever I am working on.  I'm still trying to find this freedom when working on a different background.

My two wooden frames have been returned to me today, so the challenge will be to cover them in canvas and make two large paintings in the new year.  

View over Belper

This is the same view over Belper as the blue based painting done earlier, but I thought I would challenge myself by using a different pallete. I usually stick to purples and blues so changing the colours I work with was challenging and fun.  I enjoyed doing this painting, elements of it really work for me.

It feels more traditional in style and colour so is a new departure for me, I'm not sure its a route I want to take, I enjoy the abstract element of painting so this is a bit too representative.  I am still enjoying this experimental process of finding my own style and voice using paint.  It feels good to be returning to it and I still feel inspired by the John Piper exhibition I saw during the summer, a quick dip into the book I bought and the inspiration and thrill of looking at his work returns.

Derby Makers at The Silk Mill Museum

Our Sunrise Pinhole Camera - Beer Tins and Gaffa Tape!

Last night, I took myself and my daughter off to the Silk Museum to play at making pinhole camera's with the Derby Makers.

It was a really good experience, we were given our (empty) cans of beer to gaffer tape, put a hole in, and insert a piece of photographic paper in.  Between us we made three camera's and now have to decide where we will put them.  The plan is to make it a sunrise pinhole camera.  Facing south it will track the progress of the sun across the sky for the next 6 months.  We intend to put ours out on the Winter Solstice and bring it in on the Summer Solstice.  We haven't actually decided the exact spot for each camera, but will be posting the results in 6 months.  I'm also hoping to do this with a class of year 3 & 4, so hopefully will get good results there.
This is all very experimental, I've seen images taken by Sunrise Camera's but its all a bit tricky, subject to rain, wind and if placed in a public place, cleaners, drunks and the curious.

More experiments with paint.

This is a painting I've been working on for the last couple of days, it a view of Belper from the fields near my house, where I often walk my dog.  Its one of my favourite views, showing a vista from the Chevin to Alport Heights.

I'm really enjoying playing with paint, but have realised that I have a preciousness about getting it right.  If I start a painting on a canvas or on a board, I put a pressure on myself to get it totally right.  When I work on paper, I'm more relaxed and often I quite like the results.  However, as the image above shows, paper is not always the best thing to work on as it does not carry enough weight to keep it from becoming warped.

So my next challenge to myself is to become less precious about getting it perfect the first time on a board or canvas.

Exhibition Spaces...

I visited the Brewhoue Art Centre in Burton on Trent on Friday.  I was dropping some work off for their Xmas shopping exhibition and also to take the opportunity to have a look around with a view to a potential exhibition next year.

It is a lovely space, but I find myself wondering whether having an exhibition away from my own area is a good idea.  So some more research is needed into the area and what the art scene is like in East Staffordshire.  Its not that far away, but I'm not known around there and a I discovered yesterday when observing the actions of customers at the Muse Gallery Xmas Fayre, people definately do buy from people.  I am still in the early stages of getting my name and face recognised so have to keep taking these chances to get myself known.

I've also decided to persue a line of research that I've been thinking about for a couple of years now.  I read a historical novel (not usually my thing) which was based on a true story.  The story has stayed with me and I re-read the novel, deciding it was time to look further into the truth side and develop a body of work.  Usually I find myself being very open with what I am making, but this feel too precious, too early stages to reveal yet.  I just know I want to make some mixed media pieces.  A friend has pointed out that this would be a good reason to apply for a Grants for the Arts funding, but that feels a bit scary at this stage!

Experimental Paintings

I've been experimenting with painting for the last few weeks and really enjoying it.  I'm interested in exploring mixed media collaged pieces which then have overlays of paint.  These are just two of my small experiments done on watercolour paper. 

I'm looking forward to an art fayre at The Muse Gallery in Heage on Saturday where I'll be selling and displaying my mosaics, still debating whether to take these small pieces along.