A Souvenir

I am cheating a bit as I am pre-planning this post whilst I have some free time. I should technically be drawing up some architectural stuff, but it is 4pm on Friday, and when you are working from home, motivation has normally left the building by now. Plus technically, writing this is still working, just for my other job, which generally feels less job like and more fun.

I would like to pretend I will manage a new painting over the weekend, but I am helping out with a charity event for the elderly on Sunday and I have a feeling I won't be in the mood afterwards. Hopefully I will find some time in the week, or next weekend instead.

In the meantime, here is my first painting from the Brecon Beacons. I will also share the photograph I took for inspiration so you can judge me. Funnily enough, I haven't really looked at the photograph since I painted it, and now the photo seems wrong. I don't really understand how that makes sense but I guess the painting feels more true to me, which I suppose does make sense as it is me?

I also thought they were much more similar than they actually are. I guess they are the same in principle, but there is quite a bit of artistic license thrown in as well. I can't believe I didn't notice any of this at the time. I guess I must focus on different things when I am in art mode. Colour is most definitely a strong one! They also don't need to be identical, otherwise what is the point? I could have just used the photograph and not worried about painting it at all. The painting is my personal souvenir.

I do however feel like I need to move the moon over a bit now....

Brecon Beacons

So I didn't quite manage my Brecon post yesterday, but that is what I am here for now. I did mostly manage to prioritise my sorting out list, although art admin didn't seem to start until about 4pm. I put my new painting online, responded to some Deviant Art bits and pieces and this morning I have managed to put all my final cards together. The study seems a bit more organised now, and I have knocked 18 things off my to-do list.

High five please!

(And yes, we are ignoring the fact that there are still 46 things on it, and focusing on the fact that I should knock at least 2, if not 3 more things off by the end of today). I am sure having less than 50 things means something. At least I feel justified in being stressed when I had 64 things on it!

But anyway, a few weeks ago I had a brief inspiration collection session in the Brecon Beacons. This should be interesting as the three days and three walks we did were very different.

No. 1. Scenic, peaceful, gentle and sunny.

No 2. A bit cloudy and misty, mostly dry and beautifully rugged and isolated.

No 3. Raining, and incredibly foggy/cloudy, and ridiculously windy, a bit of a steeper climb and well basically you could see no further than a metre or too ahead, except about twice when the sky parted.

So three very different walks, three very different weathers and three very different experiences. Each of them definitely got various bits of my art brain ticking, and my paint hand twitching, the second walk especially, and for once in my life, I lined up some specific shots with a view to painting them later. The first one has been created already and I will share that next!

I am already looking forward to painting picture number 2!

Over and Out

I managed to finish my architecture work for today a bit earlier than usual. What a perfect time to start a blog post, once I have done some admin, tidied up, done some account sorting, rung up four hundred people I need to chase for various things, updated my to do list, checked my outstanding invoices, thought 'oh god I haven't done that' and 'I'm so behind with that too'.

OH GOD

I might just need to go to bed instead, or go to zumba, or run away from my desk screaming. I have been stressed this week as I needed to update my to-do list to remove the items pressing upon my frontal cortex. At least when it is on paper, I can stop thinking I need to remember to do it. Unfortunately when it is on paper you can see how big the list is - it is currently making an unused toilet roll look barely paper filled.

What have I done!?

So yes, this early finish was going to be a blog post about my trip to the Brecon Beacons, but I officially can't do it just yet. I need a mind detox first, or a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is clear at the moment to do some accounting, sort some bits in town and put my latest painting online, oh yes, and write a post about the Brecon Beacons.

Here is to not checking my emails in the morning and realising that lots of other things need to be done first.

Today. I am over and out!