Covid-19

I managed to create my first post lock-down painting the other day and needless to say it was about the current situation we find ourselves in.

I tend to paint how I am feeling or what I have seen, which is why I often paint more after I have been on holiday or if the weather is strong. It needs to be something that slightly catches my attention. A perfect sunset, a particular light, a strong wind, a storm, an amazing building, a place I haven't been to before. I tend to switch my art brain off most of the time, otherwise it would drive me crazy (yes people that know me, this is why I am sometimes incredibly vacant) so when it is off, it needs to be something different that catches my eye to wake it up again.

Everything about now is different and it is accompanied by an information overload. Articles endlessly rehashed, the same four points said 600 times across every newspaper and social media outlet ever created. 'Experts' dredged out of cupboards with debatable references, saying one thing, saying the opposite of another. 20,000 people will die, 8,000 people will die, some are old, some are ill, some are young, the curve is flattening, we are heading to the same fate as Italy....

I mean seriously, just hold for a second. We need to wait. We need to stay at home, social distance and see what happens.

BREATHE

I am a positive person, personally negative possibly, but glass half-full minded with a dark sense of humour (before I have all my friends saying 'What? You? Positive?!) So out of everything I have seen and heard, my brain chose the following points:

1. This is global and we are in it together.
2. There are rainbows of hope and thanks to the NHS
3. The NHS and the key workers are going to protect us, and we will look after them.
4. The earth will win, and the virus will go. 
5. Light/hope will overcome the dark/fear.  

At least this is what my brain has chosen to believe and to hear. So, with those points in mind, it should make this painting, pretty self explanatory....

Things will get better. 

Lockdown

So I don't even know where to start with writing a blog post right now but I thought it would help purge a few things out of my system.

So I managed to complete my first painting of the year and the following two commissions, which were both due by last weekend, successfully. I will share posts about them later.

I also managed to successfully get the flu on the first day of March, which absolutely knocked me for 6, I am in fact still not totally over it which is starting to drive me crazy. It has also timed in with the end of the world as we know it, with the Covid-19 lockdown in the UK now in full swing. There is a chance my 'flu' may well have been the Coronavirus that is currently ravaging the world, I had all the symptoms, but I guess I will have a better idea of that when they bring out an immunity test.

It is literally crazy times at the moment. Needless to say all my architecture work is on hold and unlikely to resume anytime soon, so I was grateful to hear of the self employment package the government has put in place today. It will make a massive difference. I had intended to use this enforced break time wisely and catch up on my enormous art to do list and do some painting, but so far I am epically failing. I can't seem to persuade my mind to come back down to earth and focus, it is wandering, EVERYWHERE. I have prints I can make, I have a good stock of paint and canvasses, I need to make a mobile friendly version of my website somehow, and I want to put some prints up for sale on Etsy. So far though, I have been for a couple of solitary walks, spent a lot of time looking out of the window, and making cakes and cooking. I don't even particularly like cooking so don't ask me what is going on with that? Who knows, maybe in times of crisis I become a domestic goddess. Or a fat, cake filled person. One of those two things I am sure.

So anyway, brain, please come back and focus, I can't cope without you. Everyone else stay home, stay sensible, stay healthy, and be prepared for a glut of paintings from me. Hopefully! 

Amorphous

So being insanely busy seems to be continuing. I currently have artwork and architecture work coming out of my ears!

I did manage to make a start on the first painting of the year last weekend, but then it went a bit pear-shaped, or I at least had an artistic tantrum and then painted over a big section of it. It is currently sat in my living room awaiting another attempt at sorting it out, which will hopefully be a bit later on today.

I also sorted out the sketch designs for another commission that is ongoing at the moment, and one of those designs has now been chosen so that is good. That will be the next painting if and when I manage to finish the one on the go at the moment.

Etsy seems to be coming into fruition already as well, as within a week of putting all my mugs online I have managed to sell one. Whether this was a fluke or a sign remains to be seen but either way it is a good start. I am hoping to put my limited editions up on the site for sale next if I ever get some time to sit down and work through it.

Speaking of sales, Amorphous has left the building this week and been re-homed just up the road from me. I am very happy this painting has now found a new home as it has always been a firm favourite of mine, and brings back fond memories of Big Sur, where the rock is. It is also the first painting I ever entered into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. I wasn't going to enter this year, but selling this, made me change my mind and keep trying to get in, maybe selling it is a sign? You never know when your time will come....

Wish me luck!

Be good 2020...

You know when you have a niggle in the back of your mind? One along the lines of 'I must do a New Years blog post' well yes, I may have had that niggle in the back of my mind for 24 days. Where on earth has January gone?

So the end of last year was a bit of a mess. Not much artwork going on, not much architecture work going on either. January seems to be the opposite so far, a fair amount of architecture work coming in and on the way and three commission requests lined up already! Bizarrely I am quite often more busy with art in January than I am in December which never really makes sense to me but I'll still take it.

The commissions are all gifts at the moment so I will have to reveal them later. In the meantime, I still haven't managed to do my first painting of the year yet which feels a bit wrong. I knew January was going to be busy so I am not overly surprised but I do need to paint soon. I can feel a painting bubbling around inside me and it is good not to leave it too long when I get that feeling otherwise I can get quite irritable.  Artistic temperament and all that.

I have still kept art things ticking over - I am on a tweet and Instagram post a day this month as I have 30% off all my originals for January. This doesn't seem to have drummed up much interest as of yet but at least I am trying and you never know who might one day see a post. I am also quoting for a couple of bespoke prints and I am about to upload some items for sale on Etsy. I have lots of plans this year to be a bit more proactive and get everything working a bit more efficiently. So, massively belatedly, HAPPY NEW YEAR all! Here is to hoping 2020 carries on like this with art and architecture and money pouring in.

And fingers crossed my new boiler, which is currently being fitted will go in with no problems and my house will behave itself for the rest of the year!

Standard December

So, I have some time to post and nothing in my brain. Standard December. My calendar competition went off without a hitch and seemed to be well received so that was good! I have also donated a Limited Edition print for a charity auction up in Lincoln for the local hospital, so hopefully that will go without a hitch as well.

I can't remember if anything else has happened. I think it might be time to hibernate for the rest of the year. If anyone would like to buy me a book about curing burn out that would be greatly appreciated!

Ironically, I have managed to paint a few things recently so I can't be completely beyond it just yet. The first one I am going to share is a painting that is unintentionally in existence. It was meant to be a background for a painting of Lisbon, but once I had finished it I couldn't bring myself to paint Lisbon over the top of it. I couldn't in fact, bring myself to touch it at all so it stayed as it is.

There is something about this painting that is both interesting and soothing. I could look at it all day. I have no idea where it came from as it doesn't even match the background I was meant to be painting so I guess, for whatever reason, this one just needed to come out. I hope it calms your mind as much as it calms mine.

Come on 2020!

Painting and art time seems to be a bit thin on the ground at the moment, partly because I can't seem to get my energy up to painting levels and partly because of life. Life in the form of holidays, broken boilers, health problems, tiredness, winter and everything else in between.

These last few months have been tough. I am more than ready to see 2019 out and start again afresh with 2020.

Speaking of 2020, one of the things I have managed to do is sort out my calendars! There is in fact a competition running on Facebook, to win one as we speak. Head over to this link to enter, or if you would rather, head over to my website to just buy one!

I don't know about you, but I am ready to fast forward through the next 41 days!

Richard Parker

I just checked my blog stats for the first time in ages which may not have been the best idea. My blog isn't really surviving with me only posting once a month if I am lucky. I wish I was one of those heavily routine driven people sometimes. Up at 6.30am, a run round the block, breakfast, emails checked, social media posted, previous days blog post written, paints out, admin completed. Oh look it is only 10am.

I am not one of these people.

I am more of a 'Oh, I've just woken up, what shall I do today?' This is good for my creativity; I function better with more spontaneity in my life, but it is not necessarily good for my productivity. Strange as I am not an idle person, I like to be busy and find sitting still quite difficult unless I am shattered, so you would have thought I would be an 'up and at'em' person but sadly not. Never mind, sometimes you just have to accept that you have to make life work how you work.

This is all pre-tiger procrastination though as I still haven't shared how painting that commission went. It went better than expected, and bizarrely painting a tiger seems to be easier than painting a dog. I have no idea why, or maybe the practice that I have had with my dog commissions has just generally made painting animals easier. So something that I was slightly worried about actually turned out to be quite a pleasurable job. The tiger (named Richard Parker after the Life of Pi) has been sat in my lounge for the last month, but he is leaving for his new home tomorrow. I am going to be sad to see him go. He has been a friendly face for me to look at for long enough for me to become attached.

So here he is, say hello to Richard Parker, or rather goodbye! :-(