anniversary

Today marks a year since the start of this blog.

The rambling chronicle of my days and work was begun in a fit of pique. I was convinced that to avoid lonely, ear-off, VanGoghesque mentalism, I needed to reach out into the world and tell people that I exist.

With no planning and hardly any idea about what I would/wouldn't say, no real sense of how much to reveal of myself, or whether anyone would read the results, I just rattled the keys and blagged away at it.

I'm proud of the resulting electronic refuge I have created for myself. It's not all good, it's not all very considered, but it is all straight off the bat.

I love the fact I can rant on here, or that I can get a bit sentimental and too arty from time to time, but the thing I love the most is the supportive, funny, considered, rude, flirty and occasionally filthy comments left by friends both old and new.

Thank you to those of you who's faces I can conjure instantly to mind.
You are, as always, deeply loved and appreciated. Not least for your support of yet another example of my unpredictable, and sometimes difficult to live with creativity.

To my electricfriends, I genuinely appreciate the time you spend dropping in to check out my wafflings. Judging by the map you are spread far and wide across four continents........a fact that astounds me.
Some of you......Smack, Kitty, Sally, Sweary, Gone-Back, Hangar Queen, Travelling-geezer,.........have become regular contributors, I always get a buzz reading your comments, my love and thanks to you for making the effort.

As my daughter would say; "I'm feeling you".

X

muse-ings

One of the pieces I'm working on for Open Studios is this one of herself. Getting time in the studio together has been a real challenge of late.
With the normal everyday requirements of work, the evil ones, food shopping, domestic drudgery and the fact that it's not exactly tropical round here at the moment, the road has been uphill.
A half decent Pinot Grigio and a new heater at the studio clinched the deal last Friday evening, by the look of the forecast I better get something warming in for this Friday........Rum perhaps ?

Oh, by the way, open invite time again. This Thursday evening, 6 til 8, a private view of Student art and photography at the C21 shop.
All the work is exam coursework by year 11 pupils at North Walsham High School, and well worth a browse. The little darlings get a hard time for being snot's most of the time, this is a different side to them, come and have look.
The show is on over the Easter weekend if you can't make Thursday eve........but the wine will be gone.

The C21 shop, 38 High Street, Mundesley, Norfolk. 10am-4pm, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon.

can you tell what it is yet ?

This week I have mostly been screwing pipes, with a mate.

nice out

I know everyone is wittering on about the weather, but having just got back from the beach I have to say despite the wind and rain, it's magnificent down there today.

The wind is what Norfolk folk call a 'Lazy Wind'. It's too lazy to go round you, so it goes straight through. Stumbling along into it is like having prolonged ice-cream-brain-freeze. Add abrasive qualities of seemingly jet propelled sand, small stones, dried sea-weed and rubbish, and you won't be needing to exfoliate for a week or two.
I'm having to think hard to describe the wind, mainly because I was hypnotised by the light. Fabulous shafts, like spotlights flashing through the clouds. Every moment a new image is lit up, then disappears, like watching mackerel flash near the surface in August.

I'm going to try and paint something inspired by the weather later. The thought of trying to capture something of the elements always excites, but the butterfly's of inadequacy are waiting to creep in at any moment. Repeat after me; less is more, less is more..........
I suppose that's part of the thrill.

To change tack for a moment, the elements have created their own collage behind the old sea defences here. A sudden collection of sea-borne rubbish has been formed by wind and tide into a
a seductive muddle of shape and colour.
There must be a way of making something cool and arty from it.........the cogs are turning.

wanderlust

I harbour a dream of travel.

I don't mean a foreign package holiday, my dream is to own a scruffy camper van and go and have a look round.

I really like the idea of slowly traversing little country lanes and coast roads, buying hedge-veg and catching mackerel as I go.
I'd take a cut down painting kit and a camera, throw some paint about at last light or dawn overlooking wide rolling landscapes or rocky cliffs.
Not shave much, have long proper conversations with herself, watch sunsets, get Pinot Grigio'd on deserted beaches, then come back home and work the sketches studies and photo's up into BIG canvases.

Maybe go right round Britain, then France, possibly a ferry to Spain, what about Italy ?

The small matters of mortgage and teenagers need to be sorted and incorporated respectively, but I think it's a realistic proposition.

So if you see a stranger with an improbably large straw hat and a glass of something chilled, madly scrubbing away at a canvas, obviously needing a shave........come and say hello.