It’s been a bit quiet here for me for a while…school holidays !!! Enough said really but I have done one thing, creatively speaking that it because I’ve been frantically busy otherwise!

“I’m an exhibiting artist !!

 “Feel the fear then do it anyway” ….. these words were said to me about 15 years ago by a then a new friend and now one of my closet and most genuine ones. They’ve rattled around my head ever since, like all great phrases, but there has never a time when it rang more true than about a week ago.

After helping a local artist out one day in our local school with some monoprinting an invitation from the local art society arrived on my doorstep asking me to consider exhibiting my work in the art show. “Ooo that’s scary” was my first thought, “ how can I consider my work to be worthwhile exhibiting alongside some very accomplished artists”…….. so I ignored it…..and then a week before, rather 11^th hour, I changed my mind and impulsively but instinctively I got some work together. Perhaps not the best way to submit work for an exhibition but at least I did it. And I’m so glad that I did because I’ve overcome that fear barrier and have now joined the art society. They are open minded to all disciplines within the artist field (how great is that!?) and I have also committed to do next year’s exhibition.

I submitted 3 pieces, all different techniques as I wanted to show a cross-section but what’s struck me looking at this picture is that I can see a similarity between them all. One if my personal aims for this course is to discover my “own handwriting”…wondering now if I’ve had it all along but I was just too close to it to see it……….

 

Left to right

DISTANT VIEW – Printmaking - collograph, chine colle

 

WATER COLOURS – Textiles - Dry needle felt and stitch/embellishment

FROM WHAT REMAINS – Textiles and Printmaking - mixed media collage using all sorts of scrap ends that happened to match in colour – I think that means I’m predictable with my colour palette !!!