Day Thirty......of Thirty!

I don't think that I ever planned that my last day of Thirty Days would be spent as it has been today. I have taken the last day of my project off! Maybe I should have exited 'Thirty Days hath September' in a flourish but it has been such an extraordinary event that it has required me to use the last day reflecting and planning what comes next.

The last month has really pushed me to consider what I want from my creative career and how I can progress it after graduating from my degree. I have worked with some truly amazing people over the period of the project, travelled far and wide and the result has been a list of opportunities that I'm looking forward to incorporating.

Which brings me to the result of today:

Those who know me, know of my love of the list. I run my life by them, am constantly ribbed by my fiancé for making them (and for leaving them for him) but for me they allow me to pour out all the information that is constantly revolving around my head. After I have made one I feel calmer and more in control of what I need to achieve and what order it needs to be dealt with. They don't rule me, I'm not so tragic that every last minutiae of my life is recorded in them, but for someone with the portfolio career that I have, they are a necessity. 

So today I have been thinking about all the things I discovered during Thirty Days, all the projects that have been engineered for the next 12 months and planning what classes I can teach next. All I can say is keep watching this space, there is so much I am looking forward to achieving and thank you for continuing to indulge this artist in her creative ramblings.

What a week!

When allocating your time for marketing, Facebook and blogging, you always have the very best of intentions. The reality, however, is that your artistic activities completely take over as it isn't exactly a nine to five job.

Last week saw me taking a trip over to Guernsey to visit the fantastic Sarnia Arts and Crafts club who are always a pleasure to teach and demonstrate for. We did two days of mixed media workshops together, plus an evening demonstration for the members. It was great fun and I want to thank Sara Serafin the President of the club for her support and the very gracious Ellen Gallienne for putting up with me for three days and being my sat nav around the island!

The end of the week was a whirlwind of an exhibition! Four years ago myself and four painting friends got together to form the female collective 'Artemis', a stress-free exhibition group who are brilliant to work with. This year we were showing in The Cedar Room at Haskins Garden Centre and, despite the power cut we had a magnificent time talking, demonstrating, seeing friends and eating a vast quantity of cake!

My thanks go to De Ashton, Tracey Collyer, Ruth Elrington-Browne and Theresa Nutting for their tireless good humour and for putting up with my absence during the past year. I will make up for it with our exciting plans for 2014!

So now it is the 23rd day of Thirty Days, who thought it would race by SO quickly? This week is just as thrilling though as I will be working with jeweller Emma Calvert, photographer and PA extraordinaire Jasmine O'Hare and the very talented band Under Fire. More later in the week...

Day Twelve of Thirty

I just had to write mid-week to share with you a couple of artistic activities that have already occurred since we last spoke. I have been testing out some new surfaces recently, the latest being a watercolour paper called 'Millford' which is being made as a replacement to a paper I used to use years ago. Although it has it's drawbacks, I have to say that the replacement is just as good as the original and from a traditional watercolour point of view, is a beautifully receptive surface to my brush and has been a treat to work on.

Here is the end result of my work:

This week I have also held the second of my free taster sessions, last night's was watercolours for those of an intermediate standard. Such a fun class made up of people who I have taught before but had different reasons for coming back to my classes again. We did a 'paint by numbers' lesson last night, which means that I helped them through their painting step by step but as you will see below, they all turned out very differently which meant that each person went home with something unique. I had a really great time, teaching is never a chore for me but it's even better when you can have a giggle over a cup of tea too! 

I have a busy weekend ahead, a day workshop on Saturday and then preparing for my trip to Guernsey next week and my exhibition with the Artemis girls starting on the 21st, Thirty Days is certainly full to bursting!