Exciting Experiments

After 'Thirty Days hath September' it has been a complete joy to be able to get back to what I do best - painting and teaching. The promotion and marketing aspect of my job is always good fun but any time away from my palette makes me artistically itchy and longing to get back to being creative. This week I have been testing 'Millford' watercolour paper on behalf of the Society for All Artists (SAA) as the paper is relatively new to the art materials market. It is produced by the St. Cuthberts paper mill as a replacement to the old 'Whatman' paper originally used by JMW turner. I was a huge fan of Whatman when it was around as I loved the quality it gave to my paints, it lent itself very well to my impressionistic brush strokes and the fact that I like to use soft edges in my work.

Millford is everything Whatman was and more! I can imagine that people might be afraid of it due to its cost but believe me, it is worth every penny. Yes, it is a very different surface and you have to be nice to it but this is only to my advantage, as it means I can't 'faff' (my favourite artistic term) about with it too much and have to trust that it will grab hold of my paint and diffuse the colours as I want it to.

So here is the painting I worked on last night:

We have a herd of deer at the back of the farm where we live and I have been desperate to paint a stag ever since I heard him calling last week. The Millford paper has given me the soft, foggy atmosphere I was looking for with very little effort from me and I am really pleased with the result.

I have used a variety of techniques here, but I won't talk about them yet as they are still in development and I want to make sure I am confident with them before passing them on.

So please keep your eye on the blog as I'm sure there is lots more to come with this paper, I can see it fast becoming my favourite!

If you would like to have a go on this paper, you can order it through me or by visiting the SAA's Home Shop: www.saa.co.uk

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...