It has been a strange year, lots of things have interrupted my focus on art and In that time I have taken a slightly new approach to things. Over Christmas 2022 my husband took very poorly with COVID and was in hospital for a few weeks. He was back home at the end of January but never returned to work for some months and really there was not much time for painting. I did manage to complete the Launderette but that was it. In May I travelled to Lourdes once again on a pilgrimage and sketchbooked my way through a wonderful week – where time allowed (and there was not much). In July we lost a lovely Grandad kind of suddenly. We also had my youngest Childs graduation and a holiday. July was exhausting. In August I bought The Artists Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, I followed this for a few weeks and though I was not completely dedicated, it certainly triggered something. In November. With new energies, I decided I needed to sort a new workspace on a small desk. I recognised that I had not been painting because it is such upheaval setting things up, traipsing equipment from room to room each night. Also, my expectations had become too rigid, I had lost some of my spontaneity and freedom in my work, not everything can be a painting to such detail. I also feel that as soon as you focus on what people might want to buy, you make different decisions regarding work. I started to time myself for some 30 minute challenges and using a range of collage materials, together with some stamps, acrylic pens and markers created smaller mixed media work focusing on ghost and derelict buildings. These have been successful in that I am daily creating, excited but outcomes and enjoying things again. Its doable, good fun, engaging and new (for me) – there are no limits. I have started to post time lapses onto TikTok and picked up a small following. I have rediscovered some of the textures I once had. Here are some photos. I feel I have done a bit of rediscovery, this is still a weekends and evening activity, and it has to be fun. If you’re on tiktok feel welcome to follow.
SumoUrbanPainting 