Exhibition flyer

Back from holiday, making new work, getting ready for exhibitions.

That’s the flavour of autumn each year. Last year’s return to work was after a soggy, cool summer. No-one can complain about this last one. Lots of long warm days. Nevertheless I did far less painting than planned. My studio was still a shambles after building works and disruptions.

So now it’s full steam ahead: resolving and finishing (or scrapping) older work in progress. Attacking new ideas. Working out how to tackle ideas that have been with me for a while but not yet found their expression.

I always talk about ‘making work’, I find, rather than just ‘painting’. There’s such a lot of practical stuff to do. Preparing boards or supports or canvases. Making paper, in my case – I did quite a bit of that in the hot sunshine. (It’s such a messy watery business and the cat always tries to get in on the act so I much prefer not to do it indoors.) Then you need to set aside mostly-finished work for a bit so you can come upon it unawares and glimpse it objectively. It might need radical work, or simply a tweak or two.

Just occasionally you must learn to leave well alone – it works! That’s it: enough. Do not touch.

And then there’s the mounting and framing…that’s another story.

More details soon, but I have two art events in the offing. One is my joint exhibition with Gail Gibson Tait at the Grange Gallery, Rottingdean, later this month: Sense and Serendipity. I’ll post separately about why we called it this.

Secondly, the Affordable Art Fair at Battersea, 23-26 October. again with the Nicholas Bowlby Gallery. It never rains but it pours: the two shows overlap so I’m not yet sure which work will be in which show. Serendipity I hope! And then I’ll be looking out for some new opportunities.