MAD SEASON

Its been a while.

There has been so much to do - and so much I planned to do, but then I got sick. Six whole days in bed.
After a couple of days I wondered if I got sick because I was sick of having my time filled up with stuff I didn't want to do...its been great just to lie with the window open and think...

Went to a great show last week at The Big Chill House at Kings Cross. Fabulous work by the talented Mr Wild, I was proud to be there and support my friend. Check out www.simonwild.com for a visual feast.

Last week was a great week, good news from all sides which is heartwarming and also with an eye to the future. My Wednesday studio day was perfect. I'd been holed up listening to my head carefully and working through ideas, making work and generally feeling inspired and excited about the exhibition. You know, once the ball starts moving, the momentum and capacity for so much more begins. Theres nothing like new aspirations, new ideas and the thought of new destinations to make me get up and get on with it.

The day job however is not quite as inviting as it once seemed....come in lecturing post...maybe your time is up.

MINE FIELD


I've never been one for ideas.

I love researching, processing, methods of working, experimenting and making. I like to have a starting point and an end point. Apparently I am a "structured' personality. Or maybe a less sensitive term would be..uptight.

Through my own education, the processes I was taught were based on me becoming a commercial illustrator, someone who would be given the idea and then whose job it would be to provide a stunning/thoughtful/provocative/interesting visual insight.

Nowadays, its different. I need to figure out how to come up with ideas that are mine. Ideas that can be identified as mine and that can help to move my practical work forward.

But where do I start?

REWIND



I try to live consciously: I recycle, eat and grow organic produce, shop in the co-op and farm shops, struggle in yoga and walk to work (it is only 3 minutes, but it still counts huh?)). I have no doubt this all makes a big difference to how I feel and maybe in some small way in caring for our surroundings.

Even so, I have shyed away from anything more than this because in my work, I just LOVE anything chemical and everything very bad for both me and the environment.

Computers
Screen printing
Highly pigmented dyes
Spray mount
Magic markers
Oil based inks

I don't know how I can finish this twenty year love affair.

But I have had a breakthrough: I have bought tester pots of new 'eco paints' in a range of beautiful colours. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they are seriously good and smell great.
www.ecopaints.co.uk

Polar opposites can work I guess. A bit like going swimming with chips on the way home...