29 September 2022

that’s a wrap…

Open studios has finished.  The family are looking forward to moving things back into the non-studio part of the room. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to keep it clean and tidy as long as possible!  Whoops, better move the piles of gel-printed tissue and bubble wrap off the floor then.  It's nice to be able to relax into creating again.  Before I tell you what's happening next I thought I'd do a little round up of my first ever Open Studios experience.  

  • I opened the first two weekends of September, then by appointment and had 22 visitors. Huge thank you to all my visitors for fabulous arty conversations that really filled my cup.

  • I think I must have talked to everyone about my gel plate, how I print with it, and how I use the prints in my work: as standalone works of art, or as collage.  If you're interested in this you can hop on over to youTube and check out my gel printing video (skip forward to the 12 minute mark).

  • Visitors loved looking through my sketchbooks, to see how ideas and paintings develop.

  • Other artists that visited were interested to chat about the differences between how we use sketchbooks - I'm a bit random (pick a page and start working), that doesn't work for everyone!  I also use both sides of the page which is a no-no for some.

  • I remembered to ask people to leave me a comment, it's been so lovely to read through them. 

'What a nice surprise to see such different art work' - Wendy

'Lovely and fascinating work - great to see the sketchbooks too and hear how you do your work..' - Jane

'Interesting to hear about different techniques used.  Very inspriring!' - Ruth

Neither of the paintings in the central exhibition sold, so they have been collected.  If one needs to come and live with you, they are both approximately 12" square in a slim white frame and available for £195 each with free postage for newsletter subscribers*. Email me if you want give one a home, or view them in person, or I can give you a closer look via video call.

So what's next?   Quick studio update

I seem to be pulled to return to work started over a year ago.  Two mini series, both with personal connections:

  • a series of three paintings based upon memories of vessels and objects at my parents house: these paintings are becoming more than just about the objects though - which is where they started.  The connections with my parents, shared love and memories of place and time.  This perhaps stems from the fact that my dad is struggling with sleep and no longer wants to make the long journey to visit us and stay over here.  The sudden reality that they are not getting younger.  It's certainly crept up on me.

  • a mini series of figurative paintings that were started in lockdown: I feel I have been drawn to come back to these works due to the recent death of a work colleague from 20 years ago who was suffering with long covid. Each piece has a lockdown poem written on newsprint and collaged onto the canvas as a starting point. The poems were posted in a group on Facebook and permission was sought to use them in my work - but only one painting made it to 'almost finished' state at the time.  

How do you feel about owning a piece of work which has a personal story behind the making of it?  Hit reply to let me know!

Bye for now,

Lucy

* sign up to my below to get free postage on purchase of ‘Source of enlightenment’ or ‘Dreamer’ and email me from the email address you use to subscribe.

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