A Shift

I am currently sat in a coffee shop, and surprisingly the sun is shining! I’m not sure what to write about in my blog this month so I thought I would just begin. It’s not been an easy month in that it has felt unsettled and I haven’t been particularly motivated. We’ve had the Easter holidays which was very much needed for us all and I finished a big surprise commission. And then? Well I wasn’t sure. What I did know was I felt my work needed to and was shifting; refocusing. I learnt so much at the Art Fair in March and have so many ideas buzzing around that I didn’t know where to start. I’ve been feeling around in the dark trying to grab hold of something. And I think I have. I say ‘think’ as you never really know until you are on a roll, work is flowing and there’s that momentum.

Artists thrive on that feeling when they are inspired and the work seems to take on a life of its own. It becomes organic. There’s a buzz that you get that keeps you striving when work isn’t going that way. That’s where I am and what I am searching for. Usually during these times there’s a shift in work, ideas or materials, when you spend a lot of time in your head mulling things over, sifting through possibilities and their potential before the physical work really begins again.

I have been playing around with ideas on where I want to go with my work. I know I want to create some bigger pieces as well as explore possible surfaces and materials. I also feel I need to hone in.

The Art Fair in March highlighted my earlier tendencies to explore lots of subjects whilst sticking to the same materials. Although I know this is an obvious step in the ‘art journey’ and part of the process, to put it simply, I am ready to move on to the next stage. But, there also has to be a balance; it needs to flow naturally and at the same time, I guess I want some control over where I am going with it.

I’ve been pondering an idea for a while of combining my love of drawing animals (especially birds) with the foliage of my Kew inspired pieces which I have only just started exploring. I have this image in my head of large pieces of groups of flittering birds within a lush foliage background….where the viewers could loose themselves in the detail and movement. Almost in a Rousseau-Marianne North approach. It’s an idea that I think I am ready to explore and develop and I am really excited to see where it goes.

As far as my choice of materials go I think I need to expand on them after becoming very safe using watercolours and pen. That’s not to say these wont remain my favourites, I just dont want to limit myself or my work.

I recently discovered the work of Tiffany Bozic, check her out! She creates these beautiful acrylic paintings on Maple board of different species and habitats. She inspired me to try out my metallic watercolours and pen (hummingbird pic) on wood and I really liked the result .. until I tried varnishing it and the pen smudged (note to self, use spray varnish and not liquid - I knew this but I have no patience). A few more of these wood circles have been ordered for future work. I just need to decide whether I stick to hummingbirds or include other birds…..decisions, decisions!

After writing down my ramblings I’ve realised this is potentially quite exciting and I can’t wait to start creating and see where it takes me. It’s so important to pause, assess and reflect despite the frustrations this can cause. Otherwise, how do we improve, experiment and develop? Again I will continue to remind myself that this is a journey; a process, that we all go through at different times and in different ways to inch closer to our dreams and ambitions.

Thanks for reading this brain-dumping blog this month!

Kelly x