At the Easel with Company.

View From the Summit Snowdonia

Its been a mad May for sure and its only 10 days in, it seems that everything that could happen happens in May! The kids are building up to sports day and there are invites to go into their classrooms and work with them. Seems all birthdays are in May as well as all art events! The painting above is destined for Derbyshire Open Arts, an event I love taking part in at Studio 61 each year, it was painted to the sound of computer games and fighting children the colour build up effects were enhanced by me having to go see what lego had been broken and abandoned on several occasions whilst I went to a park or took them out for new shoes.

I think all this helped as I have a rather different effect created by the chaos!

Strutt Cottage

Meanwhile during the quiet of the school day I can concentrate a bit more and the painting above is a commision for the owner of Strutt Cottage a rather beautiful setting in the heart of Belper. For these paintings I cant make mistakes and rush up and down for these I like to listen to radio 4 and have a clear mind. My studio is like a sanctaury of peace.
Working from home is advantagous of course low overheads no need to take PJs off before picking up a paintbrush, but it also has its drawbacks. My husband has started shift work so he is at home more and when he says shall we go out for lunch I cant say no! Who would ? Tuesday saw him coming in and out of my studio asking for packaging for his eBay sales plus hanging out washing and doing domestic stuff making me feel guilty as I don't do washing and domestic stuff during 'my working hours' (or even 'my non working hours' )
Needless to say a church spire I was working on ended up looking like the leaning tower of Pisa I cant even pass it off for Chesterfield! So paint over that I must!

latest commission with crooked spire

I know I am not alone in this as Facebook is full of people trying to create in between the postman, grocery deliveries, work, dog walks and school runs that is just life isn't it and we be fools to think that artists are all sitting in studios being waited on hand and foot.
I think as artists we imagine that it would be our dream to get away from it all in fact my dream was always to live in a shed in a field and paint but if that was my real dream wouldn't I being doing just that?
No not for me tranquility no I need something to get away from I need my family and distractions like hospital visits and phone calls I need all of it because when all the noise dies down and its just me and my easel life couldn't be better, as I know that short moments of quiet are perfect but long periods of loneliness are terrible. Bring on the din! ( only after 3.30 pm!)
Things coming up then in May!
Derbyshire Open Arts 24th -26th 10 -5 pm at Studio 61 Holloway
and DH Lawrence Heritage 'The Route of the Ripley Rattler' Exhibition.

Hope you can make them in between your chaos!