Getting back into things

It's been some time since I did a blog post. Anyone who's come to this site must wonder what's happening and will it ever get updated. Sorry if you were one of those who left puzzled but things have been a bit...unsettled. If you've read any of my older posts you'll know I've always battled with lack of confidence in my art and how to develop it. That's not unusual in creative types so I'm no exception. I couldn't tell you what I was doing during the first lockdown (where I work has been back in business since late Summer) but I know a lot of time was spent agonising over what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

Most of last year was actually spent writing. Lots of short pieces that combined to become two book length works. Have I finished them? No. While I wrote almost obsessively, I hit a point where the core point got a bit mixed up and I kept finding more and more I wanted to add. And the niggle of art was at the back of my mind the whole time. A month ago I picked up an armature and started a new sculpture and have been working madly ever since. The books remain in my head as I sculpt so it seems there's a time to write, a time to make art and within both, time to think about the other and gain some clarity about where to take it all.

I have some plans incubating. The first involves finishing this new batch of slightly smaller work to sell. Since Brexit has thrown a spanner in the works for artists wanting to sell overseas, I've opted to use Folksy; a UK based site for UK artists. We'll have to see how willing international buyers are to navigate the nonsense of customs and VAT that the government have dumped on them but it's not looking great at the moment.

I've been beefing up some overly skinny pieces (see image left) and clearing out old work too. It's been incredibly satisfying to look at some polymer clay or plaster pieces, decide I hate them and pull them apart! So they were 'disassembled' (leaving my floor looking like a set piece for Hannibal) to reclaim the wire and wood. Which was quite hard work. They were pretty solid and I think I slightly messed up my nicely recovering suspected cracked (or maybe dislocated) rib in the process. Oh yeah, I hit some ice and skidded off my bike in February and fell very heavily. That led to needing three buses to get to work since walking hurt so much. Over an hour and a quarter compared to 30 minutes on the bike. I'm cautiously cycling again since the schools returned - the traffic is so horrendous it takes buses much too long now. The rib is still iffy but much better than it was. I suppose I'll just have to be patient.

So right now, the requirements are - finish up the last of seven pieces I've recently turned out, then while I think about how to paint them, pull out and sort the rest of my paper figures, work out packing box sizes, order them and register an account with Stripe so I can sign up with Folksy. And that means measuring, blurb writing and naming each piece. And rejigging the galleries on this site. None of them the funnest of jobs but a necessity. Safe to say my enthusiasm for all of this is back. I have other plans too but it's a bit early to say for sure what they'll be...