Let's Talk Art Blog

Am I a squirrel? Though I might not look like one, I think I'm starting to behave like one! I'm bouncing around the studio between paintings, somewhat like a squirrel leaping acrobatically among the trees. Have you ever seen a squirrel looking as if it's not sure what to do next? I don't think I have.

Where do all the words go when I'm painting? I think a lot. And more often than not those thoughts wander around in my brain as words. When I'm in the studio, thinking about what comes next in my process, or the merits of one colour over another, or my next texture for the gel plate, these ideas are always formulated in my mind with words.

I always feel totally clueless........ in the beginning. But it's really the best way to feel at the start of a painting. And for me, the only way to feel when I'm staring at a blank canvas.

What do you do with your leftovers? They seem to be everywhere! Scraps of paper, snippings and trimmings, blobs of paint and well used palette paper.... To kick off the new year I decided I'd begin, not by having a studio tidy up and a clear-out, as would seem fitting for starting afresh, but by casting around to see what usable paint and paper remnants I had on the bench.

Connections are everything....but where do we find them? I've had cause to think a lot about 'connections' in the past few weeks, and in a variety of different contexts. It's a phrase that's been bouncing around the studio as I work away on 3 big paintings, each in different colour palettes, with the knowledge that they'll hang side by side being a pressing concern in the making of the work. I somehow need to 'connect' them all and I can't rely on colour to help me do this

Why am I doing a U-turn? I think I may have an answer...... I began working on a new piece during Noosa Open Studios - really so that I could occupy my mind and my hands whist the studio was quiet. In many ways this is the best way for me to start new work - with plenty of distractions and interruptions - I can't get too focused and fussy in those early stages if I can't maintain my train of thought!