Studio Notes no 81

spring cleaning and sketchbooks

photo: sketchbook pages from 2019

Hello again, I hope you are keeping well. This morning I woke up early (as usual) and knew I was not that early - the clocks have gone forward an hour for British Summer Time. Fear not, it is not summer here just yet. I will be moaning about the heatwave when it comes, but until then it is mildly rainy with the chance of more drizzle.

Now it is spring and I am embracing the whole spring cleaning idea, just for a change I usually do a big clean before Christmas and then again just after, and after that. But due to my whole foot saga, I was limited and the bare minimum was done for a while. My work space has definitely needed sorting out and so I have devoted several hours this past week to shifting, cleaning, sorting, wondering where I am going to put things and generally moving stuff about. I’ve decided to box up many older sketchbooks; they are now stored in a tidy box rather than constantly falling out of shelves. I’ve kept out a ‘core’ of more recent books as you can see in the photo below.

photo: a core of my sketchbooks, with chief librarian owl

I was thinking of keeping out far fewer, but the process of deciding was too overwhelming and resulted in my wanting to sit and work in my sketchbooks rather than tidy the huge mess I had created thus far. Not a bad thing, to be motivated to work in your sketchbooks, but there is a time…. And I needed to make sure I could get into the kitchen again. Such is the life of a very modest artist who works from home. Now the space is a lot tidier, cleaner and makes me feel a little more sane. There is still more sorting to do. There is always more sorting to do.

Here below is a short list of just some of the things I discovered whilst spring cleaning:

so many knitting needles

a huge box of vintage buttons I keep meaning to sort

a box paper clips - who on this earth uses paper clips least of all me?

a purse full of twenty pence pieces - nice but no idea why

a knitted owl without a face or wings (so not really an owl yet)

old poetry zines I had forgotten I had written let alone publish

a bag of old cotton reels

a monkey I forgot I had made - poor monkey has a moth eaten face, which at least proves to me there is some wool content in that felt that I used to make him. I do remember his name is Marcel. Neither of my adult children have any memory of him and are rather indifferent about his existence. My son says he needs ‘proper eyes as the ones I stitched look like there were buttons that fell off’.

Photo: poor Marcel in need of care and attention. He has survived being stuffed at the bottom of a box for far too long and looks forward to a new life (moth free).

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Looking through all my sketchbooks gave me too many ideas and I was itching to get working on new projects. Then I had a cup of tea and realised I do need to focus on one thing at a time, or quite frankly my working day can become an overwhelming fight with myself. It is good to write ideas down and come back to them so that is what I did.

Then I began a new sketchbook page, inspired by one I came across in an older book.

photo: on the left is the book that inspired me. I enjoy working in this style, inspired by folk art furniture and signs, still life paintings and abstraction - so a whole mix of inspiration but somehow it works, I feel.

photo: and the completed new sketchbook pages. I am now working on a small series of stand alone artworks inspired by both the old and new pages

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News from the shop front - thanks to everyone for purchasing my work recently, or for taking a keen interest if you were not able to buy anything at this time. I appreciate your continued support so much. My shop will be updated again this coming Wednesday, but it will be a smaller update - I hope to have a further selection of spring inspired tiny paintings and more, with the hope that you might enjoy them in time for Easter and beyond.

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A few more stories from this week:

I made it on to a bus. It’s been six months. My daughter and I go together for a change of scene. It’s a bit of an anti-climax, though, I have to admit. I wish I could tell you some entertaining story, an overheard conversation. However, the most dramatic part of our bus journeying was when I woman kept ringing the bell and telling everyone she is ‘not from around here’ and was sorry she was stopping the bus in the wrong place. We all sat in suitable silence, unimpressed. I am grateful for the £2 single fare deal at the moment and hope to take more advantage of this in the near future. Will let you know how far we get, in search of interesting stories.

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I walk toward the local shop and see a sign ahead warning of ‘tree works’. There’s a group of young lads stood by a hedge, tools down and leaves everywhere. They are having a vape break. I overhear one say to the others: ‘we can’t do anything until we know for sure. We can’t disturb a bird’s nest. We’ll just have to wait until he gets back.’ I walk home another route and then spend the rest of the day wondering what happened and if someone has put a nest of eggs back into the hedge, or what?

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I have so much wool. Too much wool for one person who only knits small things. I decide to have a go at making a pom pom chick. He is called Brian (after the newly knighted Brain May). I tell my daughter: he is desperate for a friend. Well don’t look at me, her knowing glance tells me. So for the past several days poor Brian has been waiting and waiting for a new friend to hatch. Chances are strong that several will just appear.

photo: Brian the pom pom chick

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