It is hard to believe, in the light of my current mood, how things felt up until yesterday. I was blocked with my painting, and routine domestic tasks seemed to be permanent distractions from art. I felt that I was going nowhere.
Suddenly, all of this has changed. I have actually spent a good part of the day painting, and indeed I feel that I have completed the greater part of a piece, although as usual I will want to leave it aside for some time to see how it feels. I have the general shape of a series of images in mind. Of course, the acceptance of my entry to the Patchings Festival has contributed a great deal to the change. In addition to this, I was aware at the life-drawing class last night that the “artistic weather” was on the move. In comparison with the previous week, after which I returned from the class without a single piece that satisfied me, last night everything just seemed to come together. Indeed, my wife commented this evening on the noticeable change in my figure drawing.
In retrospect, I remain convinced that a significant part of my problem had to do with the fact that I was writing, and this requires a mental framework quite at odds with painting. I’ve noticed something similar with climbing. If I am looking at a rock formation with an eye to its suitability as a climbing venue I never see it in terms of its artistic interest. Whatever the reason, I do hope that I am moving now into a period in which I will be able to return to a sense that painting is what I do, and satisfaction with what I achieve.