If communication has been rather erratic over the past three months there is a reason. I have been extremely busy, and under great deal of pressure. During the months of May, June and July I was fortunate to have three solo exhibitions. The first was my Observations, in the Apothecary gallery in Thornton. The second was in the Unit 9 gallery at the South Square Centre, entitled Conversations with Trees. Finally, during July, I showed my Beyond series in Shipley. (This was the first time that it has been possible to make this the focus of a show, instead of including individual pieces more general exhibitions.)
I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to present so much of my work in a variety of contexts. There has been a cost to this, however, in that I have felt under extreme pressure, and I have found myself neglecting other aspects of my personal and professional life. Now that we have arrived in August I feel no compunction about an almost complete withdrawal from that part of my world. The activity which looms largest in my field of vision at the moment is actually gardening. A summer which has been both moist and warm has resulted in manic growth, which I now have to discipline. Also, for some time now we have been aware of the need to do some serious chucking-out of stuff which has accumulated over the years. Anyone who has faced that job will understand that it is not to be undertaken lightly. (We have been in this house now for a quarter of a century. Enough said!) Of course, at the moment the daily broadcasts of climbing from the Paris Olympics hold my attention from time to time.
I am hoping (and intending) in this situation that I will have more time for quiet reflection, and the putting-in-order of all kinds of things. So: if things go according to plan there will be more room in which to share these reflections through this blog.