It is some time since I painted. I spent several weeks totally absorbed by the task of exhibiting, following which I felt that I really needed a break. Instead I have been fully engaged with DIY tasks. To my surprise, however, while lying in bed yesterday an idea for a picture came into my head. … Read more
As I have been working through ideas in relation to my “tree” project, it has been encouraging, over the past week, to get some feedback from people who have seen the finished pieces. Artists are very often uncertain about the success of their work, and it can be immensely supportive to receive positive feedback. (Of … Read more
Some time ago, in this blog, I recounted the story of the advice I was given by the late Graeme Willson, during the time when I was fortunate enough to benefit from his services as a mentor. He commented on one occasion that my progress in art was being held back by the fact that … Read more
Many years ago I was lucky to be awarded a mentorship, working under Graeme Willson for a year. It was an experience I have valued greatly ever since. Not all of it was easy to cope with. He tried hard, and with little success, to persuade me to experiment with more abstract compositions. His acute, … Read more
I have never managed to develop, as a painter, a strong sense of the importance of the painted surface, as a point of interest or attraction in a work of art. This might well have to do with the central interest for me of pastels, which are my preferred medium. Other features of a picture … Read more
Several years ago, when I was privileged to receive a grant enabling me to work with the late Graeme Willson, as my mentor, he said that he thought that a significant problem I faced was that I was “afraid to fail”, and consequently was reluctant to push out my art work beyond familiar territory. His … Read more
Several years ago, when I was lucky to be awarded a year of mentorship with Graeme Willson, he set me a task of experimenting with abstraction. I found the experience mystifying in some respects, and I recall that my efforts were really rather timid. Looking at my work he said that he thought that I … Read more