Chatting with my spiritual healer friend earlier she talked of the book she is working on – as in writing, not as in reading, although she is an avid devourer of books and knowledge. And after enquiring after the state of the work in progress she mentioned that sometimes she meets up with other writer friends to sit and chat about what they’re working on, discuss ideas, discuss characters, story lines, and give and receive feedback of their work as a constructive and supportive group. I can certainly relate to that as I get the same positive buzz over being with my arty friends.  She asked me what plans I had for the new year with my art and I mentioned the “Show me the Monet” BBC television programme I’d entered, the walls I am hoping to get my art on in the near future, the Diamond Jubilee solo exhibition I am putting on in June,  and the commission I’m working on for Stuart, and summed up that I had had a good start to the year and she concurred with that statement!
But, I haven’t been able to get on with that particular commission as fast as I’d like. Mostly due to other things having to take priority.
But, I also know what else is the problem. Its the Momentum. It’s not up to scratch at the moment for me.
I’ve spent the whole of my life painting, and know what I personally need to get me going, to feed the juices, to get my mind focused. And I am also fully aware of why its not currently there. I’m not making excuses for it, not at all, its the build up the the momentum losing fuel that has caused it. It started last year when I had to spend so much time building up my website, then being ill in September with a debilitating cold that knocked me back, then sorting the prints out which took way longer than I expected, then December which always eats up time because of Christmas and all that it entails, then into the new year and another cold that knocked me back again.
But I know exactly what I need to get my momentum back, and its the art workshops I attend throughout the year. Whether they are of a subject matter I like or not, I go to them. Whether they are dogs in pastels, seascapes in oils, flowers in watercolours, portraits in acrylics, landscapes in mixed media, cottages in pen and wash, or exotic locations in inks, I go to them. And there hasn’t been one that I haven’t come away from having learnt something. And in addition to whatever the tutor has taught me that day, I love being with my artist friends, and pick up tips and suggestions from them as to various ways of tackling a picture. And sometimes they learn from me, which is great, if I can help them improve their art too. And even sometimes, the tutor learns something from me which is even better. its like picking up art by osmosis for me, I suck it up from being surrounded by it.Â
 And its that that feeds my momentum, it is the fuel that gets my juices going again, that gets my mind focused, and my artistic talents and skill  honed.
This weekend I shall resume going to the workshops as I’ve sadly missed them recently. The November one became a painting day since the tutor was ill and couldn’t attend, and I didn’t go to the September one, since I was ill with a old that knocked the stuffing out of me.
So, I sorely need my top up, to fill my glass again, and painting street scenes in watercolour will certainly do that for me! I don’t know what source material the tutor will be providing, but I’ve got some of my own -Â some of my photos taken in the south of France a few years ago. Particularly around the Ville-Franche sur Mer area (just around the corner from Nice but a lot prettier, and with more famous people!). The sun is shining in my photos, so that is enough of an inspiration on its own on this bleak cold grey day in January, the colours are bright yellows, peaches and cerulean blues, so they will inspire me hugely, and to add to my great interest in that delightful little French town in southern France, I recently noticed that its the town that is featured in the “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” film starting Michael Caine and Steve Martin. So, what more could I want? Other than to be back there again, the next best thing is to paint it!