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Looking back at 2014 drawing in and drawing on

Looking back at the year I can see its been one of change. Most years are for me, as a good friend of mine told me a few years ago “You need to be going upwards to go onwards” and I try all the time to improve, to give myself the challenge of reaching beyond what is expected. This year has been one where I have tried to focus more towards the end of the year on one subject. The thing is the subject I wanted to paint, and was more than happy with, wasn’t the one that was wanSuzanne and Mark painting (2)ted in the place I wanted it to be wanted. I know now why that is, and have changed my direction to a new tangent and  have found a subject that I am more than happy with, again, and think that its one that will be the right one. If not, its back to creating one that is. The secret to a good artist is finding the right niche at the right time and place. Sometimes its the right picture just not the right place or time.   In the meantime, I have pulled a lot of loose ends together, and entwined them into a long string, one with a balloon floating on the end of it, floating up to the sky with my hopes and dreams inside it. I like that analogy, very descriptive!

I have never been an artist who has just painted one subject. The world is too big a place for me to do just one thing. But looking back over the year I can see that it has as usual been filled with an eclectic mix of artwork, and this again is my *problem* albeit a nice one, that I don’t just paint one thing, in one style, and its why people don’t know what I do, since I do so much. But I have never wanted to tie myself down before to one thing. Its time I did. To anchor.

The highlights have been two lovely special  portraits of couples – the first being “Peter and Miranda, past, present, and future” in the churchyard historical setting, and the second “Suzanne and Mark” in a sexy erotic pose but tasteful enough for any of their friends and family to view. I loved painting both those pictures, and know both couples were delighted with their pictures created to celebrate  important mile stones in their lives.

Whilst on portraits, I was delighted to do another Queynte painting, since I always enjoy those for the colour combinations and abstract shapes those gorgeous feminine portraits always include being the ultimate piece of conversational art I think!Hunters moon insitu

The other highlight paintings were landscapes though, the River Trent at Swarkestone in watercolours being a lovely painting do to in stages which I put as a demo on my website, and St Saviours Church at Foremark being done as a Christmas present for a client back in September. And also a drawing of the High Street in Repton as a last minute Christmas present completed in record time and one I thoroughly enjoyed doing. I haven’t done a landscape in pencil before. I usually do them in pen and ink on cartridge paper.

I was delighted to be invited to participate in the Ashby Arts Festival as one of the artists who designed and created a 8 feet by 4 feet board to be displayed in the town in May. The theme of “Myths and Legends” was certainly my sort of subject matter though, and I loved designing my dragon and fairy tale castle entitled “Hunters moon” knowing that it would be seen by thousands of people during the festival. I’ve never painted such a big painting but would happily do one that size again, it was great fun!

And for the new year? Well already I have two tasks to complete early in January – neither of which is painting art but is art related. The first is a guest blog spot I’ve been invited to do Swarkestone (8)and the second is to do a talk about being an erotic artist to a local womens group.

And I have a painting to complete. A work in progress I had to put on hold for the whole oPeter and Miranda, past, present and future (2)f December since I had other projects that had to take priority. But its time to finish it. Its my balloon of hope painting which I’m loving putting my heart and soul into.

So for you , whatever the year has been I hope the new one if full of hopes and dreams for you, doing what you want to do with the people you want to do it with. Doing what is important to make you feel whole, and what makes you happy and smiling inside. Cos that’s what’s important, isn’t it.