Online Connections.

Venice

From my first book " How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour"

A year has flown by and so much has happened in it. I cannot believe I have achieved so much but it is all down to dedicating time to paint and my career.This time last year I was also meeting friends who had booked on my workshops from having seen my work online and having met me via a web site. The internet  is such  an interesting medium. In a way it is an art form in itself. People all over the world  communicate in a manner that could never have been imagined by our ancestors. It may have its downfalls in that we are all aware not everyone behind the persona on the screen is genuine or exactly how they appear to be. But I think you can tell most of the time and as we get older it is more difficult to be fooled quite so easily.

I have what could be called a terrible habit of liking everyone without hesitation.Others may  suggest I be more cautious and yet I think I have only made a few mistakes since I have been online in judging characters. Friends and family who know me well will laugh when they see I finally admit yes, I am naive but I prefer to imagine the world is full of caring people who give as well as take,who are kind and generous to a fault and who treat others with respect.

So during Spring last year several eager artists came to my workshops and we met in person for the first time.They were exactly how I expected them to be. Enthusiastic, fabulous people who all got on so well and were also great fun to be around. We have stayed in touch and we each follow the others art journey with great interest as friends. The fact that they made a choice to fly to UK to be on yet another workshop with me really does  touch me in a way I cannot describe. As soon as the dates were advertised they booked their places. And as the last few months and then weeks passed by the excitement soared.

There are many artists all over the world who teach and hold workshops.Many who are far more  advanced than I in their art journey and many who are just starting out. There are those who inspire and those who probably shouldn't be teaching in the first place. And there are those who have reached heady heights and act as if they should be almost worshipped in reverence. These we do come across and almost become comedy figures to be  joked about in certain situations. But mainly I meet professional artists who are like me,ordinary in every way, humble in that they cannot see what they have to offer.They just adore sharing and giving as well as aiming to help everyone around them to adore painting as much as they do.

To love anything so strongly that you choose to share openly, to adore teaching and meeting such fantastic people from all over the world,to be able to connect simply by holding a brush in your hand is an incredible privilege and I do feel humble and honoured so many wonderful people choose to come to my workshops.

I am so grateful to everyone who has  played a part in bringing me to this point in my career and grateful to those who are helping me progress further. I still feel like a baby  taking small steps next to the amazing artists I admire. I have so far to reach to improve.

Tomorrow my publisher will also be on my session and my editor. They enjoyed working with me and seeing my book develop so much they too are coming but this is for a project so a little different than coming purely to paint.

I am so looking forward to this weeks workshops, I have everything  ready for a superb time by all and I am eager to get started. I also can't wait to reunite with such wonderful friends who have come all this way  to move forward in their own art journeys.

I am very blessed.

**********************