Racing, Racing, Racing

Favourite Jockey  section from a very large painting.

What a week again. I have been really busy working on a new collection for an exhibition, having meetings and discussions for new projects that are really exciting. I find myself replying to many emails  requesting spaces on workshops and wishing to book demonstrations. In the last twelve months my art career has changed beyond all recognition and my first book is only just hitting the market. Attention from being a new author may have a lot to do with how things are moving in my life right now as well as being in  terrific galleries.

I am aware my art  has evolved and is constantly evolving to a new exciting level which means the thrill I feel when I pick up my brush is even more intense. I know when I hold workshops I always try to find new techniques and approaches so that anyone returning will have the joy of seeing something completely different. I also know when I wrote my first book I shared how I worked at that time in my life. But each technique I have shared I have now expanded on with new wonderful methods always hitting me on how to make a painting look even more alive and as if it is moving. I am hoping to share these in book two in a style of writing that will be easy to follow especially if readers have  followed  my ideas in book one.

To create any book with well over a hundred images an artist needs to paint constantly which I do. In my first book I wanted to include so many paintings that helped lead the reader into how each piece  was created demonstrating my washes and brushwork. But as a professional artist I also paint for exhibitions and galleries. Surprisingly with the demand growing for my work I find instead of creating more paintings I am actually creating less but each is completed to a standard that means when it leaves my studio I am sad to see it go. I will never fall into the category of  "churning out work" simply for sales. That would kill my creative  spirit completely. From experience I believe this is my biggest selling factor.The fact that work is not there readily on demand proves I paint what I love when I want to. Each piece is one that has been enjoyed while the paint was still wet with each new brushstroke meaning something to both myself as  artist and the finished  piece. This is part of who I am and will never change.

My favourite jockey above was in a  large painting last week which sold the day it left my studio. As soon as it was seen. Will this see me painting more like this? Absolutely not because this week has seen me painting flowers from my garden. Thi si swhere my heart led me. My brushstrokes shone in the sunshine and these will carry a huge impact into my next collection. Having said that I have some gorgeous cockerels and new racing scenes just begging to be finished!

I wish I had forty eight hour days and no need for sleep at times because mostly  I just want to paint in my studio and explore so many  ideas that are taunting my imagination right now. I often feel I am racing. Racing to capture so much before the image leaves my mind or play of light before it has faded. I want to capture all the summer flowers before the summer has passed.

Time.

Isn't  that such a precious commodity.

Time to learn, time to grow and time to evolve.

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