For the last couple of years, I’ve blogged about my sketchbook circle progress and have enjoyed it as a means of tracking and documenting the experience. When it faltered a bit as partnerships stumbled, I found myself introducing elements of my other life so, this year, I’m being less puritannically focussed and other stuff will creep in. No apologies.
It’s my fourth year of sketchbook circling: I have come to value it as an integral and liberating part of life, both whimsical and serious, a brilliant way of connecting with other practitioners and stimulating new ideas.
Choosing the sketchbook is a significant December event, ready to work in during January to eventually send to the first of my two partners. I settled upon a spiral bound A5 black book and, for the first time, decided to initiate a theme – just to see what happens, really. In these Brexitacious times, it seems important to use any opportunity to reference anything European for the slimmest of reasons and so, the ‘Carnet de Curiosites’ was born. Collections of bizarre and strange curiosities have always interested me: maybe that’s how the book will evolve.
Details from the first entries:
‘The Welcome Party’ was taken from a photograph I came across from a VE Day – ‘Victory in Europe’ – street party – children, women, cakes and party hats, a strangely surreal scene from the noman’s land of the past. I also began a gorgonish head – which my partner may or may not continue – and created pages of pattern, loosely connected with the idea of curiosities. Meanwhile, that uber-curiosity of a creature, Trump, had ascended to the US presidency and women had marched in their thousands to protest at his mysogynist, racist and fascist attitudes. I had to reference it.
That done, the book was posted to Ellie, partner A, and, bang on schedule, I received the next book from Sara, partner B, at the beginning of February.
I’ve been exploring my practise in other ways, too; having joined a local painting group,now that I’m in my dotage and merrily retired. The group exhibits a couple of times a year – something of a scarey notion for me. I’ve never really worked to sell, apart from a period of freelancing when the children were small, and other odds and sods along the way. I’m very, very poor at finishing work, having been always far more interested in the process than the product, so the thought of getting some pieces together for exhibition is a challenge I havent met for decades. Anyway, it’s forcing me to work in a quite new way. Given that I’m still not sure what my style is, if indeed I have one, everything’s an experiment. These are pieces currently under construction:
Yes, deeply boring, I know. Except the portrait of Metal Mickey from down the road that I’m quite pleased with. This is the trouble with commerce. And trying to please. It’s never entirely a good idea.
Shedland 