Time To Be An Artist

Apologies for the lack of Blog spots recently, its been a busy time for me with the run up to Christmas and a new term of teaching.

Teaching has become very busy in my day job, I have full classes at the moment and a new term is always busy with planning and prepping for class. I have met some lovely new people and returning learners have come back! It's all good and I love it!

As I write I am quite pleased with myself for framing up work that has been drying in the studio. Framing is always a fab part of my process as the work comes to life, a frame can really make or break a painting. I am fussy with my frames and can pay a lot of money to have my work professionally framed. It is of course worth it, like I say the finished piece of the art puzzle.

Sometimes I frame smaller work myself, I have had a few frames hanging around from other work, so today was it.... my framing head was on.

Being in my studio today has made me realise I need to manage my time more so I can paint more often. I am an artist, always. There are times when the paintings just flow from my fingers!.. One after the other, sometimes 2 or 3 on the go and ideas waiting.

I am a great advocate of the sketch book. Ideas and practice coming together, although in recent times I have enjoyed just painting without sketching. I like this too, there seems an energy and freshness in my work that can get lost if too much practice or sketching happens.

Take today, I framed up a triptych of 3 small oil pastels and cold wax sketches which I drew ohh maybe 2/3 months ago. I have had them pegged to my studio wall, waiting.... wondering whether to scrap them, work on them, make bigger sketches.....

I found a frame I had bought ages ago and hey presto! in they went.

I'm really pleased with how they came together and I have created an interesting piece of art which I like and is sellable.

This also made me think.

Hmmm oil pastels, I was going to play with those in Oct last year! now its Jan 2024.

I need more time.

So, I am promising myself a day a week to work on my own work. No prep, no workshops just me and my art.

Nice.

I think we all need time for ourselves, time to be us. Maybe its listening to music, going for a run (I need to get back on that too), having a bath, reading, painting.

Mine is just that and having this time will reinforce all the other stuff that is wrapped up in my arty life.

Something for myself.

Thanks for reading and I hope to add more posts more often, in-between the painting but for now,

keeeeep painting,

Emma :)