I feel like I am better able to deal with whatever life brings, both at a personal and global level, when I can find small pockets of time for breathing space. For me that is often going out for a walk or making something with my hands, and that sense of breathing space is something that I try to evoke in my artwork. I am planning to make this the first of a series of regular posts with a few things that I am experimenting with each month. Let me know how you find breathing space.
A small corner above my desk
My home is definitely not minimalist, and is in dire need of a good declutter (the combination of having a child and doing art and craft activities does not lend itself to clear spaces!) I am experimenting with keeping a small space clear on the shelf above my desk to display a few items that inspire me. A small space that is uplifting and calming in amongst the visual to-do list that can result from lots of stuff around. (And hopefully over the year the small clear calming space will spread to more areas of the house – fingers crossed…)
Book Recommendation
I am really enjoying The Great Pottery Throwdown on Channel 4 at the moment, and last week the task was to make a row of three shop fronts. It started me thinking about what shop fronts I would make if I was doing that task. An art or craft supplies shop would obviously be one, but one of the others would have to be a book shop. I love the potential in a book shop to find so many different worlds and interesting topics to learn about, and I feel like finding ways to explore the world all feeds into my work as an artist, even if it may be tangentially, or only obvious some time later. (It may also contribute to the lack of clear spaces mentioned above…)
this week I am enjoying ‘Wild Textiles’ by Alice Fox. She starts by saying that the aim of the book is to “foster a spirit of engagement with the natural world through the creative and sustainable use of textile techniques with foraged, found and grown fibres and materials” (p6). The book challenges me to think more about the possibilities of different materials, the types that can’t be found on craft shop shelves, as well as a way of working that is tied very closely to the local landscape. A book that I will keep coming back to.
I have a book recommendations page on the website, which I am planning to add to gradually.
Inchies Challenge
This week I am enjoying the Inchies Challenge led by Amy Maricle, as it only needs five minutes at a time, and needs very little equipment so I can take my kit in the car for when I am waiting somewhere (I’ve got a pile of 2×2 inch squares of watercolour paper, a waterproof pen, watercolour paints and a water brush, but it could be done with small squares of paper and a pencil). The first prompt was ‘Lift’, which led to the feather, a small and delicate object which can help a bird to fly. I started a couple of days late, but I need to keep reminding myself that I don’t need to do a challenge perfectly for it to be worthwhile. (NB the link above isn’t an affiliate link, I have just included it in case anyone else is interested.)