Tumtetum

Oh I don't like these gloomy afternoons. The light in my studio is rubbish and without the sun shining in, I can barely see a hand in front of me! Anyway making a start on a new work. I had in mind I wanted to do another bowl one. I found a fab shaped bowl in a shop that I took a photo of, and had every intention of using it. But first things first I had to lay the foundations of texture on the canvas.

 News paper and tissue always work well, then a couple of layers of a fairly neutral colour look good behind a vibrant ceramic.....  Idly flicking through a sketch book, waiting for the pain to dry, I came across some scribbles of some fishyness! I have loads of sketch books, stuffed full of things that grab my attention. Colours, shapes, textures, pictures torn out of magazines....anything. I find them an endless source of inspiration.Anyway the bowl idea went out of the window and fish and chips were in. Which goes to prove my theory that creativity only starts to kick in once you start working. No amount of planning will come up with the stuff that finished pieces are made of. Things evolve as paint and collage is applied. Be prepared to change your ideas as a piece moves along.

I was reading an article the other day by a gallery owner. He was giving advice to artists about approaching galleries to show work. One of the points he was making was that galleries like consistency in an artist. Sticking to a theme and a medium. Now I can understand that galleries have to sell the work and that they stick to a style in order to develop a name for a certain type of art, but boy is it dull for the artists to have to be so rigid. Some artists probably like to work like that, but not me! I have the attention span of a flea on a good day. I do what I love and variety is the spice of life. Once I have worked through an idea, which usualy takes about 5 or 6 pieces, I like to move onto some thing else......

.........And then I became distracted by pink jumpers and wellies in the mirror...Oh dear...