Autumn is settling in - crisp air, hearty stews, and cosy evenings by the fire. I’m very much here for it. Are you the same? The Autumn season always makes me want to nest in, create, and dream big. Oh Yeah.
But before the dreamy bits, there’s the practical: I’ve been knee-deep in taxes these past few weeks. A conversation starter, it is not! Tackling it in dribs and drabs has stretched it out far too long, and every time I sit down something else distracts me. Do you blame me?.. Working from home is like that. Still, I wouldn’t swap it, so I’ll persist (and try to stop complaining).
Back to the Canvas
Lately, I’ve been feeling a pull back into my artwork. It’s always there in my head - ideas bubbling away, images stacking up - but getting them onto paper or canvas is another story. This year I realised I simply can’t run full-pelt at both giftware collections and painting at the same time, at least not to my own satisfaction. In fact, I thought I was paring back the giftware creation but who was I kidding. It's impossible.
So here’s the new plan: finish the current collections I’ve promised - the Oversized Tapestry Tote Bags and Handbags, leather accessories from recycled remnants, earrings, and a few smaller pieces. But next year? That’s going to be about painting, more or less exclusively. My suppliers can carry the product side while I throw myself into art.
That decision lifted a weight. No more guilt about promises half-kept or art left undone. It feels freeing, and with that pressure off, I’ve already found myself more inspired to pick up where I left off. Case in point: I’ve returned to a painting of a supermarket checkout scene - chaotic, funny, slightly mad. It took me ages to reorient myself, but it feels good to be back in it.
Teaching, Sharing, Remembering
One unexpected joy this month has been coaching a young woman on her art journey. Just a session a week, but what a rush it is to share knowledge, revisit forgotten basics, and see her talent unfold in her own way. It reminds me of all the early excitement of making art, and I feel truly honoured to be part of her path.
Hormones, Honesty, and Feeling Myself Again
On a more personal note, I’ve recently come off HRT. Maybe that’s oversharing, perhaps the kind of information where less is more for some. However, in this context it feels important to say. The withdrawal has been bumpy - physically and emotionally it's a lot to manage along with everything else - but there’s also been a surprising clarity. It’s as if a gauze has lifted and I can feel the breeze again. Raw, yes, a bit more achy-painy for sure but more me. A renewed sense of connection to myself is seeping into my creativity too, and day to day life, which I’m grateful for. I may even celebrate with a nice glass of vino. I'm interested as to what transpires a little later on. But so far so good.
New Toys: Watercolours and What-Ifs
While pottering around a favourite local town, Claremorris, I stumbled across a second-hand watercolour set: pigment cakes, a fresh pencil, a pencil parer and even a paintbrush, all in a neat little tin. It was like finding treasure. The fact I was drawn to it surprised me because I haven't to date warmed to the rigours of watercolouring. I can’t wait to test it out on some new ideas that have been simmering.(Just not yet...but then you never know).
And speaking of supplies - this weekend we’re off to Galway, to Cregal Art. If you’ve been there, or other places like it, you’ll know: walls and aisles brimming with colour and tools for every kind of artist. I’m planning to pick up deep canvases and replenish my paint stash (which currently looks like chaos in tubes). A new colour wheel would be nice too. I prefer physical ones to digital.
The Cartwheel Analogy
Ever since working on that long, narrow canvas for my last piece, I’ve been thinking differently about scale. It was awkward at first, but surprisingly freeing to work on such a narrow defining canvas. It really served to challenge my expectations. Now I want more but they are hard to find already stretched. I usually find broader pages or canvas are like doing a cartwheel in a wide-open spaces - irresistible. (Though, I think I could break if I tried it now.) ;-) - Give me a big blank surface to paint on and I can’t leave it alone. A small canvas, or a different proportion though, makes me baulk. Still, I’ve a few 'smalleys' on the go, and who knows? Maybe they’ll surprise me too.
Wrapping Up
So, that’s the honest update - a bit slower than I’d intended, but full of sparks nonetheless. Plans are shifting, art is simmering, and I’m chomping at the bit for new canvases. 'Don't stop me now'...
Thanks for reading my ramblings, and for sticking with me on this winding creative road. Until next time - keep cosy, and keep making.
Amanda x
