Returning to the Easel: Sketches, Supermarkets and Artistic Shenanigans

Hi, I thought it was high time I gave you a little update.

I’ve been waiting for the “right time” to post something new—but of course, there is no such thing, is there? I really did intend to post at least once a month, so maybe I’ll draw a line in the sand around that challenge and move on from there.

Art Amid the Chaos (and Admin)

I’ve been busily trying to build a regular art practice into my already burgeoning workload. Mind you, much of that workload is self-imposed, which I’m sure some of you can relate to.

While I’ve had some wins, there’s still a lot I need to change. The phrase “stop indulging in the overwhelm” keeps coming to mind. Thinking about that definitely helps when I’m in the thick of content creation or admin slog. The truth is, there’s always more to do—you just have to pick one thing and prioritise it over another, at least on certain days. Oftentimes it's easier said than done.

Warming Up Old Ideas (and Inventing Sofas)

So, what have I actually been up to, art-wise?

I’ve been working—slowly—through some paintings I’ve wanted to create for ages. They’re acting as warm-ups before I dive into some newer ideas that aren’t as personal. I’ve realised I’d like to start creating art to sell again, rather than only painting things to gift.

That’s a tricky one for me. So much of what inspires me is deeply personal. The images I choose usually relate to someone I know or a shared experience, which makes it feel odd (even wrong) to put them up for sale. I’d rather just give them as gifts, really.

I also have a bank of photographic and digital imagery I’ve saved for future inspiration—but again, they’re quite special. Some are of our pets (they’re all so special aren’t they?) and I imagine keeping at least the first few for myself.

Right now, I’ve started four new paintings—loosely based on recent memories—and I’m relying on artistic licence more than reference material. That means I invent bits and use selective memory. So much so, in fact, that I found myself back in a café in Claremorris recently and exclaimed, “Oh look, they’ve changed the sofa! It’s a bench now…” only to realise that I’d made the whole sofa up in the first place. That was a good laugh. Artistic licence in action!

Half-Finished Work and the Joy of the Murky Middle

I’m also working on a couple of small abstract pieces, which I haven’t shared yet. I often feel a bit odd about showing unfinished work—not because I’m secretive, but because I worry I might not finish it. It’s not that I mind people seeing works-in-progress, but once an outcome is expected of me, it sort of puts me off. I’m trying to push through that.

I'm also working hard to adopt an attitude of acceptance—acceptance that I can go back to unfinished work and will finish it. It’s like this: once the idea is out of the bag and the sketch is done, I sometimes just want to abandon the whole thing. It’s a bit like licking all the icing off a bun and not bothering with the cake.

That said, there’s enormous satisfaction in finishing a painting—and even a surprising calmness and comfort in returning to the “murky middle.” Some pieces are actually very enjoyable to complete once I stop resisting.

The Sketch-Love Dilemma

I suppose the crux of it is this: I love my initial sketches. Sometimes I love them even more than the finished pieces. They feel like a completely different thing.

So I had this notion—what if I sketched the gist and context of an idea, and then finished the painting more quickly using a looser technique? That way I might produce more work and get a rhythm going. Good plan, right?

Well, not quite. When I started doing that, I just couldn’t draw a line under any of them. They didn’t feel finished. So now I’m a bit in limbo. Still, I’ve decided to finish them properly—even if it takes more time and effort—and then I’ll try the quicker approach again and see if it sits better with me.

What’s On the Easel?

So what are these paintings, you ask?

The Great Knit & Stitch Adventure

One is inspired by a trip my good friend Lily and I take every year—to the Knit & Stitch Show. Last year, we headed to Belfast instead of Dublin (possibly because Dublin wasn’t on), and it was brilliant as always.

Preliminary stage of a trip to Knit and Stitch painting by Amanda Coen Art

This particular painting came from the chaos of getting to and from the venue using only public transport. Trains, trams, and buses galore—plus all our bags. Let’s just say, it was an experience. You’ve got to laugh at yourself sometimes, don’t you? We certainly do.

Supermarket Shenanigans

The next two paintings are inspired by that curious world known as… the supermarket. Specifically, the drama that unfolds at the tills.

I find the whole checkout area wildly amusing—the never-ending queues, the stress of getting your shopping into the trolley at breakneck speed depending on who’s manning the till. It’s a social study, really.

And then there’s that shelf—you know the one—the “special offer” shelf. Or as someone dear to me calls it, “the going-off department.” People behave very differently around that shelf.

There are those who need the discounts (and I really feel for them), the shameless bargain hunters like myself, and then the ones who pretend they’re not interested while surreptitiously scoping out the deals. And of course, the shelf-hoggers, who just park themselves there and claim all the best bits. It’s emotional. It’s comedy. So I sketched it.

Family Favourites

Besides those, I’ve also completed two more paintings. One was a long-promised but surprise birthday gift for my sister Rebecca, which took the best part of a year (oops). She finally received it in March. It depicts her relaxing in a swing chair as we chilled out at the end of a fine day in Wexford last year.

The other painting started as a sketch she asked for, and from that I created a full painting—which I’ll show you another time as we've to decide what to do with it exactly, just yet.

That’s it for now! Thanks for following along with my ramblings. If any of this resonates—if you’ve ever invented a café sofa, got trolley rage at the tills, or can’t resist the “going-off department”—then I’m glad we’ve found each other.

I’ll be back again (hopefully sooner this time).

If you''re interested in art chronicles and fancy keeping updated when my latest blog posts and tales of art-woe are published, or to know when some new paintings are going up for sale, hit reply and write your name and email to be added to my email list.

All the best, keep smiling, Amanda x