To my trusty art journey supporters,
I hope you're doing great.
It's been a tricky few months for me, but things are moving along better all the time. Ed, my husband, and I recently enjoyed a short break to Belfast. I won't bore you with a full rundown of our exploits, but suffice to say it was great. Just what we needed for a reset.
One thing I will mention is our visit to the Ulster Museum, tucked into the Botanic Gardens. As we were staying on Botanic Avenue, it was only a short stroll up to the gardens.
The museum was in the middle of a changeover, which made perfect sense for this in-between time of year, somewhere between the end of summer and the Christmas rush. Some areas were closed, but that suited us just fine. There were still five floors of art, natural history and historical treasures to explore, from a vintage car to beautiful displays of crystal, porcelain and pottery.
I couldn't tell you exactly what I saw from memory, but that's not really the point. What I do know is that it revved up my inner artist and set all sorts of imagery stirring. I'll probably only touch on some of it in my actual work, but I'm certain the visit will inform what I do in the future.
Mostly, it reminded me of something I already know: let the imagination fly. Give those ideas room to form, and have a bit of fun with them.
Kick up the leaves, so to speak, like the little grey squirrels foraging and climbing just outside in the parkland.
We stopped on a bench for a cuppa bought from a cute little van inside the Botanic Garden railings. Watching those light-footed little creatures rummaging about beneath the trees was inspiration in itself. It reminded me of feeding the ducks in St Stephen's Green in Dublin, looking out over the lake and letting the world carry on around me.
Students from nearby Queen's University passed in groups or on their own, each with their own style and little tribe. Others went about their day on foot, on scooters or bikes, walking their dogs — and even one cat on a lead! It was all rather dreamy, and wonderful food for thought.
Meanwhile, back to the art…
The Ducks' Lunch is signed and ready, patiently waiting in the wings for the go-ahead.
I'm biding my time just now between a few sick cats and vet appointments, and the straggling business of tax returns. Not the VAT, thankfully — that's done! Just the regular ones. Nearly there, though.
Very soon, I'll make an appointment with the printers and finally get another long-awaited goal over the line. From there, I'll start streamlining the process of painting, photographing, listing my work on the website and offering print options alongside the originals.
I know you've been here with me all along, and I suspect you'll breathe a sigh of relief with me when that first painting finally appears on the site.
There will be bubbly, believe me!
For now, I'm concentrating on sweeping the other must-do chores out of the way, so I can enjoy a creative November and December, alongside the Christmas orders for Parade Handmade and of course, any further cat emergencies that might crop up.
Thank you for sticking with me on this journey. It means a great deal to have you here, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of the creative side of things with you very soon.
 Oh and here's a link to my new art Chrismas cards I mentioned the last time. I had such craic creating them I feel the urge to keep sketching ideas all year round.. I wonder if I could find the time.... hee!
Until next time,
Amanda
