Being productive...

but not achieving an awful lot!

"We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer's wreckage. We will welcome summer's ghost."

Henry Rollins

“You’re going to need boots this morning,” I mutter to myself. Frost lies in the shadows, grass is heavy with dew. I shrug my body warmer over my shoulders; the air crisp.

I walk along the pavement, traffic passing intermittently, before eventually crossing the road onto the track. Emerging from the shade, I feel the warmth of the sun on my back. I let out a deep breath, my shoulders relaxing. I am suddenly conscious I’ve been clenching my fists; wincing as I do so, I slowly uncurl my fingers, tension finally dissipating…

Disturbed by my approach, pigeons flap their wings agitatedly, rising skywards.

I nod to the horse chestnut tree, solitary sentinel of the path. Coppery leaves form a carpet beneath its branches amidst which, fallen conkers lie like discarded decorations…

Evidence of the rhythms of life surround me. Fields, until recently, golden rippling barley, are now rolled and drilled; tiny seeds slumbering beneath a blanket of earth, hibernating, waiting to erupt… Unbidden, memories of Dad come tumbling; how his life was governed by this natural routine, each season with its own processes and chores… In my mind’s eye, I picture the yard, bustling with activity. The potato harvester, serviced, sitting poised, pallets of onions, riddled and bagged, awaiting the lorry. The sound of pigs, jostling the metal gates, eggs waiting to be washed and sorted…

As I walk on, rousing from my reveries, I spy……punctuating the verges, oxeye daisies and soft thistles, staunchly flowering despite the dropping temperatures…

A distant shape catches my attention - slowly drifting…

A different perspective. Yes, I’ve been in a plane, but that period between take-off and reaching cruising speed is relatively quick, and often cloud obscured here in the UK. To be floating above the landscape, open to the elements, has a slightly ethereal quality about it; one day I might get the chance…

Walking on, I had intended to take the path across the field, but…

..with the barley gone and the earth turned, only the merest whisper of the footpath remains. I decide against it, walking home along the lane instead…the hedgerow, a patchwork of greens and reds, and snowberries, their perfect white orbs bejewelled with dew, sparkling in the sunshine.

Arriving home, I suddenly have no desire to be confined indoors. There’s still time, before the day becomes a whirl of painting, admin and household chores; I take my steaming coffee and sit, face turned to the sun, absorbing the beauty of the morning.

"September is the month of maturity; the heaped basket and the garnered sheaf. It is the month of climax and completion. September! I never tire of turning it over and over in my mind. It has warmth, depth and color. It glows like old amber."

Patience Strong

Talking of chores…

We all have one, don’t we? You know, a drawer/cupboard/box/cabinet/shelf that we promise faithfully to sort out - one day…tell me I’m not on my own…

There’s a ‘box’ that’s been sitting in the corner of the studio since I moved into the space; a box where I put old work, with the intention of reviewing it/doing something with it etc., a box where old work ‘goes to die’…

Well, I finally got around to ‘doing something’ about it - yup, I kid you not!! As part of my de-cluttering mission, I spent a cathartic afternoon cropping and slicing work. Binning quite a pile, the remaining pieces will be used as business or thank you cards… So a ‘win, win’; I’ve cleared a space, and saved money in the process!!

Although I’m congratulating myself for the above, I’ve a sneaky suspicion that I’m really just procrastinating. I seem to be doing a lot of that at the moment - even though I’ve a roadmap in my head of where I want to go, getting out of second gear is proving difficult.

Having decided to launch a small collection of florals in time for Christmas, I’ve reached the stage where I need to ‘finish’ several paintings off; strengthen, add details and highlights etc…BUT…

…rather than doing that, they remain pinned up in the studio. Every day I walk in, look at them…aaannd then go and do something completely different!! This week has been no exception…

It’s my intention, for the coming year, to work on the lessons and ideas learnt whilst attending the Sam Boughton course in Cornwall…but, what’s the harm I thought, in having a play around now…

A different colour palette, different techniques - oh did I have fun!

And I can’t wait to really get going with these…

In the meantime, I will finish the florals, I will, really, I promise….tomorrow…

Until next time, happy painting!