Hibernating is not stagnating...

I'm percolating - both the coffee & future plans...

I’m thoroughly embracing this ‘hibernation’ season.

Photo by June Andrei George on Unsplash

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home."

- Edith Sitwell

In no particular order, here are some things I’m attempting to incorporate in these winter months, whether that’s physically or as a mindset re-frame:

1. Make my creative space a place that I enjoy being in. I’m continuing with the de-cluttering, and although there’s still a way to go, it already feels more organised - which, in turn, makes me less stressed!

2. And I’ve been on a mission with my emails too! I have blocked/unsubscribed from so many things; it’s fabulous to open my inbox and not feel overwhelmed!

3. Draw, paint, doodle, write - for 1 minute, 10 minutes, an hour…

4. Journal - get down all those random thoughts. Write about what’s been inspiring me…

5. Carry a small notebook/sketchbook and pencil everywhere.

6. Be open to possibilities.

7. Make a plan, or a to-do list - but don’t be a slave to it!

8. As much as possible, try to remove what isn’t essential - from my studio, home…life…

9. If I like it, that’s all that really matters.

10. Acknowledge the ups and downs - but learn to let them go.

11. Light the ‘best candles’ - what am I saving them for?

12. Make soup. A bowl of steaming hot, comforting soup, drizzled with olive oil or cream and a crack of black pepper - yum!

13. Read; fiction, non-fiction, blog posts, Substack posts - anything that sparks my interest!

14. Stop with the doom-scrolling.

15. Not give myself a hard time if I haven’t painted a masterpiece every day!

16. Perfectionism isn’t a healthy goal - I’m never going to be perfect, ‘things’ are never going to be perfect. Near enough or done is ‘perfectly’ fine!!

“Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.”

Paul Theroux

Whilst ‘cosy’ might be the order of the season, there’s nothing like getting out for a walk and returning home with fingers, toes and cheeks tingling, especially if you’ve been treated to this:

(Apologies for the dodgy camera work - trying to ensure I’d got the skein ‘in shot’ with my steamed up glasses wasn’t easy!)

Seeing, and hearing geese always reminds me of the Mary Oliver poem, ‘Wild Geese’:

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Inspirations this week have included:

• Rediscovering the work of Lena Gemzoe over on YouTube…

• Simple things, such as watching the last of the field maple tree leaves twirl gently to the ground:

• Getting to know my fellow Printers Inc colleagues. I’m looking forward to seeing their exhibition at The Hub in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, which runs from 7 Dec 2024 - 30 Mar 2025.

• This post by David Barton reminding us that ‘to every thing there is a season’…and we should take the time to notice and enjoy…

• And talking of enjoyment, how wonderful is the photography of ‘natures.moods’…?

• Plus the miniature landscapes and muted palettes of Suzanne McNenly are a delight…

• Also, I’ve been brushing up on the phases of the moon…

• I’ve been a huge fan of Norman Ackroyd’s work for a long time, so was sad to hear of his passing in September. Now, being part of the Printers Inc group, I thought I ought to watch a master at work in this documentary, ‘Norman Ackroyd: What Do Artists Do All Day?’

• As you know, I do love a concertina sketchbook, so I was very happy to come across the work of Lesley Mackay…Check out her reels showcasing her sketchbook work…

The vibe in the studio has been one of experimenting. I’ve been trying different papers, adding gel medium, varnishing…. No, I haven’t achieved the result I’m looking for yet; when I do, you can be sure I will let you know!!

I do like this one, painted on the wallpaper lining paper…but worry about its archival quality if I was to sell it…?

In the meantime, this one started out okay, but as I explain, a huge cauliflower bloom was so obvious, I tried to disguise it - and that’s when the problems started….

It’s back to the drawing board…some days it works, others, it doesn’t…

So, next, I started this one:

But, now I think I’m in danger of overworking it…

…maybe something just to add some brightness/contrast…?

And not one to stop while I’m on a roll…

Finally beginning to get something I like… Some weeks, that’s how it goes, isn’t it!

Until next time, happy painting!

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