I enjoy starting new projects, and starting a new year with a plan is a bit like the enjoyment of starting a new project.
One of the things I played around with on the first days of 2024 was my live streaming set up. I plan to do a little bit more on my youtube channel, and I tested my new set up on Twitch. see here
I got a little sketchbook/journal for Christmas from Gaynor. “A field sketchbook” it said on the wrapping. I loved it straight away. The smallest sketchbook I’ve ever owned. “I think it’s a bit small to be any good.” Said Gaynor.
I had a play a couple of pages in. I’ve learnt that it’s best not to start a journal on the first page because there’s too much pressure to be perfect on the first page so starting a few pages in allows me to test an idea knowing that it won’t be the first page you see when opening it for the first time.
I’m enjoying the small format and after my first entry I decided to keep things simple and named the journal “the little book of design” and created a cover for it.
simple designs using what I’m working with at the time.
this is super fun…
…as I started filling up the pages it dawned on me. I am journaling, like keeping a record of what’s happening around here by using things discarded, like packaging, swing tags, wrapping paper, labels, doodles and notes, lists and receipts, leftover paint, bits of fabric and paper… so instead of writing about it - for example i could of written “Mariah came over last night to paint a Christmas present for her mum. On it she wrote her mum’s name using a Celtic script font…” instead of writing it out like that I just need to stick a bit of that font script that she discarded on the page and I’ve literally recorded the memory poetically.
maybe that’s what scrapbooking is all about - using scraps of paper, stuff that’s destined for the bin but is kind of too lovely or interesting to just chuck, or a memory of a thing you bought, or found, or was given. I’m including a bit of asemic writing in them too so I can post some of them in the asemic writing group on Facebook if I want. - see group here
some borrowed, some stolen, some made up…it’s play and fun.
I’m working on by Bluethumb shop - see here and my own online shop - see here
I’m having some success on the Bluethumb site, and to my great surprise and delight my abstract floral painting is featured on the official bluethumb home page at the moment, yay!
For these online shops I’m creating smaller works that are easy to post. The post is a huge consideration in what I upload to my online stores. It’s been a bit of a dilemma really as it adds so much to the price, and making the shift to smaller works on sturdy board that are sold ready to hang without framing them, can be framed later if desired, or not, is the solution I’ve gone with. I also use recycled boards when I can and I do feel good about that too.
I’m teaching lessons at Splashout art studio - see here , Wednesday evenings and Thursday classes, and a short oil painting portraiture course on Saturday afternoons starting 3rd February - see here
I’ve also been invited to give a short course at the Burnside Painting group for the first time which starts sometime in April - see here
I’ve got a bit of a list of commissions, one of them is two absolutely huge abstract florals, 150x200cm.
I’ll somehow weave the process into a socials post along the way and make that part of the process too.
One more thing and then I’ll sing off
I’ve been finishing off and re/working some works that I never got around to finishing too, like this little poetic portrait:
And this 40x40cm painting so I can pop them onto my website shops. The end.
