It’s coming to the end of April and week five of being in Lockdown. I believe I share many of the hopes and fears experienced during these times as I begin to realise how much our lives have changed . As an artist, I will always have to make work and my daily sketches and drawings reflect a self imposed routine that finds a way to deal with the situation. April has seen a glorious spring with lengthening days filled with sunshine and hope. My walks and the sketches made are a reminder that nature continues regardless and that life finds a way somehow to keep going.
During these times I notice that how art and creating has become so important to us. A host of TV programmes and social media is addressing this need to create and reflect our thoughts and feelings about our experiences. I too feel the need to paint a portrait along with Grayson Perry or Joan Bakewell. Or start an apprentiship painting with Keith Tyson on #isolationartschool. My sketchbooks however show me as someone interested in a different pursuit. Don’t get me wrong, I am hoping for a chance to try out their ideas, but at this moment I have the opportunity to try a different approach to my familiar way of working. Making landscapes in my studio is asking for new and more experimental approaches which draw on my experience, research and discovery.
