Hello!
How’s your week been?
This week in the studio I painted landscapes inspired by my time in Italy and some more still life using the Sennelier oil sticks I bought in Paris. It sounds idyllic but I struggled to get past some real fears (mainly fear of failure) and the inner critic was a little louder than usual. So after journaling quite a bit and talking with some good friends, it became clear that a solo artist date was in order. With this in mind, I sat down to do my visual journals a day early and did them in two takes.
Yesterday, I had a solo date at a local antique centre and had a blast! It was so fun to drive, see the countryside at this time of year, listen to Radio 4 (there just happened to be a fantastic interview with artist Angela Harding on). I had a few items to look for, including some old art postcards for my founding members bundles which helped me move fast with a focus but just seeing the old colour combinations and typography was so good for my soul!! And I found an incredible poster for a Little Women performance at the Opera House of Scarborough which of course had to come home with me!
I’ll be sharing more footage in my monthly video but here’s a snippet!
In other news, our lettering club challenge is in full swing. It’s been great to re-visit some basics and get clearer on some strategies as we experiment and play together and each in our own homes. After working on the first lettering image this week, I decided to rework the main image for the October issue of the club gazette.
Below is some of the lettering we’ve done so far: a fish and chips shop, a pizzicheria and a NYC espresso cup turned into candle (and in my case here, turned into a mini flower vase).
My personal goal throughout the challenge is to interpret the photo bundle and add them onto watercolour postcards to create a gallery of 15 images at the end. We’ll see if I can keep going. Already I’m behind by a day but that’s what the weekend break can be for!
Highlights of the week
roasting the last batch of sweet chestnuts, now stored away for winter months
hearing geese flying over our house before spotting them and just pausing life to admire and salute them in their full glory
receiving more apples from friends’ gardens
having a bath and thinking I should do it more often
having friends over for a meal on Sunday and enjoying Mike’s apple Charlotte
doing the lettering challenge throughout the week with members of the club
continuing to plan the founding members paper gifts (I am over excited about this)
listening to Pride and Prejudice, read by Rosamund Pike, while painting Italian landscapes
drawing dahlias and antique dahlia seed packaging with
and the club last night (replay available in the club archives today)decluttering my wardrobe last week means I now am allowing myself to consider new items of clothing and I’m loving considering these carefully, like where they’re made, how, the ethics behind it all.
making mushroom soup
the Virginia creepers everywhere are intensely beautiful
SOME HAPPY AUTUMN POSTS
25 Ways To Celebrate the Arrival of Autumn is a blog post I wrote which I think is quite happy (free)
The September issue of the Time Foragers’ Club gazette (free)
Video: Capturing Autumn in Yorkshire and Scotland (paid)
Drawing Still Life Masterpieces Replay (with guest Citla Flores, paid)
Drawing From Haarlem to Doncaster Replay (with guest La Scarlatte, paid)
Drawing NY in the Autumn Replay (with guest Sam Dion Baker, paid)
Drawing Victorian Gardens Replay (with guest Mel Chadwick, paid)
I drew apples with Beth Spencer LIVE if you’d like to listen and draw along, grab your favourite art supplies and go ahead, enjoy (this is also free).
QUICK CLUB NOTES
This is a free post for subscribers but you can also become a Time Foragers’ Club paid subscriber and meet up on Zoom 3 times a month (we draw, create and journal), receive a monthly video from my studio, PLUS chat with our blossoming creative community in our exclusive threads. We have occasional in-person meet-ups too.
If you love all things antiques, old paper and art, on top of everything above, once a year on the run up to Christmas, the club’s founding members receive a thoughtfully curated paper bundle in the post which includes some of my original art.
Find more info in the ABOUT section or by clicking the subscribe button below.
Thanks so much for being here!! xxx
