Time to Make

Magpie Studies. Various pens, continuous line

I've written several times before about the difficulty of finding time to make my own work; the ideas are there but having the time and 'head space' to be able to produce the work I want to is often difficult. Recently, however, I have had some time and space in which to work on my art in a more focused way and I can't explain how good it feels to be making art again. A lot of the work I'm making isn't great but that's part of the process, getting my skills back up again and exploring ideas. Being selected for the Open Up North exhibition was a real confidence boost and at the moment I feel motivated and inspired.

Transfer painting. Fabric paint on paper

I'm also trying to not over-think my work. I often manage to think myself out of things when perhaps it would be better to just go for it. It is important to me that the work I make is beautiful, I think this is what draws people in and I want to create something that people want to look at but it is also really important that the work has meaning and in the past this is where I have thought myself in and out of so many ideas that I've ended up not making anything. There are still lots of ideas I'm exploring in my work and the conceptual side of my work remains very important to me but I am trying to allow the viewer to be the one who decides what the ideas are (or maybe they will decided there aren't any.) In other words, I'm trying to get my ideas out without worrying about whether other people will 'get' what I'm trying to say because after all art is very personal and very subjective.

Magpie drawing. Gel pens on tracing paper, continuous line

Anyway, I thought I would share some of my recent sketches. They're all preparatory studies for a textile piece I'm working on at the moment and which I'm rather excited about. In light of the previous paragraph I'm not going to tell you the concepts behind the work but I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. You can leave me a comment below or contact me directly.

Lace study. Gel pen on black paper

Tea Plant study. Silver gel pen on paper

Now, back to the studio...