Some burning will be involved.

 Its interesting reading peoples’ New Year resolutions and aims.  Most of us seem to start with the idea of a clean slate and some excitement at what we can achieve, lots of talk about getting those creative muscles working again. The trouble is that the internet, with all its great attributes, is such a distraction and consumer of time. Time I can usually justify as being well spent. It comes so much easier to flip through other people’s work, sometimes baffled, often in awe, rather than sit down and get myself to draw - even though this is usually where the real inspiration will come from.

These are my vague plans for the start of 2012, although I expect to get nicely sidetracked at some point. I received gift vouchers for the City Lit in London and have booked a short course, three Saturdays with Louise Baldwin. The theme is Transform/Change/Disintegrate. On a recent walk I was excited, yes its true, to find a partly decomposed rabbit skeleton. Wrapping the remains gently in dry grass I brought it home and gave it a good dose of disinfectant, I’m sure you are pleased about that.The ligaments contracted and were a bit eerie, and mostly I cut them off.

It really is almost painfully beautiful.These are some of the pictures I have taken so far.

I have a top of the range wood burning tool regifted by my son, who bought it for himself and thought I would make better use of it. So some burning will be involved.

I am inspired by Dorothy Caldwell’s work. I bought a Surface Design magazine recently in the hope that it would really feature her work, but there was not much about her. That is something that the internet is excellent for, as I can search through images of her work.

So, mark making, batik, encaustic and bleach.


I plan to keep to a neutral colour scheme, but as I am so drawn to using colour that will be really difficult.

 

So now I've put it in writing, some sort of commitment - we shall see.