Sunshine and Flowers with Pots to Put Them In.

The old adage April showers bring May flowers has been more like March torrential storms and April flowers this year. In Kent we are enjoying an early spring fest of clematis, wisteria and wild flowers to the background of lambs bleating in the meadow and a cocophony of birdsong. It reminds me of the first covid lockdown when the sun shone and the air was pure, with no traffic or planes to interrupt the peace. How long ago that seems now and how far I have come with my art since then.

I have been taking part in The Hundred Day Project on instagram and enjoyed it so much that I have already finished drawing one pot a day, or in my case 2 or 3. It is magical to see how the work changes when you do something consistently over several weeks. I am writing this on 29th April and here is yesterday's pot; a collage with a watercolour wash overlay and drawing with white gelly pen. I post these daily on instagram and FB if you want to see more and will be making a reel of all 100 pots when the project finishes on 3rd June, just 3 days before my Open Studio when Art in June begins. I do hope you will be able to come and see us, we are open from 6th - 22nd June. Thursday - Sunday.

11 am - 4 pm each day.

So what's new this year at Longmeadow Studio, Gallery and Garden. The best thing is that Mary McCarten an artisan fused glass maker will be joining me with installations in the garden, pressed glass in the gallery and small glass trinkets in the studio. I have a lot of new paintings behind glass and a new range of blank handmade books in addition to a variety of one off art cards, explosion books, ecoprinted journals and much more. My friend Jill will be making delicious homemade cakes again in aid of Hospice in the Weald and there will be demonstrations on demand of paper craft techniques. There is plenty of parking and if you fancy a walk, when you return you can enjoy a cuppa in the garden whilst soaking up the buccolic view and look at some art. The first wall is done, preparations will continue throughout May. Please check me out on social media for updates.

My workshops are proving popular and there is still time to book one for May at a time and day to suit you. Go to my homepage or studio news to get more information. I shall also be open for workshops in July and September if you want to plan ahead.

I have been creating a Commonplace Book suggested by my Arthouse friend, artist and poet Lucy Cooke. The idea is to make a personal indexed reference book to find all those snippets of information that you know you have somewhere but you can't find. It is such a simple concept: first take a blank journal and number every page, then begin page one with a title, mine is "Art Contacts", page 2 another title "Art Quotes", etc. When you have filled the page go to the next available page and title it again. Create an index in the back of the book, I can now find "Art Quotes" on pages 2 and 28. I have a wide range of titles: Acrylic Mediums, Plant Folklore, Signs & Symbols, the list is endless and so easy to find. Take a look at www.artcylucystudio.com to see her colourful portraits. Lucy also leads a poetry group in The Arthouse which is so inspiring.

Both Lucy and I are guides in The Arthouse along with a few other lovely artists, it is barely 6 months old but it feels like it has been going for years. The space is led by Sally-Anne Ashley and is so friendly and supportive. This week Sally-Anne led an experimental drawing session where after some warm up excercises we drew ourselves with our eyes closed. I was astonished when I opened my eyes that I recognised my mother in the drawing. We all had such different results, they were all very telling and some rather emotional. I am going to try more of this to see where it takes me. I often have trouble getting into the zone when I am working and think this will lead me into something intriguing and exciting. If you are interested in seeing what goes on in The Arthouse click on the image below.

I hope to see you in June and may send you a little reminder at the end of May but that will be all. Look out for the yellow Art in June guides and enjoy this glorious weather. Let's all think about art to cheer ourselves up, your creativity however it manifests itself can be the secret to happiness. If you fancy joining the Arthouse, Sally-Anne and all the members would love to see you there.

Best wishes JaneS