Ant pants

Lordy be what a morning; I am full of fear for this afternoon's painting at the Ritchie Collins gallery... can't settle to anything and have tried on approximately ten zillion outfits for this, adapting as the weather conditions outside the window change. If you are familiar with Julie Walters stunning scene in Educating Rita as she prepares to go to a party at her lecturer's home - that's me this morning.
'Have you read Macbeth?...by William Shakespeare?..'

Sorted mode of transport for board and paints - IKEA bag, where would we be without those blue and yellow beauties. Actually it co-ordinates with my top so that is a worry I guess...Then there is 'post painting' to consider - is it applicable and acceptable to wear painty trousers into a bar in Leith or will it be the ultimate styling no-no? Oh, yeah, and to make it worse, who am I meeting after the demo? A stylist. OK she's a friend first and stylist later, but it is humanly impossible not to worry about what to wear when meeting her, given that she always looks like she has just stepped out of an uber-cool French art movie. I remember when we were young art students, she and another friend swapped clothes for a day as an experiment; the other lass was like myself and naturally dressed like a tomboy - the outcome was hilarious and both were totally self conscious all day. That's why I have a real problem dressing for occasions as I can get it so wrong and there is nothing (to me at least) feeling totally uncomfortable and out of sorts because you are trying to pull things up, hold them in or pretend they don't hurt. Give me a beach or a mountain and I can dress appropriately in the blink of an eye! Maybe that's the way to go... it is a beautiful day - hurray - so flip flops and shorts may be the only sensible choice. P***ed off that the sun is out in some ways as Stu will be busy and so might not make it down to the gallery - happy in others as I hope it will bring out the punters, make them smile and thus feel happy to splash out on art purchases that they would pass up on a cloudy day. My pics are inherantly sunny day pictures in their patterny, colourful way, although that is why I personally like them in the winter as they draw me in to that sunny frame of mind. Think I shall water the plants; communing with nature always has a way of calming the inner turmoil. Found a great book for mum's birthday next week; Colin Tudge's 'The Secret life of Birds'. I read his other one, 'The Secret life of Trees' and just loved it; a tree-hugger's delight full of tree facts and anecdotes, all written in an engagingly 'knowledgeable but chatty' way. Birds and their little ways are a source of constant amusement and amazement; imagine life without them?!!

Just back in from my painting and catching up with old friend; saw eider ducks in Leith dock which was cool - what was I saying about birds? And swans, but more of this later...
Loved my painting trip; as before I found my horror died away instantly and left me somewhere close to euphoria. It is like making up for lost time in my wilderness years of non-promotion; now I can't wait to wave paintings in peoples' faces and promote myself - is this a painter's mid life crisis? More like I am getting comfy in this old skin at last and loving it. Plotting a show for the autumn with myself and Ritchie, also going to do some more afternoons painting in the gallery, which was refreshing and educational. Found a new blue, Liquitex 'bright blue'; I think I had always feared it would be a bit Disney, but its really strong and maybe green leaning but reallly useful, and for also good for mixing I imagine.
Talking with Angela on the top of a boat on The Shore and musing on ideas with swans and angels; maybe a narrative linking the two and based in a port town. All three themes are coming together in my head and have been converging for a time now; I love angels and have painted them from Paris to Dubrovnik and back so it would be both a return and a departure, adding in developments of technique and the new narrative/nautical element. Ponder, ponder.
I wrote a bit in my sketch book after the SSA show that was about a lovely landscape/abstract that 'seemed to use a roller for the clouds'. What did I see today? Lots of little 'dolls house' foam rollers that apparently come from art shops - obviously I just visit them with my eyes shut... much fun to be had there methinks.

Lordy be, just thinking about angels and puppets. That is a tale to tell tomorrow.