We are Minnows

Started the day badly but enthusiastically as I chopped up board with my craft knife, waving in gay abandon - finger copped it and felt that old familiar pain... One of those things that gives you an out-of-body experience; the brain is shouting warnings about the waving blade and the hands choose to ignore it, at their peril. All the while the eyes are looking down going 'NOoooooooo!'

The little boards I am cutting up are for baby versions of the paintings I'm working on, colour sketches and composition notes. Pinched the idea off someone else, I confess freely, but its a good thing for me as my colour is often instinctive and my instinct is not always spot on! Lots of sketches of angels in trees, angels with rabbits, angels as puppets.. the ones I like of these I will move up a level onto the little boards, then see which ones make the big boards. Slightly more organised than usual but I thinks its time I was, and the little boards will be kind of cute in their own right with any luck

Spent a lot of the day driving in a sweaty car due to my usual problem with times; the pick up for the ESSA show had changed from 8.30am to 10am which had been emailed to me, but I'd missed it. The same thing led me to fly around Europe for a day when I failed to notice flights had changed for our trip to Dubrovnik; happy times in Schipol and Vienna airports followed, and we arrived late, tired and a little on the tipsy side from the steins of beer in a very funky bar in Amsterdam. Never again, I thought - then did exactly the same on the return journey. Hey, I'm a blonde.

Had one of those computer Facebook chats with new artist friend up north, debating settting up a FB group concentrating on figurative Scottish painters. I love that means of communication, the slight time delay makes it all a bit surreal and like a computer game where you are playing catch-up and second guessing each other's response. It's also hard to know when and how to stop, and indeed sometimes whether someone has wandered off and left you - a whole new etiuquette which I am yet to master... The idea of the group was prompted by the (maybe utterly unfounded) feeling that the 'minnow' painters are often overlooked in the societies in favour of the 'biggies'; certainly as we have discussed its a jungle out there and there are a lot of tigers. Or minnows. Don't you just love a scrambled metaphor. I was returning from my second and successful trip to the auctioneers to pick up the pic when I hit on the idea of calling the group 'Scottish Minnows', but alas my efficient chum had already set us up as 'Scottish Figurative'. Probably more descriptive and less, er, silly, but it had a certain je ne sais quoi.

Ended up having a bit of a nap in the studio on my return, having also fitted in a mother-in-law shopping trip to Ikea, a bit of light furniture assembly and lunch. The great thing about having a studio now is that even my nap seems more virtuous for its surroundings - pop an art book on your tummy and away you go...I was working hard, but sleep must have crept up on me. Woke up with Twig the opportunist kitten curled up like a mini-twin next to me. Bless.

Dinner was a favourite tonight so I shall recount it for this reason; it is listed in my recipe notebook as 'chicken soft and nice-no dryness'. Essentially, a list of Stu's master tips for roast chicken; his ma had brought us (a little randomly) a small chicken, so it seemed an easy and tasty option. Stuff chicken with as many herbs as will fit in (fresh, mixed), some garlic and essentially any other spare veg; onions, peppers, all adds to the taste. Stab all over with knife and pour over oil, in this case our new home made chilli oil, then leave to 'wallow' happily all day, pouring oil over now and then as if basting. Pre-heat oven and then slap in the chook in a pyrex type dish with a couple of centimetres of stock under it; this and the basting/stabbing are what make the happy chicken soft and moist with no dryness. We had it with a potato salad made with onion, lemon rind, greek yoghurt and mint (and potatoes) and some curried-ish spinach. Darn tasty it was too.

Found another great first line of a song by accident, although I made this one up - 'There's a lemon in the fridge with your haircut.'

So, at close of day I have drawn out the first big and small version of 'Spring over Archie's Park' , the first 2010 angel, and nearly completed 'Amanda's dream', which I love, love, love.

Up the minnows.