A small, deep breath

A 'day off' today; decided to try and calm down my schedule a little as I am finding myself constantly tired and out of sorts which is no good for my painting! I find it hard to 'paint to order' and while I think the discipline of drawing and painting every day is inherantly good for my work it doesn't have to be every available minute. I am off to the studio this evening but just to do some bits and pieces; I am essentially nearing the end of the Angels project and can let my work lead me where it will after that.

Looked at a couple of great artists who I have bumped into on Facebook; Anna Silivonchik and Polly M. Law, the first from Russia and the latter from the U.S. Not a million miles away from each other in subject and style, both touching on what I do. Anna creates a whole universe from her head of folky, quirky figures, landscapes, happenings; all very narrative and almost verging on (very good) children's book illustration. Polly constructs doll-like mannequins from board with articulated joints and a slightly sinister edge; again in a narrative mould, the feeling that stories lurk behind every character waiting to be discovered or invented. I love the project she has on her website which is a kind of gazeteer illustrating rare and interesting words; her little people and creatures bringing each to life and giving a unique perspective to each.

Some other words that grabbed me today were from Stu's mum, found in an article in the Evening News on Robert Louis Stevenson. The piece was based on a new book by Jeremy Hodges which 'lifts the lid' (if you will excuse the appalling journalistic cliche) (whole blog to be had from those) on the seedy underworld life of the writer and his visits to ladies of ill repute in the old town. Those writers, eh...bad as artists! The book title, and source of my interest is 'Lamplit, Vicious Fairy land'; oh so visual and on so full of illustrative and narrative potential. Couldn't help but mentally add the tag-line 'F****d up Fairies' which is the direction my imagination took me; Absynth swigging Bohemian Parisian fairies (or angels) sprung to mind... Similar to another quote I loved a couple of months ago; V.S. Naipaul's 'How fragile are our Fairylands'. Somehow I think it unlikely that I will be deserting the subject of angels any time soon.

Anna Silivonchik has a great quote on her website, which by now is no doubt a great misquote as it has been from English to Russian and back via a Google translation;

'There are only two ways to live your life. The first as if miracles do not happen. The second, as if everything is a miracle.' Einstein (or so it is credited)

Hoping to get in a show at the Dean Gallery which I noticed while at Stu's mums house; always a good place to find things in newspapers. I had totally failed to notice a show at the Dean Gallery on the Surrealists; given my recent wanderings on the subject and interest in seein their work this is very timely. Includes work by the English surrealists, of whom I know nothing, and many of the familiar names from Europe. Kind of hoping for some lesser known pieces which would be really interesting and good for a few surprises; always enjoy going to the Dean as well, it feels like a day out popping over the Water of Leith and into another little world. I have always liked that about Edinburgh, the little pockets of neighbourhoods, each with a different and unique profile and character.

Heavenly mackerel sky tonight and the promise of autumn. For us this year a new promise comes with the darker months; a year of tight budgeting drawing to a close and new challenges to be realised. Much work to be done over the winter sowing the seeds of the next ten years. No pressure then... Wrote the title and remembered the other bit of good news this autumn; Twig the wonder kit has finally accepted the concept of my meditation without yowling her disapproval at my inactivity/lack of attention; it means I have to meditate at the computer desk in the bedroom, as for some reason she has developed the habit of settling at my feet when I work there. Who cares, at least I can go back to it now, it has been impossible ever since we adopted her!