Angeltastic

It has to be a good weekend when new pictures of art events and new pictures are vying for space on my Facebook profile and blog! Having had a truly superior and inspiring day yesterday visiting the Number Four gallery in St Abbs, today I spent my usual Sunday slot at Ritchie's gallery in Leith and set to creating little box canvases for the now-looming Angel Haven show. And...I was on fire!! Angel-tastic day of really enjoyable painting and listening to music and chatting to the odd customer.. a bit slow on that front but still red-dotted a picture of Ritchie's for payment later and advised on a commission they want to go with it! So, all in all that will be a decent payday for a brisk fifteen minutes work after closing time!! It is really worth going in a bit early and hanging back a bit late - I have never, ever been a clock-watcher and just enjoy the time to myself dottering about getting paintings done in a cat and distraction-free environment. Found a great Taschen book on 'The Portrait' and put it aside to have a browse and a cup of tea at some stage in the day... never got there! Too many little angel ladies were begging to pop out onto the box canvases that I used to so hate working on..

Ritchie is hitting his stride with his side of the show by the looks of things- lots of lovely little ones all over the place on box canvases and wee boards, and a small but very cool collection of 'icon' influenced angels with gold leaf downstairs in the office waiting their moment.

Really kicked my temporary colour-block I think; for a few paintings there I was struggling to come up with colours in my usual way, which is essentially instinctive. I think maybe I was doing that thing I do of thinking too much about something, which of course causes it to malfuncition.

Watched pot never boils, over-thought colour never harmonises.

And with that cheerful note I am going to keep the ball rolling and head off for more of the same in the studio, where I have also (of course) started another new big 2 x 2 footer despite having told myself that I have to concentrate on the little boxes for the two remaining show now...

But it is going to be sooooo cool, I just know it; I was 'dickering' (great word, just stole it off someone) around with drawings of buildings, which I hate, and suddenly spun off into a great elephant and angel image. Really free, man. It's gonna be a winner, and far more interesting than buildings, to me anyway.