‘Where are you based?’ seems to be the number one question that I get asked wherever I go. To which I usually reply, ‘nowhere in particular’ or ‘in Kent’. I haven’t had a permanent base for 4 years and the ‘in Kent’ reply is simply because that’s where I store my van and art materials when I am abroad and where some of my family and friends live. The reality is that I am mostly on the road up and down the country travelling to my next workshop or demonstration.
Very soon I will be moving to a new permanent ‘base’ further North. We tend to think of having a permanent base as a basic essential, but this will be a new phase for me. I am looking forward to not having to work out where I will be sleeping every night and spending some time in one location. Will this change the destinations I work at? No. Will it stop me from seeing friends and family? No. Will I still be able to access my van and art materials? Yes. So does where I am based matter, absolutely not!
So, what have I been up to lately ….
Van Life
Well, there’s not been much van life in the last couple of months. I broke my little finger on New Year Eve, and it’s been a revelation to me how much we use our little fingers. The first few weeks in January were cold and wet and my water pipes froze and unfroze regularly putting pressure on the connections until one finally gave way! Stopping the flood and reconnecting the pipe so that it didn’t leak was no easy task for a lady with a broken finger! I was delighted to be able to escape from the cold weather at the end of January when I flew with a good friend to Costa Rica to join a SAGA Cruise ship and spend the next 5 weeks sailing home via Mexico, Honduras, New Orleans, Galveston and Boston to name just a few places. I was delighted to find on my return that not only had the mice decided not to move into the van while I was away but that the engine started first time, and the brakes had not seized. My next destination is one in which l won’t need the van so once again sadly it will need to sit and wait for my return. April sees me on another cruise, so no van travel plans until the warmer weather arrives. Here are a small selection of pics from the cruise.
Art Life
Once again, I spent the last 5 weeks on a ship teaching a lovely bunch of guests to draw and paint in watercolour. With over 18 sea days we covered a vast range of subjects from sea turtle to tram to beach landscape. It was great to see so many guests I had met before as well as a lot of new ones. Approx 70 guests per day meant a lot of paintings for our exhibition at the end of the cruise.
I am delighted to have had 2 pieces of work accepted into this year’s SGFA exhibition at the Mall Galleries in March. I have also submitted a couple of pieces into the SBA Exhibition recently so fingers crossed they too will be accepted.
I am now holed up in a studio for 3 weeks to catch up on some admin and some new work as well as completing my cruise sketchbook diary and trying to be more reliable with my social media posts! My list of to do tasks seems endless and I need to be disciplined to make time to paint and create as well as do admin. I can procrastinate for endless amounts of time if I don’t give myself a timetable. Going forward I will have a bigger space to paint in so I would like to plan a couple of larger works than in the previous year or so.
I have had an amazingly positive response from all of you regarding a residential course, so I am now actively looking for a location and dates to run this, it’s a huge task so bear with me! I’m looking at possibly October this year.
Teaching and travel in March, April and beyond…
I will be once again teaching watercolour sessions on a SAGA cruise to the Eastern Med in April for 3 weeks. I’m looking forward to some warmer weather and visiting some locations I haven’t visited before.
I am very excited to offer a new location in East Sussex for workshops in Botanical watercolour (and possibly colour pencil and artists handmade books at a later date.) The Oast Studio is a fabulous location and runs a variety of craft and art courses. Workshops include a delicious lunch and all materials. My first course on the 17th May sold out in 48 hours, so we have added a couple more dates. 5th June and 27th June
I will be back at The Old Bank Studios in Harwich on Sun 6th April for a butterfly colour pencil course. This is another of my favourite places to teach with a fabulous lunch included.
I have been persuaded to continue to offer the occasional course at Kent Adult Education. Keep an eye on the website for dates for these in May and June.
My West Dean texture and detail in Nature course in watercolour will be on the 23rd to 25th May. Time to get out those granulating paints again.
I will be travelling more this year, but I am still available to teach private clients, workshops and demonstrations for art societies and groups anywhere in the country. My new base makes me more central in the UK so message me here or email me via my website if you would like me to design a bespoke workshop or demonstration for you.
Once again thankyou to all of you who have been on this journey with me. Newsletter No.12 makes it almost 2 years since I started writing and publishing here. I never could have imagined when I started this crazy lifestyle the adventures and opportunities that have come my way. Happy March Everyone !
Hi Amber, you are travelling well! The variety sounds marvellous. I live in the North Island of New Zealand.🤗