Firstly a big thankyou to everyone who has subscribed, I have been overwhelmed with the positive response and number of subscribers. So, how have the last couple of months been, apart from hot!! Van doors open and thank goodness for fly nets on windows.
Just this week I have been offered full membership of the Society of Graphic Fine Art. I am delighted, drawing has always been central to my art practice and this society has some amazingly talented and friendly artists.
My course in West Dean in May was my usual mix of amazing students, fabulous location and delicious food. It was great to be teaching again after a few months away.
Next on the agenda was the SBA exhibition at the Mall Galleries, the show was a roaring success and a lovely mix of traditional and contemporary work. It was great to meet some old friends and meet new ones at my demonstration in coloured pencil on the Friday. I’ve managed to complete some personal projects in the last month or two and had a very productive woodland meet up with a fellow artist too. Not a lot of other painting done but some ideas for future projects.
Van life
Now for the exciting news. My van reconfiguration is complete and some of you may have seen some of my photos on Instagram. I’ve popped some in here too.
By turning the bed around to go across the back I have created more storage space and space in the central body of the van. This also means I don’t have to take the bed apart every time I drive away! My dedicated art/painting/creating space means I can have everything I need to hand. I have a good directional lamp on my right (I’m left-handed) My new drawing table goes up. down, round and tilts for full flexibility. It’s just bigger than A2 in size so going forward I am unlikely to be painting anything too large but thats not a problem as my work sems to be getting smaller these days. As the table goes up and down, I can make sure the height is correct for my posture and no need to set anything up each time as I can just swing the table into the corner until I want to paint again. (Unless I am on the move) New storage shelves mean I can store all the materials I need to travel with. I will be covering more about what I choose in my next newsletter.
And in answer to the questions I am often asked yes, I do have a bathroom and cooking area and yes, I can be totally off grid thanks to my solar panels. No Tv as I have mobile Wi-Fi router and laptop, I haven’t had a TV for about 3 years and to be honest I don’t miss it, probably because I have Netflix and a healthy dose of Bridgerton when I want it!!
Art Life
There are 3 areas to my art practice at the moment which I can continue easily in my new space. In my next newsletter I will be sharing more about materials and practices for each of these areas and you will see how they all fit together. As I only moved out of my studio a month or 2 ago, I am still figuring out how many or few materials I need. Like most of us I have way too many materials to choose from and it seems overwhelming at times.
My journals and sketchbook - a place to keep a diary, rant a little in private and play with new and old materials. This is my space to be free to scribble, sketch and generally create a mess!
. My Botanical ‘serious ‘Art in both watercolour and colour pencil - a place to hone my skills of observation while trying to keep the work still fresh and contemporary.
My Handmade Artists Books - an opportunity to play with different materials, stitch a bit, stick a bit, print a bit. I find working on these very therapeutic and when I don’t have the headspace to draw and paint, I can just focus on colour and texture in a more abstract way. It’s also the perfect place to use up small botanical studies left over from workshops.
Teaching and Travel in July and August and beyond…..
So, if you have made it this far you can see where to find me. Plans for July have changed as plans often do. Due to family commitments, I will no longer be cruising with SAGA to Iceland and Greenland next week. A positive side to this means that I will now be able to take the van away for a few days in the middle of July to catch up with arty friends a little distance away. Don’t you just love a guest who can bring her own bed and bathroom?
In August I am delighted to be returning to West Dean to run my first ever Summer School. We will be allowed to take items from the walled garden to paint. A whole week of painting detail, mixing colour and building composition - a small paradise!! There are still a couple of spaces available on this course.
August is a busy month as from the 20th I will be teaching on SAGA’s Western Mediterranean Cruise This is a 16-day cruise so plenty of painting time.
Having been static for far too long September has been ear marked for lots of travel, breaking my new van set up in and my new tyres ! I will be posting regular updates on my Facebook and Instagram pages and remember to contact me if you would like me to come to your art group for a workshop in coloured pencil or watercolour. Have van will travel!!
Thank you for reading and for all your messages. Feel free to comment in the box below if there is anything you would like to see in the next newsletter. I will get better at replying to everyone, but rest assured I do read all the comments.
Happy painting and travels. Amber.
xx
Living the dream Amber, enjoy every moment. Looking forward to following your adventures. ❤️