Week 3 of my diary shows the beginning of the official lock-down, the start of clapping on Thursdays and the emerging importance of differing apps together with the strange experience of being 17,000 in a queue for on-line groceries!

Week 2 conveys my amazement at the gaggle of elderly people I saw gathered at the bus stop and hearing an older person on the news saying that they were not going to stay indoors as ‘we’ll beat it!’. This week also conveys strangely emerging perks – distant exchanges of goods with grandchildren – chocolates and books for them, bananas and eggs for us!

When I’m anxious I turn to creativity and I just had the desire to record the highs and lows of living with the looming threat of Covid 19, in the form of a visual diary.

Week 1 shows moments of great achievement – walking a steep cliff path after many weeks of back pain stopping me going far, then the news…and the resulting fear that kept me awake.

Another pastel of Pembrokeshire. The dunes here, which are scattered with solitary houses, sit above and alongside the striking old red sandstone and the Silurian grey sandstone which is very majestic on this particular part of the coast.

It’s been a long time since a created a piece of work in pastel, but, whilst planning my next lino cut, I had an urge to create it in pastel first. And I’m so glad I did as I’ve loved every minute of returning to pastels and have even produced another piece of work, which I’ll show another week.

Well, I’m running out of adjectives to describe my pride in what workshop students achieve! This is what this weekend’s students made! The larger image on the left is produced by someone who has only done one previous workshop with me and has now moved on to create an A4, 4 colour print; this is it at its 3rd colour stage – impressive! The other three are created by first timers, either creating their own image as in the blue and white image or adapting that of others as in the hare and seed heads.

I love the versatility of printing with lino. On one hand it can it be used to create serious pieces of art and on the other hand fun can be had creating ‘stamps’ for making wrapping paper. In this instance I wrapped the gifts in brown paper first and then printed on the main surface of the parcel!

I never fail to be amazed, and proud, of what workshop students achieve in just one day when they have never cut lino before! The first workshop of the year was on Saturday and we had such a happy and productive day. I think these images are extra stunning as they chose to share the same colours so, as a group picture, they work particularly well. I’m looking forward to the next workshop on February 1st, which only has one space left!

Lazy Sundays on the sofa – dry-point etching

It seems a while since I posted an image – creating art was overtaken by Xmas, workshops, family, socialising, time away etc and some lovely day’s lazing on the sofa (not just the Sunday’s!).

2019 was a very proud ‘art year’ for me: being shortlisted for the Artists and Illustrators magazine’s Artist of the Year competition and exhibiting at The Mall Galleries in London was a ‘wow’, followed by exhibiting as part of the RBSA Open Exhibition in Birmingham. Open Studios was a lovely event, as ever, and I’m so proud that the winner of the visitors’ prize decided to choose one of my prints. Then, to finish the year beautifully, one of my large pastel paintings of Zennor Cove was safely delivered across ‘the pond’ and is hanging in an apartment in New York!

I’m not sure I can top any of that in 2020 but, you know, I don’t mind – I love what I do and I’ll just keep doing it!

Such a lovely way to spend Saturday – running a printing workshop for members of W.I’s from across Worcestershire. The picture is an example of some of the beautiful work created by the attendees. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s session to see what else will be created!