I am so lucky to have a wonderful studio, which doubles up as extra guest accommodation in happier and more sociable times. Under lockdown it has been a lovely space where we practise yoga and I can get creative. Until a couple of weeks ago that is, when the heating stopped working!
The result of this is that yoga now takes place on the sitting room floor with Crumpet looking on appraisingly, and all artistic endeavour has moved indoors to the conservatory table. In my studio I have masses of space for full-sized easels, large palettes and canvases, and general mess-making. In the house I have far less space, and more worryingly, I have to tidy up after myself.
Working smaller was clearly the best option. I was challenged to paint wildlife by a friend, and suddenly became obsessed with watching the bird feeders in our garden. I ordered some coloured paper and a set of gouache paints and started to play. I have never painted with gouache before, so it was a learning curve for me, but once I started, there was no stopping. I never realised what a huge number of beautiful and colourful native birds we have in our gardens.
The heating in the studio is now fixed, and I am looking forward to getting back out there and going larger with oils again, but in the meantime there are just a few more little visitors to be immortalised in paint…….
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