Autumn things

Foraging in the woods, I find beech leaves, a small fluffy white feather and some browning bracken. And on the street, some golden gean leaves.
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Another First Time

I have been putting together my first ever solo exhibition.  "Local Letterboxes". This sounds exciting and it is, but I have this constant nagging voice at the back of my head saying things like :
1. "What if nobody comes to see it?"
2. "What if they do come and they don't like your paintings?"
3. "What if they do like them, make positive noises about them, but nobody buys anything?".
The rational, sensible, scientific part of my brain can sometimes respond - but not usually at 4am - with something along the lines of :
1. "You have put up lots of posters, there's a piece about it in the local paper and you've been posting on Facebook and Twitter for weeks now - what more can you do?".
2.  "If they don't like them, they will probably whizz round and then leave.  They are not terribly likely to come up to you and say they think it's rubbish.  They have not paid to view the exhibition. They will not be demanding their money back.  Not everyone will like your paintings. Fact."
3.  "Make the most of the feedback. Don't stress about selling - if you do, it will be obvious and probably put people off. It's more important that you're getting out there and showing the world (well, a small part of the world) what you do."
All artists have to find a way of living with the fear of rejection.  I have read about this on many artists' blogs; the above is simply a distillation of my thoughts on the matter.  It is very simplified; there are plenty other things to worry about.  But I intend to try and keep things in perspective and stick to these three.  It's remembering the replies that's the tricky bit!

My "Local Letterboxes" exhibition of watercolour paintings is on from 6th-11th August at the GALE centre in Gairloch, Wester Ross.

First Time

I am at my first fair. I was going to say craft fair, but it's not. It's Voluntary Service Aberdeen's Spring Fayre at Easter Anguston, just west of Peterculter on the outskirts of Aberdeen. There are about 10 of us with stalls - from jewellery to pegbags. It is proving to be an interesting experience. I am learning a lot and my smile muscles have not had such a good workout in a long time. Meeting some lovely people. A grand day out so far, in spite of the rather changeable weather.
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Something New

I have been neglecting this blog and for that I am sorry.  I have been busy with all sorts of things, including building my very own website.  Not from scratch, of course, but using a website-building toolkit.  Or whatever you call it.  I am nearly happy with it; it is nearly ready for human consumption.  To be honest, I will probably never be completely happy with it, so I am starting to spread the word about it.  Or the URL.  Of course, a website is not a static thing, a thing of perfection and beauty and all things to all people.  To try to make it so would be the way to madness.  So I have made something that I hope will work.  The aim is to provide a hub, a place from which you can find all the strands of the things that I do, that I create.  The paintings, the photographs and the writing.  The bits that interest you.  Eventually the blog over there will take over from this one here.  I don't intend to try to keep up two blogs. Let's face it, I can hardly maintain one.

The other thing I have been up to (I have been doing two things only?  Really?) is taking part in a Virtual Open Mic session, happening today. Hosted by Inky Fingers in Edinburgh. Being virtual, it doesn't matter that this is the case, of course.  And that I am in Aberdeen. There are two more episodes to come.  I've really enjoyed reading other folk's pieces and watching the videos some of them have posted.  A lovely range of work, from flash fiction to poetic prose to witty things in Scots. I think I would have enjoyed hearing them read out loud though.  That's where the videos work well. I guess that's the point of an open mic session. Maybe I will summon up the courage to venture along to a real live session before too long.  In the meantime, I'm off to read Episode 5.

The Walk

The walk - a trail of tiny white
pigeon feathers,
Lichen and
Sodden beech leaves
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Planning a Painting

I have this photograph, which I took on a recent trip to the west Highlands, as the background image on my mobile phone at the moment. I've done one sketch of it, plan to do some more tomorrow. I might even manage an actual painting. Decaying corrugated iron roofs seem to hold a certain fascination for me.
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