My Annual Online Studio Sale is happening now. I am thrilled that patrons are picking up some new pieces for their collections. Many of the selections continue to support @bikes4refugees as well. So that's a win-win. In the past month, we have been able to donate £195 from the sale of art to the deserving charity. Thank you!
My portraits are also available for sale. There has been a renewed interest in them so go have another look.
If you are in or around Edinburgh, the studio will be open to the public from 11:30 to 4:30 on the 10th of December (Sunday) at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, Leith. Find me in studio G23 for Fine Art, Prints, and Commissions. Our studios are also open by appointment.
Join us for Open Studios at The Out of the Blue Drill Hall! Several resident artists and makers will have their studios open from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday, December 3rd and Sunday the 10th, during the Christmas Market.
I will have loads of small original works for sale to benefit Bikes for Refugees - Scotland SCIO that you can view in the flesh and purchase. I will also have never before seen works created this year that I can't wait to share with you! See you in Studio G23.
These artists and makers will have their studios open
It's Friday and I have had two cups of coffee and the sky is featureless and grey. I am listening to a fantastic old song on repeat (but of course). Later, I will walk over to the studio and hang out with my fellow artists in our exhibition, A Closer Look. You will know from previous blogs and social media posts that our show is ending on Saturday the 23rd at 5 p.m. So if you are a local reading this and even thinking about how you might like to see it in person - just get up and go (my blog can wait).
Oh, Autumn, I am mostly enjoying your rain, wind, grey, your dappled light through leaves still green but also turning yellow and falling. I am still jazzed about your autumn energy and of course the return to my beloved real coffee. It just tastes better in the fall.
I am not painting right now but I am working, learning, and dancing. Loads of dancing to the fantastic old songs.
Autumn is for returning to our homes within.
I dreamt of a painting last night, a new painting that I might paint. A whole idea for a series in a dream. I love that when it happens - it is a rare gift.
So on that note, I will share one more promo video of the exhibition and get ready to go. Thank you for being here and for your support. Keep fighting.
A selection of my small framed works on canvas as part of A Closer Look
The exhibition was installed on Tuesday and is always the case - the artwork of the resident and affiliated artists of the drill hall clicked into place like a puzzle. With over 16 participating artists, there is a great selection of work on display. We had a lovely wine reception on Wednesday night and we enjoyed some tunes and some banter on the rainy evening. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us.
Besides the work on the walls and in the jewellery case, we also have a selection of prints, cards, and even some small originals available for purchase towards the back of the exhibition at our sales table. So do make sure to have a rummage through the racks so you don't miss some bargains.
I love the strength and variety of my peers' work on show together. It's been so great for us to get to know each other better over these last two exhibitions. It feels more like a proper community of artists currently and that is a great feeling.
The video above is a quick guided tour and the video below is a super quick jazzy taster. Remember though if you are local and able, nothing is better than seeing the show with your own eyes.
A Closer Look Wednesday 13th - Saturday 23rd September (Not Sunday)
The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, Leith EH6 8RG
A Closer Look Wednesday 13th - Saturday 23rd September
Hours: 10am-5pm
Opening Reception Wednesday 13th of September from 6-8pm
Join us for drinks and nibbles
36 Dalmeny Street, Leith EH6 8RG
Following the success of Outside + In in May,the talented studio artistsof the Out of the Blue Drill Hall have joined forces again to bring you, A Closer Look. You are guaranteed a friendly welcome and a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy paintings, drawings, prints, illustrations, jewellery, photography, mixed media works, textile pieces and more. There will be art for all to enjoy as we invite you to take a closer look.
Participating artists include: (give these artists a follow on Instagram)
Thanks for checking out the Friday Studio Blog. I hope you are doing well. I am sitting out in the sun while I write this. Thanks again to everyone who came out to support the artists of the Out of the Blue Drill Hall last week for our exhibition, Outside + In. The show came down last Saturday at 5pm. It was good to spend so much time in the hall for that week - it was like pushing a pause button on my grief. Art has always protected me in that way.
This week I found myself plunged back into the trenches and didn't feel my best but I still managed to do a few art-related things. First, I did go to the studio on Tuesday and I decided to patch the holes and repaint my painting wall. I also looked at my paint supplies and just handled a few things in the space. I also managed to record my Tuesday Studio Video Visit! I haven't recorded one in a long time, so that was a relief to do and to do it from the studio.
Here it is if you missed it on social media.
I have to admit I didn't feel my best in the space at the time. That space sometimes feels like it is filled with the old ghosts of my hopes and dreams and a heavy dose of punishment. Sometimes it feels like I must go to that room to prove I am working. I must go to that room and prove I am busy and deserving of the space. I must go to that room to make myself scarce. I must go there to be contained. To be my wild self but enclosed in a windowless space where I won't bother anyone. I must go to that room to prove my dedication, worth, and my value. I must earn love and appreciation in that room.
Heavy wee room, eh? Aye. Fuck that noise.
So I have to exorcise it and that's what I just did. I just smudged it with the truth. Feelings come and go and feelings shared, lose their power. I am exorcising a lot. Some of you will be here for it and others might need to bail out. That's cool.
On that same Tuesday, I also saw a fleeting exhibition by another studio mate (Ian Gonczarow). I haven't yet met him but now I have seen his work in the hall and that is a good thing - hopefully, I will meet him soon. More community the better. More art in the building, the better too. I had a good chat with an art worker in the building and my studio mate and then went to hers for lunch and I enjoyed a sunny walk home.
Wednesday (4 weeks of missing Theo) was heavy and I did hard things. Thursday, I ran errands and rewarded myself for the hard things I accomplished and was gifted with a bit of anxiety for my efforts. Yoga and meditation were required as was a book in the sun that evening. Today in the sun as I write this, I love feeling warm, surrounded by flowers, and being outside and free. I love the transportive quality of the music I am listening to - it takes me everywhere.
In other news, I got another copy of The Artists Way and decided it was time to surrender to that process again. If you know, you know... I'm doing my morning pages and the artist's dates will follow. I got myself an A2 drawing board - it will be here soon.
"The position of the artist is humble. He (She) is essentially a channel." - Piet Mondrian
That's all I have for you this week on the Friday Studio Blog. If you missed a few posts, please go back and check them out. Thanks so much for your support!
An exhibition of artists and makers from the Out of the Blue Drill Hall community is on for two more days. If you are local to Edinburgh or are passing through, don't miss the exhibition on display from 10am-5pm. this Friday (19th) and Saturday (20th). 36 Dalmeny Street, EH6 8RG.
There are 16 artists currently participating in this group exhibition and there is a range of pieces available to purchase and enjoy, from drawings, riso prints, reproductions, abstract and realist paintings, collage, textiles, felted work, as well as mixed media paintings on slates, photography, and gorgeous jewellery. Truly something for everyone at a multitude of price points.
The exhibition reception on Wednesday was well attended and was busy from the moment the doors were open from 5:30 through to 7:30. It made our hearts sing to have the work in the space and appreciated by so many enthusiastic community members.
We hope that opportunities for the artists within the hall will become a more regular occurrence. If you feel the same way please let the management know. It boosts morale within the building and that spills out into the community at large. Creativity is contagious and community joy is strong medicine!
Please, if you are able, do make a plan to catch the exhibition before Saturday at 5pm.
Thanks to everyone who has come already to view the exhibition and who came out in support of the artists of the hall on Wednesday night. It was wonderful to see you.
Edinburgh City Councillor Susan Rae and I discussing my painting, "What it's Worth."
Follow these artists on Instagram if you don't already!
The exhibition will be held from the 15th-20th of May 2023 from 10am-5pm,
with a reception on Wednesday the 17th of May from 5:30 - 7:30pm. The Out
of the Blue Drill Hall is located at 36 Dalmeny Street, EH6 8RG. All are
welcome!
Here are just some of the participant's Instagram handles (check them
out, give them a follow, and come to the show and see the work in person
and meet the artists!). There is sure to be something for everyone and a
fun and easy-going scene. See you there!
As some of you may have noticed, I fell behind on my blog and I haven't been using social media that much with all that has been going on in my life. I have now caught up, so please go back and read the previous posts you may have missed. Thank you for your support and care and for those that have checked on me.
If you are local to Edinburgh, I will be sitting the above-mentioned Outside + In exhibition from 3-5pm on Monday and Wednesday and also attending the reception on Wednesday night from 5:30-7:30. It would be lovely to see you there.
What a lovely weekend we all had at the Inception exhibition in the Dalkeith Palace at the Dalkeith Country Park! It was great to meet so many fellow artists, see friends and associates, and make new and renewed connections over art in such a wonderful setting. Congratulations to all involved and thanks to everyone for coming out in support. You can enjoy my complete ‘Echoes and Memory’ series on my website.
I was delighted to make it to my studio this week as well, here's my Tuesday Video Visit as proof!
In other news, I worked on fine-tuning my membership tiers over on my Ko-fi page. There are lots of lovely perks over there in exchange for your support. Check them out.
The Wall of Fame is just one of them...
Thanks to everyone who has supported me with a one-off tip or cup of coffee, a monthly donation, or has now joined one of my new membership tiers! Your support keeps me on the path and the lights on! Do you want to see your name on the wall of fame and receive other great perks? Please support my work through a one-off gift or a signing up for a monthly tier.
To round out the week, I saw my peers Judith Shaylor and Susan Wilson from the Abstractionistas during our collective meeting online. We are making future exhibition plans... stay tuned!
Until next week, keep fighting! The world needs you and the work you bring. Thank you.
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