Pretty Good For You

I had some rather grisly dental surgery scheduled on Monday, and thinking I'd be all right afterwards for a day in the studio I ended up leaving early due to feeling more than a little wobbly and green around the gills. After getting home and getting some sugar in my blood (and topping up my painkillers) I was feeling frustrated at having my plan of a creative start to the week curbed by other forces. 

On my way home I had picked up some flowers to cheer myself up (they are proven to aid in recovery, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost creativity read up on it on Huffington Post here). The tulips from the week before were more than ready to give up their vase, but the way they had fallen open reminded me of Christopher Kane's beautiful botanical designs for his S/S14 collection.

Looking for an outlet for my creative urges, I wanted to make some drawings of these delicate specimens. Being back at home, there wasn't much to hand as I keep my art supplies in the studio but I had recently organised my make-up hoard and had been surprised at how many cosmetics in a palette of pretty shades I had that I had barely used. And for my sketch book, I could use myself!

The pots of loose mineral eye shadows reminded me of pollen, used as a very early natural pigment. I had been drawn to this lipstick for it's soft petal pink colour, ready for Spring!

Christopher Kane S/S14

I drew out the outline in waterproof eye-liner.

Using make up brushes, rather than paint brushes to fill in colour using strong loose pigments.

The lipstick blends onto the skin perfectly for blushed edges.

Here it is. The tired out tulips went into the compost, but my drawing brightened my day every time I caught a glimpse of it peeking out of my sleeve until l showering the next morning! And the new vase of flowers have looked lovely all week. (Mouth is healing well too...)

Just like the flowers, it was only temporary, but while it was there it made my surroundings a little prettier.

Hope you are inspired like I was to treat yourself to a few posies and some creative time to yourself-just to make you happy!

Working Outside The Box

Love these dropper bottles. Inky medicine.

 I met two really nice artists last night Ali Spechler and Mair Cook, the former from Florida and Mair from Suffolk but soon returning to Falmouth Uni. I was at the final exhibition of a residency they had undertaken in Manchester. Both took up their spaces for different reasons which was in a modern terraced house with living and studio areas. Not a particularly charming area, and slightly out of the way it got me thinking about where you find the difference between inspiration and distraction, and the benefits of entering a different space to work in. Sometimes you need to lock yourself away to get on with a project, other times the input of your environment is vital in your work. 

Selecting what you will take with you if you are working somewhere else can also be liberating. We are lucky enough to have access to so many mediums and ways to be creative, but it can actually drown us in possibilities, and hamper productivity.  

Studio space of artist in residence Mair Cook

If you're having difficulties concentrating, maybe you need to organise your space. The satisfaction alone is a great boost and often you will discover things (both physically and mentally) during the process: such as the "good" scissors you'd lost, or the final touch on a piece you were struggling with.

I'm definitely due a tidy up and plan to edit in my studio space this weekend, especially as the Open Studios where you can meet me and see my space and my work is only a week away!!! Details HERE.