What Do Artist Do All Day?

DAY FOURTEEN

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DAY FOURTEEN 〰️

18/08/2022 06:32 – DAY FOURTEEN

Another morning, another new day.  I have been at ‘the desk’ since 6am and have checked the emails – nothing new to deal with since last night and I smile to myself with a bit of relief.  I’ve posted on the Art Challenge FB Group to let the members know that the reason the link to the Postcard Challenge Exhibition did not work for the last couple of days was entirely my fault.  I had, somehow, inadvertently, checked a box to set an end date which stopped it receiving applications!  So yesterday meant more emails to deal with and a bit of time investigating the reasons why the link did not work etc.  Yesterday this artist did no creative work apart from the thinking about it and talking about how art is made to Gallery visitors.  Being a gallerist as well as an artist is often like a juggling act.  Gallery is open today 10-4pm so it will be stop-start with the creativity.  I hope to work on the large canvas, get the coloured ground on and get the tonal values added (in monochrome, probably use Burnt Umber for this).  I also need to do some finishing work on the monoprints I worked on last week.  This week I was hoping to do some collage and perhaps put one or two of these into Rattray Arts Festival but the deadline is so tight now that I can feel the noose around my neck!  Rattray may have to have a selection of previous works – if I can get to them amidst all the packing that has been going on in the Studio.  Moving studio at this time is proving to be quite unsettling and fraught with all sorts of disruptions and time-consuming impacts.

Rattray has priority today and I must send off my artwork list this morning.  Once that has been done the next exhibition I need to plan for is the Strathmore Open Studios which is actually happening over the same weekend.  Not a good idea to do coinciding exhibitions!  Or back-to-back ones either.  The day after Strathmore I have to open up my Solo Show so that needs planning too.  Not only that, I need some new larger works to go into that and they are either unfinished or not started.  Not a good place to be two weeks before an exhibition opens!  And then we are straight into the Postcard Exhibition with only a few days between for receiving other artists’ works and setting up.  But I am quite used to quick turn-arounds and have always seemed to pull it together without any major hiccups.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that October will be more gentle with me.

So as we approach 7am I must go and tackle the new To Do List that I created this morning.  Good to see a lot of the outstanding tasks have already been done (yesterday).

#1 Some Work In Progress (WIP) waiting to be finished #2 40x60 inch canvas sketched out in charcoal #3 Half way through the underpainting #4 Underpainting completed

18/08/2022 21:14

What a, surprisingly, creative day.  Good day all round.  Done lots on the TDL, but not quite all the mundane ones I had hoped to do.  Never mind, there is always tomorrow.  As for the creative aspect, well I have exceeded my hopes in this area.  The large 40x60 inch canvas is no longer threatening or scary.  A few days ago I gridded up the canvas into 32 sections and that’s how it remained whilst I tackled the mundane but very necessary other tasks on the TDL.  This afternoon however, despite a few interruptions, I have managed to grid up the photograph (own resource from a walk two weeks ago) and do the charcoal sketch and also do the under painting.  I used Winsor & Newton Galleria acrylics Paynes grey, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber and Seawhite White.  Paint was loosely applied, thinly, with two brushes, a 4 inch flat and a 1 inch flat.  I will continue the painting now with Royal Talens Cobra Water Mixable Oils.  I will have to paint quick and loose if I am hoping to have this dry enough to exhibit for my solo exhibition first week in September.  Might not manage this but I will try my best. It certainly won’t be framed for this solo show. 

Talking of frames, I am having some abstracts framed locally.  My abstract ‘self portrait’ and four postcards I produced when away on location in Chirnside in February.  I’ve already framed six of the nine ATC’s done during this time away and these will be going in too.  That’s the small panel taken care of for my solo.  Just five full size (4x8 foot) Panels and two double Panel size walls to fill as well as the window display.  I will either have to add some older works or space out the new paintings.  Or get creating very quickly!