Just to introduce myself…
At work in the treehouse
The treehouse is an amazing space to create in. One can stand dreaming at the windows for ages, and there is always something new to see.
I’ve included general information about myself as an artist and my artistic vision on my “About” page. Here, I wanted to share a little more about what makes me tick the things that underpin my artwork, thereby offering a more comprehensive introduction. I guess it is important to first clarify that blogging is a new avenue for me, and although I’ve worked as a professional academic language editor/proofreader for several years, expressing myself in less formal language remains a bit of a challenge. It’s also incredibly difficult to proofread your own work, so I shall no doubt be terribly embarrassed by the odd typo…
I like to think and question things, and the hours spent painting in glorious solitude in my treehouse studio are conducive to doing just that. Here, I’ll talk about the thinking that provides the grounding for my artwork. I probably won’t share too much detail of the works I have in progress, as that level of detail is shared with my Studio Insiders (sign up for my newsletter to become an Insider). However, there is a lot more to creating a series of artworks than the paintings themselves, as the inspiration on which they are built often spans several years and a multitude of sources.
When I’m cooking up a theme (or themes) to guide a collection, it usually involves a fair bit of research and following obscure threads of thought and information in all sorts of directions, some of which lead to a whole new range of topics. I record these thoughts in notebooks, visual diaries, and sketchbooks, cross-referencing back and forward as ideas come together. Sometimes I need to go back to old note/sketch books to find something I wrote or sketched years ago, which finally has a place in what I’m working on. In the course of doing this, I come across ideas or thoughts that may not have a direct place in a painting, but are worth teasing out. They become stand-alone works, or go back into the mental stew pot for further evolution. I’ll explore some of these topics here to consolidate my own thinking, and hopefully engage with you. Please don’t hesitate to share any thoughts in response.
I experience painting as a form of mediation, a safe space in which I can connect with myself and explore my perception of the world(s). By the time something makes it to the stage of being painted, I’m no longer consciously thinking about it in terms of the subject matter. All of that thinking has been done, and it is now up to my hands to execute what I feel. This leaves a lot of headspace to drift, to dream, and to follow tangents. Some of these tangents I’ll share with you here over time.
Anyway, I’ll sign off now before digressing too much more!
I warmly invite you to share your thoughts in a comment or contact me directly (audrey@audreyholmesart.com).
