2022- year in review
Happy New Year!
I started this on New Year’s eve - by flicking back through my Instagram account and scribbling down some things that stood out from 2022.
I realise I’ve actually blogged about many of them so I won’t go into lots of detail, so this is more of a list of nice things that 2022 entailed. I have done this partly as a reminder of the things I loved so that I make sure I plan them in to 2023.
January -
- Writing out large scale poems for the Oriel Davies gallery. This was something new for me, and exciting. I’ve used a paintbrush almost daily for so many years, and have done brush lettering for years too - but never at this scale. It was a wonderful, challenging and fulfilling project.
- I won a place on Kia Cannon’s intuitive painting course and loved doing an hour of intuitive painting for each Friday afternoon for six weeks. I’ve missed it and would like to carve out this time again.
- I made my Dad a gingerbread house for his birthday. I’ve seen to many splendid ones online that I thought it time to make one. I even melted mints for the windows and made some woodland animals to go in it. It wasn’t anywhere near as refined as I’d hoped, and looked more like an abandoned shed, complete with faulty roof and cracked windows! The animals looked like they’d taken over and inhabited it - but it was fun to make and caused much laughter!
February -
- The poems were exhibited at the Oriel Davies Gallery - this was a real thrill to see them on the walls, especially to see photographs of the poets stood next to their words which were shared by the gallery.
- I painted the first of my big snowdrops pictures - and wrote a blog about it. I loved this piece so much I went on to create four more versions, playing with the different media each time. The February image of the 2023 wall calendar evolved from this.
- I also had a lovely wedding bouquet commission this month which you can see here
March -
- I enjoyed delivering workshops at the studio - there seemed to be a flurry of these!
- I had a nice day out in Manchester with my cousin. I’d not been to a gallery, since pre-Covid, not on a train and so this was a really lovely day out. It reminded me of the importance of going to different places and soaking up different things.
April -
- Lovely walks around the studio lanes photographing and drawing spring flowers. I adore this time of year.
- Drew a Mother’s Day spring bouquet - one I had picked from species in bloom in my parents garden. I then drew it, twice. One version I went on to paint and frame… and it sold at the studio shortly afterwards. This is my favourite sort of process.
May -
- Sketch Across the World weekend, I joined my friend Kath (who organises the event) and we drew in the woods and heard the cuckoo.
- Went canoeing on the Wye for my birthday, and managed a sketch as we went.
- Day out at Malvern spring show to see what it was like and enjoyed sketching people- I do enjoy a speedy sketching session
- Delivered a workshop on botanical illustration to my Mum’s art class
- Spent a day sketching at Attingham Park
June -
- Midsummer picnic
- Flowerbed sketches and cut flower beginnings- a highlight of 2022 for me and something that I hope remains a bit part of 2023.
- Performing with Raise the Dust Appalachian Dancers this month (and for the next two)
- Nature connection and creative reflection workshops at Oriel Davies gallery
July -
- More large scale brush lettering - the poems that were displayed as part of Ledbury poetry festival
- First River swim with with my sister-in-law
- Had my work in The Artist’s Gallery as their visiting artist
- Drew some of Ben’s sunflowers
- Lovely day out at Croft Castle with my sister and nephews
- Went to Aberdovey
August -
- Nice to return to Burwarton show, a busy but lovely day
- Scarecrow Sunday open studio event in Brampton Bryan - a really hot day but lovely and cool in the studio which visitors enjoyed
- Ludlow makers markets (I didn’t do as many this year and the one was very warm indeed!)
- Aberystwyth mini holiday with a couple of very good friends
- Westhope workshops
- Brockhampton craft fair
- Enjoyed drawing pigeons
- Catching up with school friends on the Welsh coast
- A fun, fleeting visit to Teignmouth
September -
- Shepherds hut stay and chicken sketches
- Exhibited at Malvern show and did my first raffle picture - of Ben’s sunflowers, really enjoyed creating this.
-Gave my first WI talks
October -
- Lovely walk at the woods at Croft castle
- Caught Covid and my niece picked me a ‘get better posy’ which led to me recreating it in paper, sparking a new direction for my cut flowers idea
- Ludlow Racecourse wedding fair
- Another quick visit to the sea (my nephews say I’m always at the sea, which I firmly dispute but it turns out I do visit when the opportunity presents itself!)
November -
- Drew my nephews swimming- loved capturing this snapshot of their week
- Croft Castle artisan market
- Really lovely wedding stationery project with lots of modern calligraphy
December -
- Christmas Open Studios in Brampton Bryan
- Tinsel Tuesday markets in Ludlow
- Dulas craft fair
- Christmas craft fair at The Bridges, Ratlinghope
- Watching the starling murmuration at Aberystwyth on Boxing Day evening (I’ll put a picture at the bottom of this -they made a heart shape!)
- Drawing in my car, listening to an audio book and eating gingerbread in the rain at Gilfach
- Receiving one of Emily Powell’s Christmas creations in the post (I got a bear)
- Buying myself a copy of Mark Hearld’s latest book -‘Raucous invention-the joy of making’ - which I’m finding really
