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Showing posts from 2020

An Autumn Poem

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Although I have never studied poetry writing, it is something I like to do from time to time. This is never planned. It usually begins when I am out walking alone, a verse will pop into my mind which I then continue at home. The poem below is one I completed a couple of weeks ago, a series of observations from my frequent walks. Turning colours, lowering light, long cast shadows and early night. Glowing fronds, wet with dew, adorn the hills with sienna hue. Dappled shades, of Emerald and Gold, slowly shift from Summer's hold. Floating leaves, from the Sycamore, move shadows on the river floor. Wooded walk, turns to open fell, where ancient limestone has a tale to tell. The summit promises a nice hot drink, to clear the mind, no troubles to think. A sliver of silver across the bay, beckons in the end of day. Flames of amber in the fire dance, to say on nature we cannot enhance. © C Lawson 2020 It would be nice to know what you think, I am always open to criticism to help me improve.

Keeping motivated and assessing priorities.

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The last six months have been peculiar in so many ways, with lock-down and continued social distancing affecting all walks of life. After talking to other Artists, it would seem that many have had their inspiration and motivation impacted. Most are saying that their moods and creativity are very "up and down". The normal routes to sell work through exhibitions, galleries and art fairs have been mostly cut off. This combined with the natural worry over the virus itself, will undoubtedly affect people's creativity. As things gradually reopen, hopefully the motivation to create will return. However, should we be learning lessons for the future, reassessing priorities and looking at online opportunities? Many Artists are reluctant to sell online, preferring to continue selling through a traditional gallery. Unfortunately, this left them without any outlet for their work during lock-down. Thankfully, my online sales helped to make up for the lack of offline sales. For me, this

Poem in the pandemic.

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Sometimes I compose poems in my mind to sort things out. I thought about this poem in the early hours and although some lines are forgotten, I decided to write it down the following day. I posted it on FaceBook for my friends to read. They gave me kind feedback and seemed to like it, so I thought that I would share it with you :- Far away in China it seemed to hold no fear, although for unknown reasons, that I will never fathom, people stockpiled loo roll, they just had to have 'em. Then as Italy was struggling, to Cheltenham punters went, packed together in their thousands, did they think the virus would relent? Told to stay at home to protect the NHS, save lives and care for others, we'd do our very best. Overwhelmed with volunteers, too many to be needed, the message was loud and clear, and it was duly heeded, The people they did not complain, they decided to get stuck in, to baking, growing, teaching and zoom, with patience we would win. The skies

Lock-down Art

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So far today, we have had cloudbursts, mini hailstorms, sunshine, wind and calm. Not bad considering that it is only midday. The weather is a roller-coaster today and it very much feels as if we have been on one since the beginning of lock-down. I of course speak of my own experience and realise that we will all be experiencing this time in our own unique ways. Today, I feel exhausted, yesterday I was full of energy, today I feel fearful, yesterday I was full of optimism and so it goes on.  For the first month, I admit that I created very little work. I simply couldn't settle or make myself switch off the rolling news. However, that all changed once I turned off the news and turned on my music. As we know, once you are absorbed in your painting process, time flies by. I soon realised that I'd been painting all day and had worked through the bizarre daily bulletin.  I have always worked best when I have a deadline approaching. With cancelled exhibitions and shows, this i

Making a living online as an Artist working from home

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Ways to adapt your Art business whilst self isolating at home Whilst the health and well being of our friends, family and neighbours is foremost in our minds at this time, there is no getting away from the financial implications that self isolating will have on your business.  I would guess that most Artists are self employed and rely on income from teaching and selling their work at exhibitions and art fairs which are now mostly cancelled. Having recently paid fees for upcoming events and all the costs of framing and preparing work, this is arguably the worst time of year for Artists to be facing this challenge. With that in mind, I thought it may be useful to you for me to tell you a few of the ways I make money from my Art online. I will list these in order of revenue, highest to lowest :-  Skillshare This is an online learning platform. Students pay a monthly fee (around £10) to access as many courses as they like. Tutors upload courses broken down into

Basic Cubism - Spring Tulips in watercolour

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Cubism Simple Tulip painting for Spring As I write this, the weather is warming and this year's tulips are making an appearance. They are one of my favourite flowers. I love their simple but elegant form, large variety of colour choices and how easy they are to grow! I have painted them several times in the past for YouTube and wanted to create a new Tulip tutorial for beginners in a different style. Looking at the flower shapes, strong stems and large leaves, I thought that they lent themselves to a Cubism style. Cubism began in 1907 with Picasso. Cubists painted their subject by breaking it down into geometric shapes. They approached the same subject from different angles together in one painting, overlapping and using transparent layers. In his early Cubist paintings Picasso used the muted earth tones. In this exercise, I decided to use bright colours. Picasso 1911 Create your own Spring flower painting Step 1  Choose some flowers that have a sim