Welcome
The Door
Go and open the door.
Maybe outside there’s
a tree, or a wood,
a garden,
or a magic city.
Go and open the door.
Maybe a dog’s rummaging.
Maybe you’ll see a face,
Or an eye,
or the picture
of a picture.
Go and open the door.
If there’s a fog
it will clear.
Go and open the door.
Even if there’s only
the darkness ticking,
even if there’s only
the hollow wind,
even if
nothing
is there,
go and open the door.
At least
there’ll be
a draught.
Miroslav Holub (1962)
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Thank you for coming to visit my page; I hope you enjoy the experience.
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I have always felt the need to create, from mud pies and pencil drawings as a child, to sewing and cooking for family and friends, and acting, writing, singing, drawing and painting whenever time and other obligations have made that possible. I have been a teacher and lecturer in drama, and even in retirement I enjoy teaching theatre skills to a fabulous group of very mature students.
Although I have always dabbled in visual art, since I have retired I can approach my art making with more serious intentions. I am driven to learn and explore, to take risks, but also to continue to hone my skills. Rather than tie myself to a particular style, I enjoy painting an eclectic range of works, both representational and abstract. The poem above describes my approach to art and life.
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Everything and everyone in life is connected, no matter how tenuous the thread may seem. I try to respond to that connectivity in love and joy, and sometimes sorrow, because without sorrow we can’t really feel true joy. There has to be both light and dark in life, as in art, to create harmony and balance.
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I am exhilarated by colour, from soft subtle tints, through wild, exuberant hues, to deep rich darks, I love them all. As a child I made bottles of coloured water by soaking scraps of crepe paper; I would then line the various bottles up and watch the play of sunlight through the water. I am still playing with light and colour, and it still makes my heart sing.
With representational painting, I have a clear starting point and I know that I want to paint a flower, a wave, a tree, a person, or whatever, but I want to capture more than shape and colour. I want to catch the feeling, the beauty and joy of flowers, the power of waves, the tranquillity of a stream, or perhaps even the hidden depths of a person.
Abstract art is even more challenging, and while I begin with an intention sometimes the painting takes over and goes in its own direction. It is fabulous and scary at the same time.