CONNECTIONS

 Back in 2000, I was into NLP and Tony Robbins. My anchor is to hold my right hand as if holding reins. To me it brings back the wind in my face, the sounds of the birds singing, the warmth of the Lincolnshire sunshine on my back, hedgerows of wildflowers and the gentle rolling motion of my horse, Toby beneath me as we canter along the grass verges. That will always be one of my most empowering and heartening memories. A time in the world when all seemed right. I have used my anchor many ties during 2020 to feel heartened in an increasingly strange and isolated world.

Connections is my word for 2021. I am out to look for my people. My ‘who’. People I can connect with at a higher level, spiritually, emotionally and artistically. That’s who I hope my art will reach. As I clasp the reins of my new business venture, I am feeling optimistic, calm and powerful.

For me art is like a language. You practise the craft, you build up your visual vocabulary, and because horses were my first love, I can draw you a horse anytime, anywhere. And I have been using pencils and chalk pencils for many years. I am fluent in them. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to learn the language of watercolour. As similar to chalk as Russian is to French...

As a teacher and life long learner there is one thing that really grates on me. People who say “I am self taught!” Sure, some people have a natural ability, a gift. I do. I get it. But it doesn’t mean I don’t learn, or want to learn from others. No man is an island! To me, it’s a bit like saying I taught myself Chinese. Good luck with that then! Without books, videos, teachers, other people and artists.....you are going to stay at your current level.  That’s the whole premise of social learning within a classroom. You learn from other people’s mistakes. When you find someone who is really talented, a master, you can learn their craft, if they are big hearted enough to share their secrets. I am constantly learning. I gravitate to anyone who is successfully doing something that I aspire to. If I could I would pick their brains.... So I am the look out to make connections with successful business people, creative artists, promoters, supporters and students who want to learn from me. Thank the world for the internet and the World Wide Web.You can google or you tube anything. As long as Alexa can never wield a paintbrush, I am okay.

And that is the appeal of an artist such as myself. The personal connection. The humanness. The story behind my art. The personalities; whether it is people or pets. The CONNECTION between people. And that is what I have missed during my Covid 19 isolation.