"We could run when the rain slows"
All good intentions have fallen by the wayside already and this, which was meant to wish you a Happy Christmas and then a Happy New Year has now become a distraction from the muddled pile of receipts that is my tax return and the even bigger empty void that would be labeled " plans for the British Craft Trade Fair" if you could label voids.Today has been a day of melancholy and many jumbled memories after the initial jolt of hearing that David Bowie had died. I've long since got over the teenage obsession (which meant I stayed up all night sometime in about 1983 just to catch a glimpse of his bum in the video for China Girl; before they banned it) but today I've remembered that Bowie really has been the soundtrack to my life and one of the few artists whose music I still actually buy. I've been playing "Bowie at the BBC 2000" and "Heathen" and thinking about a conversation we had at Christmas about the emotional effect of music; I said I found it hard to listen to music that meant a lot to me or reminded me of certain people and places, particularly when I'm alone, and that generally I fill the silence here with radio 4 . Well today it has been loud and wonderful and I didn't even cry until "Conversation Piece" (remix on Heathen) came on (I have no idea why- something in the tone of voice?) and instead I felt comforted somehow, less scared, more inspired and just thinking... wow what a life, what a legacy, imagine how many people are listening to his music tonight and reliving moments from their own precious histories ( I hope that makes it easier for his family ).
Anything else seems mundane after that news. Here in my little world life goes on and small steps are taken on steep slopes and steeper learning curves and daily battles are fought against inertia, creative block and the all pervading damp and endless sodding rain. I'm missing Winter as there has been no magical period of snowed in-ness yet and no bright days (another reason I've been slow to write as there were no pictures to show you), just a couple of brief snowfalls that didn't hang around.
The most exciting thing that has happened recently was the etching day I went to in Penrith yesterday. We each made a small copper plate etching with aquatint, under the guidance of Bill Cummings and as usual it made me wish I could do more... if only the equipment wasn't so expensive and if only my hands would fit in rubber gloves ( my hands are still grubby even after a long bath listening to a murder mystery whilst viciously scrubbing my ink black fingers like Lady Macbeth). The image of the cottage above was the first print, before we did the aquatint and a lot of the detail was lost.
So I continue to doodle and vaguely plan my long postponed debut at the British Craft Trade Fair, which is in April so that probably means it's time to stop being vague and get motivated! The mugs I printed before Christmas seemed to sell well so I really do need to decide on designs and start getting serious, it really is no good still wondering what to be when you grow up when you're nearly 49 and life is so god damned short. Oh to be a fat, furry cat on a patterned rug, with not a care in the world...
Best and happiest wishes for the rest of 2016.Reading :- " Maigret Omnibus No.7" by Georges Simenon Listening to:- Heathen by David Bowie