My Journal

A few months ago, before these present circumstances became our reality, I challenged myself to get to grips with social media and to create my own website.   So you could say our current situation provided the perfect opportunity.   In many ways life has become a lot less complicated and with fewer distractions, many of us are finding that it's a good time to tackle big projects and to learn new skills.

Much as I appreciated having the time to explore the challenge I'd set myself and enjoyed having lots more time to paint each day, it's been a slightly subdued journey and not without a twinge of guilt on my part.  With many of my past colleagues and friends still at risk everyday working in our hospitals, as well as others who provide the food and daily necessities, so that the rest of us can remain safe in our homes, I am acutely aware that this safety comes at a high cost for some.  As one of the ‘high risk’ cohort however, I have little choice but to stay at home and be grateful for this gift of time.

As we all know, over these past few years, especially since 2008, there has been a sharp decline in walk-in galleries and spaces for artists to exhibit their work.  This is a sad development because if you’re an art lover like me, there is nothing more satisfying than standing in front of a painting and really looking at it, lumps and all!  It isn’t the same viewing an image on-line, but if our present situation teaches us anything, it’s that we have to begin to look at things in new ways.

While it’s always been a thrill to walk through busy city streets and come upon small art galleries showing diverse and interesting new artwork, recently this pleasure seems more confined to glitzy, expensive tourist destinations.  To be successful, a gallery needs to be in the centre of things.  The high rents in these areas keep art prices high, making it inaccessible to most people. Eventually this model becomes unsustainable as it serves very few, the range of customers becomes narrower, gallery owners struggle to make profit and unless you’re a high profile artist, you won’t get a look in.  Although an increase in on-line galleries may provide a more feasible alternative for some artists, more are realising that they can be their own art dealer.

Over these past few months it seems like the world has gone on-line and suddenly we have a new kind of highway traffic.   As well as being a life-line for many in isolation, online platforms are providing much needed alternatives to small businesses and sole traders such as artists. While viewing art virtually will never be as good as seeing the real thing, it does mean that more people have access to visual creativity and because of its global reach we've never in the history of art had so much diverse exposure to its many forms.

'Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it’.  Robert Motherwell.

By being creative we can re-interpret the world around us, make it speak in a language that we as individuals recognise.  Whether it’s a painting we see, a piece of sculpture or clothing we feel, music we hear, food we taste or plants and flowers we smell, the beauty we create can touch all of our senses.  It's what brings us alive.

My mission for this website is simple;  I want to paint pictures that in some small way bring colour into people’s lives.  If they bring anything else, like a moment of calm or contemplation, then I'm happy.

If any of this resonates with you in any way, let me know how, or just leave a comment.

Thank you for reading my first ever blog post!

Caroline.