Showing a friend around Cardiff Bay recently I went to have a look at the place where my career as a full time painter began. It brought back happy memories of some great times - working from a studio in Perch Buildings and going next door to Buff's for lunch with painters from nearby studios became one of the highlights. Now the buildings look forlorn and empty. I have a studio in the centre of Cardiff, it's the best I have ever had, big and light with large windows overlooking Cardiff Castle but something's missing from the old days - the community of artists and friends who gathered in Buff's on a Friday afternoon when work was forgotten and it became an end of week party.
After almost two weeks spent relaxing in London I came home ready to get back to work but the hot sunny days felt too good to ignore. So now I am still on holiday and indulging in nostalgia as I let my mind wander back to the long hot summers in France. How easy it is to replicate those feelings of joy and excitement I felt in France back here in Wales when I have South of France weather to remind me.
When I wake I check the outside temperature by taking a look at the car outside - the iced up windscreen and thick frost on the top is pretty normal most mornings. When I leave for work the temperature has risen to just above freezing, it's sunny but bitterly cold.
I'm using the next few days to give my studio a spring clean in readiness for a busy year ahead putting together a new collection of work to show at the gallery in 2024. A friend who had her studio above mine when I worked in Mount Stuart Square in Cardiff Bay has moved into the room next door to me. It has brought back good memories and a lot of reminiscing over cups of coffee.
I am working on some small canvases and so far I have kept images of bright sunny days firmly in my mind. November fog and drizzle are not intruding yet and temperatures remain relatively high. On a couple of occasions I have been able to sit on the bench in the garden eating my lunch which all helps to evoke some thoughts of summer.
Step into Summer. oil on canvas.
Bring me Sunshine. Oil on canvas,
The pandemic, the lockdowns, the house renovations and the wait for knee surgery all characterised the past two years and made it somewhat challenging. It was made all the more so by an enforced break in work when I couldn't get to the studio. Now two weeks post knee surgery with my 'flu and booster vaccinations behind me I'm eagerly biding my time when I can return to painting. These next few months are not my favourites so I'm content to stay away from the cold weather and keep warm exercising my knee ready for the Spring when I'm back to the studio again. The time will go quickly with Christmas already a matter of weeks away. My head is full of colour and ideas for vibrant canvases to welcome a new, better year. A new year, a new beginning!
