Yesterday I spent the majority of the day working on my art. Having this much time to do art is so strange and I love having the focused time to do it. I love painting when inspiration comes, not just when I have time to do it. Sometimes that means as soon as I open my eyes in the morning, and sometimes that means after I am already tucked into bed and decide that I just need to fix one thing or add a little something something.
Every building has a name here and where I am staying is named Maelor. Maelor is a border in north-east Wales and north-west England. It used to be an old shop. The window front is the owners studio, and there are 3 bedrooms and an attic that house visual artists and writers on residencies. It is self funded and the artists are charged a small fee to stay there to cover utilities.
Here is my current palette that I have been working with. Use your imagination to visualize what my art looks like...
Liz Doyle is another artist that is currently staying at Maelor in the attic. Liz lives on an island in Ireland and has lived in so many different places. She is so interesting to talk to and I learn so much when I listen! She is an abstract expressionist painter and it is so fun to watch her work... she really gets into it! She works on canvas and uses a combination of oils and cold wax to paint with. She scratches into the layers revealing the layers of paint underneath which creates a really beautiful effect!
Here are some of the paintings she has done while she has been here. To view more of her works go to http://donegalliz.tumblr.com .
Yuki Aruga is another artist here and also a volunteer at Maelor. Currently she is working on a commissioned drawing of penguins. Her work is amazing and this drawing is made purely from a ballpoint pen! She is highly detailed and doesn't miss a mark.
Yuki has done so many interesting things in her life like flower installation and taxidermy. Now she combines her love for flowers with animals in her highly detailed and exquisite oil paintings. Here are some of her most recent paintings but to see more of her work, go to http://www.yukiaruga.co.uk .
It has been so wonderful to be living with other artists and there is a real camaraderie between us. Seeing others passionate about their art is so inspiring to me and makes me feel like I am not alone. Talking to people that go through the same crazy thoughts as me is also very comforting.
The old phrase "live to work" or "work to live" has been on my mind. On one hand, I like the "work to live" concept because life is more important than your job and i feel like working is a means to living our lives. But I feel like for the artist is the opposite. It seems as though all artists "live to work" because our work is a part of us and we wouldn't be able to live if we couldn't work. I know the times in my life when I wasn't able to work on art like I wanted to and had to put it on the back burner I felt like part of me was dying inside.
What is your passion? What drives you inside? What are you living to do?