I'm really firing on all cylinders at the moment - it feels fantastic to be so inspired and I am making the most of it by painting as much as possible! This month I have been mostly painting cars, which is a subject I'm always returning to. I love the shapes and curves of the old cars (new cars just don't have quite the same attraction)! I must say I do love driving and I am sure this is another reason that I paint cars; they represent freedom and exploration. I'm also still working on the Fowey River Gallery show and have started a small series for The Mulberry Tree Gallery which will be part of a larger mixed show in the summer.
On top of all this I'm planning on doing a small painting show on my website for the first part of April. This will consist of 30 small, framed paintings and instead of putting one on a day the whole 30 will go online at the same time. I'll be sending out more information nearer the time, so watch this space.. So here we are in January once again and the start of a new working year. I am currently working on a one man show for the Fowey River Gallery this summer. The weather has been so utterly awful that I'm happy as Larry to be holed up in my cosy studio painting images of the summer!
Once the show is done I have a few more commitments and then finally I'm going to crack on with illustrating my book. I am also hoping to do an little online painting exhibition of 30 paintings at some point between now and the summer so watch this space... Here are a few sneaky peaks at some of the paintings in the show. As ever, if you are interested in a catalogue let me know and I will make sure one gets to you when the time comes. I've had a very busy few months completing various commissions. Having packed off a large canvas to Canada and another to America I tackled the most complicated commission; it was for nine different paintings to be framed in one large frame!
All the paintings had a seaside theme and images of Jersey. I loved painting them all and waited with some anticipation to see how the framing would turn out. I needn't have worried - my framer did a fantastic job and it looks amazing. (Please excuse the plastic wrap on the frame.) I've wanted to do an alphabet for ages but couldn't figure out how to frame it... but now I know how, as soon as I have time I am going to get cracking on it! A new range of seven limited edition prints of my work has just been launched by Aquarelle Publishing. They're a great company that I've worked with for many years, and I have to say I'm particularly pleased with this latest edition - they've turned out reallly well.
There are just 45 prints of each of the seven images, and they're available to buy at various galleries, but I know for sure that The Mulberry Tree Gallery in Swanage has them in stock [at time of writing] online. My exhibition at The Richard Hagen Gallery is starting on Saturday 15th June. As per usual I will be in attendance, along with a selection of my sisters and my husband! It is such a lovely gallery, I always look forward to the private view and a chance to mooch around the beautiful village of Broadway.
The show is a little smaller than I had hoped, but I'm thrilled with the paintings and hope for a good response. There is a catalogue available - if you'd like one please feel free to email me at sashahardingartist@gmail.com and I'll pop one in the post. In the meantime I am cracking on with a backlog of commissions and then I'm planning to paint for my website, so watch this space... I went to Truro last week to buy a few canvases, and while I was in my local art shop the owner (who I'd never met) approached me and asked if I could do her a favour. Intrigued, I replied of course and she asked me if I would judge a children's painting competion! I jumped at the chance, and there and then she led me upstairs to a room with a table festooned with children's paintings of local places.
It took me right back to my youth when I would jump at the chance to enter any painting competition. I even came runner up in a Blue Peter competition to paint a dinosaur, and my grandmother took me up to London to see it being hung in the Natural History Museum. I chose my first second and third, not so much for the talent but for the boldness and quirkyness. And the lesson I took from this experience was to remember what first fired me up about painting. When I was young I was passionate and very serious about my art. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of that pure thrill of painting, especially when there are deadlines or too much pressure. Seeing those paintings so full of life and so unselfconscious in their use of colour and wonky perspective made my day. So, another Christmas is over and a New Year has arrived. I love the way every new year feels like a fresh start, like anything is possible.
I am fully in exhibition mode right now and – as is often the way – I have been struggling to get off the starting blocks. Things are starting to gel together now though, and I'm really pleased with the paintings I've done so far. My mantra is definitely quality over quantity so I'm taking my time and lavishing all my attention on each piece. It helps that the weather is so awful - I'd rather be in my cosy studio watching the rain than out in it. The manuscript for the book is coming on well and I have reached Exmouth - today I will be writing about my favourite stretch of the whole path which was Exmouth to Seaton. I try to write for an hour or two every day but it can feel a bit like being back at school and doing homework, so sometimes I need to force myself to do it. A glass of wine or two certainly helps! Here are a few details from my recent paintings... I've returned from my epic seven week walk along the South West Coast Path... and now the hard work begins!
It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had, and my plan now is to write an illustrated book of the whole walk. I've started on the manuscript - it's odd writing instead of painting, but I am really enjoying it. I want this book to be a labour of love and so I'm going to take my time and do it right. If I can't find a publisher I may self-publish, but I'll look into that nearer the time... Next month I'm going to start work on a show inspired by the walk, which will be held in Broadway next summer. So, all in all it's a very busy time! Four weeks in to our epic adventure, and Jess and I are having an amazing time! I'm so full of ideas for paintings and can't wait to get cracking. Three more weeks to go and then I will lock myself in the studio for the winter and paint this amazing experience...
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