Logistics

Sisters' Christmas presents...... I have no art coming out of me at the moment.

I always find Christmas time an odd one. It's great, all that food and family and laughing but there are all these "empty" spells of time and I find it makes me think an awful lot. The colour of the sky and the movement of the clouds really emphasises the passage of time for me and make me feel a little melancholy. I do not want to feel melancholy, I hate it. Here, let's learn a little shall we?

Melancholia (from Greek μελαγχολία - melancholia "sadness, lit. black bile"), also lugubriousness, from the Latin lugere, to mourn; moroseness, from the Latin morosus, self-willed, fastidious habit; wistfulness, from old English wist: intent, or saturnine, (see Saturn), in contemporary usage, is a mood disorder of non-specific depression, characterized by low levels of enthusiasm and eagerness for activity.

Whipped that out from Wikipedia, I've forgotten how to do footnotes! Isn't lugubrious a gorgeous word?

Peeks

Not much time for painting this week, too much overtime.
Starting to feel a little Christmassy though now the tree's up. Don't like it up too early, it gets on my nerves after a while.

Francine

Pink to make the boys wink... That's what Nana says!

Bank Street Arts

Today was the Big Hang at Bank Street Arts. It was a fun exhibition to hang as the atmosphere was great although my hanging plan didn't quite work out. For some reason paintings don't like being told where to go, they go where they like..

I'll have two thanks

Tidying, sizing, making books. Oh, and catering... And sitting in traffic!!!!!!!!!
I'm hanging work at Bank Street Arts, Sheffield tomorrow as part of "The Big Hang", their Christmas-period show. Work was also delivered to Headspace@Eggspace in Liverpool this week for the show "Winter Blues 4". I took the work to the Parcelforce depot in Hanley and was so pleased that they accept drop-offs, I had no idea they did that and I always have to get family members to stay home and wait for the collection van. Not any more!
My joy was short-lived however, when I got stuck in some horrifying road closure traffic on the way home. Nasty accidents happen and roads get closed. A shunt's the thinking woman's accident of choice... Myself, I've had two shunts, one through inexperience, the other through impatience and someone else's irritating indecision. Woke her up anyway! Ha ha.

Work-wise I'm reading and looking a lot and planning to crack on with the paintings now all my exhibition commitments have been fulfilled and I have a head full of pigments and techniques I want to explore. I have also been thinking about Johnny Moores 2010 and my donation to the prize money! Ha. But seriously, I don't think I'll do it, I don't think my work's right, it's too pretty and not clever enough. I will not donate this time, I'll give it to the Bhopal Medical Appeal instead. I read this article on Thursday at work; I was completely ignorant of the Bhopal disaster, the ongoing Bhopal disaster... It made me so angry, I simply cannot believe that no-one will take responsibility for cleaning the site up and just sorting out a safe water supply. It shouldn't happen in this day and age, it's 2009 for Christ's sake!!!!!!!!

Biscuits

OK, so the Facebook thing's happening already and I was going along with it but I'm really not liking it. I know it's called face book, as in a collection of faces you've seen before and perhaps exchanged a word or two with, maybe more.. I can't start selectively deleting them all either, I work with half of the buggers. I might though!
One of my favourite things is the way people shout "But I know them all!", when I exclaim at their hundreds of friends. Ha ha, I'm not doubting that you DO know them all you freaks!

Art-wise, I'm trying to draw up a scale plan for one space and am having a logistical nightmare with another. Also, today I had a meeting with a fellow artist and her business-minded friend about a plan they have and are borrowing some of my work for..
The show in Hull finishes on Saturday and I'm over there picking up all my paintings. It will be nice not to have bare walls anymore.

I finished these ones! Do you see the owls?

I am currently reading about the grading of manufactured oil paints, lace patterns in knitting, The Secret Garden, last Sunday's Observer, Mansfield Park, The Duchess of Malfi, December's ArtReview and the poultry section of Rose Prince's "New English Kitchen". I also have 6 knitting projects on the go... What is wrong with me? Will I ever finish any of these things? Time will tell.

Things and stuff

Time is slipping by me at a rapid rate today and I can't seem to quite finish anything. This isn't really a problem as I have no deadlines at the moment but I don't feel quite right if I'm idle, I have this uneasy feeling inside.
Everything seems a bit expensive today and my car's conking out every time I slow down. The battery warning light kept coming on so I gave the car a new one which seemed to do the trick until I was halfway home... We'll see what the garage say tomorrow.

Chicken pie

My show at RED Gallery's in the Guardian Guide listings. I know this isn't in any way comparable to having a show reviewed and that the Guide simply compile lists of shows all over the country but this is the first time my name's been in the Guardian!
Georgina Vinsun.. I'm so, so glad my parents chose a nice name for me. I've always loved the shortened versions of my name, georgie and George. I don't answer to "Georgina", I just glower at you.
Speaking of the Famous Five... BBC4, Monday, 9pm, Helena Bonham Carter as Enid (who sounds fascinatingly horrid!).

Echoes

I'm quite enjoying these warm reds and considering where to go with that blue. It's a bit "blah" looking...
I'm enjoying being in the studio but sort of having to force myself to go in there because I'm tired from work and also feeling a bit lost with my mind and the direction of things. It's good just to let the work happen rather than forcing it, feeling under pressure from a deadline or whatever.
I'm just listening to Pink Floyd.. Do you want to know a good fact about David Gilmour? He has 8 children! It was always a dream of mine to have lots of children and a big house with us all clattering about in it. Expensive, yes - there's always a way though. Ha ha!

Paint

Haven't painted in ages.. It feels good.