The Christchurch Art Show has come and gone for another year. What a fantastic event! I had even more fun than last year and I’ve come away from it greatly encouraged and with a very clear idea of what I want to do next year. Was it successful? Yes. You will, I suppose, want to know how sales went. For me, sales were modest. I’ve returned with a lot of work that ‘almost’ found new homes. Am I disappointed? I guess I am a bit. But it’s not all about selling paintings. It really isn’t. If that’s the only measure of success, we’re all in big trouble.

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been getting more and more interested in painting semi-abstract work like Endless Possibilities, wanting to do more impressionist/expressionist art like Country Gate and Warm Night, Southern Sky, and to incorporate more graphic elements along the lines of Landscape in the Late Afternoon (with cows). Exhibiting at the show this year has helped me to fine-tune these ideas and has strengthened my resolve to continue my art journey (and to not get a day job just yet).

Working in series is still going to be key. I want to create conversations on canvas, stories and poetry that will spill over the edges of one canvas and onto others (I mean that metaphorically but who knows…). But that’s enough for now. I don’t want to give away all my secrets ; )

I’ll leave you with two of my favourite quotes.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
George Bernard Shaw

“Let it go. Let it out.
Let it all unravel.
Let it free and it can be
A path on which to travel.”
Michael Leunig