As we come to the close of January, I've had time to reflect on my 2022. I now realise that (despite disappointment with things not going quite as planned!) the year has seen great progress for me as an artist.
Below are my highlights and a little hint at some exciting things to come in 2023....
My Studio... and building creative networks
A major step in 2022 was investing in a studio space. I moved into Arkade Studios in Aberdeen in May and the minute I got my boxes and easel in, it felt so right... As I've grown older I've learned to trust intuition and follow these feelings. It's a great spot. Visitors are always welcome in for a cuppa - just message and pop along!
In September we held an Open Studios and it was a chance to meet my fellow residents (as well as to tidy up!). I am learning that having a studio is as much about building a creative community as it is about the space itself and meeting the super folk at #snugaberdeen #kekunstudio #elev8arts #allinideas #weareherescot #openroadltd is leading to some great ideas being percolated for the next 12 months.
Around this time I also established a group to meet some other plein air painting and drawing enthusiasts around Aberdeen. If this is something that interests you, you can follow us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/3364226980563892/ to see upcoming events.
Workshops and Teaching
2022 was a busy year for this aspect of my practice, which I really love. I've spent lots of time teaching creativity skills to kids, starting with a stint as a specialist Creativity Teacher 3 days per week in the summer term at a local primary school.
I hosted a week long summer school at Forgan Arts Centre in Fife. It's a really gorgeous space. Beautiful weather meant we could make the most of their grounds to get out painting in the garden. Keep an eye out for future events as it's an exciting community arts space. https://www.forganartscentre.co.uk/
In summer and autumn I was lucky to collaborate and lead workshops with Creative Learning Aberdeen. We had a blast helping kids to sculpt clay creatures, paint huge habitats for them, build dens and experiment with light. Creative Learning do lots of great work with children and communities across Aberdeen.
Scroll the images above to see some of the amazing work the young artists produced in the workshops and classes.
My Art Practice - University, printmaking and exhibitions
The year started with me working towards my BA in Painting at Gray's School of Art. I began to make some work related to the history of Aberdeen Beach which I was excited by and proud of. This helped to develop my interest in abstract figurative painting. I was delighted to be awarded the Caram Trust prize for academic achievement.
However, I began to reflect on whether the BA programme was right for me at this time and decided to take a year out to explore being an artist outwith the University environment.
Over the summer I spent a few weeks working with Peacocks Print Studio in Aberdeen to build my skills in Stone Lithography which I'd been introduced to at Edinburgh Printmakers before lockdown. I had hoped that I would be able to give regular time to developing a printmaking practice this year but with rising cost of living etc I've found I had to prioritise work commitments. Perhaps 2023 will give me more time to focus on this.
I took part in 2 exhibitions this year: an end of year show at Gray's School of Art and a Resident's Exhibition in Arkade Galleries. This is something I hope to build on in 2023 and I already have one exhibition in Aberdeen lined up for April.
Inspiration - Painting I've seen this year...
I managed to arrange trips to see great painting, this year including a few Edinburgh trips where I visited the range of national and independent galleries and popped in to visit my favourite painting in town (Singer's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw). On the way I stopped off at Tatha Gallery outside Dundee which is a gorgeous space and has a great programme of shows.
Unfortunately in March I finally tested positive for Covid and so I missed the chance to visit BAS9 Wolverhampton with my fellow Aberdeen Artist Ambassadors. It gets us all eventually!!
In May I visited Oslo with my sister for what was originally supposed to be an Easter 2020 trip. A highlight for me was visiting the Munch museum. I find that his more well-known and frequently reproduced works are not so much to my taste, but I've added snaps of 2 of my favourites here.
In summer I whizzed down to London and packed in as much art as I could with visits to Turps Banana end of year show as well as the Tate galleries. Imagine my delight at finding a whole room of Singer's at Tate Britain - a return sketch trip may well be required soon! I also made a trip to Victoria Miro where I was delighted to see lots of my favourite painter's work in the flesh for the first time as well as the impactful Tal R show. Seeing paintings in person rather than online is a much fuller experience - you get a real sense of the scale and mark making, layers of colour and history of marks. Nothing beats it!
Here are a few favourite works I snapped - how many artists can you recognise here?
These trips made me reflect on how much I miss my regular Edinburgh gallery trips. Aberdeen Art Gallery has a good permanent collection but though I enjoyed the Aberdeen Artist's Society show over summer, the other temporary exhibitions have not had as much of a painting/drawing focus. Gallery Heinzel, Look Again and the new Print Room are always worth a visit but I'd love to see more contemporary painting exhibitions in town to bring more parity with Edinburgh and Glasgow - especially given that Aberdeen has such a successful painting degree at Gray's.
Lining Up for 2023
2023 is lining up to be another great year. I began working with a mentor and embarked on a new body of work in December, ran a great workshop at Snug in Aberdeen this month and am in the process of lining up an exhibition here for April - get the opening date of 14 April in your diaries!
Thanks as always for engaging with my content and I hope to see you soon.