December 2020

”Exhibitions and prizes.”

It appears there’s yet another long haul ahead of us, so now I tell myself it’s even more important to think positively and generate new ideas.

I can’t wait to be out and about, safely visiting galleries again and seeing what other artists have been creating this past year, but meanwhile I’ll settle for paddling around in watercolour.

Fortunately there have been some opportunities to show work online thanks to those who manage to cut through the technical hurdles, and I was really pleased to have had work accepted in two shows and won awards in each.

But it’s not all about prizes, it has been great just getting the work seen, perhaps even by more people than in a normal gallery setting, and I am sure I am not alone in being grateful for that.

Illustrated here is one of my ‘Low Cloud’ series of 3D Watercolour montage pieces, which was selected for the AON Second Prize with the Lloyds Register group, usually showing in the Lloyds Building, London.

I like to challenge the eye with off the wall composition, and this is particularly minimalist in content. The inspiration for this series stems from my travels, and I am enjoying focusing on my sketches made in the wildest places.

There are more to come.

The fact that there have been no deadlines to work to, exhibitions or framing to plan and organize, or the necessity to transport framed work to galleries, just hammered home to me the vast amount of work that is involved in the everyday life of an artist.

I’ve missed all of that and for me there is no real substitute - each exhibition is after all a performance in real time and I miss it. However, I count myself really lucky to always be able to generate something on paper, and whilst I do get waylaid from time to time, it’s never for very long.

At present with another of my ‘Elephant in the Room’ paintings under way, I am almost able to blot out the greater majority of the relentless news reports.

My next Blog will describe the creative journey towards producing the illustrated life of a dear friend, followed by, and in total contrast, taking on a calligraphic commission, after not practicing calligraphy for quite a while.

Meantime, enjoy the break over Christmas and I’ll join you in the New Year!

                                   Jackie Devereux