November 2022

"A house move and back to work....."

The long gap between Blogs is entirely down to mismanagement........well that’s the official line. The reality is something else.

A house move in fact, but not any old house move. As I am sure any artist will agree, the house bit was the easy, soft ride; add a working studio into the mix and ‘chaos’ springs to mind as the only adjective I can use for the total disruption of my life.

I really, REALLY thought I was organised, but in the event I was proven wrong. I hadn’t realised how much of a hoarder I had become.......after all, I’ve moved house a number of times in my life, and a studio has always been part of it.

However this time appeared a lot more complex, and I’m only now, after two months, beginning to see the wood for the proverbial trees.

Much serious downsizing has been essential for my sanity and the available space, and a total reorganisation of my now new in-house studio - and that’s been the fabulous creative part.

Thrown into the mix were opportunities to exhibit in London which I had to pull away from, but they will survive without me, and I’m more relaxed as a result.

However, a few nice sales and an opportunity recently to revisit one of my favourite art groups in Hertfordshire, meant that my head had to turn from interior decorator-cum-unpacker and gardener, into someone who delivers talks and demonstrations once again.

Oh the joy - I conjured up one of my favourite subjects “Travels with my nib” and by the time I had sorted through sketchbooks galore, unframed studies, books and materials, it was as though I was in another world. In fact I took myself and my audience on a tour of some exotic places as seen through my nib. Memories came flooding back, together with a sense of place, smell and the feelings which one gains through leafing through sketchbooks, even those which are now quite long in the tooth.

My main objective was to share my joy of sketching in different places, encounters, excitement and satisfaction too, and to hopefully encourage others to do likewise.

Miraculously I found my sketching materials just in time and was able to show how little one needs to do a lot.

I have made a small selection of what I would call ‘speed sketches’ in a variety of locations, including the Middle East and in particular people in places which are now increasingly difficult to access.

My sometimes tiny sketchbook always by my side enables me to move swiftly into action in unusual circumstances, and my fountain pen and a water brush are also invaluable items of equipment.

Quite often I have to be mindful of the effect on the ink in extremes of temperature, both hot and very cold!

This coming weekend I shall once again be running a course “Drizzle , blot, scrape and drool over watercolour and ink” at Missenden Abbey in Buckinghamshire, which will encompass a number of unusual methods of working in each of these exciting and evocative media.

For more information on exhibitions and workshops coming along in the New Year
Jackie Devereux
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Future Courses

11-13 November 2022
Drizzle, Blot, Scrape and Drool over watercolour and ink.....
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Explore the amazing qualities of pure watercolour with Indian Ink during this experimental weekend. Only by taking each medium to extremes will we discover their true worth. Through experimental play we shall find new ways to interpret subject matter, when the simplest ideas become part of an exciting journey.

24-26 February 2023
Experimental Lino and Monoprinting Workshop.......

Incorporating collage and working with a variety of exquisite papers, blending traditional methods with exciting contemporary ideas. Suitable for people with a little prior experience, although not essential.

31 March - 2 April 2023
Think Ink swimming in water.......

This exciting weekend will encourage the use of the wet into wet technique with more than a hint of the unexpected. It is only by taking risks that extraordinary rewards will emerge. We shall explore the delicate blend and balance of water to pigment to ink, and discover some amazing outcomes as we search for ways to interpret our surroundings. We shall focus on the oncoming Spring and the tracery of new growth.

19 - 21 May 2023
A Contemporary Watercolour Workshop - borderline abstract with ink on the sidelines........

A contemporary workshop designed specifically to make one think out of the box. Learning to see things differently is just the first step.......when all is not exactly as it appears, and where a certain amount of paper manipulation may just be encouraged.....

For more details.....
www.missendenschoolofcreativearts.co.uk