An enjoyable and informative weekend spent at  Brilley near Hay on Wye with stained glass artist, Nicky Hopwood. The panel that I made was an image relating to Cam Peak and the countryside in the Dursley area – and was produced as a gift for a family who see the Peak from their living Room window and walk regularly to the summit.

Nicky runs several workshops throughout the year and can be contacted …….nickyhopwood@waitrose.com>

GlassPanel now finished – framed by Miles Meager

Very Pleased to hear that two of my canvases in the Memory Series have been selected for the R.W.A show in Bristol. I think that the two pieces need each other so I would not have been satisfied for one  to be selected alone. I have submited work a couple of times many years ago, but have not had work selected before. I continue to paint on my fifty or so canvases – the layers of remembering are building up.

I managed to meet the deadline for Regenerator 2 Altered Book Project, which was initiated by Sarah Bodman at the Universty of the West of England  in Newport.  Artists working with BookArt were invited to choose a book from a list of library discards and make a reconfigured / altered book from it. The books have been returned and will go into the special collection area for students to handle and hopefully be inspired by. My book was entitled Silver by Margaret Holland.

I have now completed my Top Up B.A. (Hons) Fine Art Degree Course at Hereford. This has been a very memorable part of my life, – met so many friends and learnt so much.

My work has focused on aspects of memory. My statement for the final show :

The canvases exhibited here have been painted over many times and have developed into a series of arcane visual statements, as I struggle to explain my ideas about memory and the need that most people have for reminiscence, or ‘Life Review’. I realise that nostalgia re-creates an era from the past, is selective, providing escapism but reminiscence is a rich experience, – a natural, intrinsic part of human behaviour involving reliving experiences from the past, rather than just recalling events.

I know from my work in nursing homes, that when all memory has gone, the person’s identity seems to fade away. Memory seems to serve a sense of self and its continuity; it entertains us; it shames; it pains us or brings joy. Memory can tell us our origins and offer explanations, but can also deceive. I believe that while we retain our memory, identity formation is a lifelong development, assisted by reminiscence.

I was privledged  to study  Botanical drawing with the late Mike Hickey, who taught me  about the character of growing plants.  I learnt that the tradition of botanical drawing dates back more than three thousand years. The earliest Plant illustrations were often produced to enable the identification of medicinal plants. Eventually, renaissance artists, such as Bellini and Durer painted natural beautiful plants, often as embellishments in large compositions.

I work continually in Art Journals and  sketchbooks, which helps me to bring order to chaotic ideas  – and build up a memory bank of holding   unused ideas

The dramatic silhouette of May Hill with its clump of trees on the top has remained an unmistakable landmark down the ages. From any angle, it has given reassurance to travellers and inspiration to poets.

I have seen an amazing range of colours through the progression of the seasons, especially in the early mornings when the mists that drape the Hill bring a sense opf mystery. As the mists lift, a collection of abstract shapes is revealed often  in shades of green yellow and brown – sometimes striped by the plough. Please click on the Products Page for information concerning my Book about May Hill.

By taking the plate into an ancient building I can start my image whilst experiencing the surroundings and atmosphere, and then continue working  in my studio until ready to make my print.

When making a monoprint, I work in my studio from memory in an intuitive fashion, painting onto the plate, making the print, and then working back into the image when with watercolour