Reflections on Reflections...

Well it looks as if Lorna, Sue and I are very much in step this year, as we all got into the Oxford Open at MOMA and none of us got selected for the new Churchill centre…

One of the tricky things about trying to create art, is the point at which other people view it and judge it…when your work isn’t accepted, chosen, valued or liked by someone else, it can be difficult not to feel rejected, sometimes in a very personal way…Even in something like these watercolour landscapes, there is a personal, emotional element…a bit of yourself that you’re putting out there…having that rejected can be very…deflating…

But one of the advantages with getting older and perhaps a little wiser (though probably just more stubborn), is that I find myself more comfortable with going in my own direction…

Creating art which pleases a market and the artist creating it, is a hugely difficult balancing act…At times, even the greatest artists have painted for the market, rather than themselves….But ultimately they became great artists by going their own way, giving up a little of themselves in their work, risking rejection to create something new and exciting…

These are good paintings, I’m pleased with them, they’re taking me in an interesting direction…I shall do more along a similar path…and I shall be entering work into competitions, galleries, shows etc all over the place…risking rejection, yes…but, I hope, creating something exciting and new...from time to time...along that journey…:)