Awakenings
Happy April!
The weather has been really warm and sunny these past few days (although it’s cold and damp again today, but that’s OK as I like jumpers and mugs of tea).
I suppose this blog post should be called ‘Horses, Fields and Rooftops’ if you’re just going by the photos. I did actually go on a photo walk last week to take pictures of my favourite shops in Hebden Bridge. It’s all to do with art - I was going to sign up for an online course where you produce paintings of towns and cities. But then I opted to do a different course, where you work on an exploratory sketchbook and complete a final project.
More on that later. Obviously, the book I’m (slowly) writing has been put aside again. For now.
I do like seeing all these horses. I go for morning walks when I’ve dropped Joe off at school, just 45 minutes or so, then head home to my desk.
I get the whole ‘God’s own country’ thing. There are few things better than a sunny day in Yorkshire. Views for miles and all that fresh air. I don’t miss Skye really. Maybe sentimentality hasn’t kicked in yet. Perhaps I’m still recovering from that epic house move.
The picture (above, right) shows the roof of Joe’s school. His classroom is in the roof space and they have views across the fields. The windows were open because it’s been so very warm.
We don’t actually live in Heptonstall. I was really disappointed to learn that a house there we’d considered previously (but not been in a position to do anything about) had gone back on the market at the weekend, and had already been snapped up. That’s how it is around here, unless you have a LOT of money.
Something will come along. You just have to leave it to Fate sometimes, or you’ll go a bit crazy.
I’ve watched a few films lately: This Beautiful Fantastic (which was a bit twee but still good) and Sylvia. The latter didn’t have great reviews online, but I liked it.
Because Sylvia Plath is buried at Heptonstall, I decided to learn something about her. I’m an English graduate but have never read any of her work. I’m thinking that when the bookshop reopens I’ll pick up a copy of The Bell Jar or the Collected Poems. I do visit her grave sometimes but don’t take pictures because it seems disrespectful somehow.
Having said that, there’s a history of people stealing the headstone and also prising off the ‘Hughes’ part of her name - apparently some object to it being included, as her relationship with Ted Hughes wasn’t a good one.
I met up with one of my best friends for a walk last week. It’s been a long time, what with us having lived so far apart and then Covid foiling our plans over the summer, so perhaps a year and a half. It was good to catch up and now we’re closer by we can get together more often.
There’s a few of us having a picnic next week, too. It’ll be nice for Joe to play with his old friends and I’m really excited to see people again. Some are fellow creatives and I’ve missed talking about that stuff as well as finding out what’s been going on locally. No, not gossip. Honest ;)
We went to Halifax on Saturday morning because my driving licence was due to expire and it needed renewing at a big post office. I’ve never been to Halifax properly and it looked quite promising. Once things reopen we’re going to visit the Piece Hall and for my birthday I’d love to go further afield to either Yorkshire Sculpture Park or Salts Mill.
Realistically, we’ll do both at some point. Plus a whole lot more.
We have family coming at the weekend, just two of them, for lunch in the garden. I’ve already seen my brother (again, in his garden) and he now looks like a prepper. I hardly recognised him with a beard. He didn’t recognise Joe because he’s grown so tall. It’s like we’ve all been reunited after years apart.
Aren’t the houses in this part of the world envy inducing? You should see some of them.
At home in the garden, there’s rhubarb coming up, lots of daffodils and muscari, primroses growing through the lawn, and a colony of ladybirds. Yesterday we played quoits barefoot on the grass. Joe’s better at it than me. The cat joins in too, because he likes to get involved.
If you’re on the laptop he (the cat, not Joe) walks across the keyboard and messes the screen settings up. If you’re trying to play a board game or do a jigsaw he wanders over and parks his substantial bulk on top of it. Same with newspapers and magazines.
We had a BT engineer out a few weeks ago and he was making a fuss of the cat. He said they’d got a Bengal too, but had to return it because it was too noisy. They’re very vocal and… entitled.
Speaking of being vocal: peacocks. There’s a house across the river and they have a lot of them wandering around the grounds. You can hear them calling to one another and it’s quite an otherworldly sound. At the minute it’s all sparrows and blackbirds singing, the wild geese honking as they fly overhead, the train passing by down below, the hum of mowers - and the peacocks.
So.
I mentioned my illustration course, and this brings us back to ‘Awakenings’.
I truly believe I’m deeply affected by the seasons. Having a drawn-out case of the creative blahs is always a worry for me. I don’t feel like printmaking at all right now, and haven’t for months. I’ve written and taken pictures and edited them, but beyond that (and making stuff like Easter trees with Joe), nothing.
Then I signed up for the course out of interest. It was inexpensive and I liked the look of it. I’ve got exciting things arriving through the post every few days: sketchbooks, gouache paints, paint boxes for mixing and storing colours, pricey pencils (I’m building up a collection a few at a time: Caran d’Ache Luminance, if you’re interested).
I’ve already completed some lessons and it’s doing me good. I can’t stop drawing, actually, and take a sketchbook to school and draw while I’m waiting for Joe to come out. I’m attempting to sketch things I usually avoid (people, faces, furniture). And I’m surprising myself with the results.
I chose the course because it’s time to challenge myself and to try and get out of a creative rut. My problems are threefold:
Perfectionism
Procrastination
Lack of self-belief.
I know I can draw, but I’m so hard on myself. I can keep on rubbing out and re-doing a tiny detail and then give up because it’s not quite right. In fact, it’s rubbish. Then I feel disheartened and convince myself I’m no good, and that’s it for ages until I start the whole sorry cycle again.
So I’m doing a course where imperfections are encouraged. Perspective isn’t a huge deal. You just get your ideas down and use colour and strong lines and layers, and practice. The blank page isn’t something to be feared. I have a lot of work to do, as it’s basically going against my natural instincts and deeply ingrained beliefs, but something’s working because right now I’m filled with enthusiasm and motivation and ideas.
I can’t wait for art supplies shops to reopen. Buying online is great, but some things you just have to see and touch and try out.
And with that, it’s lunch time. Then some drawing before I collect Joe. Today’s the last day of spring term then we have just over two weeks for Easter, so I’m making the most of the peace and quiet.
Normal service will be resumed… sometime. It might be in a few weeks, after the egg hunts and picnics and walks and endless activities I’ve yet to dream up.
Have a great Easter.
