it all began on a WINDOWSILL
It all began with a few art materials on a windowsill. A few years later and I have totally taken over our spare bedroom as an art studio setting up Alcemi Art. Little did I know where a simple art project would lead me!
My creative rebirth began when I came across an Instagram challenge called the ‘100 Day Project’. The aim of this project was to do something every day for 100 days. Feeling overwhelmed with what to do or try, I decided to keep it simple and draw or paint circles…. easy right! With only some basic art materials, old pencils, felt pens, watercolour set and a few acrylic shades I started on a DIY concertina sketchbook 10cm x 10cm. starting small made it feel achievable, sitting down each day to create something.
100 Day Project - A study of circles in mixed media (10cm x 10cm)
Each day I tried something different, to stretch myself, to explore each square page with something new. Each day I shared with all the others doing the project and realised that something so simple, could be a lot of fun and also got some helpful comments.
I think I got up to 70 something, so I didn’t actually reach 100, yet I still got so much from doing 70 pages of circles of some kind. The process allowed my confidence and belief to grow, that I still had my creativity after all these years of working as a hairstylist and running a business. My creative urges waited patiently in the background, simmering away patiently, waiting for the right time to rise up and be revived.
From a windowsill, to a small office desk, to the dining table completely taking over the dining room, to now having a studio in the spare bedroom. One online course led to another, to another, project after project, taking me to unchartered ground as an abstract painter. Opening my eyes to a new creativity, that I had only been able to admire in others in the past. Igniting a love of colour, exploration of composition, pattern, mark making and nurturing my own artistic voice, has taken me on an unexpected and unpredictable journey so far.
I have only really scratched the surface after a few years back on this creative path, there is so much yet to be explored and learnt. My younger creative self once said that “you can be an artist at any age, artists don’t retire, there’s no age limit.” With an Art Foundation Course, a Three Dimensional Design degree, teaching and design experience, I feel now is my time to use all this accumulative experience and knowledge, to really step into my full creative flow and creative potential.
So watch this space . . . . . there’s so much more to come!
April 9th 2023