Why do we need ART in 2021?
Because Art feeds the soul, and we all need some soul food right now, don’t we?
Right now, in this time of crisis, we have to use every tool we have to raise the spirits. If each of us can bring a moment of happiness to just one other person then we can rebuild our society. Do good to one another has to be our mantra for 2021. My only tool for doing that is my art.
The Fabric of the Land
In the past month or so I have been experimenting with adding ‘texture’ and collage effects to some of my images to add context to some of my images. This has been fun and I feel it is the beginning of a new direction I will explore in the coming months.
Impossible Perfection….. Isle of Harris
The Fabric of the Land I was created on the small island of Orkney Mainland, near the standing stones at Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. Standing on the side of the loch, with the ancient stones behind me, I realised that the scene has been viewed by people for thousands and thousands of years without changing. The fabrics made by the people living here have been coloured by the natural dyes made from these plants. This island is alive with colour and texture.
I get a buzz from mocking up a beautiful scene on someone’s new bedroom wall and printing huge seascapes, but I do sometimes find it hard to be ‘creative’. Self doubt sometimes takes over and I go on a rollercoaster of emotional ups and downs. I am an early riser, I love being up when the world is quiet. Right now, in Winter, that means that from 5-8.30am I am working in the dark. I sit down with my coffee, the dogs go back to their beds under my desk, and I look for something new to work on.
So why do we……me…… you…..they need art? Because it transports us to another place in time. It generates an emotion that can soothe, calm, stimulate, amuse and hopefully lift our spirits. When I find that picture to work with, I am transported to where I took it. I remember the salt in the air, the birds singing and the waves crashing. I remember the feel of the sand under my boots and the cry of the gulls overhead. I look at a scene that was made in an instant and in that moment I am back there. That is what it does for me, what does art do for you? Click here to see the short video of the Brough of Birsay from my trip in September.
Brough of Birsay, Orkney September 2020
On Skye we are currently in lockdown like the rest of Scotland. In some ways it helps to be restricted in one space, having only to eat, sleep and walk the dogs to think about….it seems weird to imagine that making pictures and pouring ink can make anyone happy….but it makes me happy, and if it does it for me, then just maybe an image will make someone else happy too.
A small island like Skye is stunningly beautiful but also means little connection to the buzz of life that is going on elsewhere. Art is my way of connecting with people but I have cut loose this past few months. Posting on social media slowed to a trickle…. I just couldn’t get outside my bubble.
2021 just has to be different!
So, this is my new beginning. A journal post every day, get up, get out, get moving, get more done, be positive and if I can make some images that make me happy then I have a chance at making someone else happy too.
I hope you will join me on this new journey and I wish you all a very hopeful and happy start to 2021!