Driven to distraction

 

sorting out ideas for future projects
© Teresa Newham

Lent is supposed to be a time of quiet reflection, but with my teacher husband working from home and the impending easing of lockdown, the last few weeks have been unsettling.  Luckily I've found time to fit in some art, as well as contemplation, to help me to cope with my anxiety.

working up an initial design
© Teresa Newham

One thing I've been doing is to decide which piece or pieces to work on next, and in which medium.  I'm not short of inspiration - I have enough ideas to keep me going for a couple of years - but there are some subjects which I'm not yet skillful enough to render in Japanese Woodblock, for example, so I'm trying to be realistic.

cutting lino has proved an excellent distraction . . .
© Teresa Newham

Lent is also the perfect time for designing and printing an Easter card. This year I've deliberately made it more complicated than usual by introducing a second layer and followed Laura Boswell's guide to adapting her registration device to make small prints.  I don't want to spoil the surprise so I'm not revealing the result yet . . .

. . . as has printing it
© Teresa Newham

Finally, I'm taking part in the Herts Visual Arts Big Maker's Fair, which is running throughout March with the theme 'Objects of Desire'.  Around seventy Hertfordshire artists are showing work in the exhibition - I've had fun choosing three Spring-themed pieces as my contribution - and a variety of live events are planned for the weekend of 19th - 21st. Why not check them out?

the exhibits I chose for the Big Makers Fair 
© Teresa Newham