A winter of rest and reflection

This past winter has been centred around family and friends, as the long grey days made it difficult to find motivation in the studio. My intentions to paint steadily through the season slowly faded, not helped by finally giving in to the dreaded virus that seemed to be everywhere.

Slowing down is not something that comes naturally to me but this time it felt necessary. The quieter days brought rest, and time to reconnect — sharing meals, walking, and enjoying small trips away with those closest to me.  We also had some landmark birthdays including my eldest son's 40th.  How did that happen ! And the first shanty away day of the year. 

Although I wasn’t painting, it didn’t mean I’d stopped creating. Much of the winter was spent thinking, imagining, and quietly planning.  Still capturing those glimmers and glimpses of special views and moments.  I often fall to sleep or wake  visualising paintings in my mind — how they might look, how they might be painted.

Now, as we move through March, there’s a noticeable shift. The spring light is returning, and with it, the sun. Only now do you realise just how grey the winter has been — how muted the colours, how flat the light — though there has certainly been no shortage of rain.

I’ve begun to ease my way back into the studio, alongside giving a few talks to local art groups and visiting exhibitions. It feels like the right time to gently refocus, to move into the coming weeks with a sense of calm, and to trust in the quiet magic of what’s to come.