In the beginning ... a very good place to start

Excuses, procrastination, deliberation ... and finally I'm blogging

Hello friends and fabulous folk yet undiscovered - I'm feeling the need to be on a blog as I've singularly failed to follow my business mentor's advice and do anything about a website, marketing tools, leaflets, letter heads .... you get the picture.

I'm guessing that I'm totally misguided here in my hope this is the easy option as I know there's no point to a blog unless you keep saying something (and if you tweet you will be able to see how well I keep that up!).

So this is my workspace blog but the rest of my life, my kitchen equipment, household items, random pieces of clothing and so on never stay in the places they should, spilling out into my work and vice-versa therefore be sure that even though this is my blog as, Beverley Addy artist, writer and filmmaker 'n such', of this parish, I shall probably share a whole lot of nonsense and shenanigans that have drifted into my working day along the way.

Having said that my inspiration comes from the world of real people, real lives, real issues and real stories - all be that taken off into the world of creation, illusion and suspension of disbelieve, such is writing and film making and the many other places I like to foray. So everything I bumble, stubble or pounce upon is part of my work ... I love that.

Feet - often involved in stumbling on things ... more about feet later

 

Who? ... me??

Entertained as I am at being labelled an artist now after 20 years as a journalist, I still find myself looking around the room for who someone is talking to when they use that term.

So I've recently been 'playing out' and trying to find out whether there's any artist (in the most literal 'chalks n paper' kinda way) in me. I've been along to my friend's life drawing group recently. What a cathartic experience. Well that was after the finger jittering nerves at having not drawn anything since school and never being a party to the experience of sitting in a room staring at another woman with her clothes off for any length of time before. Once I'd calmed down enough to grip a bit of charcoal it was almost meditative and such a wonderful atmosphere in the group that I was lost completely in what I was doing for the hours we were together - fab ... find Jo Louise Smith's Life Drawing Group on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/265895970110413/

So here's my first effort ... I rather liked it until I started faffing with the face and that was the end of that - but I do like how I've managed to get some of my branding colours in there (see! I have thought about my marketing, a little bit, even if its only subconsciously, oh business mentor :) ).

Sneaky I know, the smudged face is now off the page ... well it was my first effort.

And on a less successful note ... I did trundle out this weekend with Lozza my genetic but not biological twin (all is possible if you suspend disbelief) to do some sketching over by Scammonden Dam. This was much less successful, as I found myself unable to rein-in the landscape on to my page and then just as I was just about wrangling the fields into A4 shape n size, it started to rain.

Lozza in the undergrowth

But we were having a very pleasant afternoon before that ...

 

What can I say ... perhaps I'll do better without the fizz but twas a birthday present from my son Finlay and I couldn't think of a better place to enjoy it!

Oops, what did I say earlier about social life spilling over (obviously not the fizz)! ... so back to work

Today, I'm working at home but eagerly awaiting news of my 'space' at the Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, where I am going to be artist-in-residence for the coming year. There are five of us this year, rather than last year's four, so it'll be interesting to see how Murray Forest, the man in charge of Exhibitions (and therefore for his sins, moi and the other artists-in-residence) has juggled and jiggled us into the space.

I have a box of 'stuff' ready to sling in the car and zoom down there from my valley abode as soon as I know. I can't wait to be in-situ and I have lots of exciting things to be doing there, so do come and visit myself and the others on the balcony, which was once the balcony bar, but don't expect a tipple, there are just us and our kettle there now (box office will direct you if you can't find us). http://www.thelbt.org/