On Saturday, I would normally have been in Pendle Gallery by the Weir but storm Amy would have blown all of my boards over – making the Gallery invisible (quite apart from keeping people away from Barrowford park). So I gave myself permission to have a day at home, lit a fire and settled down to watch television. The first programme that I came across was Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild where he was re-visiting an Island retreat in North Norway which had been lovingly created by Randi Skaug – a former Middle-East peacekeeper and the first woman to have climbed Everest.
Over time, she had created a beautiful, natural environment where people could come who had struggled with addictions, etc. for a retreat. The sentence which struck me most from Randi was that she wanted to provide a ‘place of peace in a not-so-peaceful world’. It seemed to me to be such a simple but profound objective in life. She displayed a real love for the Arctic environment where she had made her home coupled with a genuine warmth and love for the people who came to stay – and the effect on people was quietly transformative.
I then went on to ‘binge-watch’ Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing and it seemed to me that the programme served a very similar purpose – inviting the viewer into peaceful places and activities in a not-so-peaceful world. The filming and editing in the series are sublime – from beautiful open vistas to picturesque little corners and with slowed down details of the natural world and the art of fishing along with comedic and profound moments of interaction between the co-stars. The whole programme encourages the viewer to slow down and really appreciate the beauty of our natural environment, of shared activities and of human relationships with each other and the natural world.
I think the reason that these programmes resonated with me is because I feel that this is one of the fundamental objectives behind my work as a landscape painter and art tutor (or facilitator of art workshops).
I have been re-visiting my Lake District paintings and turning archived transparencies into signed, limited edition prints of the Lake District. There is often a quiet majesty about the Lakes, especially in the early morning when the reflections are still and mist hangs low. Everything is so tranquil, so quiet and soothing to the soul. When there at such times, I can’t help but slow down and appreciate the beautiful details and the overall majesty of the scene. I share Caspar David Friedrich’s sense of the divine reflected through the grandeur of nature. It leads me to a place of gratitude and fills me with a sense of awe.
As a landscape painter, my desire is always to somehow reflect my sense of those moments through my handling of soft pastels or paint, through composition and through my unique sensibilities. I want people to slow down, take time to see and experience the scene and perhaps to experience a little peace in a not-so-peaceful world.
As an art tutor or art workshops facilitator, I try to create the right environment for people to follow their own creative journey. The name ‘Soulspace Art Studio’ reflects this, I believe. The physical environment is light, airy, spacious and, I hope, inspiring. There is plenty of artwork on the walls, materials with which to create and inspiring visual material to work from. I try to create a relaxed and calm atmosphere through quiet background music, a supportive approach and through fostering a sense of mutual support amongst the group. I think humour is important too because I believe that being creative is also about being joyful and enjoying the process.
I encourage people to slow down and really observe the detail of things like colour, tone, shape, form, etc. and in translating these things, to work at their own pace. There is no rush to get to the destination, only time to appreciate the journey – be it smooth, challenging or a mixture of both! I also bring to the environment a sense of the invisible breath of the spirit through all our activities and interactions. All in all, I try to create an encouraging and uplifting environment that fosters creative growth and offers a little peace in a not-so-peaceful world.
