Doodle Painting in between both lovely Mums

The subject of old age has been thrust upon me this last year with both my own mum and my mum in law needing extra help and support. It’s beginning to make my own life feel more fragile as I move towards my 60s. Not being in the best of health it brings home to me the need to make sure we have things in place to be able to cope as we get older, rather than be completely unprepared as both mums are. Will my current struggles with M.E. just end up being masked by infirmity as I get older?

Outside the Art Studio is a mess
"Update - Open Studios and Art Week/Trail has been cancelled sadly"

 Oh No! My Blog has disappeared!

 It is that dreaded moment when you click the button to update the system and your Blog disintegrates before your eyes! Any number of reboots, restores and re-installs continue to leave your Blog Page blank with an ugly system error pasted across it. This has been my headache. I've ranted, raved and finally resigned myself to bringing all my posts back over one by one to a simpler system, one that will hopefully withstand updates in future.

Postcard painting of algae in a drop of water for Twitter Art Exhibition
Twitter Art Exhibition Stratford Upon Avon 2017

The Twitter Art Exhibition is in the UK this year, and launches in Stratord Upon Avon on 1st April.  This will be my fourth year donating a postcard size piece of original art for a charitable cause. All the causes have been great including this one, with the proceeds of sales going this year to Molly Olly's Wishes, a charity that helps children with terminal or life threatening illnesses.

Paintings from my microscope studies at the Exhibition
Artists Group Show at The Workers Gallery and Workshop, Ynyshir, South Wales 2017

The show of Gallery Artists work and their work in progress is already up and running at the Workers Gallery and Workshop. I love seeing what we are all up to and what different paths we have taken since the show last year. My own work is progressing as I discover more microscopic life forms. It's making me truly appreciate that there is so much more life that we can't see with the naked eye, but that is all around us! My focus for now is water from nature and the life I can see in a single drop.

Algae art paintings on each side of a hanging box
Early 2017, I was invited to take part in the creation of four art installations across North Wales and was sent a box. With the box, we were asked to make something that represented the state or contents of our minds. Tim Lliffe is the lead artist, and in collaboration with MOMA, Machynlleth and Disability Arts Cymru, an arts council award was given to carry out the project which will hopefully involve 1000 creatives.

Vic Selby , my Dad and the Books that he wrote
Vic Selby, Author And My Father

There are times in life that are hard to bear and this has been one of the toughest. My father passed away just before Christmas with most of his family around him. It was expected, though not nearly quite so soon, but no matter how much I thought I was prepared, it wrenched my soul to see the light in his eyes slip away. He will always have a piece of my heart.