2016 was sobering for many of us. It was a tough old year. It seems fear played a key role on the world stage and I know it factors heavily in my life all too often.
I was inspired recently to create this doodle after watching UK TV show "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" During the show contestants were challenged to walk a plank from a 300 ft building on the Gold Coast in Australia. Contestant Joel Dommett, who is terrified of heights, said in a later interview that he almost quit after taking two steps, but summoned some courage from somewhere to take another step, then another until he'd completed the challenge. Coming up against a great fear and managing to push through it is a gift for life.
This is my image to launch 2017. I will post it on my studio wall to remind me I can do more than I believe I can.

With that in mind, I'm giving myself a challenge (or more of a goal, really): By the end of 2017, I want to be creating large scale paintings for commercial or public buildings.
This may sound straightforward, but is logistically, artistically and strategically quite a mountain for me. I've broken the process down into bite-sized pieces. I'm calling it my "Year of Expression"

In the first six months, I'm taking refresher courses in painting, and print techniques, studying the Expressionist and Abstract Expressionist movements. I'll be keeping things relatively small for this period. From July to December, however, I'll be upscaling and this is where logistics come in.
Currently I have a small studio at home, doubling as a guest bedroom. It's perfectly fine for what I need, but it will be hard to work full scale with the constant fear of paint spillage.

My goal is to build an artist's studio in my garden for ultimate freedom of expression!

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I was an art student who became a screenwriter. Twenty years later, I abandon the page and return to the canvas as I attempt to tell stories through pictures.

Being Bold in 2017