I meant to write this in September 2023, but it is now February 2024. I am recovering from a reanimation of the chest infection I caught before Christmas, but it has wiped out this month. I am attempting not to fight the bouts of vertigo and dizziness which sideswipe me, even as I sit perfectlyContinue reading “well or w/hole (part iv)”
Tag Archives: chronic illness
well or w/hole? (part ii)
We dance round in a ring and suppose, But the Secret sits in the middle and knows. ‘The Secret Sits’ Robert Frost For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the idea of essence: that there is a core, a kernel, a seed, a heart, a soul, which functions as aContinue reading “well or w/hole? (part ii)”
well or w/hole? (part i)
When will I be well? When was I ever well? In the beginning I had wellbeing, I was a being of wellness because I lived in a beingwell, a cocoon, a shelter, a haven; those childhood homes, where my parents held me in safety, safely, surrounded, enclosed, beloved, so I could be well, learn well Continue reading “well or w/hole? (part i)”
old wounds
I have now begun my artist residency at the New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, in earnest. This week was moving-in week, a big enough challenge in itself. It also coincided with me having the honour of staging a ‘take over’ of the Gallery’s Instagram feed while the director, Outi Remes, was on holiday. Outi wanted meContinue reading “old wounds”
playtime is here
Regular readers of this blog will know that I was fortunate enough to have my first solo exhibition, ‘episodes’, at Farnham Pottery last summer. A surprisingly busy Autumn followed, with between 1 and 6 ‘episodes’ paintings appearing in the following exhibitions: ‘and we meet again’ at the Lightbox, Woking; in the Second Saturday group exhibitionContinue reading “playtime is here”
k’s big bday gratitude: one year (and a bit) on
Last week I finished writing all my thank you cards, notes and letters to those who donated to the fundraising campaign I launched as part of my ‘Big Birthday’ celebrations. To my utter amazement, we managed to raise over £950.00 for the charity Creative Response which has been such a crucial lifeline for me sinceContinue reading “k’s big bday gratitude: one year (and a bit) on”
whole: Blue Christmas 2022
Pity me not because the light of dayAt close of day no longer walks the sky;Pity me not for beauties passed awayFrom field and thicket as the the year goes by;Pity me not the waning of the moon,Nor that the ebbing tide goes out to sea,Nor that a man’s desire is hushed so soon,And youContinue reading “whole: Blue Christmas 2022”
whole: day 17
God loves flesh and blood, no matter what kind of shape it is in. Whether you are sick or well, lovely or irregular, there comes a time when it is vitally important to drop your clothes, look in the mirror, and say, “Here I am. This is the body-like-no-other that my life has shaped. IContinue reading “whole: day 17”
whole: day 11
The truth of what we call our knowing is both light and dark. Men are always dying and waking. The rhythm between we call life … I walk in the dark feeling darkness on my skin. Dawn always begins in the bones. ‘Hymn to Ra’, The Egyptian Book of the Dead As I am beginningContinue reading “whole: day 11”
whole: day 4
We are afraid of emptiness. Spinoza speaks about our “horror vacui”, our horrendous fear of vacancy … It is very hard to allow emptiness to exist in our lives. Emptiness requires a willingness not to be in control, a willingness to let something new and unexpected happen. It requires trust, surrender, and openness to guidance. Continue reading “whole: day 4”
image into ikon 