building joy

In the summer of 2023 I was awarded a bursary from DAiSY (Disability Arts in Surrey) to become artist in residence at the New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, Surrey.  The brief was to be in an ‘open studio’ situation, welcoming the gallery’s visitors and answering any questions they might have about my work and about creativityContinue reading “building joy”

for community

It is in the shelter of each other that people live. (Irish proverb)  Making room for community is different from spending time with my extended network of friends and family.  In my current definition, it’s a network of people with whom I have a meaningful encounter, exchange or dialogue, whether online or in person.  Continue reading “for community”

well or w/hole (part iv)

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)”

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)”

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 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”