I’m looking at the landscape with no expectations about outcome: just thinking about shape, colour, light, combinations of materials. This year is about play, not outcomes. This relaxed attitude seems to be pushing me further in both directions – abstraction and realism.
Last weekend was busy by my standards. Alan and I were out both days because we’re looking at properties. Then we went out Friday night with a bunch of people, some I’d never met before – introverted me was working hard! This weekend I needed to relax & spend time in my art room.
I spent Saturday making a variety of concertina journals from plain paper, ready for a trip we’ve got coming up later in the year. Then I started prepping some large A2 sheets of paper for more journals, so I’d have some with marks & colour on them already.
This morning I started pulling some more large paper out of my stash and suddenly … there it was … creative block & a sense of overwhelm because of the chaos I’d created. I had to stop and tidy up, and that turned into a huge ‘sort, reorganise, rearrange’ mission.
It never happens at work because I control my office environment tightly. Everything has a place, and the thing I’m working on is to the left of my keyboard, my pile of other work is well to my right so it’s out of my line of sight. At home, creating, it’s a different matter.
Our family is all neurodivergent, in varying degrees and manifested in myriad ways – but it’s always there. The more I’ve learned about Mum’s birth mother, the clearer it’s become her genes are the gift that keeps on giving!
My chaos and calm art room pendulum is a manifestation of my neurodivergence and that’s ok. The before and after photos shown are far from peak chaos!
I’m a mixed media artist, but I’m not a very courageous one, unlike friend and fellow artist Pen Kirk. This year’s about play, and one of the things I want to do is incorporate more mediums into my mixed media.
This morning I grabbed 20 pre-taped 6×6” watercolour papers and quickly got pencil & watercolour down. I let them dry then pulled out oil pastels, watercolour pencils, stencils, acrylic paint, Neocolour I & II and greaseproof paper.
I’ve started working back into them, trying to use a variety of media and concentrating on play, rather than finished results. What mediums do I enjoy using together? What combinations make me smile…
Af the end of the year I normally look back at what I’ve achieved, documenting the highs and lows.
When I think about the year that’s coming to an end, the first – and almost only – thing that comes to mind is the loss of Tony. From May, until his death on November 3rd, it was a hard slog which I couldn’t document here. We were together 33 years; that’s more than a lot of people get and I’m thankful for his love and support over all those years.
I’m grateful for the support of his daughter Yasmine, my partner Alan, friend Sandra, his brother Roger, my sister Ailsa, resthome staff and work colleagues.
There were other things but, to be honest, I had to go back through my blog to remember them. I entered the Awagami Mini Print Awards and received a Highly Commended, which was fantastic.
I enrolled in Wanderlust ‘25, a year long course, but didn’t complete it as Tony needed so much time.
I made art, sold art, taught and exhibited with Pen Kirk, worked hard, had a few short trips. Mainly I got through, which feels like a huge achievement.
May 2026 be kind to you and your loved ones.
I touched on this here, and spelling it out will help me have clarity. In 2026, my art goals are:
Cath Sheard Art 