Networking on the nightshift

My paints have arrived, but I hid them so that I wasn’t tempted to stray from an important commission! I’m so inspired by the new landscape around me that I’m easily distracted from my commissions. I’ve been working on a racehorse known to his friends as Derek. The weather has been a bit gloomy the last couple of days, and I’ve needed to do some long hours to finish this one. I invested in a daylight lamp which sheds a fantastic consistent light in my “corner” studio. Whilst hunched up at the dining room table I asked myself why I wasn’t painting at my easel – it’s so much easier standing up and I can hold my palette like a proper artist! Unlike the rest of Britain we are without snow, despite frequent blizzards. I’ve recently met a new arty chum (who not only moved here at the same time, but is also at a similar stage in her artistic journey as myself) and we ventured out together in such a blizzard to meet and join the Caithness Artists. Thanks to a list of contacts from another arty chum I was invited to have a stand at an equestrian show at the North Highlands College on Wednesday evening– an opportunity to look the part and get out my floaty skirt and shiney boots. Well, that’s what I thought, until I read the directions which made clear reference to a farm. The venue was actually an indoor ménage, complete with damp sawdust, freezing temperatures and a bit of light snow thrown in. I was glad I had opted for thermals and walking boots instead! I’ve developed a chillblane and burnt the midnight oil this week, taken a new commission and sold a few cards, but more importantly I’ve begun to make some new friends.