by LindyP
In the hustle and bustle of supermarket shoppers , shopping like there is no tomorrow , I grab my essentials and pass by blaring xmas carols, children being dragged to sit on the knee of the big red man, flashing lights and sparkling this and that, noisy colour assaulting my senses ,screaming at me .
I rush outside to see cars adorned with red and green tinsel, and escape to my car and back to my quiet place.
Thankfully I have peace in my home, with my cat who is getting on in years like me , and my art work which has finally come of age with me.
I am working on bits of old monoprints which are collaged together onto board which lies across a small chair in the only spare space I have -next to my front door , so whoever comes in is warned as they step inside. It is a work in progress.
Every morning I go to it and stand, and watch, and wait ,allowing thoughts to process, then reposition, rearrange bits here and there, like the making of a jig -saw. It’s a peaceful process and a great therapy for calming the monkey mind. I go back to it several times during the day to make decisions , then unmake them-nothing is stuck down-I’m enjoying the slow time it takes to do and undo , then walk away and come back with fresh eyes.
The prints themselves were done spontaneously 20 years ago with brown printmaking ink, lashings of linseed oil, old rags for texture, full of holes, and fabric that was very fragile. The massive roller was wheeled over the top and the results were always a pleasing surprise. Monoprinting is so instant and energetic and loose- I still remember the smells –
My prints were made with passion and were about my love for disappearing wildlife, as well as loss of habitat, decay, fragility of existence, and the passage of time.
I see all of this as much more relevant now than it was then and am enjoying the process all over again of creating or recreating something very significant to me.
But this time I do it with a calmer more thoughtful mind, enjoying the stillness and reflection of slow composition, far away from the xmas rush .
The frantic urgency of xmas shoppers will cease , the big red man will deliver his gifts down chimney tops , arguments with loved ones will be settled, and hopes and dreams will reappear next year.
lindyp
sandshoe said:
Thank you for the lovely art work and time out enjoying it LindyP. It is now too, I mention, 2014. Many Happy Wishes for you.
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Voice said:
A mammoth work.
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lindyp said:
Thankyou Voice -I’m disappointed in the photo -the richness and solidness of colour doesn’t come out well.
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vivienne29 said:
Just realised – the, er um, the elephant in the room !
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algernon1 said:
As the Christmas bun fight gives way to the sales bun fight.
I watch how therapeutic art can be for some of mine a time of calm. Lovely piece Lindyp.
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lindyp said:
Thankyou algernon1 -I think Art therapy would have been a great career -maybe in my next life !
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Hung One On said:
Fantastic Lindy, you are truly talented.
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lindyp said:
Thankyou kindly Hung One On-though not talented -but still passionate about my beliefs
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helvityni said:
Hi Lindy, I like subtlety of the collage of your mono prints…did you paint the elephant into it…
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lindyp said:
The elephant was silk-screened onto the print Helvi when it was finished-I’ve forgotten those skills now ! That training was one of the loveliest times of my life-thankyou for your interest.
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helvityni said:
Lindy, the print collage looks lovely, I was intrigued how you fitted the elephant in, by printing, painting…?? Thanks for your reply. Gerard used to paint and print, these days it’s more writing…
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Big M said:
i agree, Lindy, too much hustle and bustle. Managed to get into the garden on Boxing day. Mrs M is on her way to the ‘sales’ right now…it will be bedlum!
Like the print, very organic.
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lindyp said:
Thankyou BIg M-hope Mrs M got her bargains yesterday-a great time to shop if you can handle it !
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vivienne29 said:
Love your artwork LindyP. It is restful and yet very interesting and engaging at the same time. Well done. Great to have, as it seems, rediscovered how much pleasure this gives you.
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lindyp said:
Thankyou Viv ,although as much as I love being engaged in my artwork , it is as Brett Whitley said ‘a difficult pleasure ‘!
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vivienne29 said:
Engaging for the viewer perhaps more so than the artist. There is a lot more to it (your lovely work) than meets the eye at first glance. It speaks to each in its own way just to them, if you get my drift.
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gerard oosterman said:
Very lovely print. It looks spontaneous and can well understand the peace it gives you. There is nothing like mono printing and waiting for the results. The best is often when the results are not too pre-planned and allowing creation a free range.
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lindyp said:
Thankyou Gerard -although yes it is a peaceful process now , originally I wanted to show how we are destroying the environment and the life in it -so I made the elephant very small in a vast landscape of chaos and devastation -that’s how I saw it anyway, as well as trying to portray the texture of the elephant’s skin.
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