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