Tuesday, January 10, 2012

A month in my studio





At the end of next week I will (all being well) be starting my month living in my studio in town. I will have to go feed the cats in the country but basically I will be living in town.
I am part excited and part nervous. I have planned an impossible amount of work so that I never need sit there and think, "Oh dear I am all alone in a foreign country, woe is me!!" I know that is not going to work all the time as there are bound to be times when I remember that I am thousands of miles from my family and friends and start putting my teddy bear on the other chair when I have lunch and speaking to myself and walking up the street saying "Ciao" to strangers.  But am hoping that these times will be infrequent. Though actually having my bear on the other chair sounds quite a nice idea.
So I have spent the last few weeks inbetween  Christmas and New Year getting my studio draught proof (parcel taped all round the windows and door),  organised, ( all my painting stuff to hand  and found lots I had forgotten about,) and the lighting improved by buying an enornous energy saving bulb (about 25cms long) which makes the studio look like its sunny when its not.
I really want to make the most of my time and at the top of my to do list is to get out and speak much more Italian. Not that I will have a lot of choice as hardly anyone speaks english . I want to go places on buses. (need to speak Italian), write an extensive journal and possibly illustrate it,  try several different mediums, possibly making art cards, rent dvds from the shop in town, get an online shop started, do a 2 day market in Pisticci , do a portrait commission, make net curtains for my windows, tidy out all my cupboards, join an art association online, go for a coffee every day, learn new vocabulary every day, do yoga every second day etc etc....
That is not of course taking into account going for walks and taking photos when its good weather , like today. And do as much painting as possible of new subjects that appeal to me.
Naturally , this being real life and Italy , none of this might happen, but I like making plans.

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