Open Studios Imminent

New studio wall

This week is the final week of my art psychotherapy work and Im able to spend more time in my studio as I move away from the all consuming-ness of what was. Studio time is a wonderful thing and I have built this new wall. Its something I wanted to do for a while and I felt I could no longer put off. Each year as open studios looms, its a push to get stuff done! It has meant I can put all my tools and older work behind it, so hopefully open studios will look beautiful and tidy (minus my dirty workshop floor).

Theres a few sculptures that have been hanging around unresolved during the last year, half done and bothering me. These have come together easily as I find myself with more headspace and clarity. Its like Im shedding a skin and washing off a residue of working surrounded by so much trauma. This wont last long though, as I edge towards working in a mens prison, where trauma will be what I eat for breakfast lunch and dinner, once again.

Over the last year things have got weird and Im still standing, smiling, certain and clear of things. The universe, as well as certain people and unprecedented family situations have push and pushed me over and over this past year, more than I feel I have ever been pushed before. Luckily I have the strong foundations of a great partner and friends, a really stubborn attitude, and a 17 year solid Vipassana practice. Otherwise I would have likely flopped.

If anything I feel stronger than ever (especially now Im able to slow down a bit). I went to a reiki master, who is fantastic and she said she was surprised that my present self is quite balanced, slightly overactive in the area of self (probably due to masking to carry on at times). However I have some unresolved matters from my much earlier life, which I continue to work through. Some of this I have learned with age, is a direct affect of growing up during clause 28 (thanks to Maggie Thatcher). As I get older and the world around me gets more queer proud, I see more and more openly the oppression we all silently lived within. A quiet violence, from which I still carry invalidated wounds. They are stored in there, as well as some little angry version of me that on some level knew the injustice of what was going on.

I have just finished this work, and decided to call it, Grounded, Despite The Imbalances.

Grounded Despite The Imbalances (2025)