“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?“
These beautiful words, from Mary Oliver’s poem, ‘The Summer Day’, remind and inspire me. They remind me that, first and foremost, my life is entirely what I make of it.Students I taught often used to worry that they didn’t know which career path they should be following. I worried about the word “should”. I would say, in jest, that I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. We all grow and change with time.
For most of my life, I got so caught up in what the world thought I should be and tried to be that person, that I gave up on becoming the person I should have been and wanted to be. No regrets, though as it’s part of the process. This is my journey.
And here I am, doing the one thing I love and was banned from doing as a teenager: Art. It’s become my raison d’être in processing who I am and learning more about the world.
And here I am at the age of 70 with 15 other amazing Finalists for the Surrey Artist of the Year Exhibition! Such a wide range of practices from paper cuts, stained glass, sculpture to paintings. This feels very grown up!
This painting, “When Evening Falls” is used as part of the press release.
Visit the @newashgate exhibition in Farnham, Surrey if you can (its on until 6th November). It’s an amazing gallery space! Enjoy the breadth of talent, and vote for your favourite artist! The winner will be announced on October 22nd! The artwork is also available online on the Gallery’s website:
