L. Cornelissen & Son in London, my own studio space "full of things waiting to be turned into other things" and "Told You Twice" painting by Heather Day.
This morning in the car, I had the delightful surprise of stumbling across a BBC Radio 4 show about one of my favourite art shops in London, L. Cornelissen & Son. Beautiful wooden floors, ancient smell reminiscent for me of my former drawing school in Toulouse, smells of oils, pastels, wood and the staggering beauty of intense colour pigments. There's no place quite like it, although being French there's the Sennelier shops in Paris of course, but the kindness and generosity of the staff at Cornelissen make it a truly unique place, a chance to take the tunnel into the past.
A few sentences caught my ears this morning as I was listening, somebody used the phrase "Jars full of potential" and the presenter spoke of the shop being "full of things waiting to be turned into other things". Music to my ears and my heart, the deep feeling and knowing that it is also all I am doing, being an artist means to be surrounded with things that have potential, little jars of beauty, and indeed all of my papers, collage materials, paints, pencils, brushes, they are all waiting peacefully to be turned into other things, for transformation to occur. My studio IS full of things waiting to be turned into other things. What a beautifully simple way to put it...
There's an object that has been waiting patiently for a while now, something I used compulsively when I was studying on my MA in Glasgow. It's a little microphone, a little gem of a recorder. I used to speak to it, record myself making art or simply talking. I've had some intense moments with that little machine, and I haven't had any use for it since. However in the past few days, something has occurred in me, something unexpected, I want to start recording and interviewing people I know, people i find interesting, people I admire. It may even turn into a podcast... Shhuuut... It's a secret...
In the recent few days, I have been taken by the works of an artist I have just discovered called Heather Day. Heather's work is absolutely gorgeous, so is she, and she lives in a truly beautiful reconverted warehouse in San Francisco of all places. One of those people you cannot help but be just a little bit envious of... Heather seems to be working with numerous brands and that seems to be supporting her career as an artist very well. I find it interesting, refreshing and very contemporary. It's the first time I come across someone who does that. She has even worked with Facebook to develop some wandering paintings. There are so many ways to be an artist, and Heather seems to have found a way of doing so that works well for her and has a flourishing career. Hats off to her!