Three more sleeps...

That's right. Just three more sleeps until I hoof it 'up North' for the 'Do what you Love for Life' retreat in Yorkshire - including three days of workshops with Flora Bowley.

Ah...if you could see me now, you'd find a contended woman fringed with an excited glow. I've been packing up my mojo and art supplies (plus couldn't resist a last-minute forage in Hobbycraft... you know how it is...), making some jewellery and sorting out paintings to sell at our gallery evening and generally getting in the mood. Even the Muse is getting excited and wants to me help her dye her hair tomorrow...

Now I've gone and lost my 'to do' and 'to pack' lists - I knew tidying up was a mistake. When they were on the table I knew where they were (we had nowhere to eat dinner, but you can't have everything!)

I had a great idea to illustrate this post with a quick sketch inspired by Flora's work. The sketch part was fine, but when it was when I attempted to add a splash of drippy colour that the problems occurred. I ended up with more paint over myself, the garden table and patio than myself and a soggy piece of grubby-looking paper that took flight round the garden. Wind and painting clearly aren't a good match... I never learn!

Undaunted, I snipped the piece into interesting shapes and stuck them down on another sheet of paper with a bit of torn music sheet - just because... It looked like it needed something - but clearly not pink paint brayered all over it. It faced the scissors again and then just fell in the scanner in strips. By now I'm seriously worried about losing my Muse just days before the art retreat.... but it turns out she was just testing me - forcing me to look deeper.

The resulting scan was cropped into even smaller pieces and the most interesting bits displayed here.

Do they count as a sketch I wonder? Well, it started out intending to be just that - with a little splash of colour. Ah, whatever, I'll post in Sunday Sketches!