February is probably a little too late to wish you a Happy New Year, but I do hope that yours is going well so far.
The reason my best wishes are later than planned, is largely due to the distracting business of having moved home. From the original commitment to do so, almost 6 months passed in the usual way, (administrative and financial self-flagellation) before finally completing in the days before Christmas.
The idea was to liberate myself from (some) clutter, chores and commuting. So I swapped an Edwardian town house for a small, early Victorian stone cottage; trading the North Sea for sheep. Previously spoilt with space and ‘stuff,’ I am learning to live with less of everything. It is taking a little while to adjust and is probably too soon to tell if my woolly neighbours are compensation enough for the absence of coastline and clothing storage. My wardrobe did not fit up the stairs. It remains outdoors, now looking very much like potential firewood.
Never one to do things by halves, I added further to the whole nerve-shredding business and threw in a studio change too.
Both new/old places needed a cosmetic overhaul, consequently the only kind of painting I have done since autumn, is rolling on emulsion. I am quite keen to return to my regular brushes, especially now that I have…
A New Workhouse
Ushaw Historic House, a former Catholic seminary.
An impressively grand building I am sure you’ll agree. The former trainee priests’ bedrooms have been re-assigned as art studios. A marked contrast to my previous space in Newcastle city centre, the house is situated in the County Durham countryside. The grounds are pretty and peaceful. An ideal place for picnics, strolling and reflection. There is a magnificent chapel, a library and a programme of changing exhibitions. The café has not yet been personally evaluated, that will be a cake-task for Spring.
There is a large creative community at Ushaw, I know it exists because I’ve been added to a confusingly big WhatsApp group. No doubt the artists will materialise over time, but I almost never pass another soul in our upper corridors. Ushaw is a large gothic maze and as I hurry along the stone floors, sometimes the only faces I see belong to the stern-looking religious figures peering down from their canvasses.
Student Priests skating at Ushaw
It will now take me around 2 years to build up a collection of new artworks. As I gather my thoughts on subject matter, I realise that it is difficult for art not to be ‘of’ its creator, but the next pieces from my easel will resolutely not be about my own life. It is time to look outwards and upwards.
First though, I need to go backwards for a spot of…
History vibing!
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. 1650 – 1722. Successful Commander at the Battle of Blenheim.
A few months ago, as part of a planned series of inspirational field-trips, I visited Blenheim Palace. The birthplace and ancestral home of Winston Churchill, Blenheim has it all. Architecture by John Vanbrugh, gardens by Capability Brown, conquering Dukes, prime ministers, and royalty. More recent notable events include the cartoonish theft of a solid gold toilet.
A small bonus was discovering that an earlier building, on the exact site of Blenheim, was used by (Bloody) Queen Mary I, to imprison her half-sister, the future Queen Elizabeth I. I’ve had fallouts with my own dear half-sister, but it never occurred to me that confining her to an outhouse was an option… as I say, a very inspiring place.
Winston Churchill at his easel, creatively fuelled by his favourite tipple. Sculptor: Paul Rafferty
This calls for bubbly! The sculpture stands on the very spot where Winston and Clementine became engaged.
Churchill’s greatest adversary was also an artist; a rejected one (they can turn dangerous when their watercolours do not wash).
Pol Roger champagne is rather out of my budget so, more likely aided by the odd glass of Aldi cava, I will proceed with optimism and determination into a new artistic epoque.
In the meantime, thank you for being here 
Bye for now,
Sarah-Jane
Ps My sister is a good sort really. Alison is to trek 100km across the Sahara later this year, for charity. If you can spare a fiver to sponsor her lunatic mission, I promise not to lock her in a woodshed until she has completed her challenge.
Money raised will go towards dementia research. The disease is utterly devastating for sufferers and their loved ones. We more than ever need to understand and treat it as effectively as possible. Please help if you can. Thank you.
This is a link to Alison’s charity page:
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