September:
Magical moments in often overlooked places
Newsletter Issue #71
Hello, hello!
September was quiet on the newsletter front because it was actually quite a quiet kind of month. The kind of month that’s marked by a steady-paced progress, a mood of pleasantly average everyday-ness that, frankly, didn’t need to be immortalised in a newsletter.
The most wonderful thing about everyday-ness though, is that if you pay attention there are always moments of magic. Little highlights and achievements, that in the whole could go unnoticed as inconsequential, but actually are anything but.
The first of such moments was that I finally finished my sketches for the astrological botany project, which I had briefly mentioned at the end of August. (Memory-refresh here). I also began the journey of translating them into oil. This part of the work is only getting started, but seeing my prepared canvas boards ready to go fills me with excitement. They’re so small and cute, and so full of big ideas. I’ll of course be going into details about them over the next few weeks as I continue working on them.
In its calm steadfastness, September offered up a lot of inspiration:
I finished reading The Art of The Occult by S. Elizabeth, a beautifully put together book exploring magical and mystical themes in art history.
I had the chance to catch two exhibitions: The Sun and Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial at Saatchi Gallery, and Lucy Dodd: the good, the true and the beautiful at Sprüth Magers. Both, I found, were thought provoking and my only complaint is that I would’ve liked to have spent more time going around the Sun and Moon exhibit at the Saatchi.
Finally, the best inspiration came from spending much of the month working outdoors. At home, we’ve been doing a lot of physical work in the drive and garden, and while the work itself is hard, there have been so many moments of natural beauty. The English countryside has been providing a most spectacular display of the season’s change, which I dutifully have done my best to photograph in an effort to continue populating my ever-growing library of reference images for my art. Two examples are pictured below, and while the photos never do the real thing any justice, they remind me of how breathtaking I thought the world looked at the time.
That’s the most notable of my September. Quiet, but also expansive and nurturing. A good reminder to pause, notice and appreciate each moment for what it is. October unfolds, no doubt, with plans for further progress in art and life, which I’ll share with you as and when. As always, thank you for reading.
Yours in quiet joy,
Arietta xx