Putting myself out there - if you don't ask you don't get

As someone who is far from comfortable with self promotion it has taken me a while but finally, at grand the age of 32 I have some paintings in an art gallery; I always thought you had to be known already (or at least bullshit that you were an 'artist') and have always battled with doubt about my own abilities in relation to everything (especially anything I do that is creative), anyway I seem to have found some confidence and courage and it has worked - after all 'if you don't ask you don't (necessarily) get' as the saying goes and I have never asked before.


The two pieces on the right are mine, there will be a third one joining them soon (I managed to chip paint off the corner of the other one whilst carrying them to the gallery so I have since been and retouched it)

                     

http://www.crowngallery.net/artists/5-artists/72-julia-leyland.html

I have also been pretty productive with creating fabric designs this year, googling 'print your own fabric design' (or whatever I typed late one night) led me to http://www.spoonflower.com/ and I feel I am on the way to realising a dream I have had for a long long time.  The first set of test swatches arrived the other day (after what felt like a very long wait indeed) and I am rather pleased with the results.

               

I have also had a go at painting in a slightly different direction to my usual, inspired by an upcoming spoonflower weekly fabric design contest 'imaginary animals' - see the little creature with the pine cone body peeking out through the other worldly flowers/trees

   

After the lull...

Well it's been a while so I suppose I should update or something.  September with her shortening nights and grey skies has had me all unmotivated and lethargic, I've been wanting to get on and get stuff done but somehow have ended up watching vast amounts of crap on TV instead.  In amongst all of that I have been busy with ebaying in an attempt to save some cash rather than spending it, also I've been to probably the best wedding I have ever been to (the hen do was excellent too - kids party games in a drunken state = much fun).   

Yesterday I finally got round to tackling the painting I started a few weeks ago - I got disheartened with it (and painting in general) after I made a bad choice of colours which were pretty sickly.  I am building up a series incorporating a theme I have been working on sporadically for several years and I hope to perhaps exhibit when I am happy enough with the collection.  Jonny and I are off on holiday soon and I couldn't feel more ready for a break from work and a decent amount of sunlight, I'm thinking that it might be worth buying a light box too as each and every September I notice a drop in my energy levels and mood which seems to hang around until spring.  I used to think it was just the old 'come-down' feeling from childhood and dreading the new term beginning and having to get up early after getting used to lying in.