Conversation stoppers and starters

The invite was for lunch, and we gladly accepted. I knew she did a proper Sunday lunch regularly for her extended family, and was greatly touched that she wanted to include me and my man in that gathering.

We arrived early. Well, 42 hours early to be exact, but that's another story! And during that time I had been able to show her the painting I'd done of her. She had stood and looked at it, and liked it, and said a few words of praise about it, then fell silent. After the viewing, I wrapped it up again and put it out of the way in another room and that was all was said about it that day.

The following day she made lunch for her family - the kids, her husband, her mother, her sister and her sisters husband, and us. Nine people to feed , lots of food to prepare, so the morning was spent chopping and peeling, as the mouth watering cooking aromas from the kitchen wafted around us and we chatted companionably. The extended family arrived full of good cheer at 2 and lunch was served soon after. We all tucked into the delicious home cooked roast followed by a selection of three fabulous desserts as the conversation ebbed and flowed around the table - talk of people and places, occasions and the minutae of family life, banter and relaxed laughter. At the end of the meal I sat talking with the brother in law who had led an interesting life on foreign shores, and people came in and out of the room, the kids disappeared to their computer screens, the adults chatted and cleared the table and the mounds of washing up disappeared and got tidied back into cupboards. The hostess reappeared eventually, and sat opposite me at the long table. And in a lull in the conversation she said quietly to me...

"Show them"

I looked across at her, understanding her request in an instant but checking that we were in tune.

"You mean.........?"

"Yes" she nodded, certain in her request.

I smiled at her, and went to fetch it. I returned five minutes later, and all faces looked at me expectantly as I faced them down the length of the table. They could see I'd got a painting with me, but it was turned away from them, so that they couldn't see what it depicted. I explained to these people that I hardly knew, and had only known for a few short hours that when I had met the woman before me that she had a certain something that I instantly wanted to paint, and that she had agreed to pose for me - and I'd taken a few photos of her to work from. That the face and the hand within the picture were of her, but the rest was a fantasy picture. I could see from their faces that they were intrigued.....

I turned the picture around for them to see...

And they all looked at it, and without a doubt they knew who was in the picture. They knew without me explaining beforehand, who it was. Her mother was the first to speak - and said how much it reminded her of herself as a younger woman, and that it had made her feel quite emotional to see it. Her sister praised it, and said that she loved it. Her brother in law declared that he liked it. And I was so touched, that it worked so well as a portrait of her.

Then her kids walked in. They hadn't seen it before, and knew nothing of it even existing, let alone who it was. But they knew, instantly "It's you!" said the youngest. And the eldest looked at it and declared it to be "Well cool!" which I took to be praise indeed!!!!

Later, after we'd returned home, I texted her to thank her for her hospitality, and she texted back that she was pleased that I'd shown her family the painting, and how very impressed they were with it and that she'd felt moved by it despite seeing it before.

But, for probably the first time ever, I understood how she felt. And how other people feel when they see themselves in a painting by me. Because the day before, she had shown me her first story, and although it was a fictional piece, I could see echos of one of the women within the story being me. And I had been touched greatly by the fact that a character based on me was within her story, and that she had been inspired enough to write it in the first place. And had been kind enough to show it to me on this visit. Because the emotions she was going through, having seen herself within the picture I had painted of her, were the same ones as the ones I felt when I saw myself within the story she had written. I told her she'd got a big talent with her writing, and she said that was praise coming from someone with a talent as big as mine. I told her she'd got a big talent, she just didn't realise how much.

But it's ever the case that creativity feeds creativity, and what one can do with ease others look askance at because they know they can't do it so well.

All white on the home front

The world continues to be a winter wonderland - I've never seen such beautiful hoar frost, covering all the twigs and foliage alike. The other day I was driving home on a lovely country road surrounded by open fields and hedgerows, and as I turned a corner saw before me a fabulous oak tree all covered in the heavy white frost, which was a joy to see on it's own, but the day was full of patches of fog, and as the sun set behind it, the sky was the brighest lemon yellow I've ever seen, which framed the tree spectacularly - I suppose all the more so because it was virtually a negative image, if you consider the sky is normally blue and the tree trunk black. I said "Wowww!" out loud even though there was only me in the car, and wished I'd got my camera with me. It was only a couple of miles from where I live, and normally I would have driven home to collect my camera to return for the image - but the roads were incredibly icy, the fog was coming down, and it was dropping dark. So, with regret I carried on, and 100 yards later on the fog came down again, hiding the winter sun, and losing the lemon sky behind its bleakness. But, for one glorious minute, I'd seen it! And will carry it in my mind's eye for ever more. Stunning scenery! The whiteness turns everything magical.

And again, that reminded me why I am an artist - so that I can capture for others a split second in time that "makes" the image.

And also whilst I'm stuck inside I'm spending my time, writing. This isn't a new occupation for me, I've done it before. Infact I've never stopped writing since I learnt at the age of five.

But, the subject matter is new to me.

Its erotic writing.

And it's going verrrry well....

So much so that I wonder if I have another outlet for my creativity. I'm still thinking about the possibility of a book as well.... or maybe more than one... mmm.....

Passing on the creativity

My mate the erotic writer Lucy Felthouse came over the other night for a drink and a chat, and I know most "business" meetings are boring - but ours NEVER are!!! Since we're never far away from what Lucy smilingly refers to as "smut"! (lovely word, so very evocative!). But when we're both in the business of selling erotic fantasies, what do you expect! I've not seen her for months so it was great to have a catch-up chat and ask about each others work and what each has been doing in our private lives... she's always amused when she thinks that a lot of people think she's actually done what she's writing about. I'm never asked that though, but perhaps people expect that one way or another, an artist creates an illusion......

By the end of the evening, when we were all "smutted out" and it was time for Lucy to go, she commented about me writing about some of the things I'd talked of to her. I could instantly feel the fire of desire rise within me! I wanted that, I wanted it a lot. I've always felt that I want to write, and the obvious thing would to be erotica, so, that's given me something to think about, too..... which is normal when Lucy and I get together!

And there must definitely be something in the air this week, because when I had a chat on the phone earlier with my new muse, to arrange the next drawing session, and told her that I'd stayed up til 2 o'clock in the morning drawing her because I was so inspired, and she told me that she was now also inspired to write some erotic stories too! I love it when the creative spirit feeds from other people's creativity! Absolutely love it!!!!

I'm really pleased with the drawing I've done so far of her. I needs a bit more work doing on it though before I show it here. It was difficult to even decide which paper to use to start with. I made the mistake of starting with a coloured textured paper, and tore it up before I'd done too much to it, to swap to a smooth white cartridge paper. She's so soft and feminine, that the paper has to match that softness. I decided to use dark graphite pencil in the end, rather than a colour, or a range of colours. Again, her beauty doesn't need to be gilded too much - just a single colour will emphasis that. But I know the more I draw her and the more I am used to looking at her, and seeing her, that I may branch out to other colours, other textured papers, other coloured papers, paint, bright vibrant paint, and large brush strokes. But, I am starting slowly at the moment.....whilst the passion rises within me again.

You call THIS work?

I had a business meeting the other night, but because it was with erotic writer Lucy Felthouse, it wasn't your normal boring business meeting... Oh No!!!!

We discussed all manner of things naughty and erotic - from her visit to see me at the Erotica show in November, and the way she was treated like a minor celebrity there on a couple of the stands, she admired my latest pastel coloured painting that I'm currently working on in my studio, we talked about the latest erotic book that's caused a furore because well-known writers have written smut, and the literary world is upset by it (heaven knows why, I can paint a landscape or a vase of flowers or an erotic picture, and will make a good job of it regardless of the subject matter, because I can paint! so surely these women who write can write about anything, including erotica? Where's the problem?!!!). We talked about my Fantasy Fannies, and my plans for finding the right place to exhibit them, Lucys writings, the Erotic Guild of Artists, and their latest book that I'm in, we talked about men in dresses, bi-sexual men and lesbians, bi-sexual women and lesbians, gay men and gay sex, gay bars, sex toys, sex writing, men, sex, ideas for stories, blogging, websites and promoting versus advertising. Oh, and sex. And then some more sex.

Sigh. So all in all, a normal night then. For us!!!!!!!! LOL