Dec. 24th, 2022 at 2:31 PM
Christmas 2022
Merry Christmas, everyone!
This has been a wild year for Stuart and me: selling our flat in London, moving in with the (very generous!) Reeve family on Dartmoor for six months, then into a new house in Devon. It's been lovely getting Christmas cards from people - I always like them, but it was especially moving this year to know we're not forgotten even though we live so far away from a lot of people who used to live much more nearby. We had a little visit this week from two of my former studiomates: Lauren O'Farrell (aka Deadly Knitshade) and Ellen Lindner:
We went for a hike on the moor with the Reeves and got very muddy, but still managed to look like a band:
Here's to lots more walks on the moor... I do a lot of sitting as an illustrator, and I need to get up and moving! And it's lots more fun doing it with this lot (yes, especially you, Frodo):
Dartmoor's full of lots of inspiration, I'd like to do more art based on local subject matter. Moss beards, for starters.
I know this has been a hard year for a lot of my colleagues, I've watched as people struggling with loneliness, grief and anger have been ripping each other to shreds on the Internet. I hope people take time away from social media at the close of this year and work on building their real-life relationships and having face-to-face conversations with people, where they can really talk about things, ask questions, and wonder, without fear of attack. I hope this year that I'm someone whom people can trust, that I'll listen to their thoughts and experiences, and they won't have to worry that I have it in for them if they say something that doesn't fit the mold. We all make mistakes, and take awhile - often on a very roundabout path - to come to conclusions. We all need people with whom we can talk through issues and figure out what we really think, and be flexible to change what we think, when new information presents itself.
I think 2023 is going to be my year of listening, taking long walks, and making more art. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Christmas, and here are my warmest wishes as you go into the new year.
This has been a wild year for Stuart and me: selling our flat in London, moving in with the (very generous!) Reeve family on Dartmoor for six months, then into a new house in Devon. It's been lovely getting Christmas cards from people - I always like them, but it was especially moving this year to know we're not forgotten even though we live so far away from a lot of people who used to live much more nearby. We had a little visit this week from two of my former studiomates: Lauren O'Farrell (aka Deadly Knitshade) and Ellen Lindner:
We went for a hike on the moor with the Reeves and got very muddy, but still managed to look like a band:
Here's to lots more walks on the moor... I do a lot of sitting as an illustrator, and I need to get up and moving! And it's lots more fun doing it with this lot (yes, especially you, Frodo):
Dartmoor's full of lots of inspiration, I'd like to do more art based on local subject matter. Moss beards, for starters.
I know this has been a hard year for a lot of my colleagues, I've watched as people struggling with loneliness, grief and anger have been ripping each other to shreds on the Internet. I hope people take time away from social media at the close of this year and work on building their real-life relationships and having face-to-face conversations with people, where they can really talk about things, ask questions, and wonder, without fear of attack. I hope this year that I'm someone whom people can trust, that I'll listen to their thoughts and experiences, and they won't have to worry that I have it in for them if they say something that doesn't fit the mold. We all make mistakes, and take awhile - often on a very roundabout path - to come to conclusions. We all need people with whom we can talk through issues and figure out what we really think, and be flexible to change what we think, when new information presents itself.
I think 2023 is going to be my year of listening, taking long walks, and making more art. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Christmas, and here are my warmest wishes as you go into the new year.