‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Okay, it is still a couple of weeks before Christmas but time for an update.

The invites are out for the 2026 Emsworth Arts Trail, so I think I will take part, even though I felt I could do with a break to focus on other things next year. As it is the 25th Anniversary Arts Trail, though, I feel I can’t really miss this one. My current full-time work contract also ends in early February, so while it’s about eighteen months too early to seriously plan a full-time art career, it could be a good moment to take a month off and have a proper test run. You never know — I might use this as an opportunity to see what happens, but we’ll have to wait and see.

On the painting front, I finished my latest landscape which still carries several key ‘Ricksworld’ elements but is a little looser and more relaxed than the usual highly detailed ‘This Britain’ series. You might think it would be easier to work less meticulously, yet I nearly abandoned this piece because the shift in approach felt uncertain. Then, at the last moment, I decided to be bold and simply enjoy the process. And low and behold, in a single evening the composition began to come together organically, until it felt finished. It now evokes the memory of hot summer days spent walking the hills on the South Downs, all warmth and light distilled into a few decisive strokes.

I think the working title is Midday - maybe I need to paint Morning and Evening next….

I decided to cancel my space at the Bosham Walk; it had been useful as a marketing and sales outlet, but with no prospect of earning anything for my main career in February I could not justify the ongoing expense, since sales never came close to covering the monthly cost of the shop space. If I were to venture into this kind of retail rental again, I would need to promote it much more actively and refresh the paintings on display far more frequently. That said, my painting of Bosham remains a work in progress back in the studio.

The option to buy from the Bosham Walk arts and Craft Centre in Bosham ends soon

So I need a plan for 2026 if I want to prepare the way forwards to a full time art career……any suggestions. I have a few ideas including a YouTube channel.