I’m still working my way through my 100 sheets of parchment. It has turned into a longer project than I expected – originally I was thinking I’d do mostly quick sketches and the like, but I keep finding myself working on some of them for longer amounts of time. Not a bad thing, as several have turned out well enough that I might consider them to be proper artworks. Others are just playful larks, but hopefully I’m learning from them, too.
This month is a very busy one in Edinburgh. August is all festival all the time around here, with not just the Fringe but also a book festival, an art festival, and the original International Festival, plus I’m sure a couple more festivals that I’m forgetting. So of course the festivals are finding their way onto my pieces of parchment.
I’ve done several cityscapes attempting the capture the crowds and atmosphere, as well as a couple of sillier things in which I’ve used flyers as inspiration. Another thing about Edinburgh in August – the streets are full of people thrusting flyers into your hands, beseeching you to go see their shows. I have developed a habit of accepting these flyers (it’s just easier that way) and bringing them home to add to a pile that will serve some unidentified purpose before getting recycled. I’ve had vague notions of using them for some sort of collage project, but their shiny surfaces make them less than ideal for that purpose. I’ve found it fun to pluck one out of the pile and paint it – the ones featuring creepy puppets are especially well-suited to this.
Speaking of the festivals, I should mention that two of my Gardenstown pieces are currently on display at the Macmillan Art Show, on now through Sunday, 31 August at Bonhams Queen Street. If you’re in Edinburgh, please stop by. It’s full of lovely work from local artists, and sales go to a good cause.