My life is very, very full at the moment. The dynamics at home have changed, with my oldest daughter now living on campus at uni and my baby (now almost six months) filling up more and more space in my heart, arms, mind and bed! Like all his siblings before him he is an active little guy, prone to night waking and early starts. It is about now that I am questioning the wisdom of taking on another exhibition along with all the other responsibilities I have. I justify it all by saying that the work, while it drives me crazy, also keeps me sane.
I actually think the crunch and pressure makes me work harder and smarter. My brain generally goes around in circles, from manic to flat and unfortunately lack of sleep flattens out the manic bit, this is the bit that I need to give me that extra bit of drive and energy. So, it is coffee in the afternoon and staying up as late as what is practical, to squeeze in some more painting time. I have painted some big, (BIG), paintings for this exhibition and am doing some other fun stuff (an installation) as well. I am excited, and if I feel overwhelmed I remind myself that anything worth doing has to come at some cost.
Anyhow, (in case your wondering), I have to say that I wouldn’t achieve much at all without my husband’s help. His weekends at the moment are spent doing all the kids stuff, along with housework, shopping etc.. and I am very grateful. Any image you might have of an artist being fun to be in a relationship with, I can probably dispel right now. I can at times be very selfish and very driven and very boringly locked in my studio.
It took me years to be able to verbalise how important it was for me to keep painting, alongside my family commitments (but once it was out there was no going back), and now we have a pretty good thing going. I also have a wonderful mother in law, who regularly helps out as well.
Anyhow, all these images will hopefully give you a bit of an idea of what the show (Opening july 31) is going to look like! If you would like to be on the invite list, you can leave your email address in the comment feed below or send me an email to; jasminemansbridge@yahoo.com.a
I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.. My plans include going to church, making roast duck, going for a run… DRAWING a winner for my instagram giveaway, playing with the kids, planting some more veg seedlings, a bit of painting….. The list goes on… What about you guys? What do you do on Sundays
Jasmine x