I must apologise for my sudden vacation from the internets! I have been working insane hours for a number of months now and Tayla has been even busier juggling her school and UMAT study, work, preparing for her formal and her Young Ambassador role with MAW. But we are anticipating that things will settle down for us both in August.
I knew this time of the year was going to be hectic but I didn't bank on also buying a new car AND enjoying driving it so much that it took up any spare moment I had - when not consumed by work or family commitments! I suddenly came to realise just how much of my spare time I had been committing to painting horses, I wasn't allowing myself to do anything else! So for the first time in what must be at least 18 months I decided that painting was no longer going to be my main priority when I had some free time. I must admit I felt like a naughty child when I was off pursuing other enjoyable activities rather than painting, especially as I now have a number of commissions!
I always said, after my tack making burn out, that I would never paint unless I felt like doing so, I enjoy it so much I don't want to lose that passion. But I hadn't quite realised, until spending some time away from painting, how all consumed by it I had unknowingly become. So I have decided to continue on that vein and only paint when I'm in the mood, (which is really always) but I'm going to also allow myself to make other plans during my spare time, go out and enjoy myself from time to time and try not to feel guilty about doing so either, (although I still have to work on that!). This will impact on my four outstanding commissions to some degree but only in that I won't be turning them around as quickly as I had initially hoped. I envisage having them completed in the next 6 -12 months hopefully. That will then be the last of the commissions for the foreseeable future, with the exception of the annual cancer research donation slot of course, I hope to continue that for as long as I am able to paint.
I have still been working on Victrix though so thought it was time I popped in here explained my hiatus and share some updated photos of her. She is coming along nicely and will be offered for auction in the near future, perhaps a month or two? Depends on how much time I spend on her, I don't want to rush things ;)
So I suspect I will continue to have a low online presence for the next few weeks at least but I shall try not to make it quite so long between posts next time :) Take care all!
