Over the weekend I heard a radio program about Benjamin Britten in which he was quoted as saying (something like) "making good art is easy, finding the time and space within your head to make that art a reality is the hard bit."
I apologise for what may well be an awkward (if not downright inaccurate) paraphrasing, but it stopped me in my tracks and I have found myself meditating on the mysteries of time and space - incorporating a minute of long-time gone recording, an act of scheduling and the erratic happenchances of my own walk through the kitchen on a Sunday morning - ever since.
Of course, Benjamin Britten was not speaking to me, but he very precisely summed up one of the greatest challenges I face as a working artist. For me, coming up with ideas is easy - and I have many years worth of 'works in progress' hiding in my studio to prove the point - BUT finding the time and the head space in which to execute those ideas has proved more than difficult. For years at a time it has been pretty much impossible and while, on the whole, it is getting easier I still have days like today where my role as a parent-carer takes on more urgency.
So, with a nod to Mr Britten, I should like to offer a toast to the sometimes impossible ask of having the necessary time and (head)space to create new works ... in the hopes that tomorrow will be a better painting day than today!