Well this is not the kind of newsletter I was hoping to write this month…we’ve been in a weird limbo of hoping we were moving but not actually certain we were and definitely with no timescale, and no exchange in place( legal thing in the UK which binds parties to buying /selling as agreed). For most of the month we’ve been packing boxes and talking to solicitors, and doing a lot of fingers crossing! Anyway, after all the signs suggested the whole thing was going to drag on and on, suddenly it all sorted itself out and we had a definite moving date for the end of the month. Instead of studio time, its been full on packing. When you try to pack up the long term family home and your art business at the same time, its amazing how much there is to shift about, pack, sort, donate etc…

Anyway we are dusty, tired and a bit bruised and battered but we are getting there, and nearly ready for the big move in a few days time. it’s an exciting move, although not far from where we are now, up here in North Yorkshire in the UK…we’re moving out into beautiful Nidderdale, an Area of Outstanding Natural beauty in the Yorkshire Dales. The house is part of a very old barn, with thick walls and footpaths straight out onto the surrounding moors and woodlands. Walking in the country is such a big part of my creative process, so I’m really excited to see how the move affects my work…if I get stuck, I’ll be able to walk straight out into beautiful scenery, so no excuses, and I know how lucky I will be!!

The new place has an office which the previous owners used to run their business. It’s about 17ft x 7ft, so much smaller than my current studio space, but it has lovely light, from two windows and two roof lights. There will be challenges, and I’ve had to prune my kit by donating stuff I used to use for running courses for schools etc….but I’m sure I can make it work. I intend to make the most of the space with a painting wall and narrow ledges for work in progress. I’m still working out how best to make the painting wall really flexible…there seem to be a number of options including peg boards and magnetic strips. If you have any good ideas/ solutions, I would really love to hear them!!

All of the above means that unsurprisingly, I have had no painting time at all. I have however, had some lovely sales including from Bils and Rye Gallery. The client who bought this particular piece wanted a bespoke painted frame, matched to a colour within the painting itself. The Whole Picture Company, made me a contemporary floater frame in unpainted wood which I was able to paint and wax to give a really nice finish. I always keep colour swatches and notes for each painting, no idea why I started, but I’m so glad I did, as it is incredibly useful as reference, and even more so when this happens. It meant that I was able to get an exact match with the specific colour they wanted, using the same paints, which I sealed with a light coat of buffed up cold wax.

Well I have a very early start tomorrow, and a whole load more boxes with my name on, so I had better go!

In all seriousness, I really hope you will all forgive the thinner than usual newsletter, and lack of new work in progress. Next month, if all goes well we should be settling in and I can post excitedly about my new views, and about setting up the new studio….oh and some new work in progress with a bit of luck!

So that’s all from me for now.

As always a very big thank you to everyone who takes an interest in my work, follows me on Instagram and Facebook, and reads my newsletters. Special thanks also for all the lovely feedback and enquiries, I love reading them and always reply.

Until next month take good care,

Jo xx

All text and images copyright ©️Jo York 2022