What Makes Apples Look Like Apples, and Other Stories: 11th November 24
Hello again, Today I’m talking about art and a new girl bands film I saw on a day trip to Dundee, keeping sane in a mad world, drawing apples, sewing diamonds and some shop news. It’s a longer one to make up for missing last week, so get yourself comfy before you begin!
Should We Talk About the Weather?
Saturday was a typical grey November day, made so much better by the prospect of a train journey and day out in Dundee. After meeting my sister at the station, we took the short walk to the Mcmanus Gallery and Museum, an imposing Gothic revival building close to the city centre. We saw two exhibitions there. Firstly, Impressed: Twentieth Century Artist Prints from Dundee's collection. I enjoyed the wide variety of styles and techniques displayed, which included work by both Scottish and international artists.
In the next room was A Weather Eye: Art Inspired by the Weather from Dundee's Fine Art Collection.
Talking about the weather is a national pastime here in the UK, so it’s the perfect subject for an exhibition. Again, very diverse styles of painting, and I found a few paintings I really loved, including The Wood in Winter, a deceptively simple black and white composition by James Morrison, painted in 1981, the beautifully expressive Rocks and Sea by Oscar Goodall, which the blurb describes as having lurid colours (but I like them), and the huge dazzling yellow Sunset Over Moorland by John Houston from 1973. Strangely, I enjoyed the cold and stormy views more than the sunny ones. If you want to choose your favourites the exhibition will be on display throughout 2025.
Should We Talk About the Government?
Everyone knows now who the new President of the US is. I wasn’t expecting that result, because it’s obviously completely insane!
I’m fascinated (and appalled) by politics, in equal measure and as someone prone to anxiety, it’s had a devastating effect on my mental health on a few occasions over the last decade. Usually, it’s because I’ve immersed myself obsessively in online news output and become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of other people’s opinion....as if by knowing it all it would somehow help me solve the problem.
This time around, I may have finally learned my lesson and have kept watching news to the bare minimum, and I’d already removed myself from the toxic environment of Elon Musk’s X. Still, I’m not apathetic. I hate everything Donald Trump stands for but staying calm and healthy is a more effective way to face this political catastrophe. Worrying in itself will not help the situation.
So, it was timely yesterday, when catching up on email reading to find How Not to Freak Out About the US Election from Oliver Burkeman’s The Imperfectionist
Although it was written in advance of the election it’s not specifically about politics but more for anyone who, “craves a little more sanity, calm, and meaningful productivity amid ambient anxiety, news-induced or otherwise.”
It’s helped me to think about what I have control over, what I need to prioritise and that it’s OK to think about the smaller world closer to home - the people, pets, and places I cherish. In this hate-filled world love and joy are an act of resistance!
So, let's become stronger by focusing on the good stuff.
Missing Musical Interlude
If you recognised the lines from REM’s Pop Song 89 I’m sorry to disappoint you by not linking to it - the partial nudity in the official video sent the test email including it to my spam folder, so of you want to hear it you’ll need to search yourself.
This review tells the story of the video.
Since Yesterday
Also, on my visit to Dundee, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Since Yesterday, a new documentary film about Scottish girl bands, who, without exception did not get the recognition or financial rewards they deserved. Despite this, it was an uplifting watch, a rare opportunity to see more mature women talking about their creative lives. It made me both nostalgic for the music and fashions of times gone by and even with no musical talent whatsoever it made me want to start a band! If you can’t make it along to one of the limited screenings, it will be shown on BBC TV soon. I can’t wait to watch it again.
Listen to the playlist on Spotify
But Where’s the Art ‘Content’?
I really wanted to spend time painting, but things didn’t go to plan. Instead, I spent more time on work and life admin that cannot be avoided any longer. I’m catching up on chores that have been building up for months, if not years! It all needs done, and I need to accept that things take the time they take, and working consistently is key. But art is very important to me, so in between tidying out drawers, shuffling paperwork, and writing product descriptions, I’ve carved out little chunks of 5 or 10
minutes a day for observational drawing.
Apples, and plenty of them! Loads of space in this large ring bound sketchbook for multiple drawings. It’s like a school exercise. The subject could be anything, the aim is to keep my eyes sharp. Minutes fly by in a flash while I draw, with my brain purely concerned with the big questions, like what makes an apple an apple, and more often, why does my apple look like a tomato?
English Paper Piecing
If you want to calm a busy mind, make something with your hands. That’s what I’ve been doing. This form of patchwork, known as English paper piecing, is a traditional way to make quilts and other household items and even clothes. The fabrics are wrapped around paper templates and basted in place, before the individual pieces are stitched together with tiny whip stitches to create the patchwork.
The tactile nature of holding fabrics in your hands while you sew is so soothing and if you use materials which have had an earlier incarnation, it’s not only better for the environment but it can also stir up some fantastic memories, while you sew. In this small sample there’s snippets from a 1960s orange shirt my other half used to wear when we first met, a gift from an old friend cut from a cute retro floral design dress she wore as a bridesmaid in the 1970s, plus many other gifts of fabric, and charity shop finds – everyone has its own history, and a story attached.
The other great thing about patchwork is that you can work on a little bit at a time, so if you only have small chunks of time, like I’ve had it’s perfect. It’s a craft that only needs the most basic of equipment and there’s satisfaction in seeing the fabric grow daily as you add another piece and another.
I’ll keep you guessing as to what it might become...mainly as I’m not quite sure myself!
If you want to have a go yourself, I found an online tutorial on the sewing directory, with clear instructions, suitable for complete beginners.
Shop News
Misty Morning (above) and Winter Walk are now available in my shop.
Last week I wrote and sent out only the second shop updates newsletter this year. I don’t think I’ll ever find that type of marketing email easy and there were multiple technical hitches which prevented me doing it sooner, including the newsletter writing platform upgrading and removing my neglected account, luckily, I still had a backup of my subscriber list. Then for three days in a row I was locked out of my account and had to begin filling out the info from scratch.
I was at my wits end when I realised what the problem was – sadly it was user error!
All of which made it even more gratifying when I eventually got it all sorted out and sent, and almost at once one of the special offers was snapped up!
Thanks as always, to everyone who supports me by subscribing, and especially to those who buy my work and help me pay my bills.
If you’d like to read the email, it’s here and the sign up for shop news and offers is on this page.
My next shop update is pencilled in for the 2nd of December.
Good grief, that’s enough for now. Five gold stars to you if you’ve read this far! Have a great week!
Loved reading your post Julia, so many exciting bits and pieces that you are up to. Dundee is a great city, my son is up there studying at DJCAD so am hoping to get up soon. Did you go to The Kimono Exhibition at the V&A too?
Glad to hear you won the battle with tech too!! Well done x
Another great post! Let's start a band!