Hi 2024
Getting back into the swing of things...
Happy New Year, welcome back. My first newsletter of 2024 will be short and sweet! See below for a few recommendations, including a butter bean recipe, a recent exhibition visit and a book I devoured over Christmas.
I’ve set a goal for myself this year, a simple one worded intention; to ‘nourish’ myself - be it physically through nutrition and movement, mentally through meditation and nature, and creatively, through residencies, exhibitions, and travel. Wherever 2024 takes me I’ll have that word in the back of my mind to inform me when I make decisions. This was inspired by the artist Jessica Yolanda Kaye who gives herself a word to focus on each year, in 2023 that word was ‘play’ and her last 365 days seemed to be very fun, so it must work!
January is probably the hardest month of the year so don’t berate yourself, feel guilty, or give up things you love - make sure you fill it with things that give you joy; get out, see friends, films, exhibitions, try new foods, or stay in and read that book, have a bath, snuggle under a blanket, rest and dream. I’ve done all of the above and will continue like that for the rest of the year.
SEE
‘Fields Adrift’ by Oral Kane at Blue Shop Gallery
This exhibition is a whimsical tale, a love story to rural Scottish childhood adventures and daydreams, a mix of hazy pastel thoughts, doodles and patchwork. Lines, patterns and shapes merge into one creating ghostly scenes of colourful new lands, an antidote to the greyness of January. Go for the colour and say hi to Mole the gallery pooch on the way. On until 28th January.
COOK
Over Christmas I was introduced to Bold Beans (a company that sell an array of jarred bean varieties made in Spain) and as crazy as it sounds to be this obsessed with a mundane pulse, I’ve fallen head over heals for these often overlooked jewel of an ingredient. My favourite being the Queen Butter Bean - which I regularly eat straight from the jar. I then spent the whole of Twixmas adding beans to every single meal (sorry family). Here’s a made-up butter bean shakshuka that went down a treat…
Serves 2 for breakfast/brunch/snack:
1 x 700g jar of Bold Bean Queen Butter Beans
1/2 red onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 leek
tin of chopped tomatoes
1tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
pinch chilli fakes
2 eggs, poached
crumbling of feta
Add a little olive oil to a frying pan, start cooking the onion, garlic and leek with the spices and chilli flakes. Once cooked add the tin of tomatoes and butter beans, turn down the heat and let the butter beans heat through for about 15 mins. Season with pepper and a little salt (the Bold Bean butter beans are stored with a salty stock in the jar so add a little of this and you won’t need much salt). Poach your eggs! Plate up, crumble on some feta and serve with an egg on top and a slice of toasted sourdough drizzled with good quality extra virgin olive oil. Voila!
READ
Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews
I devoured this book over Christmas. A 28 year old woman living in London enters into an intoxicating relationship, we learn more about her as the relationship and book develops. The narrative is beautifully descriptive and lyrical, dispersed with significant vignettes from her childhood, adolescence and young adult years.
WATCH
Past Lives, directed by Celine Song
Wow. Weep. This was such a delicate, subtle yet astoundingly beautiful film. Two lives intertwine through life, starting in early childhood and meandering back together as adults. It’s a story about the choices you make in life, whether the paths you take, and decisions you make are right or wrong. Set between Seoul and New York City, one life immigrates to America while the other stays behind in South Korea. Life happens. Careers. Marriage. And then their lives converge again. This film is big but quiet at the same time, visually stunning, reminding me strangely of a mix between Lalaland and The Worst Person in the World. I cried (of course).
COMING SOON - Monthly (ish) mini sales! First one launching Monday 29th January, keep your eyes peeled! If you can’t wait until then my website has all my most recent paintings available to buy.
Thank you for reading! I hope your January hasn’t been too grey, remember that spring is coming, the evenings are slowly getting lighter, bulbs, buds and blooms will be springing open soon.