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Instead of always displaying work that’s complete, that looks as if it were done from start to finish according to one plan or sweep of ideas, I thought it’d be interesting to start showing some unfinished pieces. Some struggle into existence over days, weeks, even (occasionally) years. Just a few spring into life in one fell swoop. Joyous and liberating when it happens. But I think you need the alternation between hard graft and spur-of-the-moment, perspiration and inspiration. It’s just like writing or (I imagine) composing: you need to be able to get right into the detail, but also pull back and be your own editor, to cast a cold eye over what you’re doing.

Recently there’s been a lot of perspiration after an unintentionally long break from proper work in the studio. I need unbroken time to get through the barrier of over-editing, being too critical, too hard on myself. There’s a moment when, after lots of thought and/or hard work, everything seems poised and ready for action, resolution and completion. I thought I’d got there this week but there have been more interruptions (good as well as bad!). By next week some of these pieces (and more) should be taking their final form.
 Lots afoot since my last post: building, plumbing, house repairs of all kinds. Harder to pick up the threads of my art work, much interrupted. Now it’s time to register The Wolf at the Door for Artists’ Open House again – for which I’ll need lots of new work anyway. Ideas have been knocking on my mind’s door, been postponed, piled up, got confused. If I don’t get stuck in now I will soon be embroiled in exhibition admin!

So here are some pics of my studio and about ten or twelve pieces of work in progress and lots of raw materials – not the ideal way to work but the only way I can pick up the threads.

It’s like a metaphor for my mind at present: some organised and distinct bits in there but a lot of chaos and disorder, things swirling about and recombining in unexpected ways. So now I know it’s starting to work again, after the usual doubts: that mixture of design/plan and serendipity/chance that I’ve talked about before, and the boldness to take risks and maybe wreck it all!

Have a look at the Jill Tattersall Artist and Wolf at the Door Facebook pages to see what’s going on in more detail.


