of paintings and frames that I have the privilege to call my working life these days. After more than two hundred paintings, of varying shapes and sizes, it has become impossible for me to carry any more details in my head as to where was what, and who bought which, and if this or that is framed or not.  

Because my nature is to be pernickity (too much emphasis on minor details and forgetting the bigger picture), and because my life experience has been shaped by being two-limbed in a four-limbed world,  I felt I had to re-invent the wheel when it came to organizing an inventory of my work, and getting a field easel that worked for me.

Many months later, I can report that, surprise, surprise (especially for me), I have not had to re-invent the easel or the spreadsheet. I am super-sorted (well, almost) in the inventory stakes, using Bento, a programme that turns spreadsheets into beautiful, easy-to-use documents, and allows me to track each of my paintings with a unique number.

And I got a great high-tech easel that I didn't have to have custom made from scratch, although it's been quite an adventure figuring how to use it, let alone adapt it. While it's slim, sleek and very snazzy, it arrived from the United States broken in two places.  Repairing it, with the help of replacement parts the makers sent, was a lot easier that figuring out how it worked in the first place. 

I am grateful to Gráinne Vaughan (recently returned from Africa) for taking on the great dismantling and re-assembly job. Given that each of the three legs weighed about half a kilo, and I didn't plan to use any of them, Gráinne cheerfully set about removing all of them. However, the third one proved resistant, and just as well, because it turns out it is essential in enabling me to lift the strap on my shoulder, as it allows the box to stand upright.

Yesterday I went off painting with it for the first time this year, and it was spectacularly glorious in its ease of use.


It felt a bit strange going off to paint because I haven't got out much lately. Instead, because of the rain, both last summer and this winter, I have been focusing more on doing portraits, and this has been a very big adventure. (See panels below and to the side for more details)

And, speaking about adventures, let me say, how much I appreciate your support, , in this fantastic journey of  my life as a painter for the last thousand days. Support comes in many forms, and I recognise that encouragement, advice, interest, excitement, inquiry, criticism as well as financial support (in the form of buying work) have all been very important to me. So, my sincere and heartfelt thanks to you.
with every good wish,
Mary