Hi Everyone and a Happy New Year to you all.

May it be a healthy and joyful one for you with abundance in all manner of things.

Here, on the Isle of Wight, it’s been a strange start to the year.  Like most of the UK, we have gone into lockdown but there is hope on the horizon and, of course, the evenings are just that little bit lighter and nature is starting to flower already.  One of our geraniums decided to burst forth yesterday!

These newsletters are normally brimming with planned painting activities, but in these unusual times during lockdown, my focus will be on preparing lots of ideas in both acrylic and wet-on-wet oils for forthcoming classes.  I already have lots of craft ideas for the children’s activities holidays which I trust will resume come Easter.  Not only that, I am hoping to paint for myself and see what emerges.  

Thankfully, I can still see and talk to you all via all sorts of technological means that we have at our disposal, which means I can run online classes.  It never ceases to amaze me that I can teach someone as far away as Australia or North Yorkshire and yet can hear and see them as well as if they were standing by my side!  If this is something that would interest you, please get in touch. 

I am sure that lots of unexpected creative opportunities will present themselves in the weeks to come and, as a wise teacher once told me, it’s important to focus on what we do have and what we can do, rather than the other way round.  

Once things change, I will write again.  In the meantime, keep warm, eat well and be as creative as possible in whatever format that takes.

Happy Painting and Warm Wishes  Sophia xx