Had a lovely day today. Fourteen artists, all students of @StewartTaylor, met up to exhibit their artwork, meet each other and celebrate Stewart’s 80th birthday. BBC Look North were there and you can see the interview and film of the day on the Look North website. The village hall in North Ferriby played host to family, friends and visitors from the local area, and there was such a lovely atmosphere throughout the day.
Being able to exhibit artwork is exciting, but by far the nicest part of the day was talking to other artists and chatting about all things art. Being an artist can sometimes be quite a lonely existence, so the value of sharing ideas, challenges and successes is immeasurable.
For his birthday gift I painted Stewart’s portrait, and I was very happy (and a little flattered!) to see that he brought it along with him. I love painting portraits. There’s a sort of detective work involved in trying to capture not just the likeness of the sitter, but something of their essence too.
Today reminded me how important creative communities are — not just for sharing techniques, but for encouragement, friendship and inspiration. It was a lovely way to celebrate a talented teacher who has brought so many people together through art.
