Dear Stacey (24 Oct 25),

How are you today? This idea to start a blog in the style of a letter to each other blossomed out of a week of frustration didn’t it?! And finally I am brushiung up on my computer blog making skills and giving this idea legs. Otherwise it will nag at me duting the night when I should be catching up on preciuous sleep! That week was a shocker hey?! We were both listening to art podcasts and feeling inspired but also disheartened. Both of us alone in our home studios wanting to create a dialogue that has meaning and purpose, all while juggling family and life. It is mostly for us but maybe it’ll mark time and leave a sort of legacy? I think this is what we are trying to do in general as artists… create meaningful work, be authentic, juggle life and our creative practice as well as create legacy. A “we were here”.

I had a productive day in the studio today accompanied by Charlotte Day Wilson playing on my studio speakers, my Anne Truitt book, Always Reaching and Mary Oliver Devotions at the ready. I love dipping into both, especially Oliver’s poetry- open a page and be inspired. Listening to GWA today where Katy Hessel interviews Sally Mann who began her life’s course wanting to be a poet. “…you see perhaps an ordinary object and you can imbue it with the ages, with epic qualities, by just simply isolating it and treating it in a certain way and photography is perfect for that. And you can do it with words too and that’s what poetry does. It takes very simple words, and By putting them together in a slightly dissonant way you can create a feeling you can create an entirely different meaning with those words. That’s what photography can do too except you can do it visually.” I think I was the same as a younger person wanting to be a poet, except I had a guitar and a notebook of songs which I look back on and cringe about, but maybe there was something in it- I think I trained myself to really hone in on objects and feelings, words and moments! I think the same can be true of painting. I’m keen to read her memoir so of course I immediately ordered it with a gift card that I had!

Ok, so I didn’t want to go too deep in my first letter to you but of course I did! What are your thoughts on objects and painting today? What makes you curious at the moment. What are you reading and listening to?

Love E xx

Apple core in my coffee cup and sketches on the studio table