I love January and the promise of new beginnings. Not only is the weather hot and we swim and have lazy days but we make plans for the year and I create ideas and opportunities for my art journey.

My main goal for this year is to spend more time doing plein air painting. Going outside and painting as much as possible. I have started by joining the Tauranga Sketchers group that meet once a month. This month we sat by the Hairy McLeary statue park at the Strand. There were cafes, boats, hills, water and a rail bridge, and everything in between.

With COVID-19 shutting most things down for awhile it will be a pleasure to get the Waihi Plein Air group up and running again. We will start the year on Friday the 11/2/22 at 9.30, meeting at the Waihi Beach reservoir car park and paint in the area.

The local community have a fair at the beginning of January and this year I held an Open Studio (garage) on the day so I could capture an audience as it passed by. It turned out to be a very quiet day as people walked past my sign on the way to the fair. Those that did come in to see me were great to talk to. I’m going to try again on the Saturday of Auckland Anniversary weekend and hopefully meet more people who want to view and talk about my art.

Our little artist group, Unlimited Palette, have the use of the Waihi Accountants window. We love to display our works in there and we are getting good feedback from locals who enjoy seeing the art and know when we have changed it around and put new works in. The photo below is a side on view so looks a bit messy but people do stop to look and see the art.

I’m getting excited about the Women in Art art tour up to the Bay Of Islands in February. I’ll be able to post lots of paintings and sketches of our time away when we get back. All fingers and toes are crossed in the hope that it goes ahead and no pandemic gets in the way of creativity.

Just a fun thing to finish up with. My brushes here are so special to me and each one of them has a story. My most favourite brush is this one shown. It’s a Robert Simmons no.14 round and was given to me by a very dear friend, Dot McComb. Dot is the most amazing watercolourist who took me under her wing when I first started painting watercolour and shared her vast knowledge and understanding of this most wonderful medium. Of course I think of Dot every time I pick up this brush and use it in my work.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my monthly blog. Check out my postings on pamelalinesart on Instagram and pamsart.felt.co.nz which has my shop for sales.

Ka kite ano. See you again. Pamela.