All of this is typed with one finger on my left hand as I’ve got tennis elbow! As best as I can figure I’ve developed an RSI from drawing on the iPad. It may also have something to do with digging.

52 left handed pastels

So I’ve had to draw with my left hand, I haven’t tried painting yet – I feel as if requires more control – and made these 52 5”x 7” pastel drawings of the garden. I’ve also been drawing daily on the iPad, with my left hand since the 2^nd September.

Drawing with your wrong hand is a strange activity in that it involves stilling the involuntary spasms that your usual hand makes due to muscle memory and conciously switching the natural action to its mirror image. It feels as if you are thinking differently at first, but after a while it seems as if there is a bar to your usual thinking so that the process is foggier.

Since my last post on August 18^th I’ve begun a couple of paintings

Balby Garden Robin

This robin is 10” x 10”, as is the Edlington Woods painting below.

Edlington Woods Branch

I also entered a local online competition with this small painting of birds…

Birds Do It

which is 12” x 9”, they are all oils on board.

dogs on beach

old mine works

lathkill dale

I also started three more, same sort of sizes, that I haven’t been able to finish yet.

All of these are a way to teach myself to paint with oils again.

I also finished the August Gallery