Hello. I hope you are well
I am looking out of the window today at an overcast day and it feels like Autumn is here; summer feels long gone, put away with my sandy flip flops. If I am honest with you I have been feeling out of kilter recently and unable to paint productively. I am not able to finish anything and it feels frustrating.
A couple of months ago I had 4 days free without any responsibilities and I decided to hop on a plane and fly to Florence. I hadn’t travelled solo for about 30 years so this felt like an enormous adventure. My few days in Florence were wonderful – more than the daily trips to various amazing museums and galleries, and more than my daily cappuccinos and 15km walks in the baking heat.
It was waking up to total freedom in a stunning city – exploring the most beautiful city in my own time. The shiny stone pavements, the cool church interiors with their intense incense scents, the colours of the chalky walls and the ancient frescoes which were far and beyond my most favourite discoveries and the many wooden panelled doors that stood heavy along the pavements. Magical. I had needed this time more than I realised and came home having resolved a few personal issues that had needed my attention.
I was talking to a friend recently about what it was that we loved so much about doors, doorways, locks and keys. Was it something to do with the fact that behind these various doors could lie any kind of story? That this was totally up to us to imagine? The doors in Florence as you can see from the photo above offer, I think, so many possible stories.
I want to take this thought of hidden stories into my studio this month. I don’t need to know what’s behind the ‘doors’ right now – it doesn’t matter. I just need to allow myself to spend some time with my unfinished paintings and, a bit like a walk around a new city, look forward to the unknown turns around corners, taking the left bend or the right as my mood takes me, and making that magical time to see what will emerge. If I’m lucky I will find a key or 2 that turns and just enjoy the gelato along the way.
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About katherine palmers-needham
Katherine Palmers-Needham is a Berkshire-based contemporary abstract artist. For over 20 years, she’s been producing custom pieces with a focus on colour, mark making and surface textures. She has extensive experience working to briefs for clients and agents and is available for commissions. Her works are show – cased across the UK.
