If you've read my Blog previously, you will realise that I'm open and honest and mostly positive about what life throws at me.

I have to admit that these last few months have been a real struggle from a practical point of view and an emotional one.

My youngest son has been having some difficulties which I can't go into here because it is of a very personal nature.  It has, however, preoccupied my mind for quite some time and I've felt less and less like communicating with you all.

I've also been involved as much as possible in our fight to keep Llangedwyn Primary School open.  I'm damn sure that if it wasn't for my children attending this small rural school with one to one attention and support from the teachers, my son's problems would not have been picked up if he were in a large school.  This is one of many reasons why I'm passionate about the school which is the focal point of our community and why I shall continue fighting against its closure.

I always try to remain positive and I often say to myself 'there are people worse off than me'.  But, I have to admit my depression has been rearing its ugly head again of late.  Partly due to life circumstances which seem to change constantly and partly due to the daily chronic pain I suffer due to my spinal condition.  I have a prolapsed disc, disc deterioration and retrolisthesis.  Most days I manage through pain relief but there are days when I'm just so damn tired of it.  Yesterday, I felt so down as I realised that I'm likely to spend every day in pain for the rest of my life.  I've forgotten what it's like to be pain free, unless I want to take medication which will leave me feeling 'drugged up'.  It's been 4 years now.  I'm writing this as I come out of one of those 'dark days', I'm trying to reflect and turn the negatives into positives again.

All that has happened over the last few months has resulted in me being unable to paint.  I haven't had the time, the inspiration or the energy to be totally frank.  The crazy thing is, I know that when I put brush to canvas, I will feel so much better.  I hope that day will come very soon.

I hope this Blog entry doesn't come across as me whining.  I just wanted you to know that even though people often see me as a positive smiley person, there are occasions when you just have to give in to feeling miserable and to know that it will pass.  They say that depression isn't a weakness, it's a sign that you've been trying to be strong for too long.  I definitely hold with that.

We all have our trials and tribulations which we have to face.  I see life like I see a drawing, there has to be light and dark in order that the whole can be appreciated.

Yet again it has been a few months since I last wrote a blog post.  Like I've said previously, I find writing like I find my art, I can only do it when I'm in the right frame of mind.

That said, please indulge me and allow me to update you with what has been happening.

The summer holidays came and went.  My art took a back seat whilst the children were on holiday from school.  Unfortunately, we didn't go on holiday due to the fact that my husband runs his own business (www.gwr-fasteners.co.uk) and really, even though it's been two years, the company still needs commitment to continually build on its success.

Towards the end of the summer holidays however, I did become involved in an Art Exhibition at the Flaxmill Maltings in Ditherington, Shrewsbury. What a fascinating project.  This was a Heritage Open Day (over a weekend in September 2011) involving many artisans using different mediums to reflect their thoughts and feelings on this revolutionary building, the Flaxmill, which was built way back in 1796.  The building is dilapidated now, however, The Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings are working hard to build up the profile of this iconic structure to raise funds to see the building renovated and rejuvenated.  The exhibition was a great success with over 1000 visitors going through the doors to view all the artwork.

Once the children were back at school, I also began creating new pieces for my next exhibition called 'Dream eScapes' which is taking place during the month of November 2011 at SpArC Theatre, Bishops Castle.  I'm excited to be able to create landscapes, seascapes and skies for this exhibition; I'm able to paint all that beautiful scenery out there which I'm most passionate about and I can't wait for the exhibition to come to fruition.

What you may not know about me is that I'm Vice Chair of Governors at our local school, Llangedwyn Primary School.  On the 4th October 2011 we were informed that Powys County Council are to begin the consultation procedures for the closure of our school.  As a mother first and foremost, this has upset me deeply because I know how fantastic the school is and my children are thriving and happy there.  I'm also the school's Artist in Residence and I work a lot with the teachers and children.  The school is also in the top quartile for standards of education in the whole of Powys. As a Governor, what I will say is that we will fight against this decision.  I have set up a Facebook Group which is quickly gathering support so please help us if you can by joining.

Finally, I just wanted to tell you some exciting news that one of my drawings is to be used as the cover of an eBook which is to be published on the 31st October 2011.  It is called "After Dark" and is part of The With Love Project.  Two creative women are gathering several short stories from independent and talented authors.  The book is to raise funds for the Medecins Sans Frontieres charity which is an extremely worthy cause.  I was approached and I was honoured to say yes in donating my artwork to the book.  The book cover is shown below.

So I think that's about it for now.  Wow, reading that back there's been quite a lot going on.  I'll try to keep you posted on further progress. Thanks for reading.

Love and hugs

Jude x

I haven't blogged for so long, I may have forgotten how to write but I'll give it a go anyway.

As most of you know, I was part of the '4 Artsake' team and we exhibited at The Qube in Oswestry from mid May to mid June this year (Exhibitions).  My goodness, it really was hard work.  I began painting my new pieces back in February this year and didn't stop painting until the beginning of May.  Behind the scenes there was much to do with the other members of the team to ensure that the exhibition looked as professional and as good as it could be including the 5 collaborative art pieces that were the centre of the exhibition.

We know from The Qube that the exhibition was a success.  Over 300 people came to see it and we had lots of positive feedback.

I have to say that once the exhibition was over, I needed to take a break from painting and being creative.  I decided to concentrate my efforts on other things mainly to do with my local primary school of which I am a Parent Governor, Chair of the PTFA and I run the school website (www.llangedwynschool.org).  I've very much enjoyed this change of focus for a while because I love our school very much.

The school summer term is about to come to an end and I've just last week picked up my paint brush again.  My creativity is back in earnest even though for a time there, I thought I'd lost it all together.  The change of focus away from art for a while has definitely been as good as a rest :-).

Other art news is that I've recently found out that I've been accepted into two galleries in Shropshire to exhibit towards the end of this year.  One in Bishops Castle and one in Church Stretton, so I'm very excited about that.  This will be the first time I've exhibited solo however the '4 Artsake' exhibition taught me so much that I know I have the confidence now to do it.  I'm sure I'll be nervous as the time approaches but I'm feeling honoured to have been asked.

So there you have it, a quick update from the world of Art By Jude.  I shall endeavour to blog more often in the future.

Hugs to you all


Jude xx

This blog entry is about riding the waves in a metaphorical sense, I don't imagine I'll fit into a rubber suit, grab a board and hit the surf any time soon :-).

My art journey seems to be moving on at quite a pace is what I really mean.  Visualising me in a rubber suit is not for the feint hearted :-).

The art exhibition '4 Artsake' is moving ever closer and I'm concentrating on creating pieces to show at The Qube in Oswestry from the 13th May to the 11th June 2011.  I'm very lucky to be working alongside fellow artisans who are also my good friends and they are sharing this incredible ride with me.  As a four, we've already been approached by another art gallery wishing to display our work and that is way before we've even hung our first piece on the wall!

As an individual artist, I've been approached by several local businesses about selling my artwork through their shops which is incredible to me.

I've also just been contacted by an art gallery which is situated in the hub of the creative district of New York!  Well, my wish is to be a well known artist in Shropshire and Powys, I never imagined going global?  This is exciting, scary, challenging and not what I could ever have imagined happening.

So you see, this journey is continually changing and developing.  I'm the kind of person who will go with the flow, ride those metaphorical waves and see where it takes me. 

What I will always do is smile, try to make people laugh, continue being self-deprecating (it's in my nature) and I will always feel grateful.

Afterall ..... "Nothing happens unless first we dream"


Jude xxx

It has been a while since I last posted a Blog entry.  I find writing a lot like painting, I can only do it when the mood takes me.  I really feel for authors and artists working to deadlines!!

Quite a lot has happened since I last put pen to paper, or should I say fingers to keys.  I have continued with my painting, sold most of them and completed several commissions.  I don't believe I will ever feel complacent about my work being sent into the hands of others.  I still find it unbelievable and very humbling.

Now you may be wondering why I've entitled this blog entry, A Spiritual Journey?  Back in November of this year, I attended a psychic supper.  I have to admit I'm more of a believer than a sceptic.  There were three different mediums there that evening and I was read by all of them separately.  The overwhelming theme that came through was that I'd spent many years wondering if I was on the right path and they all said, without doubt, that now I was on the right path.  One of the mediums even described my "studio" in my house!!

I can hardly put into words how much that meant to me.  It brings me so much happiness and peace.  The mediums also said that I have a psychic capability not yet explored 'I could do what they do!'.  I've been told this in the past and only now do I have the opportunity to develop this side of my capabilities.  Watch this space on that one.

And so, back to my art journey, which in itself is a spiritual experience for me and people have told me this is reflected in my artwork.  This gives me such a thrill as I feel I always paint from the heart.  There's much more I'm going to be involved with which will continue to push me outside of my comfort zone.  I have the opportunity to teach about oil painting.  It will take place at a beautiful rural study centre called Gleanings (click here for details, scroll down to Arts & Crafts).  This is exciting and nerve wracking but I'm sure it will also be enjoyable.

There is also something massive (for me!) happening in 2011.  I will be holding my first art exhibition in collaboration with others.  I can't tell you when or where or with whom just yet until the details are finalised but I will definitely share the excitement with you along the way.  If you're on Twitter, you can see developments by following @4_ArtsSake.

It will only be a year in March 2011 since I began this spiritual art journey.  I find it hard sometimes to comprehend all that has happened in such a short space of time.  That said, I'm such a believer in things happen for a reason.  I 'AM' on the right path now, now is my time to follow my heart and the passion which I've had since I was a little girl.

Thank you to everyone who continue to support me along the way.  A special thank you to Valerie Higgins (Twitter @valdary) who was there for me right at the beginning of this journey.  She sadly passed away this month and she will be sorely missed by so many people including me, she was a shining light of inspiration.

Finally, I want to wish you ALL the very best for 2011, I hope all your dreams come true.  Afterall "nothing happens unless first we dream".

Love and hugs


Jude xxxx

This blog entry is not written under some ruse or pretext to sell a painting namely 'Remember The Poppy').  The painting has actually already been sold to a lovely lady who I have much admiration for.  But I digress. The reason I write this blog entry is to tell you whom and what I was thinking about as I painted it.

I would like to share with you some memories of my Grandad, he's the person in the forefront of my mind as I painted.  I've never written these memories down before now, but I just felt the need to share them with you all.

I've been thinking a lot about my Grandad of late.  He passed away in 1982 aged 84 (I was only 12 at the time) and I still miss him a lot.  I suppose that's why upon meeting my ex husband's Grandad back in 1986, I took him to my heart until his Grandson and I divorced under difficult circumstances, the same way as I've taken my husband's Grandad to my heart now.

The reason I think of my Grandad more this time of year is that it's Rememberance Day in November and my lovely sweet Grandad fought for his country is World War I.  He never spoke nor would he speak of his time during the war even when directly asked.  I do not know what happened to him in detail except that we have a diary of his that briefly tells us he was sent to a convalescence home in France to recover, from what, is not exactly clear.  My Dad still possesses the hand grenade (not live obviously) that his Dad had given to him.  A precious momento of a time when men really understood the meaning of hardship and horror.

What I remember about my Grandad growing up is his smile, how he used to doze with his mouth open (my Dad does that now :-)) and how he always had time for me.  I spent many hours with my Grandparents when my mum had to work and I have to admit that my Grandad was always my favourite.

I remember how he used bend over the fire building it up with screwed up newspaper, firelighters and coal.  He'd retired from working down the coal mines by then and even now the smell of firelighters and coal burning in our fire make me think of him.

I also remember him making me bread pudding one day.  I'd never tasted it before and unfortunately I hated it but I ate it just the same because I didn't want to upset my Grandad.

There were two chairs in my Grandparents' living room, one for my Grandma on the left and one for my Grandad on the right and I used to sit on the floor in the middle of them.  My Grandad would be forever squeezing my hand until I'd try to wriggle free, both of us laughing.

There's another smell that immediately will make his smiling happy face appear before me, the smell of pipe tobacco.  I used to watch him filling up his pipe with his index finger, light his match, puff away until the tobacco was lit properly and it made big clouds of smoke bellow into the room and up to the ceiling.  I know you may find this strange but that smell is just beautiful to me.

The sideboard in their living room was always full of trinkets, papers and other bits and pieces.  But as a kid, the item I remember the most was that my Grandad would always have cough candy in a white paper bag in there for me.  For those that don't know what cough candy is, it's a sugary sweet, normally cubed in shape but with a taste that is totally unique.  It was so bizarre that when I was pregnant with my first son in 1994/1995, my pregnancy craving was for cough candy.  I couldn't eat enough of the stuff, kilos at a time :-)

I also remember my Grandad's health suddenly declining.  He was only in hospital for about two weeks before he passed away.  I went to see him in hospital and the last words I heard him utter were to the nurse when she tried to give him some horlicks "Gi o'er wi't bloody horlicks" he said in his broad Athertonian accent (Atherton is in the North West of England for those that don't know).  He made me chuckle at the time.  I didn't realise at that point it would be last time I would ever see him or hear him speak.

I was devastated when he died and my mum and dad wouldn't let me attend his funeral, they thought I was too young.  It took me a long time to get over it and I often would wish he would appear to me in the afterlife, just to let me know he was okay.  Unfortunately that didn't happen until recently when I met with a Medium for the first time in my life.  He didn't come through strongly, the Medium didn't say what I wanted her to say, but she did say things that meant I knew he was there and he was still the quiet charming man he had been in life.

Bless you Grandad.  You will always be loved and never be forgotten.

Jude xx

This is only going to be a short Blog entry from me.

Going back to the very beginning of my art journey, I have had fantastic support from all my friends online both on Facebook and Twitter.  Due to that continued support, I feel very priveleged to now call myself an Artist and for that, I wish to thank you in a special way.

My Facebook Fan Page is now close to 1000 followers and therefore, once that number is reached, I am going to create an oil painting specifically for reaching that amazing milestone as a THANK YOU.

That's not all.  Once I have created the painting, I'm going to ask all my followers of my Facebook page to name the painting.  I will choose the name I like the most and that person will receive that original piece of artwork.

So, if you're not already a Fan of my Facebook page, please follow the link below and perhaps share it with your friends too.

Facebook Art By Jude

Thank you
Love and hugs


Jude xxx

I have a fire in my belly, a burning in my soul, a longing that won't relent.

Why you may ask?  I went along to the opening of a new art gallery in Oswestry today and it has sparked something within me that I never knew existed.  I saw the most amazing art work in the most awesome environment and all I could think of was how I want to be a part of it.

Please allow me to backtrack a little.  I went to see a medium only a few weeks ago.  I know some of you may be sceptical out there but she knew things only a person speaking to those who have past would know.  I won't dwell on those details because they are quite private but what she did say was how I've wondered for many years whether I was on the right path, whether what I was doing was the right thing .... well now, she said, I'm most definitely on the right path.  I knew she meant the journey I'd begun in the art world.  She also said that October was going to be a very important month for me, opportunity after opportunity.  All so very positive.

I went along to the new art gallery, The Willow, in Oswestry with my friends John and Kirsty today.  As soon as I walked in and saw the quality of artwork before me, I knew instantly that I wanted to be part of it.  Although I have amazing support on Facebook and Twitter, I sell paintings all the time, I really have this yearning to be recognised amongst my peers also.

Don't get me wrong, I have doubts that I would be good enough, but the fire and ambition I feel now is just quite overwhelming.  I really really want to be able to display my work amongst those that I admire.

Well, who knows what will happen next.  I'm still so loving the path that I am on now, I wouldn't change it for the world and I thank everyone who has helped me to take those first few steps and who continue to support my work.  I will always be grateful.

Love and hugs

Jude

I've heard the phrase Art Therapy numerous times now since I began my art journey.  I've even said myself "my art is my therapy".  I know that art therapy has been in existence for many many years but didn't become a recognised profession per se until the 1940s.  But what does Art Therapy really mean?

Art Therapy has become so popular in the treatment of mentally ill or emotionally disturbed people.  It is said that the creative use of paint, pastels, clay or art materials help people to communicate and overcome their emotional problems.  There is even a British Association of Art Therapists (www.baat.org) whose overall aim is to"enable a client to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment."

Art therapy can be effective in two ways.  It is believed to be therapeutic during the power of the creative process.  It can lead to personal fulfillment and emotional wellbeing.  Also, art therapy is a way of expressing oneself to the outside world when verbal communication becomes impossible to describe one's own feelings and emotions.

A friend of mine contacted me recently about how she had been teaching blind people to paint to music and she said the "results were amazing".  She found their art designs had a direct correlation with the music they were listening to.  However, it wasn't the resulting art piece that was important, it was how those indivduals felt during the process.

Personally, I can take art therapy one step further.  As you know, I suffer from a disability and from depression.  Although my pain is constant, I have good days and I have bad days.  More recently, my pain has become more severe.  I thought to myself, do I give in to this pain or do I do something to manage it better?

So I decided to test my own beliefs that the creative process can really help you not only emotionally but physically too.  The painting you see below is the result of me sitting at my easel and I can honestly say, during the time it took to paint this piece, I almost forgot about the pain I was in.  I became totally engrossed in what I was doing.  My hubby, unbeknown to me, came into my art studio to watch me.  He said afterwards "I love it when you paint, you always look so happy".

I now know that my belief in art therapy has been reaffirmed.  I wanted to feel relaxed, forget about the pain .... and it worked.  Hence, I named this painting Peace Of Heaven because during the time it took to complete it, I was overwhelmed with a sense of healing.

Please allow me to explain a little of my life only two or three years ago and perhaps it will help you to understand why this next chapter which will begin in September of this year is so exciting and quite unbelievable for me.

My life only a few years ago was so very very different.  I lived in a 3 storey house near Bolton.  My back condition was so severe, I struggled to get up and down stairs, in and out of bed, and I certainly couldn't drive.  I was literally housebound with my two young children who had to play inside of the house all of the time.  The only people that helped were my husband (who unfortunately had to work long hours) and my Mum and Dad but being of ill health themselves, their help was limited.

I was diagnosed by my doctor as having severe depression.  I'm sure this was as a result of my circumstances.  I had a spinal operation and additional pain relief which did give me some respite but with all the issues I have with my spine, I am still disabled much to my frustration.

We took the decision that we had to move to be near to my husband's family who could really help and support us and so we moved to mid Wales.  We got an automatic car which meant I could drive.  Our children began to make lots of wonderful friends, our daughter started at the local school and our son spent a few hours at nursery.  Life became so very different.

As you know, this year I began my passion for my art and our life continues to improve.  Although my physical disability means restrictions on my life, my emotional wellbeing is so much better which in turn, allows me to better manage my pain.

All that said, what is the next chapter for me then?  Well, my youngest son will start at the local school also.  This means for the first time in 5 years I will be without my children during the day.  My husband who uses a room in our house as his office is expanding his business and so the office will become my very own art studio.

Of course I will miss my children but I know they will be/are happy at school.  I will have the opportunity to be myself during those hours and create whatever I wish in my new art studio.  I'm so looking forward to redesigning the room to make it more conducive to creativity (and of course, protecting the carpet lol).  I'm so excited, I'm like a kid again :-).

Jude xxx