Art & Positive Thinking

I have really been getting into the book I am reading - it's called 'Ask and it is Given' by Esther & Jerry Hicks. It's really opened my eyes to the way I think and brought to my attention that, although I like to think of myself as a "positive thinking", I could be doing a lot more to improve this!

I have also been thinking more about the happiness and positivity I gain from painting. When I paint a scene I am imagining being in that place and the amount of joy I feel when I am there. When I look at my paintings later on I am filled with that same warmth that is indescribable. Sometimes I can almost feel the sunshine and the way it radiates off the white sandy beaches and turns stretches of ocean into a glittering mass of jewels. When you go somewhere and the water is totally clear it is amazing - there's a whole other life beneath the sea and it's so incredibly peaceful.

I have always believed that we create our own destiny and positive thinking is just a small part of this. I find that art can be a huge mood booster and any image that you associate with feeling happy can be very therapuetic. I like to call it using 'imagery' and I believe it's used quite a lot these days in stress management. For me, remembering my favourite places allows me to remember how I felt in each one of those places - therefore engulfing me with happiness!

My paintings feature large, open spaces and that 'space' and remoteness is one of the biggest attractions about them for me. It's not so much the places as what they represent - and the fact that living in a built up area doesn't give me the chance to experience this everyday.

I also believe colours can be mood-boosters. You'll notice that I use lots of blues and greens in my work - I rarely introduce new colours in fact because I am just so drawn to the differing shades. I am always amused by the phrase, "blue and green should never be seen without a colour in between". I can't imagine painting without combining the two colours to make the shades of the sea - so I for one can confirm that blue and green most definitely do mix well together! (Although I suppose certain shades could be too 'harsh'.)

Blue is a soothing colour - it's known to be relaxing, calming and peaceful. Green invigorates the mind while still feeling restful. Bright shades of these colours can inject energy and vibrancy into a room. I like to think that whilst my paintings are bright, they still remain relaxing - and more importantly happy!

Hoodlums!

Some good friends of mine - The Hoodlums - have released their first UK single today, 'The Beat Bop'. It's a really catchy song that has already been featured on BBC radio and Soccer A.M.! You can listen to it here:

http://www.myspace.com/hoodlumsband

I believe it's only available to download online - I know it can be purchased from Play.com - http://www.play.com/Music/MP3-Download-Track/4-/5425480/The-Beat-Bop/Product.html?aid=5425480 - for only 70p so if you like it, support this up-and-coming band and download it today!

May 2008 newsletter

My latest newsletter is available to view online now at http://www.gemmaclimpson.co.uk/may+newsletter/.

I currently produce my newsletters on a quarterly basis and they are each filled with my news, stories and events. May's newsletter gives you a great tip for a day out in the south of England, as well as an up-to-date listing of exhibitions scheduled this year.

You can sign up for my newsletter on my website http://www.gemmaclimpson.co.uk and if you wish to be added to my mailing list, you will receive exclusive news about exhibitions, private viewings and sometimes even free tickets to events that I am taking part in.

Now I'm off to enjoy the sunshine! I only wish I had the lovely view that I did during my time in the Caribbean in January!

January 2008

Dominican Republic

© Gemma Climpson

Dreaming of afar...

What with the weather perking up, my mind has been on my travels again and where to next for inspiration! I spent the bank holiday weekend finishing my latest painting, 'Palm Paradise'.



'Palm Paradise' - available for sale at http://www.gemmaclimpson.co.uk/
30" x 24"
Oil & Acrylic on Box Canvas
© Gemma Climpson

Just looking at this painting yesterday in my home really brought back those memories of being somewhere so picturesque and away from everything back home. It's not that I'm always trying to escape the life that I have in England but I am so drawn to the colours and the beauty that surrounds us in these faraway places, that I can't help but seek out every opportunity to visit them!! I am so happy with how this painting has turned out - I don't think I could have injected so much sunshine and happiness into it if I'd intended to. I have been inspired by painting it!

So my next trip?..........I don't know but Grenada and the Grenadines in the Caribbean are up there at the moment. Watch this space.........perhaps I might get myself a bargain!

I've not had time today to work on my latest painting. The day seems to have flown by and somehow been spent doing household chores unfortunately! But a tidy house is a tidy mind in my book and now I feel refreshed enough to spend some time working on ideas for my latest newsletter and a little bit of online promotion for my work.

They weren't joking when they said that 70% of the work in this business is the marketing and promotion. I would love to spend my days just painting but I know that this is my business and the paintings alone won't sell themselves - unless that is, I put them in front of the people who want to buy them! But aside from this, I do actually enjoy the business side of things and it's reassuring to know that sometimes when I don't feel I want to pick up a brush I can log on to my website or respond to correspondence I've received.

I am, however, in the mood to paint today so it's frustrating that I've had to spend time tidying and cleaning! But it's the evening now and this is all done so I'm hoping to do some more work to my new painting (above)tonight. I don't have a name for it yet but it's a sky/seascape from the Maldives, with lots of detail in the sky.

You can see the outline of the sky and clouds but this is the very first layer in acrylic. I will tonight begin to paint much more detail in, probably using oil paint as I love the slow-drying time, which means I can come back and manipulate it tomorrow! I would normally start on the sea at the same time but I think I'm going to finish the sky on this occasion. It's a huge 40" x 40" deep gallery box canvas and I just love the size of this. It's so much more refreshing to paint on such a large scale. I do have another painting I'm working on at the moment, which is only 24" x 30", but I'll save details of that for a later date!

Don't forget to watch this space for details of my upcoming newsletter! And if you would like to subscribe to my mailing list, which will feature exclusive invitations to private events, news of upcoming exhibitions and future discounts and special offers, please visit my website http://www.gemmaclimpson.co.uk. You can opt to subscribe to my mailing list on my contact page.

Do you want to escape?

For those of you who don't already know me, I am an artist from Essex in England and I specialise in painting tropical seascape scenes from destinations such as the Maldives, Mauritius and the Caribbean. I like to call my style of work 'Escapism', hence the title of my blog 'Escape to Paradise'.

Above you will see me in one such destination - Antigua - which I visited in January of this year. Every scene I paint I have witnessed and experienced and to it I have lovingly added a part of my emotional attachment to each place I have visited.

My escape to paradise stems from my first visit to the Maldives in 2005. The overwhelming difference in life between what I was experiencing and my life back in England prompted me to re-think my life - even at the young age of 21. The colours, the compositions, the suggestion of solitude - everything that I put into my artwork comes from my first experience in this ecosystem and ultimately, my travels and the emotions I felt when visiting these places.

We all have times when we want to 'escape' everyday life and reach out for our dreams - or just reach a level of relaxation where we feel content with life. This is the point I aim for with my work. Please subscribe to my blog to hear regular (sometimes daily) updates of my escape to paradise, along with my tips for escaping to your paradise, my plans and most importantly my travels!

Below are some images of my latest paintings, which can be found at http://www.gemmaclimpson.co.uk/.

'Maldivian Pearl'
2008
Oil & Acrylic
24" x 24"
© Gemma Climpson

'Secret Getaway'
2008
Oil & Acrylic
24" x 24"
© Gemma Climpson