So what has been happening in 2022 ?
Dear friends
I have been silent much of this year. Thank you for bearing with me. We have had an intense beginning of 2022. Around about January/Feb I finished an online class I was teaching and very soon I realised I was in need of downtime. Covid happened and went it seemed, except it hasn't really gone away. The after effects of this pandemic are many winged and I know everyone has their own personal story. I retreated into my own wilderness, hibernating and convalescing.
As an artist it is difficult for me to say but there were days I did not want to enter the studio. Art was never out of my mind, though. The winter dearth of 2021 and world events can play havoc with your thoughts and I have learnt to step back like a receding tide, take stock of everything. It needed doing. The good news is that the work I had done last autumn, 2021, was so significant for me, that it continues to have a life of its own. So really, I was ok taking that time out, not creating new work... I've learnt that this is really ok, to have blank spaces of time, it is ok to do nothing, because doing nothing means you're simply being. We need to be ok with that. So the works I created in the autumn for ITHRA and Turquoise Mountain, have now been part of a major international touring exhibition.
Commission:
My contribution was in geometric designs and analysis which were then turned into objects, eg plaster carving, wood works, stone carving etc. So the work continues to attract attention and I am grateful. It will be touring internationally so there will be more updates as they arrive.
Please watch this video below:
Aramco/ithra/hijrahexhibition2022
Courses:
On further news, I can confirm that there will be a new course starting 18th September 2022, which I am delighted to present here called, Empresses and Queens: Patrons of the Islamic Arts. We will uncover some rare jewels and unusual geometric patterns, coupled with the stories of these Queens, consorts a league of extraordinary women. Please follow the links to book a place - this is not one to miss. We travel from Syria, Afghanistan to India to cover the footsteps of three queens whose legacies left a far reaching impact on the islamic world. You can register for the course here Empress and Queens: Patrons of the Islamic Arts Here is the flyer: 
Finally, the young artists out there, homeschoolers, young geometers, origamists, curious crafters might be interested to know we have reopened our channel Kidometry, a free resource on You Tube for kids to encourage exploration of maths, proportion, geometry, nature and art. We would like you to share this with friends and families who may be interested in arts videos baed on geometry and Islamic patterns. In particular note how the flower of life diagram progresses to help children draw a lion's visage. The first video.Kidometry 1 shows the first steps. Kidometry 2 builds confidence while Kidometry 3 teaches to develop the knowledge so far to make art. The material has been very successful in engaging year 4/5 students in learning to use the compass. (9-11 years old)
I think that is all for now. This will have been a newsletter only but I decided to make it a blog post as it may interest a few different groups. Have a great autumn. Yeah enjoy the colours of autumn!
