September...

Dear Painters and Friends,

August and September are usually the two months when I am teaching in wonderful Devon at Coombe Farm Studios. But as you might be aware, this season the pandemic has sadly made all my painting courses impossible. The focus is now on 2021, when we should be able to meet again, enjoy traveling and paint together. The website has  been updated with all the new course dates, so feel free to wander through the pages and get inspired for next year.
 
Prevented from travelling this year, my mind however has travelled with the aid of paintbrush, camera and ukulele to the far away corners of the rainforest. RAINFOREST LITANY, a ‘song’ I made in August, was part of a compilation album to raise money for an indigenous-led human rights organisation to assist child refugees in Wamena, West Papua. Have a listen here: https://tinybandintherainforest.bandcamp.com/track/rainforest-litany    

I have also been contributing music to another charity project earlier on. The ‘song’ BABY DOLL has again been created with poetry and sound instead of my usual medium watercolour. Click on track No. 43 on the album: https://womencomposerscollective.bandcamp.com/album/her-indoors. All proceeds went to a charity against domestic violence.
 
At the moment, painting is still taking a bit of a back seat because I am currently working on a project with my friend and colleague Jude Cowan Montague involving sound and poetry and - very exciting - also videos. Sound and video have the advantage that we can easily exchange and post information and materials to each other via the internet and personal meetings are not necessarily needed. In the absence of teaching it’s fun to work with other people this way and to stay in touch with everybody.
 
I very much hope that you are also able to be creative, meet friends in person or via Zoom and will continue to enjoy painting.

With the best wishes and keep well,
Bettina