New lease of life

I thought my life was over but then I still managed to go onto the St Ives School of Painting that I had previously booked.

I would have loved every minute of it, but under the circumstances and with surgery looming the experience was blown to its maximum power. Every minute counted, I made every minute count!

I set off for a long drive from Derbyshire to St Ives and even the drive was the most rewarding experience, peaceful, focused, safe. I arrived in good time, earlier than planned as it is my habit. My satnav took me straight to my reserved parking and then straight to the B&B. No hiccups. Easy. I was so early that the room was not ready but I was just so happy to stroll into the port, take in the sun, the sea and the gulls. Paradise. I so miss the sea. My only regret.

I relished my lone journey, my lone drinks and gorgeous sea food dinners.

I mostly relished the absolutely enchanting experience of being surrounded by people who also are into art one way or another.

On my course I met the retired couples who were charming but clearly amateurs, the enthusiastic young mother who clearly loved getting her hands dirty with art, the exuberant professionals who had found their way in through 'modern' interpretations of reality, the older patient and knowledgeable but yet unassuming artist.

And in the midst of them all was me. Unexperienced, unconfident, yet ready to take on everything and anything coming my way before the operating theatre doors opened for me back home.

I produced my first real oil paintings. And they actually weren't all that bad....

I took millions of pictures to treasure and to paint at a later stage.

My experience of August 2015 in St Ives was in so many ways such an incredible transcendental bliss.

It also gave me the push and bit of confidence I needed with my art.

Losing my inhibitions in front of others and having positive comments on my work suddenly opened up so many other possibilities I would never before have dared dream of.