For me, preparations for COS always seem to go hand in hand with chaos and near nervous breakdowns! Throughout the 31 days in July there seems to be an onslaught of occasions, from birthdays; happy and sad anniversaries, boys finishing college, university, their continuous toing and froing back and forth, festival and overseas travels (gosh, do they realise how  lucky they are?), the mind is buzzing and the earth aggressively spinning! So, come August, there seems to be a desperate need to sit and vegetate – but not for long! The time had come to consider renovating my 100-year old studio and the reroofing was a spectacular success! Thank you Keith Doyle!

For me, this year, COS was a little quiet with footfall was at least a third less than previous years. Saying that my sales were reasonable and I had the pleasure of making new contacts and catching up with past customers – receiving your positive and productive comments and support, as always, makes participating at COS an absolute must. My sincerest thank you to all who visited; the comments left are crucial, inspiring and encouraging. The joy of a sale is more than just the sterling it is in knowing that maybe I did good!

This year continues to be busy with finishing and self-publishing my new e-book, developing my blog site (which has sadly a little dormant to say the least!) and preparing the gallery for regular shows! Above all, I am developing a new painting technique. Over the years I have been compared to a great master, the name of whom I do not feel worthy to mention! However, I intend to develop and perfect the skill needed and look forward to exhibiting this new series in the near future.