Day Five - Kitty spends the night in the museum

I had a taste of my own medicine today. After 26 years of reporting on other people, Simon Pizzey from Stroud Life/Citizen came and took photos of me working for next week's paper. It highlights one aspect of being an artist - the marketing and promotional side of it, which most of us shy away from. I didn't instigate this, it was because my images were seen on Facebook - proves that social networking can help. To help them I put my professional skills to good use and wrote a press release.
It was refreshing coming back into this quiet space after a week's break. My week's residency is now extended to all year and I will be appearing when I can most Fridays to add to Kitty's adventures.
Today I illustrated my little character about to shoot down a mammoth's tusk as if it was a water slide. Mammoth teeth and tusks have been found at several places in the district – notably on the site of the Cainscross roundabout. I always find this highly amusing. There was a continuous filter of people walking past and I had some great conversations, which is all part of an art residency.

"This is an amazing ride," cried Kitty as she disappeared into the hollowness;
arriving to her amazement a few minutes later in the middle of Cainscross roundabout!

I find my day goes so fast when I am engrossed in my work. One thing I have realised about myself is that I do need to work from observation. My imagination kicks in after looking at an object for a while - but it does mean standing or sitting still; something foreign to my nature. This residency helps me do that.

I took Kitty upstairs to participate in an activity she did enjoy doing - tennis. But instead of using a racket, she had a ride on a tennis ball (complete with its yellow/ green felt coating made in Stroud) like they do at Fit Ball classes. It was while capturing her suspended high up between two tennis rackets, that the photographer arrived. When I came back to put my paints away, I completely forgot my little Kitty and realised that she was still on her tennis ball, long after the museum had closed.
So Kitty gets to sleep back in the place she once lived - I feel my character is creating her own story for me. This challenged my perspective - something I will keep working on week after week until I really get to grips with it.

My children's task tomorrow is to go to the museum and see if they can spot her and bring her home!

"It's quite a scary place - sandwiched between two rackets,"
thought Kitty, "But I have to admit, this is rather fun!"