It’s been a very busy week and a half at the studio as I knuckled down and got on with painting my conceptual self portrait, which I’ve been working on since last summer. Part of the delay was due to the fact that the painting is quite intricate, and once I’ve mixed my paints I need to work fast to get the painting completed before the paints dry up. So I’ve really been putting the hours in and, when I eventually gave up at the end of each day, I was tired and aching. However, I’m very pleased with the results so far. The painting part of the project is now complete and I’m planning to add some embroidery, although I’m now going to assess how that will look before I take the plunge. I often get a little reluctant to continue with  project once I’m happy with the results so far for fear of ruining it, but I want to add some keys which I think are an essential part of the story that the painting tells. It’s something I’ve needed to get out of the way, and the gruelling, cold conditions and long hours have been quite cathartic.