Day in the Life of MW Artist Anna Dyson
It is November 2020 and we present our Magical Women Artist of the Season for Autumn, Anna Dyson.
I am very lucky to have Richmond Park only fifteen minutes walk away from my house so when we were all put into Lockdown and could only go out once a week for exercise I chose to go there.
I also chose to go there because before lockdown I had discovered a passion for trees and nature and every time I went to the park I was drawn to photograph certain trees or certain parts of trees. So in total, I have ended up with over 5000 photos! I have used some of my tree images to add to my current range of abstract art greeting cards and prints.
My Routines in Lockdown
During lockdown I also started an online mentoring course learning about the health benefits of plants and the art of foraging so my daily walks in the park were a perfect compliment to my course.
I am also, generally, someone who hugs freely and I live on my own, so I decided to adopt a tree fairly near the entrance of the park that I would go to hug on exiting the park and I still do this every time I go.
I don’t pre-plan my walks in the park so when I get there I just take the route that feels right.
Where I paint
I normally paint on my kitchen floor and fairly late at night. I don’t paint every day (although I would love to) as I would run out of places to dry my pieces.
This year I have also painted in my garden in the day and with a friend (who Is also neurodivergent ) in my garden gazebo.
I always try and paint at the time of the full moon, eclipses, and other times such as the Winter and summer Solstice.
Where I sell my art
Before lockdown I was selling at a local farmer’s market (in New Malden). I tend to avoid having stalls at markets generally as they require you to supply your own gazebo and tables and this is not possible for me due to my various conditions preventing me from being able to drive. I got round this issue with New Malden Farmers market by sharing with another stall holder and I was transporting my stock on the bus in my trusty shopping trolly.
Photo (above) of the artist Anna Dyson in her art printed on leggings at New Malden, Local Farmers market. She is dressed in a purple coat and green top, a brown hat and has grey long hair. She stands beside her market stall with her designs printed on materials, clothes and original painted canvases.
Due to Lockdown this had to come to an end but to fill the gap I decided to take up a monthly pop up shop slot at a newly opened community hub in Hampton where I hope to resume once lockdown has finished. I love having the shop there as the hub has a lovely feel to it and the people there are very friendly and supportive of my complex needs.
Photo of the artist in a chequered hat and blue top and her art printed leggings. Three leggings hang against the wall and she sells original paintings and other printed materials of her art.
I have also had to adapt and join a number of online markets and have made sales by setting up an inpromtu shop and gallery in my back garden and showing a customer around using the Facebook live app.
My latest exhibitions during Lockdown and this Covid-19 period include:
The People Hive - Artist of the Month
Corner House Theatre Solo Exhibition online (due to Covid) and later in the venue for 8 weeks when restrictions lessened.
Magical Women: Artist of the Season (Autumn) solo and group exhibitions including Turquoise Dreams: My Serenity, Bark in Richmond Park (Archetypes and Trees).
Secret Art Fair, Environment Trust
“Strength in Feelings”, Third annual Virtual Dyslexia initiative Art Show
Hampton Inspired Hub Cafe Art Gallery
Ashes to Art
Last year, in June 2019, I was encouraged and inspired by a local celebrant to develop a bespoke intuitive abstract memorial oil painting service. The celebrant (Rebecca Lee whale) had so much belief in this idea that she gave me a small bag of her mums ashes so I could create a memorial for her. She was very happy with the result and as a result Ashes to Art was launched at The Mortlake Crematorium Full Circle of Life Festival. I later extended this service to pet owners to honour the lives of their beloved pets.
I have also created matching bespoke clothing, gifts, cards and print range using the images from the original abstract oil paintings I produce. The pieces I produce are created intuitively so I am also amazed by what emerges and each piece is colourful vibrant and textured.
Colours I love to use and how my art practice is transforming through Magical Women
Purple , fuschia pink and teal are my favourites and I am getting more adventurous since I have started to use acrylic paint so now I am adding Gold and silver paint. However... generally I don’t get much say in which colours I should use as they have generally appeared in my head before I have even considered what colours are available in my paint box.
I am so grateful to have discovered Magical Women because having a group of neurodivergent women artists to connect with has been like a breath of fresh air to me. The workshops are so relaxing and inclusive so gradually I am feeling safe enough to be myself which is a very rare thing for me. My art practice has developed and continues to develop and evolve and I have been truly amazed and delighted by the pieces I have been able to produce.
I thoroughly enjoy the variety of the events that Elinor offers us and was so excited to have had my own solo online photography exhibition featuring my tree bark photos.
Elinor has supported me immensely and helped me to identify possible autistic traits in myself which has lead to my requesting a full assessment.
Find out more about Anna Dyson and her artwork at www.intuitiveoils.co.uk