For years I’ve talked about it – but it took the death of my beautiful mum, Jennifer, to make me realise that life is too short and that tomorrow isn’t promised.
So, in January 2025, as well as setting the goal to try to learn how to surf, I also made a pact with myself to have a solo exhibition of my own mosaic artwork. The seed to create a series of mosaic torsos had already been planted in 2024, when my Disco Diva and Beach Babe were sent off to Liverpool for an exhibition to raise awareness about breast cancer, so I had good foundations, but I knew if I was going to fill a decent-sized exhibition space, I would need to have at least eighteen figures to create an impact. Quite a challenge! The summer months are always rammed with my ‘day job’ over at Inspiring Creativity, so I had to get my head down and create as much content as possible in the early part of the year, if I was in with a chance of having an exhibition in 2025.
So, the first thing to do was set a time and a venue. I figured September would be good, as, not only did it give me plenty of time to get the work produced around my other commitments, but it was also before the Christmas ‘rush’. I live in Newnham, which is the most-quirky place, with two galleries and a very creative outlook, so thought it would be the perfect location for my first-ever exhibition. So the date was set – 6th to 13th of September, the deposit was paid and the goal was set!
As I write this I am very nearly there. It is just over a month until my exhibition needs to be installed. I have seventeen torsos created and ready for installation – just one more to make. I then have another little surprise as part of the exhibition that I need to create, plus I need to edit and write content for my new website. But I am very confident that this will all get done in time – just proving that when I set my mind to something, I can achieve anything.
My only regret? Not doing this exhibition sooner, so that my beautiful Mum could see it. I just know her heart would be bursting with pride for me right now if she was still here cheering me on, but it’s because of her that it’s happening, so in a funny way, she’s a very big part of it.
