Thinking through my hands

Lately I have been writing a few more words and with a bit more intention. It feels good to capture a record of ideas, discoveries, things I have executed with varying degrees of success.

You can see some of notes and sketches referred to in the first image.

I wrote about trying to find some new colour combinations that interest me. I decided to work small which gives a sense of freedom and on some inexpensive 12 x 12 cm basa wood panels. I first prepared them with a white white gesso, then I took some different colour combinations and tried each combination on around 2 or three panels with made up simple landscapes or abstracts.

Some of these were interesting, some led so. One of the experiments brought me back to vermillion as a gorgeous orangy pink colour which I eventually used to paint a large sunset scene.

I have always kept a studio diary of sorts. Scraps of notes, sometimes colours swatches and sometimes words. Its all language. Its all thinking through my hands.

(c) Helen Grimbleby 2026