I decided, for several practical reasons, to begin by doing some concentrated work on the Memory project. As it turned out, I think I might have chosen the most challenging of the projects to start with (for me.)

My first goal was to finish four pieces. The planning work for all four had already been done – I had the images in my sketchbook ready – so all I needed to do was produce the finished pieces of work.

It would have been wonderful if things had been that easy.

The good news is that image 1 is all but finished and image 2 is on the final stretch. Image 3, however, is definitely causing me problems and image 4 hasn’t been started yet.

Image 3 should have been the easiest but… I used some watercolour paper that I already had in the house, and it just wasn’t up to the job I was asking of it so I had technical problems from the start. I also began with a composition that I ultimately struggled with although I liked the story it told. Anyway, I have made the work again, and it is correct now, but still not right. I look at it and think, “Yes, that’s how I want it but I want it ‘done right’.” I really wish I knew what I meant by that, but I do know it needs doing again.

I’m not sure that I am ever totally happy with my own work.

No photographs today, I’m not ready yet, but when I am I’ll be giving each of these images a blog post of their own.