Art in Lockdown

The first painting that I completed during lockdown was, ‘Tailenders celebrate Chrismarch at The Palace’. It was the last ‘normal’ evening out, although I’m not sure ‘normal’ is the right term to use in conjunction with Tailenders. Nevertheless, lockdown made me determined to capture the night in as joyful and bright a light as possible.

Tailenders celebrate Chrismarch at the Palace

I was delighted with the response I received. Felix White even shared the painting from his Instagram account, which is amazing!

Felix White's Instagram post

Limited edition prints of ‘Tailenders celebrate Chrismarch at The Palace’ are available to buy via my online shop: www.freyaryder.com/shop. A couple of limited edition prints have already landed in their new homes, which is a wonderful feeling.

'Tailenders celebrate Chrismarch at The Palace', framed limited edition print

Alongside my painting projects, I’ve been entering quite a few competitions because they help me to expand my range, they get my creative juices flowing and they’re a bit of fun! Here are a few from the last couple of months:

I also followed the Grayson Perry’s Art Club series. I did a couple of paintings on the ‘view from my window’ theme. The first painting (pictured above) was a response to vivid dreams, the actual view from my bedroom window and a photograph taken when the skies turned pink. It was a surprisingly uncomfortable process so I worked on a second piece at the same time, which is quite unusual for me. For my second piece I chose a familiar and comforting scene, that of Emirates Old Trafford.

I feel very lucky that I have something familiar and steady that I can turn to in order to help me process the array of emotions that have been coming up for me. It also gives me a fantasy outlet too. For instance, imagining the taste of proper pint in a pub... I'll finish this blog with my latest painting, Old Gate.