In that Scary Place

My work is shifting.I'd like to say it's not, because it feels safe to keep making what I know ... but just when I get into a rhythm, it seems I feel a pull to venture somewhere new. Perhaps this is just how it will always be?The shift started with the call to make red paintings. I had been working on a series using a carefully selected limited palette (I enjoy keeping to a palette of just 4 to 5 colours - it keeps the paintings harmonious and keeps me disciplined) and red was not part of that palette. But I've learned to listen to these tugs that come from somewhere deep inside, so red it is.But now something else is coming up for me.I love collage and use it sparingly in my paintings, but now I feel a pull to do more of it. I see layers made up of paint and collage, and at the moment, I see red and cream and black. I also feel a desire to add text into my work (perhaps the collage will take care of that).Finally, I even feel a pull to move my work from board to paper for a while. Why I have no idea!I do not know where these paintings will go - I don't know if they will be entirely abstract or whether they will have representational elements. I do not know the exact subject matter, although I ham sure that they will be about emotional states or emotional situations.In a way that makes them a continuation of my landscape work, where I really use landscape as a metaphor. (In truth those paintings are about emotion too). But even though it is a continuation of kinds, it still feels quite unknown and quite unnerving.BUT - and this is where I have changed so much over this last year - the fear is accompanied by a little fizz of excitement. This idea feels right for me. It feel like it will bring me joy.I am still finishing up paintings for a solo show in March (Mill Bridge Gallery, Skipton). But I plan to work on these new ideas in tandem - I will approach them with no end in mind. I will simply trust that my intuition knows where it's leading me. I'm excited to follow it and find out!