Relocating back to the UK
After living on the little island of St. Maarten in the NE Caribbean for 28 years, I have relocated back to the UK.
Back in March in buying art materials in Bristol and visiting family.
Its been several months since I returned to the UK in early February, to a remote farming community in the SE of England. Those chilly months a past memory, leggings, socks, pullovers, hats, coats and gloves have gone into the suitcase till winter. At the moment we are experiencing record temperatures of heat and dry weather. In some places it may reach to 43c, that's one of the hottest places on the planet. My long experience with heat serves me well and I am not feeling the discomfort that others are feeling right now as I am used to running and cycling in St. Maarten's mid day temperatures. This morning I am just reflecting on what I have been doing since I came back. The first few months I visited and stayed with different family members. I was good to spend time and reconnect with in-laws, nieces etc, help my sister with her horses and help paint her new country lodge, sitting in the cab with my brother as he hauled aggregates from a quarry in his big truck. Temperatures grew warmer and I no longer had to wheel-barrow in so many wooden logs for the iron range in the living room, that was the only heating system we have, except for an electric water heater. I began painting new works, continuing my ‘Hot Earth’ series that I had started just before I left St. Maarten with art materials I bought in London and Bristol.
My possessions and my artworks and other art materials are all waiting shipment to Holland. I was given an estimate of arrival of around late March, but as of yet it has not reached, given reasons that it has been unusually slow to fill the remainder of the container. With hindsight, I would of air-freighted at least some of my stuff, my artworks certainly. It has been frustrating. I discovered art exhibitions and competitions I would of liked to take part of but with no artwork, not happening. Still, I enjoyed the tranquility and peace of the place, but sometimes if feels lonely. Its very rural, more tractors and farm machinery than cars pass, and on the big main roads, big trucks hauling the produce. The land is flat and the fields are big and go on all the way to the horizon. Big farming here, but also some small farmers dotted about. All the work is agriculture and supporting stores and a few supermarkets. I took to jogging the long roads and I look forward to cycling around a bit too, when I get my bike here...someday, hopefully it will not be much longer. To be continued in next post.
Hi!, I am Stephanie Tihanyi, an artist-painter and illustrator. Welcome to my blog. This is where I write about my work, influences, exhibitions and latest news.
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