#34: The Show Has Just Finished — But I’m Already Thinking About What’s Next

Holmfirth Artweek has just wrapped up. My paintings were on the wall, being seen, hopefully being felt. People are wandering through the space, stopping (or not), connecting (or not), and the work is finally doing what it was made to do — speak in my absence.

But while the exhibition is just hit its stride, I’ve noticed my mind doing something quietly familiar. It’s already drifting ahead.

A Strange Sense of Distance

I think it happens after every big push. The work is done, delivered, displayed. The pressure has lifted, the decisions are behind me, and there’s nothing more to adjust or perfect. And in that space — where the only thing left to do is wait and wonder — something opens up.

A kind of creative breathing room.

And in that room, new thoughts start to arrive.

Resting Doesn’t Mean Stopping

I’m not rushing. I don’t want to leap into something just for the sake of staying busy. The brush can rest. But I can feel the early signs of the next phase starting to flicker — ideas I scribbled down weeks ago but didn’t have time for, textures I want to try, colours that didn’t make it into this collection.

It’s not pressure — it’s curiosity. A quiet itch to see what might happen when I get back in front of a blank canvas, without a deadline looming.

What the Show Teaches You

There’s something about seeing your work in a gallery space — even through photos — that shows you things the studio never could. You notice what holds up and what doesn’t. What you want to do more of. What you're tired of. What surprised people. What surprised you.

It’s feedback, but not the kind you get from comments or reviews. It’s visual. Spatial. Emotional. The work starts to teach you about itself — and about where you might want to go next.

Starting Again (But Not From Scratch)

So yes, the show is on. And yes, I’m taking the time to soak that in. But part of me is already halfway into the next thing — not in a rushed way, just in that quiet hum of anticipation. Because that’s how this works: one piece leads to the next, one question folds into another.

I’m not starting over — I’m building forward.

For Now

For now, I’m letting the ideas swirl gently in the background. I’m letting the exhibition have its moment. I’m letting the gold dry, the colour settle, and the dust of the deadline drift quietly to the floor.

And when it’s time, I’ll walk back into the studio — tired maybe, but ready — and ask the next canvas:

Right then, where were we?

.M.

Be real.

Make art.

If you’d like to learn more about my creative process or see my latest work, feel free to reach out or check out the rest of my website.