Waiting for the muse...

Apologies for my absence over the last few days -I did mean to post daily; maybe that was overzealous.
Hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was much better than the previous one. I went swimming in the sea and the pool, went for walks and running, and am feeling so much better for it -I suddenly have energy! I was never a sporty person (I hated PE at school), and I still couldn't set foot in a gym or do team sports, but if it's solitary, in nature (or followed by a sauna and steamroom -hello, swimming pool), and doesn't require lots of equipment, I will do it.
I also did some baking, lots of eating, had lovely people over, went out for the first time in ages, read two books, and sat in the sun (summer came back for a day).

There was a full moon yesterday, which always affects me in myriad ways. The days leading up to it I didn't sleep well and woke way too early. But it was worth it -this is what I'd be greeted by on those early mornings:

What I did not do was draw or paint. In fact, I have done very little since the exhibition... I had all the time in the world, but something was holding me back (fear, worry, laziness, or probably all three).

The following two pictures are at least two years old. I hung them on the wall in my bedroom, as I wanted to develop that theme a bit more, and I figured that if I saw them every morning, it would serve as a reminder of that plan. But now I've been looking at them for months, and I still haven't done anything with them.

The mother-&-child theme features a lot in my work -it's just something I am drawn to, even though I don't have children. It's the warmth, gentleness, and the primal feeling of that bond between mother and child. It means protection, security, unconditional love. It is something so natural and fundamental. I cannot explain it, really; it just keeps coming up.

The crowns - I think I know where they come from. Years ago I was in a print gallery and saw this very simple print of a figure with a crown on his head. The title was "A proper heart". I think I found the title -or, I should say, the title along with that image- more beautiful than the actual print. I remember standing in that gallery and being incredibly moved by this. It stayed with me; for weeks afterwards I thought about it every day. Unfortunately I didn't take down the artist's name. Ever since then, a simple crown (not the fancy ones) has become a symbol of this elusive, beautiful thing I felt back then for me. I still cannot pinpoint it.
I was sketching the picture below, and somehow, the crown appeared. So yes, I suppose I was subconsciously copying something from that print - I prefer to call it a tribute.