Movember and December 2012

This is a retrospective post to keep those outside of my day to day cosmos informed of the fact that I wasn’t hiding under my duvet for the latter part of 2012. In fairness I was hiding occasionally but for the most part I was dashing around trying to wrap up various projects before my December jaunt to America.

Last year November became Movember as I signed up as an artist on Gallery of Mo. The brain child of Leeds based digital creative agency twentysix, the aim was to get people to donate money in return for a portrait with a moustache, produced by an artist of their choice. I had the pleasure of live drawing at the Movember opening and closing parties in Leeds and even doing a ‘mo-trait’ of BBC Radio Leeds DJ Larry Budd. I managed to raise just over £100 and you can see all my finished portraits here. As far as raising money for charity goes, marathon running is not my forte but if you need portraits knocking out for four hours back to back, I’m your gal.

In December I was ready for some well deserved down time. I spent just over two weeks in America, fitting in New York, Boston, and Jersey City. Sure, the view from the Empire State Building was magnificent and the Statue of Liberty was a fine lady, but my personal highlight was a raccoon sighting in Jersey City. The hefty forager had made its way onto the back porch of the  house where I was staying and helped itself to the left over cat food. Notably I observed this creature eating its dinner more intently than the view from the 83rd floor of the Empire State. There are some incredible sights you won’t find in a travel guide.

On Christmas Day I paid my respects to the city that inspired Woody Allen with an Allen themed walking tour of NYC. Armed with a hot coffee I started in the Financial District at the New York Health & Racquet Club (where they play tennis in Annie Hall) and headed all the way up Manhattan to Queensboro Bridge via Brooklyn Bridge. I saw New York at its most magical that day, the New York that had been preserved in countless films. My rosy view wasn’t even ruined by the drunk guy urinating in the subway car on the L train back to Brooklyn. New York can be exhilarating and frustrating in equal parts but boring it is not.

I can safely say that it was a fine end to last year, now to forge ahead with the new one!