Today is the 7th January 2023 and I am living in a place called Retz not far from the Czech Republic border but in Austria. I find the area very pleasant and restful and I enjoy the people I have got to know in this area. I do however find the distance to Vienna (where it all happens) to be a bit far, but unfortunately accommodation is too expensive any closer to the city. I use the train now with my Klima ticket which is for one year and very expensive, therefore not an easy option to replace in the years to come. In the meantime, I travel to and from Vienna with the ticket but the cold weather makes sitting in the park a little off the charts for now. Spring will bring the joys of sitting around and sketching in the parks again. In the meantime I sit in my painting room which is small but a space to treasure and sketch and paint from the internet. Live models pose and although nude ones are hard to find these days, a bit of underwear can easily be removed from my experience drawing from live models in the past. I rarely paint exactly what I am looking at and would rather compose my paintings using imagination, experience and various photos, so I can still paint pictures. Unfortunately the opportunity to show your work here in Austria is very limited and I have to just keep going and hope to be found. My experience so far is that Austrians don't appear to buy artwork and if I do sell anything, it is a blessing. I will however continue to create art and pray that I will live long enough to live my dream as an artist no matter the restrictions. I miss my friends and family terribly and hope I am not forgotten in a hurry by people I know from the country of my birth, which is South Africa.
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