Liz Clarke

from as far away as France and the US.”

Heidi believes that painting for her own joy was a big turning point in her life.

“I wasn’t painting for anyone, for any exhibition, or any commission. These postcardsize paintings were about my partnership with paint, a brush and something that suddenly took my fancy – anything from a plum to a pair of old birthday candles, a piece of sticking plaster or a cloudfilled sky that I saw while my son was playing cricket.”

What this year-long exercise did, she explains, was to rid her of the “inner critic” which, she believes, is one of the biggest handicaps in any creative person’s life.

“I didn’t need to listen to those inner voices, because I wasn’t trying to prove anything with my little paintings that literally took no longer than one hour each out of my day. Some were good, some weren’t so marvellous, but it didn’t matter. I was able to express myself as I wished. What freedom!”

But fate had a few more challenges in store. A bad fall at her Durban North home resulted in a broken ankle, damaged tendons and the end to 568 consecutive days of little daily paintings.

“I could no longer do the daily paintings which had become so much a part of my life. But in a way it forced me to take a deep breath and to put away my paints at least for the time being.”

Now, almost fully recovered from her injuries, Shedlock is back in her studio doing the bigger works and commissions she did before. “I still do my paintings in the post – but not every day, just when I feel like it. The inner critic has taken a back seat. I have learnt to paint, just because I love it. It was such a simple lesson – makes you wonder why we complicate things so much.

• To learn more about her art and the Painting in the Post project, go to her website paintingsinthepost.blogspot.com or contact her at heidishedlock@ gmail.com lizclarke4@gmail.com