Sshh… don’t tell anyone, but yesterday I skipped printing and went to the cinema instead. During the day… I know – how wonderfully decadent! What luxury. But why on earth would I choose to miss an activity I love doing? Surely making art is what I’m trying to make time for not running away from. […]
This week in the studio I began with some fixed intentions… But it didn’t go quite as planned… I was working on a commissioned painting that will be a birthday gift. It’s making me pretty nervous as it is hard to predict which direction a painting will take and exactly where it will end up. […]
Sometimes it can feel a big jump making the transition from a sketchbook up to a ‘proper’ painting. So what to do when you want to get from zero to hero? One of the ways I have used in the studio to bridge the gap is to work on a set of ‘improper’ paintings. Having […]
Are you guilty of encouraging your children to try new things and yet ducking out of activities you love yourself? This morning I met with other mums at my son’s school to talk about the upcoming school events. Early next year is an Anonymous Art Sale where all pieces are sold at an affordable price […]
This weekend I completed my Sketchbook in a Day project: a whole sketchbook completed in exactly the same surroundings that I had found so uninspiring at the start of the summer. Yet this time I had no trouble at all finding things I wanted to record; something had happened to shift my visual awareness and […]
Yesterday I delivered a piece of work that has been selected for the National Original Print Exhibition, to be held at the Bankside Gallery. Stone Calligraphy II is one of a pair of large plates (58 x 20cm) created by layers of hard ground and spit-biting where strong acid is painted across the plate with […]
When I was invited to take part in this artists’ blog hop I thought what a great way of sharing ideas and building new links to other artists. You write briefly about the the person who invited you, answer some set questions and then introduce three other artists to pass the baton on to. I […]
How do you find time for making art? If you find your creative output grinds to a stop as domestic life takes over, you are not the only one. Finding time can be hard to do, but this is my solution…. hope it helps. Last week was the usual round of preparations for a new […]
Ask any grown-up and they have often decided that they are either creative or not. Sometimes this happens even younger; from childhood we start to build our own self-image. I wonder what it would take to change that perception? Guests to our house over the summer have been drawn (no pun intended) to my sketchbooks […]
One of my hesitations about creating art is that it can feel a rather solitary pursuit. You have to be your own rocket fuel, judge, teacher, whip-cracker and cheerleader. (Insert slightly dodgy stock-library photography of your own choosing here …) If this is a feeling you recognise then you are most definitely not alone! The […]
We all have our own personal way of drawing. I may admire other people’s work and even aspire to it. But when I draw it always comes out looking like ‘mine’, like handwriting. This can be reassuring as you build your personal approach and portfolio. But it can have its frustrations. My drawings tend to […]
During my week in France I wanted to complete my challenge of a sketchbook in a day. I failed. Talking with a friend on my return, she said “I’m not surprised you didn’t have much time to sketch on a family holiday; don’t be too harsh!” And she’s right – finding time was hard. We […]
