
Taking time to prepare for new work
Studio Notes
To create art you have to accept that a certain amount of the time you spend will be wasted. You have to show up and do the work anyway, knowing that the first three hours you may spend going in circles. But you also know that those hours…

Waking up and tuning in
Studio NotesI'm not going to lie - getting back to school routine this week has been hard. Getting up in the dark is not my idea of fun. Add a bit of a cold wintery weather into the mix and I would far rather be tucked up under the duvet for a gentle start…

Making a selection – work on show
Studio Notes
It’s always exciting to see the empty walls of art fair stands transformed during the day into a show with a rich variety of colour and styles as artists hang and arrange their work.
It was my first time exhibiting at Windsor…

The story of a painting; Unearthed
Studio NotesEver wondered what happened on a painting before it was finished - how it looked along the way? I wrote a while back about knowing when a painting is finished but sometimes it's hard for me to remember where it began, and quite how many stages…

Sketchbook summer-y
Studio NotesSummer is sketchbook time for me - a time to re-stock the pages which can be the starting point for so many ideas.
I enjoy essential time away to become absorbed in a drawing and the feeling of working on something with no judgement on the…

How to make your own charcoal and bistre ink
Studio NotesMaking my own charcoal and ink sort of falls in line with stuffing a mushroom - life is too short. But on holiday we sometimes do strange things to fill time and make projects with children!
It is a dream of mine to have a compact travelling…

Barbara Rae sketchbooks to inspire
Studio NotesThis week I have been looking again at the sketchbook work of Barbara Rae * - if you don't know her work you are in for a treat!
Which materials are right for the job?
Finding the right materials to work in sketchbooks can be a search.…

Artist’s block…
Studio Notes"This time I was sure it would be easier" - how wrong could I be?
It's not unusual after getting ready for an event to have a bit of downtime. (That seems more forgiving than 'artist's block') Often it takes me time to get going again. A while…
Manchester Art Fair 2022
Studio NotesManchester Art Fair delivers a curated mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, blurring the boundaries between traditional and contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and uniquely Northern art-buying experience. Last year was my first time showing at this fair and it was a blast, so I’m pleased to be back with all new paintings. I’ll […]