aRTiSTs OPeN hOuse

Hellooo,

How are you?

It’s May, and here in SE London it's the time of the Dulwich Festival and Artists Open House celebrating the plethora of artists and creatives in Southwark, Lewisham and around.

This year I’m part of the Artisan market on Havelock Walk and shall be exhibiting for two weekends with a bunch of incredible folk. More on that below but for now I thought I’d share some work in progress for the festival.

Sometimes the inspirational pull can be very specific, like a sort of force nudging you towards a theme. For this past month I’ve been driven to playing with flowers. Maybe because it’s spring? Maybe because my friend Sarah sent over some inspiration for a floral piece for her flat in Gozo. Maybe because my sister sent us some peonies in the post?

Back in my textile days I used to draw & design flower prints ALL the time…

But haven’t really ‘painted’ them in a classic still life format since school. A dabble here and there perhaps but not an obsession as it has been of late.

I’m partial to a mid century flower painting picked up at a flea market or a charity shop. Love a Winifred Nicholson, a Mary Fedden and, well, anything by genius Vernon Ward.

I love collecting stuff to paint onto too. An old wooden floor tile, a discarded frame, a tired book… And I’m a sucker for gathering up old ephemera & various sun faded, creased, aged paper to draw onto.

That said, when time has allowed I’ve been in full creative mode and have been enjoying it so much.

Here are some of the latest bits from the studio for the forthcoming fair.

Here’s the info you need for next weekend.

Hope to see you there!