Have you ever noticed that what we love most is not always what others love? I'm speaking about our artwork of course although this may apply to other things too. A few years ago, I opened my doors for North Yorkshire Open Studios. Over two weekends, visitors can tour artist's studios and sometimes their homes to see the work they're making and to buy finished pieces. It was my first time…
Over the years, I've worked on - and overcome - a lot of limiting beliefs. I've defeated ideas about what artists can and can't achieve and I've beaten limiting beliefs about money ... but it seems there are always more limits on how we think that we keep uncovering. I have known for a long time that I can sell my paintings. People like them. They do well. BUT I always believed that was only…
This week, I realised I'd made a transition - I had finally become confident in my art. And I realised that confidence comes with its own challenges. That I now have something new to overcome. First let me explain, because you might be surprised to hear I lacked confidence... well, it's true. Deep confidence is something I've wanted for a very long time, and something that has, until now, eluded…
What a week! As most of you know, preparing for an exhibition is a lot of work. There's framing, and transporting the work, and discussing pricing, and prepping web pages and writing emails... the list goes on and there's never enough time. As a little bit of added pressure, my builder cut through my internet cable with hs digger, leaving me trying to manage with spotty wi-fi from my phone! That…
Last week I shared the news that I'll be stepping away from teaching. Thank you. I've been overwhelmed by your emails, your comments and your kindness. Endings are always emotional, and so many of you took the time to tell me how much the courses, videos and community have meant to you over the years. I don't think I've quite found the words to express how much that means to me. What has also…
I have been plotting something since last October and it's finally coming to fruition. It's a strange feeling to have held a secret for this long. I normally just tell people what's happening with very few filters. But this was a decision that affected a lot more people than just me, so it needed to be handled carefully. At the end of July, I will be stepping away from teaching. Even writing that…
This week I went to my second life drawing class. What surprised me was that I kept running into the same problem. When we're doing two-minute poses, I quite like my drawings. They're loose and energetic and sometimes there will be a mark or a line that catches my attention. They feel alive somehow. Five-minute poses are usually OK too - but then comes the thirty-minute pose. You would think more…
I get a lot of comments on social media and YouTube, and many of those comments are questions. “What surface are you working on?” “How do you fix your charcoal?” “How do you get that texture?” I try to answer most of my comments but those questions go unanswered. Not because I’m being secretive, but because I don’t think the answers are in any way useful. I could tell you that I fix my charcoal…
Last week, I sent some paintings off to the framers. These are works for my abstract exhibition in July/August. My favourites are the most recent pieces - works made on large sheets of paper. These paintings document the emotional ups and downs I have experienced over the last few years. Each is a response to a different situation or feeling. They feature words, marks, colours, shapes, and lots…
This week I finished a painting and immediately found myself slightly lost again. This always happens to me. When I’m deeply inside a painting, I feel completely absorbed. I know where I’m heading when I walk into the studio, and I can work for hours at a time. Even if the painting is difficult, there is still a sense of momentum because something is already alive and moving. But once a painting…
This week, I worked on a drawing of my dad and his twin brother from an old photograph, obviously taken in a professional photographer's studio . The picture grabbed me because the boys, who must be only 3 or 4 years old, are wearing the most adorable clothes and both have such sweet and innocent expressions. My dad looks dubious about the whole adventure, and my uncle looks a little confused, but…
Instagram threw me a bone this week, with a piece of wisdom from painter Chantal Joffe coming across my feed. In the clip, Chantal was asked for advice for young artists and she said: Even when you feel like you can’t, try to paint because only through the act of making something do you ever have the thoughts. When you’re not painting, you can’t think ... It’s through the act of doing it that you…
This week I was reminded of the importance of varying my days. Since I found a good doggy day care for Riley, I’ve been very disciplined. As soon as he trots off happily with his ‘taxi’ driver (daycare owner, Dave), I make a coffee and head to my studio. Usually, except for a quick lunch break, I stay there until he comes back at about 5pm. I don’t take a walk. I don’t see friends. I usually don’t…
This week, a friend commented that each of my new paintings seems to go to a new place. In each one, something different happens. I told her "it's because I'm following, not leading." This is something that has taken me such a long time to truly learn, even if I have always known it was the best way to work. As a confirmed control freak, I have always liked to think I am in charge of how things go…
This week, a friend commented that each of my new paintings seems to go to a new place. In each one, something different happens. I told her "it's because I'm following, not leading." This is something that has taken me such a long time to truly learn, even if I have always known it was the best way to work. As a confirmed control freak, I have always liked to think I am in charge of how things go…
About 2 years ago, I stopped selling my art. There was no big decision; no dramatic turning point. I just found myself lacking the time (and probably the motivation) to do all the things it takes to get artwork onto a website and out into the marketplace. So I made things and then just put them away. Lots of abstract paintings, collages and mixed media works on paper - all stored away rather than…
My current work involves a lot of drawing. I take small photographs and scale them up to large paintings (see my video below to watch the process). These drawings are a struggle sometimes. Scaling up causes me issues with proportions and it can take a while for the figures to look 'right.' There's a lot of erasing and painting over as I work towards the eventual composition. When I explained this…
My little brother once had a toy train set, with clunky little plastic engines, and somehow we were always driving the engines off the track. Perhaps they didn't fit right, or maybe we were just too rough with the little toy engines, but one way or another, there were a lot of derailments. Sometimes that's how it feels to be an artist - a constant struggle to stay on track. There are so many ways…
I don’t see enough art. Living where I do, it’s not really possible to get to London and back in a day and for overnight stays I need to find a dogsitter. But my neighbour agreed to take Riley for a few days and so off I went. As soon as I arrived, I met up with an artist friend to see the Rose Wylie sole show. At 92 years old, Rose has become the first woman to have a solo show at the beautiful…
I used to wish I had more confidence in my art. I craved validation from others - especially people I respected - because I thought that would give me more self-belief. I'd think "if only this or that person would say something complimentary to me, I know I could feel confident." But then, over time, I started to receive that validation, from the exact people I hoped for. And guess what ... it…