Journal

Last week I had the pure joy of learning how to carve and make prints from woodblocks during an intense 3 day course taught by Adrian Holmes at St Ives School of Painting.

I arrived at the venue on a rainy windy morning and waited in reception until we were called upstairs. The building smelt of fragrant tea and wood which reminded me of my granny (who was a painter.) The workroom was a gorgeous airy room, 6 tables with materials and plenty of space and distance between us.

There was a lot to learn! We began by learning how to apply ink to the blocks using stubby little brushes and inks, applying the paper to the blocks and burnishing the back with a baren. It wasn’t easy to achieve a nice even print….

Next, we carved into a block and made a print layering up the ink. This was very satisfying and marked the end of day 1.

Day 2. A glorious morning, sunny and bright. Adrian asked us to plan a design with 4 layers which we would print on Day 3. This was an intense day of carving which included a very nice lunchtime interlude to The Hepworth Museum and Garden.

I looked at previous paintings as a starting point for my final image. I found carving the blocks very therapeutic and sort of addictive. It was tricky thinking in layers but I understood it by the last day.

Day 3. The final day and a day of printing! Blocks carved and ready to go. We printed on several different kinds of Japanese printmaking papers and the difference in the quality of print was amazing. I love the subtle effect of the faded colours and grain of the wood. I enjoyed the course so much that I’m going to continue to do it and I’ll be investing in the materials next month.

A few months ago my son and I returned to a local pottery class which we’d very much enjoyed a few years previously. A pleasantly relaxing and calming way to spend a Sunday morning. My son is honing his skills on the wheel and I’m continuing with making grumpy cats, limpet shells and ladies faces. A strange mix.

My son is making bowls, plates and last week a swan. I enjoy creating the decorative element on 3D objects so I painted one of his plates in a Picasso inspired style. Years ago when I was a teenager and was nearing the end of my first year at art school we went on a family holiday to the South of France. My sister and I visited the Picasso Museum at Antibes and I’ve loved Picasso’s ceramics ever since – the spontaneity and freshness very much appeals to my ethos.

I’m also making limpet shells which tie in with my paintings as I’ve frequently added them to my still lifes. Over the years I’ve collected them from the stunning white sandy beaches on Tresco. There’s something tactile and appealing about making them in clay. They look great in a bathroom, I have 3 sitting on the corner of my bath surround.

I’m hoping to decorate more of my son’s pieces. I think we could do a good collaboration together especially as he approaches the decoration as a task to complete with urgency and be over and done with as soon as possible.

Now that St Ives is a bit quieter it’s the perfect time to visit the Hepworth Museum and Gardens, one of my favourite places in Cornwall. We visited on a grey October day. The museum was very quiet as it always seems to be whenever I’ve visited. I thought my son (who makes sculptures out of stone and marble etc) would be interested in seeing the tools Hepworth used, which were all laid out in her studios.

I’m obsessed with the little white chalet. It’s so appealing with just a simple bed, chair and curtains. I always have a peer inside and imagine it’s mine. I’m also keen on the conservatory with the retro chairs and plants, it’s a great place for a phot shot, the natural lighting always seems good and flattering.

I’m more interested in the whole setting rather than the sculptures. The place has a very calm and tranquil feel to it.

Here’s one of several paintings I’ve created over the years inspired this lovely venue.
This piece has really done the rounds in various galleries and for now is back at home, hanging on my landing wall.

This summer I had a commission to create an image for a book cover for a publishing house in Italy. This involved printmaking and initially I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to make a satisfactory print without the use of the fabulous press at Penzance School of Art (which was closed for the summer). However, I do have a Fome table top etching press, hidden and in parts in various cupboards in my house. This press is temperamental and either works like a dream or has to be firmly wrestled and fought with in order to work. Because of this I’ve been slightly apprehensive to use her/it.

So, I found the parts, put her together and took some deep breaths whilst I adjusted the pressure. I made a test ‘print’ by putting a piece of card through with the paper on top so I could see if the indentation left was even all round which would mean the pressure was correct on both sides.

And joys of joys she was a treat to use. I spent a couple of afternoons making prints with my teenager and I completed the commissioned artwork which I loved making and was really happy with.

This week I’m returning to the morning printmaking class at Penzance School of Art which I’m really looking forward to. Last term was a fiasco as I’d booked the afternoon class knowing that I struggle to work in the afternoons. I’m a morning person and I create most efficiently pre-lunch. Afternoons are for admin.

I’ve just returned from a week’s artists residency on Tresco. I think this is around the 17th time I’ve visited! My son is 15 and he first came with me on the helicopter when he was 6 months old.

Our flight was delayed by a day due to poor visibility. We are quite used to this as February seems to be a misty month here. The flight takes around 20 minutes from Penzance. I’m not the happiest flyer so this time I took a tiny bit of knitting, earplugs and rescue remedy to take my mind off things…

As soon as we landed I felt instantly relaxed, there’s something about Tresco which has that effect. I think it’s the lack of people and traffic and the sense of being surrounded by sea and sky.

We stayed at Dial Rocks, a light an airy cottage with sea views. Our days were spent cycling around the island, beach combing for driftwood and periwinkles and sketching in situ. I still can’t remember the names of any of the beaches or bays despite visiting so often!

Our flights were delayed on the return journey too, so we ended up staying a whole week which was gorgeous and meant we could enjoy a few more bike rides in the mizzle.

I’m looking forward to working on new floral paintings for Gallery Tresco in the next few months.

Here are a few originals from last year which are available to buy through the gallery.

In 1984 I watched a documentary on the fashion course at St Martins and I knew that’s where I wanted to go. I left school at 15 and spent 2 years at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design before being accepted for the 4 year Fashion Design sandwich course at St Martins. The third year of the course was spent working in the industry. I was chosen to go to New York and work for 3 months in a textile design studio creating prints for womenswear. So far so good….
Unfortunately my life took a drastic downward spiral in my final year and looking back I can’t believe I managed to endure the course and graduate. My mum became very ill with cancer and I was in the throes of anorexia. I went backwards and forwards from London to Dorset seeing my mum at weekends and struggled with minimal energy and enthusiasm to focus on creating my final collection in order to achieve a BAHons.

Mum insisted that I continue with college… it was so hard. On the day of my final collection (a fashion show where the final years students show their work) my dad rang to say that mum had died. I had to block it out in order to get through. I was really in a very bad way and existing with a powerful eating disorder was only making things worse.

As a result, when I look at the photos of my collection I feel disconnected as I can only remember sadness, tiredness and intense difficulty.

I used furnishing fabrics, hessian and calico for the garments and designed screenprints in a limited palette from my cutout designs. The inspiration was American Indian tribal motifs for the prints and workwear inspired clothes including aprons which I’ve always loved.

I’m settling in to day 3 of Cornwall Open Studios. So far I’ve had a total of 7 visitors including my lovely neighbour and my son’s dad!!I hoped to catch up on a bit of reading during the lulls but I’m finding it hard to concentrate as the door could open at any given moment with potential buyers or browsers. I’m actually spending a lot of time gazing out of the window and day dreaming which is very relaxing and apparently good for the mind.

I managed a refreshing swim in the Jubilee Pool this morning with my son before opening which was a wonderful start to the day. And I’m aiming to do the same tomorrow. I made banana bread yesterday afternoon whilst anticipating visitors and completed a small painting of a whippet as a gift for a friend. So weirdly I’m getting things done although it feels as if I’m just hanging around!

Usually when I reach Day 4 I’ve acclimatised and I’m in the swing of it! If you happen to be in Penzance then do visit, I have a good selection of colourful and joyful work on display downstairs in my house and upstairs in my tiny home studio. Everyone is welcome including dogs!

54 High St, Penzance, TR18 2SU

I tend to work from life, making initial sketches which are later worked up into finished pieces. I use a black biro or pen and colour up with a handy set of stacked watercolour paints bought from the Tate shop. Sometime I’ll be happy with the sketch but it just won’t work as a painting and I’ll use artistic license if needed once I’ve got going on the canvas. I generally use Cryla acrylic paints which are good and opaque and thicker than others.
Occasionally I’ll use oils.
I draw in sketch books or on pieces of photocopying paper attached to a hot pink clipboard if I’m out and about. My sketchbooks live in both of my studios and are ideal to flick through if I’m struggling for ideas, however this is rare as I can’t get through a day without seeing something I’m keen to paint!

My striped tablecloth appears frequently in my work!

One of my favourite local places to visit is the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Gardens, St Ives. I tend to visit several times a year as it’s a mere 20 minutes drive from Penzance. Originally the home, studio and gardens of Dame Barbara Hepworth it feels as if she’s just stepped out for a moment. The gardens are tranquil and verdant, punctuated by her powerful sculptures. I love the little chalet with a simple bed and stack of striped garden chairs. And the gorgeous conservatory with cacti, geraniums and vintage chairs is a prime spot for taking great photos, there’s something special about the natural light.

Over the years I’ve created several paintings and monotypes inspired by my many visits…

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve made a start with creating a few pieces inspired by my Easter visit to Charleston. I’m squeezing these in in between work commitments for various galleries and I’m aiming to make more as and when I can. There’s so many things I want to paint in life that it’s hard not to lose focus and move on to something else which has caught my eye.
I’m also aiming to paint a few blank panels around my house which are asking for a Charleston make over. We’ll see how that goes…

I’ve listed these 3 on my online shop along with a few more new pieces. Take a look!