Journal

One of the joys of being creative is that you’re free to experiment with different media, colours, themes and styles in order to evolve your work. I love working with fabric, paint and glue. I especially enjoy cutting up fabric and usually I get my fix of this by making clothes. Other times I’ll cut up random pieces to incorporate into paintings for added texture and interest. I like the crude almost accidental shapes and jagged uneven edges.

I’ve cut up a few of my paintings too. This can be slightly dangerous when a gallery asks for a particular original and I’ve already sliced it up. This has only happened once so far…

PS All of these are available, contact me for more details.

For the past couple of months I’ve been creating a new collection of work using bright vibrant colours and very simple forms. I love colour so much and these are a real joy for me to work on. I’ve had to really think about composition and how the colours compliment each other. For inspiration I’ve been looking at Mary Fedden and William Scott.

Although these look very simple there’s a deep thought process behind them. Often there are several layers of colour applied until I’m happy with the balance.

At some point I’ll look for a couple of galleries to represent these. In the meantime they are all available for sale so get in touch if you are interested. I  regularly post new work on Instagram so have a look at my page to see more!

 

 

 

 

 

I’m so thrilled to have 6 of my latest floral oil paintings represented by the gorgeous Ainscough Contemporary Art Gallery in Dartmouth. It’s been quite a struggle to find new gallery representation so this opportunity has given me a real boost. And to have my work alongside some fantastic and well established artists is a wonderful thing!

It’s the 2nd time I’ve painted View of the Mount as I’d chopped up the original one and made it into cards. It was propped up in my studio and I was feeling scissor happy. I won’t be rushing to do this sort of thing again. However, I’m happier with the 2nd version.

A couple of months ago I discovered the technique of rug hooking. It’s an addictive process with the repetition of movement and hours can go by…

I’ve ended up creating a collection of vibrant cushions using pure wool and mixed yarns. My designs are based on past and present paintings. I love using colour and this gives me another way to experiment with different combinations.

Thanks to Instagram I’ve had a few sales!

 

For the last 9 days I’ve been participating in the Open Studios. This is around the 6th year that I’ve taken part. Artists throughout Cornwall open their doors and studios for visitors to browse and buy their creations.

Usually it’s quite a busy event but this year it’s been very quiet. Less visitors and sales….

Despite this I’ve met some lovely people. It’s particularly good to meet other creatives and talk about being in this unpredictable business.

I’m delighted to be showing 6 of my new paintings at Gallery Tresco from 19th May – 3rd July. My work has been represented at Gallery Tresco for over 10 years! This new collection of paintings has been inspired by my winter visit at the beginning of the year. Here they are and a couple from last year too. My favourite is Green and Blooms, inspired by the beautiful Abbey Gardens.

Lighthouse, oil on canvas

Spring Flowers, oil on canvas
Tideline and Islands,oil on canvas

Sea Grass and Shoreline, oil on canvas

Calm Day, oil on canvas

White Sands, Moody Sky,oil on canvas

Greens and Blooms, oil on canvas

At the beginning of this year I became temporarily addicted to knitting. After an emergency spinal operation in February it was an ideal way to be creative without jeopardising my recovery. I discovered the ideal website supplying kits and yarns for basic to advanced knitters. The brand is called weareknitters.co.uk and they have the most gorgeous yarns, needles and patterns.

Several of these kits later and I have created garments I can actually wear despite the odd slipped stitch, hole and occasional twist.

Here are my completed projects….

 

Another year has flown by and I’m now firmly ensconced in the 2016 Open Studios week. I’m participating for 6 days. Day 1 was yesterday and after a very slow start things picked up, thankfully. We had a total of 14 visitors!

My son, Rafferty has speedily created his own range of artworks with intriguing titles such as ‘Celtic Cross with Paw Print’ and my favourite, ‘Bob’s Dad’. I’m not sure who Bob’s Dad is.

Tess, my whippet is in a solid routine of sleeping on the sofa under her blanket until around 4 pm when she moves towards the front door and looks at her lead. She’s the perfect dog for the Open Studios as she’s and ardent sleeper.

Hopefully this year will be a real success. I’d love to sell a few originals, it’d be a real boost. I hope Raff sells well too….

 

I’ve painted snow scenes for many years for various galleries and card publishers and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed doing. There’s something about snow which is magical and romantic evoking a feeling of escapism and nostalgia. These pictures are very much sourced from my imagination which is an entirely different way of working from the usual sketches and photos taken from real life.

Here are a few. Some are recent and some are from the past….

Last week I had the joy of finally purchasing a glue gun. I’m not sure why it has taken me SO long to acquire one as it’s a vital piece of equipment.

I’ve been messing about with it in my new workroom. I love the unpredictable nature of the melted glue, the danger of burns and the satisfaction of sticking materials together in one easy go. I’m a complete novice and the glue has been getting everywhere but it’s very enjoyable.

In order to test drive the gun I collected paraphernalia found at home, on the beach, on the pavement and weirdly under the fridge. Here are the results- a miscellaneous collection of characters…..