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Finding Clarity, Community and Beauty in Imperfection

For years, I’ve tried to squeeze as many studio hours into my week as possible. If there were spare hours to be found, I would be in front of my painting wall, mixing paints or working in my sketchbook. Recently, though, that rhythm has shifted. Some of it has been due to circumstances beyond my…
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Inside the Northern Art Fair: An Interview with Artist and Organiser Sheryl Roberts

As the Northern Art Fair prepares to return for another exciting year, I caught up with its founder, artist and organiser Sheryl Roberts, to talk about the journey of the fair, what visitors can expect, and why events like these are vital for both artists and art lovers alike. I will be exhibiting at the…
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How to Create an Inspiration Board for Your Art

Over the past couple of months, I’ve experienced a burst of creative focus and productivity, which, quite frankly, is unusual for me. Before this, I found myself painting without much direction, hopping between different ideas, and struggling to commit to a project or series that truly sparked my passion. During some much-needed reflection time over…
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Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderfully festive break and found time to relax and reconnect with loved ones. Christmas felt especially magical this year for me. We hosted family and friends for a lively Christmas lunch, followed by a whirlwind few days catching up with more relatives. Amid the busyness, we managed to carve…
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New Chapter

As I’ve had just over a month as a full time artist, I thought I’d share some insights into what I’ve learned and how the transition has gone. I guess it’s worth saying that having worked continuously for over 30 years I fully expected to struggle with the transition. Particularly with the lack of structure.…
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Art Challenges

Art Challenge I thought I’d start 2024 with an art challenge. And my favourite challenge is the Insight Creative 30 day Sketchbook Challenge. What is an Art Challenge? Art Challenges are generally shared projects that have a set timeframe and a series of prompts for artists to work from. They are incredibly popular on social media,…
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Autumn Update

As we head towards October I can’t help but think where has this year gone? It’s less than 100 days until Christmas!!!!! We even had our first homemade pumpkin soup last week which was delicious. The Autumn Hampshire Art Fair Some news since my last blog. My brother kindly drove a load of my paintings…
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A Very British Summer

How are you enjoying the British Summer? It certainly feels as though we skipped a season here in the North East and jumped from Spring straight into autumn. That said, given the heatwave that has consumed most of Europe over the past month we should probably be thankful for the grey skies and rain. …
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Music and Art: The Perfect Companions

I often paint whilst listening to music and am very aware that it can influence my painting. This is especially true when painting larger pieces (60cm+). The physical gestures become about your whole body rather than hands and wrists. The rhythm of the music starts to show through in the mark making. And the mood…
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Sunshine and the Sea

Having recently returned from a two week vacation it feels like the month of May has passed in the blink of an eye! We had two fantastic weeks on the beautiful island of Mauritius. You can definitely see why it’s a honeymooners destination. Sunshine, clear blue sea, stunning sun rises or sun sets (depending on…