Art is a neural workout

I find it really upsetting to hear so many of my students regain tales of their school days and a teacher that belittled their creative efforts, and in some cases told them in no uncertain terms to leave it behind and find employment in other areas. EVERYONE has the ability to be creative. EVERYONE has a story to tell. EVERYONE has a voice.

As we get older it is really important to keep our brains ability to rewire, adapt and stay sharp in tip top condition. Some resort to the Times crossword and word games but creative habits can really boost neuroplasticity, so painting, drawing, dancing or playing an instrument can be beneficial in so many ways.

This is evident to me personally (the struggle with brain fog due to depleting hormones is real!) as working through an idea from sketchbook to canvas gives me focus and forces me to answer creative quandries as I go. But it is even more prevalent in the adult group that I teach as part of Seasons Art Class, and the students that I welcome into my studio at Clonterbrook!.

The joy that art brings to the students can be measured not only in the enthusiasm in the classroom setting, but the extra curricular that has enabled them to improve their skills tenfold. The Seasons Art Class is taught over a 14 week period with the last week being an Exhibition of their work. The boost in confidence from the first week to the last week is just wonderful to see and the connections made in the classroom often continue into social gatherings beyond it.

The Seasons Art Class I teach is held in Congleton Football Club and is perfect for beginners and those who creatives that thrive on a weekly class where you make friends and catch up with old ones. You can find out more about that here.

If you are someone that wants to learn how to be looser in your artwork, think like an Abstract artist, love playing with new materials and instilling play into your process to find your style and produce authentic art, learn about the language of colour, learn about the importance of layering, or just learn how to use Acrylics then the workshops I hold at my studio in Cheshire are geared to help.

Think of art as athletics for the brain. You get a gym membership to keep physically fit so it seems logical that you exercise the grey matter to keep sharp. Every artwork raises questions which we help you find answers to. In time you will be able to answer them yourself and this is evident when you dedicate yourself to just 10 minutes sketching a day. Get a sketchbook and a 2B pencil and while the kettle boils for a cup of tea, sketch the teacup, or the kettle!

If you know of someone that you think would benefit from learning a new skill or honing an existing one Iet me know and I will point you in the right direction.

New work alert!

It’s impossible not to be inspired when your studio is nestled amongst tranquil woodlands with a pond teaming with life, the buzz of bees, the gliding dragonflies and damsel flies flashing turquoise across the water and the resident ducks and their offspring bustling amongst the reeds. I mean I am no poet (see previous sentence!) but it is enough to drive you to express your gratitude and wonder in some form or other.

About a month ago I began a painting of the purple beech trees that took my eye. The sun caught the light through the leaves making them a vivid pink and as you know I am like a kid in a sweet shop when it comes to pink!

I grabbed a 100x70cm canvas, some drawing inks, brushes, acrylics (and the studio dog), threw a cloth on the grass, and set about transferring what I saw, (and more importantly ‘felt’ ) onto the canvas. The idea at this point was to create a surface that had vitality and intrigue so that I could start to build the composition using bold colour and marks that reflected the shapes that I saw. I noticed broad shapes, light and dark, shadow and form which I described using cool blues and greens for shady areas and bright yellows and shocking pinks for the light flashes.

I has taken me a month on and off to complete, but aside from always wondering if I have overdone it I am quite pleased with the result and have spent this afternoon framing it ready for the Northern Girls Exhibition in September.

If you would like to brighten up your walls and bring some visual positivity into your home, then you can find out how I can help here.

If you purchase anything from my Etsy Store in July you pay nothing for shipping so it’s worth taking a look. There are some perfect gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings that you won’t find anywhere else!

It really is cheering up the studio and I cannot wait to add to the ‘Summer Tree’ paintings in my ‘Contemporary Woodland’ workshop tomorrow and the collaborative workshop with Allie Pottinger on the 18th July!

If you think you might like to give yourself a day at Clonterbrook where you will immerse yourself in the surroundings and translate them using watercolour with Allie Pottinger and then try Acrylics with me have a look at the workshop details HERE. We are ending the day with a debrief in the courtyard where we can talk about the day and enjoy cool refreshments (Pimms anyone?).

It’s a great way to connect with like minded people, immerse yourself in nature and enjoy some tranquility in the lovely Cheshire countryside and everyone that visits remarks on how relaxed it makes them feel.

Anyway the painting is still looking for a title so please feel free to suggest something that fits the joyful vibe!

Art is a superpower! Use it!

OK let’s face it. Life is not a bowl of cherries and it is all too easy to have our state of mind altered by outside forces out of our control. As an artist it is my job to bring my work into the world that reflect my thoughts and emotions in order to evoke a reaction from the viewer. I strive to make this a positive and joyful experience. I guess my mission is to bring positive force and a light into the lives of as many people as I can through my paintings and also through my teaching practice.

We all have someone that we look to for inspiration and through my art journey I have attended workshops of artists that I hold in high regard. I love their work, their ethos and their spirit and have learnt a lot from just being in the same room as them.

Pink Coast, Gerry Dudgeon

My thing has always been colour so I always look to artists that have that as their flag and learn from their teachings about their processes to understand how they paint. One such artist was the wonderful Gerry Dudgeon. His abstract landscapes are just full of intrigue and the punchy colours just draw you into the work. I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with Gerry at Coombe Farm in Devon where I started to understand how to approach abstract work. He was a gentle teacher but his methods intrigued me and I was saddened to hear of his passing a few years ago. I still look at this work for inspiration and to help me get out of an artistic quandry.

Moving Forward, Looking Back. Lesley Humphrey

Another artist is Lesley Humphrey. If you have followed me for a while you will know that I absolutely LOVE Lesleys work! I have been on several of Lesleys workshops, when she is in the UK and she never ceases to light me up. I don’t think I will ever truly know how she paints such incredible paintings but feel so privileged to have watched her demonstrations and listened to her philosophy and stories about her journey and who mentored her.

YOU have lived YOUR LIFE - YOU have a story to tell

I can help you tell it in my Express Yourself workshop where we explore what makes you tick to find your authentic voice

It is this type of energy that I hope I bring to everyone that attends a workshop with me, or visits my studio. I hope that I bring a little bit of sunshine onto your walls if you invest in some of my work. I use my brushes and colour to communicate how I feel and it is this superpower that I wish more people would use to wage their wars and solve their issues. Wouldn’t the world be a wonderful place to live if we filled it with the language of art!

If you would like to come and spend some time in the studio learning the skill of visual communication I have released my Autumn workshop dates. I strongly believe that art is available to EVERYONE as a form of communication and would love to show you how you can make your voice heard through the positive language of art.

Spaces are limited to 6 in each class to ensure one to one tuition.

Northern Girls Paint Out Arley Hall & Gardens

Northern Girls art collective from left: Ginny McDermott, Al Stafford, Allie Pottinger, Kate Fawcett, Zelda Pickup and Di Metcalfe

It was the most glorious day, and we were lucky because the rest of the week was to give the gardens at Arley the much needed watering after the warmest Spring on record! With the invitation to come along and paint with us open to other artists, we were thrilled to see some familiar faces, and really pleased to meet some new friends too.

If you have painted in situ before you may be familiar with the overwhelm. That is, knowing what to focus on when there is so much inspiration all around! Also Arley is vast and with some wanting to paint the floral aspects, I plumped for woodland and pitched up my easel and set about painting a charming pathway that led through the trees to a beautiful pale pink Rhododendron. I soon discovered that I had forgotten to add a Cadmium Yellow to my kit - or any yellow at all for that matter! Being the resourceful girl that I am I set about trying to get a selection of greens using an insipid Pistachio Green and one that I didn’t even know I had, a bright Leaf Green. Toned down with a touch of Opera Rose (my favourite Pink) it worked out ok…well maybe you should be the judge of that! Note the authentic hair!

Quick fire acrylic ‘sketch’ at Arley Hall and Gardens, Cheshire

I downed tools when the midges had had their fill of my legs and I packed up to meet everyone for lunch.

The best thing about painting with others is that you get to find out their tips and tricks and we exchanged ideas about the best easels and pochades. My kit is all quite old and I confess to being a bit rusty when it comes to hardcore Plein Air. I am more of a fair weather girl so my kit is quite basic. That said it works for me and I am more than happy to share my tips and favourite items!

My Plein Air Kit for Painting in Acrylics

Acrylic paint in a range of cool and warm primary colours (including Cadmium Yellow (!), Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson,Ultramarine Blue, Pthalo Blue, Titanium White, Opera Rose! and Burnt Sienna.

Canvas Board in 12x9" and 12x12" (which fits in the pochade box)

Collapsible Water Pot

Stay Wet Palette ( an old plastic meat tray lined with damp kitchen roll and white greaseproof/baking paper)

Tear off palette

Range of brushes including a 1" decorators brush Cocktail stick and sponge for mark makingPalette knifeBottle of waterSelection of Oil pastelsPencils, eraser, sharpener, charcoal

Water Sprayer (cheap from garden centres or supermarkets)Kitchen Roll!Dog poo bag for any rubbish

I use a wooden pochade box from Jacksons which I screwed a mount bracket onto so that it can be attached to my tripod . It is easy to set up and more importantly isn't too heavy to carry around!
I also have a back pack by Gerstaecker that I have used for years which has an inbuilt stool which is really handy! 

If you prefer to paint or sketch in company then keep an eye out for upcoming Paint Outs. We plan to have more in the year and my solo Sketch In The Park at West Park, Macclesfield is geared to encouraging people to have a go, and really look at their surroundings.

Tickets for that event can be purchased HERE

I’ve been to Paradise

But I’ve never been to meee. God I hate that song!

But I do love Paradise, and I have been - in fact I have just come back from a whole week walking the Pembrokeshire Coast with my friend Karen Sillar (fantastic Printmaker and self confessed birder). Staying in the Farmhouse Retreat just outside St Davids we planned a week of exploring and sketching the coastal paths that we missed last year and booked a day trip to the Island of Skomer where we were promised a Puffin fix. Without wanting to miss anything out in my ‘review’, I can honestly say that the day on Skomer was the most magical time I have ever experienced. The island was covered in a carpet of Bluebells, and Pink Campion and the pathways that take you around and through the different areas each had their own species of bird to spot and flora to enjoy. With the weather having been so warm the display was spectacular and judging by the size of the lenses attached to the cameras on keen photographers on the boat there will be some amazing photos appearing on various Instagram accounts!

The aim of the trip was to both wind down AND recharge the creative batteries and I wanted to try some new techniques after taking the Sam Boughton abstract landscape sketching course. The idea is to react to what is in front of of you, not just by recording what you see, but also what you feel, using the energy of the marks to give your sketch vitality. I started by timing each sketch staying no more than a minute in each place and ended up sketching and walking. Obviously I made it back home to write this post so didn’t fall off the cliff edge whilst practicing this technique! Admittedly though it is wise to make sure the ground is good and hazard free when practicing this! We picked one of the lanes up to the path at St Justinians and only had the odd passing car to contend with. I sketched using an A5 sketchbook and a Lyra graphite stick and ended up with some really interesting sketches which I hope to use as a starting point for future paintings.

Having averaged 17,000 a day it meant that our intended art activity was mostly contained to our sketchbooks, but we did manage to get the paints out and play, and although nothing of note was produced that will ever see the scrutiny of the public gaze, it did give me some ideas and colour palettes for new work! Hoorah to that!

Have you been somewhere that left you inspired? Let me know in the comments…I need recommendations for next years trip! :)

It’s the Season of Potential!

This is by far my favourite time of year, as the time comes for frosty mornings and woolly socks to be replaced with bright blue skies and the busyness of birds as they get ready to welcome the next generation. The world seems full of possibilities and potential in spite of everything we hear on the news or are subjected to on social media.

It was ‘possibilities’ that six artists explored in my ‘Express Yourself’ workshop on Saturday.

From my own personal experience of expression through my art, I know how difficult it is to reach a state of authenticity; where you are creating from a place where you are in a state of ‘flow’. Many of us are our own harshest critics and I know from teaching adult learners that we can be crushed by a thoughtless comment from a well meaning family member as we proudly show them our efforts.

For some this ‘critique’ can be the end of their self expression. We are exposing a vulnerability when we show our work to others and we have to work hard to brush off unwanted opinions and stay the course. It is getting to a stage where we are confident in our ‘process’, are clear about our ‘intent’ and are creating from a place where we are in touch with our emotions. There is a spirituality to this process which I had not discovered until I took a workshop with the wonderful Lesley Humphrey.

I had attended several of Lesleys workshops in the past as I have a deep love of her work, and she is such a generous teacher. She often used the word ‘yeild’ to describe the feeling of allowing the art to flow, and I honestly never understood it until I attended one of her workshops for the Society of Equestrian Artists. I had painted horses for a long time and looking back had always been excited by their energy and spirit. As I look back through my horse paintings I had progressed from painting a horse with as much realism as I could, to injecting their energy through the design, the colours and my brushstrokes. It was not deliberate. I realise now that it was my authentic voice becoming louder as I gained confidence, and Lesley’s encouragement finally allowed me to give myself permission to bring emotion into the game.

From that point I never painted the same again. It takes courage, determination and conviction to paint from the heart. Whilst our logical brain is reminding us of the rules that we are to follow if we want admirers to mistake our paintings for ‘photographs’ our hearts must sing from the rooftops if we want people to buy our art for it’s soul.

I am so proud of every one of the artists that came to Waterside Studio on Saturday. They really had no idea what to expect, and after a few warm up exercises where we attempted to turn the nagging left side if the brain off, we were into an afternoon of exploration and experimentation using their own inspiration reference.

Despite it being an all day and quite intensive deep dive into new territory we all felt so energised by the mutual support and encouragement from each other, that I really hope that they can all inject some of the spirit from the day into future work.

If you would like to experience some of what we did in the ‘Express Yourself’ workshop, then I am adding another date in June.

Places are limited so I am releasing them via my mailing list, so if you are not signed up to receive my emails please click here to be included.

Happy Painting :D

PS If you would like to have a print of one of my equestrian paintings you will find them in my Etsy Shop

Lab testing bio based Acrylics

I have been using clumping cat litter for several years.

This is not an admission of some weird fetish but an attempt to use Acrylic paint without harming the ecology of our water systems. They are precious and are already polluted enough so I was determined that my art practice wouldn’t add to the problem. I have been teaching my students about the responsible disposal of acrylic paint water for as long as I have been using it myself so it still always astonishes me that few artists either know about it, or employ it.

It is as simple as a bucket lined with a bin liner and filled a third of the way up with clumping cat litter. Not any cat litter will do as the waste water you pour into it has to be absorbed so that it can be lifted out in one clump and disposed of in the general waste. This admittedly ends up in landfill which is still not ideal, but at least it doesn’t end up filling our rivers and streams, and ultimately our glasses with plastic particles!

So with this practice in mind I have been looking for an alternative solution for a long time. I had researched several brands that purported to have developed a solution, one of them based in America (Natural Acrylic Paint) which is plant based and apparently mixes well with conventional acrylics. I have yet to test these but they are tricky to get hold of in the UK, having a distributor in Holland. Sadly Brexit has put paid to cheap import duties so I think that currently this isn’t a solution although I am keen to try them out.

Another brand that has a bio alternative is Liquitex, and it is these that I have tested out to see if the colours are as vibrant, coverage as good and drying times as quick (or slow).

I have created a video to show my findings, but in short I think that they are a great alternative, with good thick consistency, great coverage and vibrant colour options. Sadly no fluorescents at the moment but I think I can work with them. I will stick with my clumping cat litter for now, in case I feel the urge to reach for a conventional acrylic and accidentally mix it with an eco friendly version, but it is great that at last the manufacturers have heard our cry for paints that give us visual joy, but actual harm to the environment.

Have you tried eco friendly alternatives to acrylic paint? If so I would love to hear from you…get in touch

A change of scene…

A view from our accommodation at Il Paretaio in the stunning hills of Tuscany

I am openly one to admit that I could quite happily be a hermit. In fact when asked what I wanted to be when I got old (I’m nearly there) I declared that I would be the mad cat woman that lived alone in the woods! So I was not sorry to enjoy the confines of my studio and garden all summer. In fact it has inspired my latest work which you will see if you come along to the next Northern Girls Exhibition!

That said there have been rumbles about running workshops in far flung places and I thought it pertinent to at least explore the possibilities by way of a whistle stop tour of Tuscany with my daughter, who happily provided the entertainment, navigation and reality checks as we pondered different locations.

The temperature was not my friend, and experiencing hot flushes on top of 34 degrees I had to warn my daughter that if she found a pair of shoes randomly abandoned it was not because I had forgotten them, but because I had literally spontaneously combusted! Not conducive to watercolours either which I quickly found out after attempting my first sketchbook entry!

That said we experienced the most wonderful hosts at Il Paretaio, a Bed and Breakfast that caters for the equestrianites with the most beautiful horses available for lessons under the expert tutelage of Pietro De Marchi and Natalie Schofield. The views are to die for and the accommodate is steeped in history which long time owners Giovanni De Marchi and Christina Libardi are happy to impart.

Located in Barberino Tavarnelle, it is only half an hour away from Siena and Florence respectively it was the perfect place to experience all that the area had to offer. With wineries, vineyards, and stunning landscapes to enjoy it is definitely something that I will be exploring for next year.

We hired a car from Pisa airport for four days which we used to explore as many places as we could while we had it. The villages were stunning and the fortified towns, such as Monteriggioni and the beautiful Siena were well worth the trip!

Our trip culminated in 3 days in Pisa which we used as a base to catch the train to Firenze (Florence) and Lucca and then of course to explore Pisa itself. I think I broke my daughter by the last day as she insisted that we take advantage of the Happy Hour in the local bar around the corner of our AirBnB which I was happy to oblige!

So what did I take away from our whistle stop tour of all that Tuscany had to offer?

The colours - you can’t come away from Tuscany without thinking of Burnt Siena, Yellow Ochres, the purple Wisterias and Bougainvillea and punchy pinks of the Oleander, Olive greens and smokey pinks.

I have no doubt this will infuse itself in future work and with five exhibitions coming up before the end of the year, hopefully an opportunity to show some of it off!

A change of scene, however short is a brilliant way to get perspective, be inspired, gather visual reference, refreshing your senses with new sights, smells, tastes, and sounds, and by the end of our week long trip we had both vowed to do it again next year!

If you have enjoyed a trip away this summer I would love to hear if it has inspired you to paint or sketch.

If you would be interested in joining me on a painting trip abroad please register your interest HERE. I will get back with some options when I have firmed up an itinerary and dates etc. There is no obligation at all but I would be interested to see if anyone would like to come with me next time.

Nature Is My Muse

How Observing the Beauty of the Natural World Shapes My Creative Process as an Abstract Artist

As an abstract artist, my work is deeply inspired by the natural world around me. The vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and raw textures found in nature never fail to captivate me and serve as a boundless well of creative inspiration. In this blog post, I want to delve into how observing the beauty of nature shapes my creative process and influences the emotional response I aim to evoke in my abstract paintings.

Colour

One of the most powerful ways in which nature influences my work is through its rich and diverse colour palette. From the fiery oranges and deep blues of a sunset to the lush greens and earthy browns of a forest, nature offers an endless array of hues that I strive to capture in my art. By observing the subtle shifts in colour and light in the natural world, I am able to infuse my paintings with a sense of depth and vibrancy that resonates with viewers.

So the first stage of creating a painting is to decide which five colours I am going to use.

I use a limited palette but will extend the actual mediums that I employ to make the marks so for example I might use Golden (my brand of choice) acrylic paint in Napthol Red and use a 2” brush to apply it, but will also use a bright red chalk pastel, or a rigger brush in red drawing ink. This limited palette but selection of tools creates a cohesive but interesting painting.

Marks

In addition to color, the intricate patterns and textures found in nature also play a crucial role in shaping my creative process. Whether it's the delicate veins of a leaf, the swirling patterns of a seashell, or the rough texture of a tree bark, I am constantly inspired by the intricate details and organic shapes that abound in the natural world. These elements find their way into my paintings through the use of expressive mark making techniques, which help me to create a sense of movement and energy that mirrors the dynamic beauty of nature.

Emotion

But perhaps the most profound way in which nature influences my work is through its ability to evoke a sense of wonder and awe. By immersing myself in the natural world, I am reminded of the vastness and beauty of the universe, and the interconnectedness of all living things. This sense of awe fuels my creativity and drives me to create art that speaks to the universal human experience, tapping into emotions that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.

In conclusion, nature serves as a powerful muse for my work as an abstract artist, shaping my creative process in profound ways. By drawing inspiration from the colours, patterns, textures, and emotions found in the natural world, I am able to create art that not only captures the beauty of nature but also invites viewers to reflect on their own place within the Universe. Through my paintings, I hope to inspire others to pause, observe, and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, and to find solace and joy in the ever-changing world of nature.

I would love to know what inspires you in life. Maybe you live by the sea and are transfixed by the ever changing weather patterns, maybe walks with the dog? Maybe your journey to work? People you see from a cafe window?