First Clonterbrook Sketch Club was a hit!

Allie Pottinger and I were thrilled to see so many attend our first Sketch Club at Clonterbrook Studios on Wednesday 11th March!

You came in your droves and filled the car park, your sketchbooks and our hearts!

When Allie Pottinger and I talked about getting more people to discover the benefits of sketching outside we wanted to invite people that maybe felt intimidated, embarrassed, shy to sketch on their own. You can absolutely bet that as soon as you get a sketchbook out in public, everyone wants to see what you are doing, so we deliberately organised our first one at our studio base where there is inspiration all around. It was wonderful to see so many of you, all layered up, gear in hand, perched on stools and camping chairs sketching away.

New connections were made, experiences shared and sketchbook pages filled with your interpretation of the scenes before you, whether you chose the outbuildings, trees, lake, daffodils or in some cases the other artists!

We thank each other for and every one of you and really look forward to seeing you at our upcoming dates (see below). We would love to build a community of like minded people to share sketching days out so don’t be shy! Come along to our upcoming dates, bring your friends, or maybe family and have a go!

If you haven’t already signed up to receive my emails please do so - new dates and all information about each event will be emailed to subscribers before the day.

Here are a few pictures from the day for you to enjoy - please do come along to future events - all events are untutored and free to attend!

A pinch me moment!

Me with top art blogger Katherine Tyrrell in front of my entry ‘Patchwork Earth IV'

So this week was dreamy as I attended the Private View of the Royal Society of British Artists exhibition at Mall Galleries, London.

My painting was displayed beautifully next to an abstract by fellow exhibitor Beverley Holgate (@mitzimillie on Instagram).

I nearly didn’t make it as I actually had the concluding day of my Creative Sparks course in my diary, but the students are such a lovely supportive group that they insisted that we jiggled the dates around so that I could go. Massive thanks to them as I wouldn’t have met up with top art blogger Katherine Tyrrell, who I first met at the exhibition by the contestants of the Big Painting Challenge in 2015!

Here I am with Katherine in front of my painting which sold before it hit the wall!

You know the saying, it’s not what you know, but WHO you know….well Katherine is one of those people who fulfils both of those categories as she knows A LOT about the art world and her blog is the go to for aspiring artists wanting to make it their career!

Also attending was the incredible guest artist Anthony Eyton, who at 102 years old was present and very much enjoying the proceedings with his lovely daughter Sarah. I managed to have a chat with them before I left and was just in total awe of his dedication to his art practice, and the love of his daughter (also an artist) in caring for him. If you find them on social media it really is the most wholesome and aspiring thing I have seen.

So it is back down to earth and in the thick of it as I start the week with teaching, and trying to get my entry in for the SWA Exhibition - which I have left to the last minute for the 3rd year in a row!! I have work on the go but need to finish it pronto!

I have also been asked to do a demo to a local art club next Saturday so prepping for that too so I had better get to it!

I hope you have managed to find some sunshine this weekend - both literal and mental. Just turn the news off…there’s nothing you can do about things but worry and it really won’t help.

Happy painting

Alison

x

So you want to sketch outdoors…

There is nothing like it!

Perched on a stool in the middle of a flower meadow on a summers day, listening to a sky lark way up high while bumble bees dart in and out of hedgerow flowers as you sit with your sketchbook poised to create a masterpiece….but what on earth shall you focus on? It is all overwhelming and it will never all fit on the tiny page of your sketchbook, and how on earth will you remember the colours? Those beautiful colours that drew you to this spot, but you only have a 2b pencil and a fine liner with you.

Or maybe you have just lugged your own bodyweight in art materials up a steep hill in order to capture the distant view below, only for the heavens to open…and you forgot your umbrella!

Sketching the gardens at Arley with my trusty Seawhite 30×30cm sketchbook and 4B pencil!

Here are my TOP 5 tips for making your plein air sketching (or painting) as pleasurable experience as possible.

My name is Alison Stafford and I have suffered from Raynaulds Syndrome all my life, (which means my hands go dead when I reach for the milk in the fridge) and I have a deep fear of not having that thing I want in my bag at all times. This has been known to include an obligatory emergency cheese sandwich and a selection of poo bags (the dog was very generous in this respect).

So what do you take on your first trip outside to capture the great outdoors?

1. Look at the weather forecast and dress/pack your bag accordingly. I always say layers are best so you can make sure you are comfortable.

   Raining? If you are anticipating wet weather a shell outer layer that is waterproof is much easier to carry or pack away until you need it. Better to layer up underneath it so you stay warm!

   Sunny? Make sure you pack insect repellant and sunscreen! Sunglasses will help to avoid scrunching your eyes, but be aware that they will alter the colours of the landscape if you are particularly keen to colour match insitu!

   Windy? It might be best to stick to sketching rather than setting an easel up and painting as there is nothing more frustrating than mixing the perfect colour to match that sea, only for a big gust of wind to blow your easel over and your lovely colour palette to disappear into the sand…or grass, hedge, mud (you get the gist)

   Cold? Wear or pack a hat and gloves! Fingerless are ok if you don’t suffer from the cold as I do. I find fingerless gloves totally useless at staving off the cold, so wear regular woollen gloves with a pair of marigold over the top. This stops the wind from penetrating the knit of the gloves and also means I can stay dry. It also means I feel like Bungle off Rainbow so I have to be kind in my critique of my sketches and just embrace the loose approach!

2. Less is best when it comes to kit!

   A small rucksack should be sufficient to hold your equipment, which should not comprise of more than you absolutely need! In fact I find that I do my best sketches when I only have a few mark making tools at my disposal and take one or two sketchbooks.

A bag you can carry on your back will keep your hands free to navigate tricky paths, or sketch while you walk!*

If you have one of the art rucksacks that include a stool then prepare to be asked where you got it from!

I have taken this on many a plein air trip and it was even big enough to take on an overnight stay as I managed to add a bag of smalls and essentials in the bottom of it!

I bought mine from Gaersteker 10 years ago and it is still the best buy I have ever made! Big enough to take on longer trips and perfect to take as much as you can carry…which leads me to the next point…

4. Don’t take more than you can comfortable carry, or quickly pack up in case of inclement weather or stampeding bulls!

I like to make expressive sketches and some of my favourite tools are :-

• Seawhite square sketchbook , (30x30cm or 20x20cm)

• 8B water soluble Lyra Stick (graphite)

• A small Tupperware box of willow charcoal,

• a small bottle of drawing ink in Burnt Sienna, Paynes Grey, Yellow Ochre and a turquoise blue. I always make sure these are in a plastic bag in case of leakage!

• I also have a small pencil case with various graphite pencils, a sharpener and an eraser AND my trusty battery operated eraser! Great for breaking up large areas of graphite and highlights!

• A small selection of Pan Pastels to ‘stain’ the page with colour that captures the mood, temperature or feeling of the place you re sketching**

  ** you can find out more about my process on one of my in person workshops

• Some poo bags or just small bags if you don’t have a dog! These are always handy for taking items of rubbish home, sharpening pencils into, and throwing used kitchen roll in

• Sheets of Kitchen Roll - I dispense as much as I can and just fold it up. It is great for blotting ink, drying your hands, smudging your charcoal or graphite, or using as a napkin (I’m posh!)

• Small plastic water bottle (with water in) for diluting the inks or washing brushes

• Small selection of brushes, a twig or cocktail stick, and anything that makes an interest mark

• Masking Tape

• Flask of coffee / bottle of water

• Cheese sandwich (obviously insert your favoured food here)

• Clear plastic bag that holds my sketchbook whilst open (only for hardcore plain air sketchers). If it rains pop your open sketchbook into the clear bag and carry on sketching! (BTW I am not hardcore and have never done this. I would much rather sketch from the comfort of my van, or nearby cafe!)

5. Sit for a while and think about what it is that drew you to this particular place?

• Focus on that one thing and time yourself while you try to capture it using energetic marks. Time is always of the essence when you are sketching outside. You may find yourself exposed to a passing rain cloud, changing light, or anything that nature decides to throw your way!

• Move around and get different points of view. Just standing two steps to the left or right may give you a much better view or composition.

• Leave out what doesn’t benefit the overall composition. You don’t need to sketch everything you see. Make some thumbnail sketches down one side of your page before investing time in a complete study and just use artistic licence to say what you want to say about what you see.

  It is a bit like having to impart a really important piece of information to someone who is walking out the door. Be succinct, and clear about what you need them to hear!

Most of all have fun - go with like minded friends and make time to compare sketches at the end!

If you would like to join me and Allie Pottinger for some outdoor sketching we are holding a Sketch Club once a month. It is an untutored event that is designed to bring sketchers together, from total beginners to seasoned artists, to gain confidence, have a go and just enjoy each others company.

You can register your interest HERE. We will meet in various places around Cheshire - we have picked each venue based on parking facilities, nearby cafe/toilets and inspirational things to sketch!

Feel free to comment with your suggestions or favourite things to take on your sketching trips!

February needs Sunflowers

‘Sunflowers’ 80×80cm, Acrylic and Acrylic Ink on canvas

It’s been a long time since anything other than my face was exposed to the sunshine and I think anyone living in the UK will agree that it can’t come soon enough. Grey skies, rain, a chill wind and a lack of Vitamin D have made the last few months challenging. However, I am reminded how lucky we are to experience the grey months with the comfort of heat, nourishment and shelter, which sadly many in the world right now don’t have. For my blessings I feel immense gratitude. It is hard to keep your head in a place where you are bringing positive light to the world through art and creativity, and the plight of so many weighs heavily on those of us that have not lost our sensitivity and a human need to reach out and help.

I was offered the opportunity to do just that by my friend Vic Brown, as a member of Macclesfield Ukrainian Aid, who was helping with the organisation of a fund raiser at Clonter Opera house. The headline act was Rory Bremner, politic satirist and impressionist. My job? Paint some ‘Sunflowers’ to be part of the fund raising activities on the night! Excellent! There is nothing like sunshine yellow to lift the mood.

This piece is especially close to my heart. Sunflowers have always been a beacon of hope for me, but in Ukraine, they carry even deeper meaning—they’ve become a powerful symbol of peace, resistance, and national pride, especially in the face of recent conflict. My inspiration for this painting is rooted not only in the beauty of nature, but also in the strength and resilience I’ve witnessed through my dear friend and fellow artist, Kateryna Bielekova, who lives in Ukraine. Hearing her stories and seeing her unwavering creativity in the midst of such hardship has moved me beyond words. This painting is dedicated to her, and to everyone who continues to find light in the darkest of times.

I’m thrilled to say that the raffle raised just under £3,000 on the night, with every penny going directly to Macclesfield Ukrainian Aid to support their ongoing humanitarian work.

As part of my ongoing commitment to the charity, I’ve also released Limited Edition prints of “Sunflowers.” 20% of all sales will be donated to Macclesfield Ukrainian Aid, and you can purchase your print HERE

Stay Safe, Sell Smart: The Artist’s Guide to Spotting Scams

Protect Your Art from Scammers and Thieves

If you’re an artist selling your work online (or even just thinking about it), you’ve probably heard stories about scams targeting creatives. Well, I’m here to tell you—it’s not just whispers. It’s a real thing, and even the most seasoned artists can get caught out if they’re not careful. So, let’s have a little heart-to-heart about the most common scams I’ve seen (and nearly fallen for myself!), and how you can keep your art—and your bank account—safe.

The 5 Most Common Scams Targeting Art Sellers

1. Overpayment Scams You get a message from a “buyer” who seems absolutely desperate to own your work (flattering, right?). They offer to pay full price—or even more!—and then send you a cheque or payment for more than the agreed amount. Next thing you know, they’re asking you to refund the difference. Spoiler alert: their original payment bounces, and you’re left out of pocket.
Red flag: Anyone asking for a refund or to “forward” money elsewhere.

2. Fake Shipping Requests
This one’s a classic. The scammer insists on using their own shipping company or asks you to pay a “shipping agent” on their behalf. Sometimes they’ll send a fake payment to cover these costs.
Red flag: Requests to pay third parties or use unfamiliar shipping services.

3. Phishing and Account Takeover
You get an email or message that looks like it’s from Etsy, PayPal, or even Instagram, asking you to “verify” your account or click a link. These are designed to steal your login details and take over your account.
Red flag: Unsolicited emails with urgent requests or suspicious links.

4. Fake Purchase Inquiries
Someone contacts you with a vague, generic message (“I want to buy your art for my wife’s birthday!”) and tries to move the conversation off your website or trusted platform.
Red flag: No reference to specific artwork, poor grammar, or requests to communicate outside your official channels.

5. Payment Method Switcheroo
The “buyer” insists on paying via PayPal Friends & Family, Venmo, cheque, wire transfer, or any other non-secure method instead of your website or a trusted platform.
Red flag: Reluctance to use your official checkout or secure payment methods.

How to Protect Yourself (and Your Art!)

Most of these scams have one thing in common: they want you to accept payment outside your official website or a reputable marketplace. My golden rule?
Always insist that buyers place orders directly through your website or a trusted platform.
It’s safer for you and for them!

Here’s a little message you can copy and paste if you ever get a suspicious inquiry:

“Thank you so much for your interest in my artwork! For your security and mine, I only accept orders placed directly through my website. You can view and purchase available pieces here: [your website link]. Let me know if you have any questions!”

Pop that in your notes or email templates so you’re never caught off guard!

Final Thoughts

Trust your instincts—if something feels off, it probably is. And remember, you’re not alone! So many artists have been targeted, and sharing these stories helps us all stay safer. If you’ve got a scam story or a tip to share, pop it in the comments or send me a message. Let’s look out for each other!

Life is all about the journey, so why not enjoy it—and keep our creative community safe while we’re at it! ❤️

“The Secret Language of Colour: 10 Things to Know Before Choosing Art for Your Space”

Summer Meadow - Bright colours energise your space and inject positive colour into a neutral interior

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt calm, energised, or even a bit unsettled—without quite knowing why? More often than not, it’s the colours around you quietly working their magic. As an artist (and a bit of a colour enthusiast!), I know just how much colour can shape the mood of a space. So, before you pick that next painting for your home, let’s talk about how to harness the power of colour to create the atmosphere you truly want.

Here are my top 10 things to consider when choosing a painting for your room—trust the process, and let’s make your space sing!

1. Start with the Mood You Want to Create

Ask yourself: how do you want to feel in this room? Calm and restful? Energised and inspired? The colours in your artwork will set the emotional tone—so get clear on your intention before you start shopping.

Summer Confetti with it’s fresh greens, uplifting pinks and playful style would work well in a space where you want to bring the benefits of nature in

2. Understand Colour Psychology

Different colours evoke different feelings. Blues and greens are soothing (perfect for bedrooms or chill-out spaces), while reds and oranges are energising (great for kitchens or creative studios). Be mindful—no red in the bedroom unless you want restless nights!

Here Comes The Rain Again is painted using energising turquoise and rich blues with accents of golden apricot. Perfect with pale wood or neutral tones

3. Consider the Room’s Natural Light

Natural light changes how colours appear. A painting that glows in a sunlit room might look dull in a dim hallway. Test your artwork in the actual space before committing, if you can.

The Way We Were, painted in rich earthy tones with accents of duck egg blue - perfect for creating warmth in places with natural light

4. Balance Boldness and Subtlety

A vibrant, colourful painting can be a stunning focal point—but too much intensity can overwhelm. If your room is already full of colour, a more muted piece might bring harmony. If your space is neutral, a bold artwork can add that much-needed spark.

Favourite Autumn Sweater is a textured painting in muted earth tones that works well with pastel shades.

5. Think About Size and Scale

A large, colourful painting can dominate a small room, while a tiny piece might get lost on a big wall. Let the size of your space guide your choice—sometimes, less is more!

Red, Gold and Green is a small painting that would work well to enhance a curated corner. It is also available as a print in sizes that work well as a statement piece.

6. Match (or Contrast) with Existing Decor

You don’t have to match your sofa exactly, but consider how the colours in your painting will interact with your furniture, rugs, and accessories. Sometimes a contrasting colour can make both the art and the room pop!

Halcyon Days has a predominantly blue and bright green palette but the yellow accents work well with the accent colours in this interior.

7. Layer with Texture and Technique

It’s not just about colour—texture matters too! Thick brushstrokes, layered media, or a glossy finish can add depth and interest, changing how the colours feel in your space.

Earth Song is a multi layered textural painting using rich earth tones which work brilliantly with dark wood and a natural interior theme

8. Reflect Your Personality

Your home should feel like you. Choose art that resonates with your story, your travels, or your dreams. The colours you’re drawn to often say a lot about who you are—embrace that!

A Walk On The Wild Side is a painting with energetic brush strokes but uses neutral tones that work well in calm spaces

9. Don’t Forget the Power of Neutrals

Neutrals aren’t boring—they’re grounding. A painting with soft greys, creams, or earthy tones can create a peaceful backdrop, letting you add pops of colour elsewhere (hello, scatter cushions!).

Grouping paintings together creates focal harmony to a corner. These little abstracts give textural interest that compliments the smooth rich mahogany furniture. Patchwork Earth - quadriptych - also available as giclee canvas prints

10. Trust Your Gut (and Enjoy the Journey!)

At the end of the day, art is personal. If a painting makes you smile, calms your mind, or sparks your imagination, it’s the right choice for you—regardless of the “rules.” Life is all about the journey, so why not enjoy it?

Final Thoughts

Choosing art for your home isn’t just about filling a blank wall—it’s about creating a space that feels right for you. Let colour be your guide, and don’t be afraid to experiment. If you’re ever in doubt, remember: trust the process! And if you need a little help, you know where to find me. :)

Alison

x

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?