SIlent Poetry

Heather and Gorse acrylic painting; an original work of art. In the hills of north Wales and Shropshire at the right time of year, the purple heather and yellow gorse stretch to the horizon. The earth turns from green to yellow and purple I visit Wales quite regularly to see family and we love to head for the hills and enjoy the open spaces and the beauty of the Welsh countryside. When time…

Run Through the Jungle

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This painting transports me back to some of my favourite places.  Run Through the Jungle is inspired by unspoiled rainforests and water courses where the impact of the man-made world has not yet intruded. Water rushes along a fast river as it races towards the edge the horizon. A lush curtain of rainforest trees hides the water course and the density of the…

An art gift certificate is ideal an ideal gift when you know someone loves art, but aren’t sure precisely which piece of work they would like. They may actually prefer to come to an art workshop. Whether it’s creating it, or buying it – art feeds our souls It is a beautiful gift, but we all know it can be difficult to choose for someone else. The gift of art is one that lasts so you want to make…

Stephie Butler – Mastering liquid charcoal and watercolour

After the resounding success of her 2020 and 2021 workshops on painting wildlife in liquid charcoal and watercolour, Stephie Butler will be back in September 2022 to help attendees to master this exciting medium.   Stephie is renowned for her skill with watercolour and she is leading the way with her watercolour and liquid charcoal combinations. Stephie will show you how to create amazing…

Three Course Dinner with Alvaro

Two Course Dinner with Alvaro

There are two ways to think about the question of why artists create: What leads someone to pick up a brush and get started? What drives someone to keep creating artwork? There are different reasons for everyone. Here’s what it is for me: Why artists create – the catalyst I felt completely unbalanced and I knew I needed to do something about it. Much of my working life was spent in analytical…

David Poxon RI – Watercolour Mastery two day workshop

David Poxon RI – Watercolour Mastery two day workshop is a must for any watercolour artists who love painting textured images. Painting in pure watercolour medium, David uses a multi glazing technique, with up to 20 layers of transparent paint, each in turn delicately modulating the colours beneath. He doesn’t use white paint in any of his works. Instead, David prefers to preserve areas of the…

Dancing with the unknown. Two day workshop: experimenting with water-based media

Dancing with the unknown is Vandy’s experimental approach to watercolours.  In this workshops she will teach you to become more adventurous with your watercolours using combinations of ink, watercolour and drawing media. Vandy will guide you through the process of using play to make exciting, dramatic, impactful paintings. Spend two days immersed in the discovery of exciting new ways of working…

Five Masters’ Iconic Flower Paintings

Five Masters’ Iconic Flower Paintings that debunk the idea that flower painting is only for beginners – and they are just the start. Painting flowers is joyful for so many reasons: the colour, the shapes, even the scent. All aspects are sensory, right down to the feel of the petals. For an artist, the range of colours and shapes are sheer delights. This is kid-in-a-candy-store stuff. It can be…

Letter to a Young Artist

What would you say if you were to write a letter to a young artist (specifically, the younger you)? I loved this question in the interview with Mary from Wonky Wheel of Finchingfield. The article introduces the Uncontained exhibition featuring my floral paintings and Stephie Butler’s wildlife paintings – and you can read the whole article here. The question of what advice you would give to a…

Unframed liquid charcoal and watercolour on paper. 38 x 48 cm I am happy to discuss framing options you may want to consider.  

How limits improve your painting

It may seem contradictory to say that limits improve your painting. But in my experience, it is a good learning tactic that has worked for me. Limits make you stretch in different ways. For obvious reasons, we call it thinking inside the box. With limits, you need to look for different strengths and you can’t always rely on doing things in the way you have in the past. My son got married last…

Artistic motivation is something Michelle Cheyne from Instinctive Living is well qualified to write about, given her expertise in psychology. She has written a guest post for us about the three cornerstones that help us find artistic motivation. ******************** Finding your creative voice can be quite the journey and very much a worthwhile one. I strongly believe we all have a need to…

Unframed mixed media on Paper. (Acrylic, watercolour and pencil) Size: 15 x 18 cm    

Nine tips for an Artists websites that works

Artists websites are the cause of a lot of soul-searching and stress for many, but they don’t need to be. Here is a guide on how to work out whether you want a website and how you should use it. Should you have a website for your art? It depends. Mainly it depends on what your purpose is with your art. Do you make a living from selling your art? If so, it is probably a good idea to have a…

How to display artwork at home

Have you ever wondered how to display artwork at home when you’ve run out of wall space? You see a painting that you’ve fallen in love with and you are bursting to buy it, but there’s just no space left on your walls – not even for a tiny one. So, you walk away with regret but that painting just keeps calling you back. It found its way into your heart and you fear you will always regret not…