Author Archives: Ailsa

That awkward phase…

One thing I have learned over the last few years is that there is always an awkward phase in a painting. There comes a point where you stand back and think “Oh jeez, I ruined it” “It’s terrible” “What was I thinking???!” I used to give up at this point, throw the painting away, beContinue reading “That awkward phase…”

The problem with intuitive art…..

Over the years, my practice has looped back to working intuitively over and over and this is where I feel happiest. However, working in an intuitive, free, sub-conscious way is not without it’s issues. Working in this way means giving up any expectation of a result, no planning or hoping this will be the nextContinue reading “The problem with intuitive art…..”

Mindful drawing, doodling, adult colouring… is it art?!

A lot of my posts pose the question – is it art? And this week I have been thinking about my doodling and intuitive art practice. I have always doodled a lot, especially in long meetings and there is evidence that it helps you listen, so I have taken that to be a good thing!Continue reading “Mindful drawing, doodling, adult colouring… is it art?!”

AI… is it art? And if it is am I out of a job?!

This week I was intriged by an article in Hackaday about Midjourney – an AI bot which makes images out of textual prompts given to it by the user. It’s pretty geeky stuff, and I don’t claim to understand what it’s doing but I managed to sign up for the free version and get itContinue reading “AI… is it art? And if it is am I out of a job?!”

Liminal…

I was just sat under my favorite bridge and was remembering the freezing cold May evening when my husband and I filmed a short art piece called ‘Liminal’ for my MA Fine Art. I came home to realise that I have never actually posted it here! So here it is! My only regret is thatContinue reading “Liminal…”

Capturing the spirit of a long lost landmark…..

When I saw the subject of the ‘Time at the bar please’ exhibition at Yellow Edge Gallery, about pubs in Gosport, I got a clear picture in my mind of what I would paint.   However, I had no concept at the time of how the painting would end up!   One of my earliestContinue reading “Capturing the spirit of a long lost landmark…..”

Listen to the silence…..

I have long had an interest in mindfulness and drawing but today was a first when I took part in an online Zoom meditation drawing session guided by artist Katie Solohub. Whilst I have a daily meditation practice, I have not ever tied my art and my meditation together before. However, it makes sense thatContinue reading “Listen to the silence…..”