- Creativity (49)
- Digital art (7)
- Drawing (11)
- MA Fine Art (9)
- Mindfulness (25)
- Misc (2)
- Painting (35)
- Photography (11)
Finding connection
Last week’s word was connection: from the Latin connectere, meaning “to bind together.” It began as something physical: tying, linking, fastening, and has grown to describe everything from relationships to any place two things touch. I’ve been playing with acrylic…
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Roots!
This week’s word is roots, quiet, steadfast things that hold life together. You rarely see them, yet they do all the work, anchoring, feeding, connecting. The word itself is ancient, from Old English rōt and Latin radix, which also gives…
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Standing on the threshold……
This week’s word is liminality, from the Latin limen, meaning threshold. It describes the space between what was and what’s next: the moment of suspension before transformation takes hold. Doorways, bridges, shorelines at low tide. They sit between states, quietly…
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My creative hug for October (and a peek at my big project)
October’s been full of small experiments that have made me get excited about my art again. My Creative Hug project, a loose structure built around a “word of the week” and a larger project, has given me that nudge I’ve…
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Serendipity and the Art of Letting Go
This week’s word is serendipity – those happy accidents that seem to find you when you’re not looking. The word itself comes from an old Persian tale about three princes who kept stumbling upon discoveries by chance, guided by curiosity…
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Not everything needs to be understood…..
Not everything needs to be understood. Some things are meant to be felt and experienced. My word of the week has been mystery. Etymology & history of “mystery” From Latin mysterium → from Greek mystērion (plural mystēria) = “a secret…
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My Word of the Week: Curiosity
As part of my Creative Hug, I have a word a week to inspire my art. This week, I’m doing everything with curiosity – in my drawings, my walks, daily life. I have enjoyed learning the etymology of “curiosity”. Historically,…
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One painting, over and over – seven layers of me
A Continuing Painting This winter, I’m inspired by Judy Tuwaletstiwa’s approach of returning to one painting again and again, layering it with time, thought, and presence. Instead of creating many “finished” works, I’ll be living with a single canvas —…
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My Creative Hug!
Winter can be a difficult time for me as I navigate chronic fatigue and longstanding SAD (seasonal affective disorder). But I’ve learned that the rhythm of the seasons can also be a guide, a way to create structure, meaning, and…
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The Call You Can’t Ignore (and Why It Matters)
I was watching Moana at the weekend with my granddaughter. Every time, one scene in particular stays with me: Moana standing on the beach, staring out to the horizon, knowing she has to go beyond the reef. She doesn’t know…
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Art is a daily mental health boost!
Art is connection, not decoration We underestimate the power of our surroundings. The things we see every day—walls, colours, textures, shape our mood more than we realise. That’s why art isn’t just “decoration.” A painting you truly love can shift…
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Art as an Antidote to Throwaway Culture
Say no to landfill, say yes to real art! We live in a world where so much is made to be thrown away – clothes, furniture, coffee cups…… Everything is designed for speed, not longevity. Art is the opposite. A…
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But What Does It Mean?!
“What does it mean??” We’ve all asked it. But here’s the truth: there’s no right answer. You don’t need to understand art to feel it. You just need to let it get to you.
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What can real art do for us?
(Why Imperfect Art Might Be Exactly What You Need) Mark Rothko once said, when pressed about the meaning of his art: “You’ve got sadness in you, I’ve got sadness in me – and my works of art are places where…
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Setting myself up to fail…. Again….
Do you ever say “it’ll be ok” when deep inside you know it won’t? It’s a big problem for me sometimes, and of course whatever it might be rarely works out and boom, a chance to beat myself up.…
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Why Buy Real Art from an Artist?
(Or: Why That IKEA Print Will Never Speak to Your Soul) Real art—art made by a human hand—can stir something in us. And that can be unsettling, especially with abstract work. No one tells you what it means. It might…
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After the sky fell in…….
In January 2024, just one week into leaving my career to focus on art, I collapsed, physically and emotionally. I couldn’t create, couldn’t function. It took months to understand that this wasn’t a sudden fall, but a long-overdue stop. I…
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Embracing an Abundant Mindset in Creativity
Yesterday, I was reminded of the quiet power of an abundant mindset — especially in creative work. I had been listening to a talk by Nicolas Wilton, one of my mentors. He spoke about the importance of sharing everything we…
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“How do you know when it’s finished?”
When Is a Painting Finished? It’s the question I get asked more than any other: how do you know when it’s finished? The truth is, there’s no single answer. Every artist approaches it differently. For some, it’s a feeling. For…
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Why Do Abstract Paintings Move Me So Deeply?
Why Do Abstract Paintings Move Me So Deeply? In my last blog post, I wrote about my response to my friend Alan Brain’s painting, A Curious Sadness. It’s a simple yet powerful composition—two bold shapes in electric blue and deep…
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The Power of Simplicity in Alan Brain’s Art
Artist Alan Brain’s abstract piece, “A Curious Sadness,” is a masterclass in simplicity and emotion. Two bold shapes in electric blue and deep red evoke a sense of curiosity and melancholy, while subtle details draw the eye. This is my…
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How a Messy Accident Rekindled My Artistic Flow
Yesterday, I experienced what could have been a minor studio disaster. While tidying up before a painting session, I knocked over an entire bottle of green ink. For a moment, I froze. Not so long ago, this kind of accident…
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What is mindfulness?
Is it a religion? A cult? Something dangerous that could mess with your head? Mindfulness and meditation are often misunderstood, but they are a significant part of my life and essential tools that helped me recover from chronic fatigue. My…
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The Art of Bimbling: Navigating Creativity with Ease
Bimbling A gentle, meandering walk with no particular haste or purpose. Wiktionary With the speed of modern life where we rush around from morning till night to achieve everything, the concept of “bimbling” feels like a lost art. I rediscovered…
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Sketching the unseen…
Some artists venture beyond the visual and look into the other senses that shape our daily lives. Drawing your senses – sketching and painting the nuances of sound, touch, taste and feelings stretches the boundaries of conventional artistic expression. I…
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Absence – a longing
If you have read my blog about intuitive art, you’ll remember my issues around knowing how I do my art. I can’t think it, if I do, it all goes haywire – I have to trust my instincts and just…
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Letting it all go!
During the pandemic I took a couple of years out just to play. I didn’t know what would happen to my work but it felt like a great thing to be doing – an antidote to what was happening elsewhere.…
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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…
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Out of my mind
Finished this yesterday, it took a few weeks to get there. Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real….. Wikipedia
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Procrastination – what are you avoiding?
So, my tip to stop procrastinating? Reflect (journal even) on why, what are you avoiding? Are you giving yourself valuable thinking space before making your next move?
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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…
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Does a drawing have to look like somewhere?
This week I have been thinking about drawing – specifically the need to recreate a visual scene accurately or at least semi accurately. For the past few weeks I have been going to the same spot most days and drawing.…
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Ailsa Brims Art 