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 personal interpretation – I wonder, what do you see? An artist friend, Alan Brain, recentlyContinue reading “The Power of Simplicity in Alan Brain’s Art”

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 would have been devastating. I would have spiralled into self-criticism, lamenting the waste of ink,Continue reading “How a Messy Accident Rekindled My Artistic Flow”

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 mind is busy and frantic, and I need to calm it daily to create peaceContinue reading “What is mindfulness?”

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 it recently as one of my tools to recover from chronic fatigue – a gentleContinue reading “The Art of Bimbling: Navigating Creativity with Ease”

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 invite you to explore this area and uncover more connections between art and the humanContinue reading “Sketching the unseen…”

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 plough on.  Nearly every day in the last week, I have come in for theContinue reading “Absence – a longing”

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. One of the things I did was take a concertina sketchbook course*, which really changedContinue reading “Letting it all go!”

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?!”