Summer 2024 Round-up
It has been a bit of a whirlwind. Summer 2024 kicked off with a guest appearance at the first Thornton Open Studios and Art Trail. I had the pleasure of showing artwork in good […]
How I challenged my art with creative constraints
During the Covid lockdown times, my personal artwork got a little stale. This was just one more thing to deal with during an already tough time. It seemed like the restrictions brought out new creativity for lots of people, whether it was baking or sewing or starting a new business. I just wanted to express […]
Saltaire Arts Trail 2023
I’m excited to share that from May 27-29, I’ll be exhibiting new paintings and prints at The Little Craft House for the Saltaire Art Trail 2023!
I’m just back […]
How to tell the difference between original paintings and giclée art prints
Is this an original or a print?
You want to purchase a special artwork but you aren’t sure whether you should buy the ‘original’ or a ‘giclée art print’ of it. Here’s my […]
How I created my new mixed media still lives
My new mixed media paintings have been through quite a process! They started out last summer as six squares on a sheet of 100% rag art paper (the good quality archival stuff used by professionals). I used only three acrylic paint colours (a blue, a red and a yellow), made some big swooshing brush marks […]
It’s a Revision Thing
September reminds me of returning to school and new beginnings.
I’ve always felt a charge of creative energy when the autumn comes. This year is no different, despite the challenges we all are facing. In some ways, September feels more like the start of a new year than New Year’s Day. And, in a way, I have […]
Signs of Life
This is a big week for signs of life in my world. Not only am I about to finish the first draft of a novel I have been working on for a long time, but our lockdown pond has attracted its first tadpoles and frogs. A first draft and a pond may seem unrelated but […]
Launching my 100 Days of Enchantment Project 2019
An enchanting new image in my sketchbook every day for 100 days…now there’s a challenge!
Sometimes fate steps in and gives you a big fat clue about what art project to do next. That happened last weekend when Victoria Johnson posted on Instagram that she was doing the 100 Day […]
Five Writing Lessons I’ve Relearned
What do you do when your ‘work in progress’ stops progressing?
I am currently writing a middle grade fantasy novel. Having published three novels and one novella already, you might think I’m just flying through this project with no hiccups. But here’s the thing: even experienced writers deal with barriers and […]
Summer Highlights: Leeds West Indian Carnival 50th Anniversary Project
As summer highlights go, this one is right up there. In the spring I had the honour of being asked to create an illustrated map for the Leeds West Indian Carnival‘s 50th anniversary as part of a Heritage Lottery Grant project.
Every late August bank holiday, the Carnival brings colour, […]