Occasional Notes

I’ve just returned from my annual visit to Tresco as part of an artist’s residency with Gallery Tresco. A short 20 minute flight from Lands End, in an 8 seater plane to St Marys and a bumpy boat ride from St Marys to Tresco and you’re there. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed by 2 days due to fog and high humidity, which meant we only had 4 days staying on the island. Luckily, time slows down on Tresco and it felt as if we’d had much longer. One of the joys of visiting in the winter means we have the island pretty much to ourselves, a real luxury. We stayed in the most stunning  house, with sea views and steps going down to the beach. Just gorgeous.

I concentrated on making daily sketches of the Abbey Gardens as for me they are so inspiring due to an abundance of exotic plants, flowers and trees. I’ll really enjoy creating a new collection of work based on my drawings. We were also lucky to spot some of the rare wildlife- red squirrels and golden pheasants.

Each day a different robin (I only know this because one was quite fat and extrovert and another was shyer and slimmer) came and perched next to me whilst I was sketching. One day it trilled a song whilst making eye contact with myself and my son!

I’m ensconced in the studio now, preparing new work for the May Show, starting on 14th May 2020.

 

My favourite 2019 Christmas presents are handmade bamboo dip pens, black drawing ink and a couple of quills. These are such a joy to draw with as there’s an element of surprise and slight lack of control which makes for interesting marks and effects.

Being away from my studio for a week over the holidays was quite a wrench so it was great to get back into a bit of quick drawing as soon as I returned.

Here’s one using my left hand. A beautiful flowering cactus, a present from a friend.

Two cups, using a 30 year old quill, made and used by my son’s dad whilst at art school.

 A selection of Tresco inspired sketches.

 

I’ve just completed my second term learning printmaking at Penzance School of Art. I’ve loved it so much that I’m going to continue signing up for the foreseeable future. It’s one morning a week for 2.5 hours. Very doable in between my usual work schedule.

I really enjoyed making these flat colour monoprints using card stencils. They almost look like screenprints, but not quite. Getting the colour really even is tricky but then it’s good to have imperfections in art.

I’m lucky to live around a 20 minute car journey from St Ives. Over the last couple of years I’ve purposely taken my sketch book with me when visiting and I’ve now acquired lots of information to use within my work. 

Favourite places to visit are the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Gardens, Tate, Leach Pottery and St Ives Ceramics. 

Inspiration for these monoprints have originated from my St Ives sketchbooks. And I’ve finally found my favourite paper to print on- Tosa Washi. It’s a very thin, slightly transparent but strong Japanese paper. Just gorgeous.

I’ve become quite addicted to making monoprints, it’s so quick and can be done at home without the need of a press. I just love the effect and satisfaction involved.

I’ve been designing various whippet themed creations for around 16 years since acquiring my first rescue whippet/ lurcher.

I love the whippet nature- gentle, sensitive, prone to long sleeps and keen on comfort and warmth. My whippet, Tess is now 9 and doesn’t really stir until midday and even then she’ll slope back to bed.

It’s very handy to have a muse for my whippet designs. This is the 4th year that I’ve created the Christmas card image for Just Whippets Rescue-  a great project to work on every year and I’ve had several commissions over the years immortalising clients’ favourite hounds.

Some of these paintings are available from my online shop, so do take a look…. 

I tend to veer towards a vibrant colour palette but sometimes it’s refreshing to tone it down. Plus it’s a good learning process mixing new colours and seeing what works.

I could never be bored of colour, the possibilities are endless.

Flowers are a recurring theme within my work along with still life, beach scenes and Cornwall gardens. I’ve been creating a small range of new florals, some of which will be shown at Nadia Waterfield Fine Art from 11th October and a few others will be off to Birdie Fortescue in November, a new venue for my work.

‘Autumn Narcissi’ below, was quite a pain to get right with the colours and composition. Originally I painted more flowers but it wasn’t working so I painted over them. The background was a mid pink but was jarring  with the jug, I think the pale blue works much better.

Sometimes a painting works instantly and other times it needs constant work and amendments to make it work and then it’s still not right.

I’m happy with the ones pictured and they fit into my ethos of simplicity, harmony and the use of colour to evoke positive emotions.

 

 

 

 

A small selection of my paintings are on view at Falmouth Art Gallery this week. They have a scheme where artists can apply to have their work shown for a week on the Limelight wall. Such a good idea and a real joy when work by Picasso, Fred Yates and Prunella Clough to name a few are also showing in the gallery.

I popped in yesterday to take some photos and afterwards enjoyed a coffee and doughnut (lunch) at Stones Bakery with my sister, Sasha.

Work is on display until Saturday 28th September.

Towards the end of October I’m having a small show of my new collagraph prints at the gorgeous No.56 homewares shop on Chapel St, Penzance.

During the summer I’d taken my sketchbook into the shop to make some drawings for new paintings and prints. An ideal venue as most of my work is still life themed.

I posted a print on Instagram inspired by my drawings and a few weeks later Carole, the shop owner asked me if I’d like to design a range of prints based on the shop wares. Of course I said yes.

This has been a great project to work on,
I’m so looking forward to seeing how they’ll look framed and in situ.

 

My work is primarily driven by colour and the power is has to evoke positive emotions. Colour can actually lift your mood or depress it. Years ago I studied colour theory whilst on foundation, weeks of it…these days I tend to use colour intuitively without getting caught up in the theory of it. The combinations are endless, that’s why it’s so interesting.

Here are some examples using one of my favourite combinations, red, orange and pink, a clash that works.