Campari & Soda

Luckily this weekend we took no notice of the weather forecast and got out of town to our retreat in Whitstable. It was such a surprise to experience some beautiful delicate sunshine and see some glass like sea.
The spring flowers are everywhere and bursts of colour are such a welcome sight after the grey skies. Walking in the harbour in a search for baclava I saw this plant clinging to the harbour wall and it took me back to my school playground where I discovered it for the first time 'Shepherds purse' the name fuelled my imagination and I am looking forward to doing some drawing this week of this delicate little plant.
We had lunch in the deli and they had some take-away bottles of Campari and Soda which make great flower pots....not sure about the drink though?

Shepherds Purse

Campari & Soda bottle

Day Dreaming

I have had a nasty virus which stopped me in my tracks and now on the other side of it I can find some positives to be had from a forced halt to my creativity. I really do not actually stop thinking about work it is with me constantly, whether making it or thinking about making it I do not really get any rest from it.
My head hurt so much there was no place to go except to try and get some sleep, a few days of that has given me a break from thinking and I realise that I need to do it without getting ill to do so.
I have some exciting new ventures on the horizon this year and I want to make some space for new ideas and so thats what I am working on achieving.
I have had some beautiful new canvas's made which I picked up this weekend and I am surrounded by the presence of a blank space so this is definitely a theme which I am not going to ignore!
I am going to take my time and day dream a little.

'Day Dreaming'

80x80cm

Artists House For Sale

I seem to have lots on my mind this month and selling my house is at the top at the moment and although I have trouble with the popular belief that painting is relaxing Grrrrr at the moment it is taking me away from myself which is a great relief!!

 I have had to deliver my little painting to Royal Academy for the Summer Exhibition and then had a meeting at a gallery which I will not name until I have something to report but was really positive and gave me lots to think about.

Images for new work are just constantly running around but I think selling my house really unsettles something very deep because I really really want to move and I know where I want to move to and when I want something I really cant seem to let it go  which sometimes works for me but other times does me no good at all!!

'He is Coming Home'

The Beautiful Thames Estuary

This week has been a challenging one in one way or another so I have tackled it by painting through whatever the distraction. I did not want to mention the weather but it has been truly disgusting so I seem to have  been taking myself back to memories of cool still mornings  where the sea is barely moving.The tide creeping over the cockle beds and the sky and sea join in a beautiful warm grey. These mornings are my very favourite they are full of promise. I can smell the sea and hear the distant calls of the sea birds and in the midst of this cold dank prolonged winter we are having I am grateful to be able to re visit this memory with such clarity.

'A day in September'

60x50cm

''HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE''

Is there anybody out there!!!

Screen print on Khadi paper

In the last few months I have been going to a screen printing class every Wednesday morning in the local adult education centre. At first my mind was running away with me and I was totally confused by the numerous process's available although combining them seemed the way to go.
I am now at last able to understand it and it has opened a whole new world to me.

'Chrysanth' detail

I absolutely love it and my mind is exploring so many possibilities. I have for many years been interested in the cross over many artistes in the past have had between their main body of work and fabric design. Henry Moore for example has designed some beautiful fabric so too have Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth it was in the  1940's that they were commissioned by various fashion houses.
This cross over seems to make sense to me and I am on the look out for someone to help me carry this concept forward with my own work.......Is Anybody Out There???

Screen print on canvas

'Home Sweet Home'

'Home Sweet Home' is going off on Monday to the big tent in Battersea park for the Spring Affordable Art Fair. Stark Gallery Stand is the host for my new paintings. I do not want to even mention the cold dank conditions of the past few weeks with the lowest light levels!

I have painted myself into sunnier climbs, transporting my mind to another realm has been a form of salvation....Thank heavens for the opportunity.

Taking on a new task

I have had a website for a long time and a friend and fellow artist Tina Mammoser has worked on it for me. She is now sending me off into the world wide web alone with a site I can manage myself, I am really happy about this because as new work is made I can show it which means the site will be so much more current. I have got much to learn and Tina is going to help me to get it looking like I want it before I am left alone with it.
I want to be able to show other things that I am doing more immediately so it can flow which is how the different aspects of my work appear. This aspect of this task really excites me and I want to use it as more of a tool of expression rather than just a showcase........In the meantime I have of course been painting and it has been cold so I have been escaping to a warmer place in the imagery. 

'Sweet Peas'

100x100cm