A Look Back at 2021

Here it is, the last day of 2021 and I’m taking a look back at it all.

It’s been a year that has definitely challenged me in many ways, some expected, some darn right out of the blue, but through it all, my gosh, I have learnt a lot and pledged myself to keep on learning, exploring, experimenting and most importantly creating!

Here's a little review of it all, a sort of bread crumb trail, if you will…

• Began navigating print on demand

• Launched my commission service

• Created my own online marketing funnels

• Upgraded and improved my newsletter system

• Set up a new online shop

• Updated my business cards

• Launched my first business partnership with the amazing Pawpairs

• Participated in two Barry Potter Toy fairs

• Got involved in a variety of creative collaborations

• Painted: 11 dogs, 8 cats, a mix of other animals, some lovely babies, a lot of toys, a few street performers, some wonderful dancers, and even shared a few of my own dancing exploits.

• I've been interviewed by the fabulous Dr Jacalyn on her show.

• Had work featured in a local art campaign

• Seen my artwork find some lovely new homes

• Discovered the incredible Rebelle 4 painting software and been able to take my digital painting to another level.

I also feel incredibly grateful and lucky for all the amazing support from family, friends and followers. You have all inspired me and opened up my perspective so much, reinforcing the power and importance of community, both on and offline and how it can help us grow.

I am very excited about 2022 and all that I hope to explore and share with you! Wishing you all an amazing finale to 2021 and see you on the other side!

A Toy and Its Box - A Still life of a Dinky Aston Martin

View fullsize

Revealing my finished painting of an Aston Martin DB3S Dinky toy and it's iconic box (model 110, 1956-59). A happy nod to Boxing day!

This painting was the result of another lovely dialogue with a Dinky car enthusiast and is the first time I’ve painted one of these toys with its original box.

I am a big fan of mustard yellow and this painting definitely tickled that fancy. I've also incorporated a vintage Aston Martin sign which, with its wing-like shape, introduces the idea of flight both in its mechanical sense and allegorical.

As with all these model cars, the patina, colours, shapes and textures completely mesmerised me, but I also wanted to play with levels of representation in this composition. A painting of a toy model, based on a real car, sat on a box which illustrates this model, which in turn is reflected in a hazy blur beneath.

I would love to know what you think of this painting as I am looking to launch it as a fine art print and greeting card in the new year. Do let me know your thoughts!

A Santa Salute

This week I was told about an interesting ‘Santa age metric’ It goes like this:

• Young enough to believe in him

• Old enough not to

• Until you reach the age of dressing up and becoming him

Wherever you are on this journey I wish you a very Happy Christmas with my own particular twist on the Santa theme.

This painting was based on a Santa I picked up on eBay. He wasn’t your characteristic round bellied type but rather, something a little more agile and – one might imagine - capable of hopping down and up a chimney!

The name of Santa carries with it many associations, for me the magic and sense of wonder he represents always makes me smile along with my childhood memories of letters drifting up chimneys and mince pies and brandies left out by the fireplace on Christmas eve, disappearing by morning!

Now a little older, the idea of Santa has definitely evolved. Less about the material and more about that deep rooted sense of giving and receiving in its simplest forms, of the love we bear to one another.

It is on that note that I hope your Christmas is a safe, warm and smiling one!

Introducing Jude, The Sphynx Cat

The conclusions of last week’s painted knitting!

Presenting my finished commissioned portrait of the amazing Sphynx cat Jude, dressed in a modified woolly sock and clutching a crocheted Chewbacca.

This was my first encounter with a sphynx cat and painting her was extraordinary . Various references crossed my mind: cat, little wise old lady, ET.

Certainly not conventional, there was something both familiar and other worldly about her, add to which a very expressive, comical sense of character.

I've included a mini time-lapse below of my journey using digital oil brush and paint to build the portrait up from a rough line sketch to the finished painting.

I am now taking commission bookings for 2022, so feel free to get in touch or click the button below to explore my commission service.

Knitting in Paint, The Art of Painting Woollens

View fullsize

This week I've been knitting in paint!

After an intensive November in 'admin' mode, I happily returned to the painting zone this week working on a wonderful commission which has really got me looking at texture.

Add to which it has been particularly chilly in my attic studio so it is not without some irony that I have been wrapped up in warm woollens and knits whilst grappling with capturing these same textures in paint.

Here's a mini look at just one area I've been working up the detail on.

As with anything complex, it is best to approach it loosely at the start and let the colours and tones build gradually.

After a while you loose sight of the paint and really start to 'feel' the woven yarn, like you've cracked its visual code and can suddenly speak the same language!