Dance Update
Catch a glimpse of this Monday’s Bachata Improvers class at Incognito Dance company's Wimbledon Salsa & Bachata Club.
Another happy Monday teaching at Incognito Dance Company 's Wimbledon Salsa & Bachata Club
Playing with lock & drop variations, teaching Improvers Bachata 😊
Thank you to the lovely student who helped demo the routine with me and to the amazing Grace for filming it!❤️🙏
Come find me at Incognito's Hammersmith Salsa & Bachata Club this Wednesday for more dancing experiments!😅
All info 👉 https://www.incognitodance.com/
An amazing digital painting offer!
Sharing an amazing offer from Escape Motions, the company that makes the digital painting software I use. You have until the 13th October to get your hands on an amazing tool for only £10
I've just heard about an amazing deal which I wanted to share with you guys!
If you're curious about exploring digital painting, then this is definitely for you.
The software I use [Rebelle 5 Pro] and would highly recommend is now available for £10!!
Escape Motions, the company that created it, are having a 10 year anniversary celebration, with all their products on offer for £10 until the 13th October.
***15.10.22 update: this offer has been extended and is currently still available!!***
This software was a complete game changer for me so would definitely say this is a gold dust of a deal that you should absolutely explore!
Check out the offer here: https://www.escapemotions.com/
Presenting Walkabout Eddie
Next in my Edinburgh Festival Sketch line up, the wonderful Walkabout Eddie! Watch a short time-lapse showing my sketch evolve along with a little glimpse of Eddie’s Act!
The next performer in my Edinburgh Festival Sketch series!
Introducing Edwin Eddie Bond! Escape artist, fire juggler, magician and all round free spirit, always on the move, travelling one city and country to the next.
Check out his insta @walkabout_eddie
I found him performing outside St.Giles' Cathedral on the Royal mile. His banter was warm and comical and instantly drew in the crowd.
First he treated us to a fire juggling tour of nations; different tricks, characterising different cultures.
Next was the escape stunt, carried out whilst balancing on top of a massive segment of cylindrical pipe, which he'd found and customised with a beautiful array of patterns, cut into its surface. This, along with his patchworked jacket, checked trousers and wide brimmed olive green hat, conveyed a real sense of character and charm.
Thank you @walkabout_eddie for your brilliant show and energy and wishing you many a happy adventure on your travels!
Dance Update
Another happy evening at Incognito dance’s Wimbledon Salsa & Bachata Club. This week teaching Improvers Bachata, watch a short summary of the class.
In dance news...another energising eve at Incognito's Wimbledon Salsa & Bachata Club this week.
Here I'm teaching improvers Bachata with the wonderful ⭐️ Karolina Klave ⭐️
In Hammersmith, teaching on Wednesdays as well - come join if you're around! 💃🕺
For all the info check out 👉 https://www.incognitodance.com/
Toy Fair Inspiration
Energised and inspired by another great toy fair at Sandown Park Race Course. Watch a little overview of my visit and discover the insights I learned.
Another toy fair visit!! This time I swapped my exhibitor’s hat for a visitor’s, wanting to be in ‘explore mode.’ These toy fairs have a very special energy, not only because of the brilliant mix of toys but also the warmth and passion of the people there.
There is a sort of shared sense of wonder and enthusiasm which sparks all sorts of interesting conversations. I always end up learning so much, discovering another little piece of the toy puzzle, helping me explain what it is about these objects that fire my imagination.
This time round it was appreciating the process, craft and detailed observation of subject that went into creating model figures and the amazing cottage industries of people who would hand paint them before mass machine manufacture took over. These people were often women at their kitchen tables but also, in the instance of Keymen figures, prison inmates.
Big thank you to Barry Potter for another great fair and to @victorianathanson for her excellent company!
Tribute to a Queen
Taking a pause today to pay my respects, through paint, to a great lady, Queen Elizabeth II. Watch a little timelapse showing this tribute work in progress, along with the source of its inspiration.
A small tribute to a great lady!
This painting, still a work in progress, was inspired by a vintage Timpo toy, created in commemoration of the Queen's Coronation.
A moment that marked the beginning of a 70 year reign which ended on the 8th September this year.
Today's funeral marks an historic moment in which we bid farewell to an extraordinary woman, a symbol of our nation, who walked with grace and dignity throughout her life.
RIP Queen Elizabeth II ❤
Presenting Amelia Cadwallader
The first in my series of quick Edinburgh Festival sketches - presenting Amelia Cadwallader and her wonderful hula hoops. Watch a little timelapse of this sketch in progress and find out more about my encounter with her on the Royal Mile.
This is the first of my Edinburgh Festival sketch series, where I spotlight some of the wonderful performers I saw this summer through speedy digital watercolour studies.
Kicking things off with Amelia Cadwallader whose delightful Hula Hooping and humour I encountered in the middle of the Royal Mile on a gloriously bright afternoon.
There was a vintage chic theme that ran through her outfit and music choices, which set a warm and welcoming tone. But above all it was her lively, smooth humour that put the audience at ease, despite the increasing daring of her stunts.
It was the combination of haphazard obstacles (like her microphone that kept getting lost down her knickers) with an undeniable command of her hula hooping craft that made her act so joyful and compelling. Not to mention the effortless way in which she handled her crowd.
This little tribute to her is still a work in progress but hopefully gives you a sense of her animated charm!
More sketches coming soon!
A Special Book Recommendation
Find out all about the special new book I discovered this week; She's In Crtl by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon. Wherever you are in your tech journey, whatever your relationship with tech, this book will take you by the hand and expand your knowledge with humour and poignant insight.
This week I attended the book launch of She’s In Ctrl: How Women Can Take Back Tech written by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon.
A book that brings to life the importance of diversity in the STEAM [science / technology / engineering / arts / maths] industries and the role that women have and can play in this story.
I have only just begun reading it but can tell I am in for a super journey; one which not only informs and inspires, but will give practical, actionable steps as well.
At the book launch there was a brilliant Q&A between Anne-Marie and Audrey Indome [from the No Receipts Podcast] which cited, with grounded humour, the importance of curiosity, of asking questions, of getting involved in the conversation of what technology does and can do.
My own relationship with tech has been evolving over the last few years and I felt very honoured to have my portrait of Anne-Marie (enabled with Augmented Reality Tech) featured at this week’s book Launch.
I am fascinated by all the many ways Technology & Art can work together to build more meaningful dialogues and understanding between people and help inspire positive action.
The main takeaway from all of this is that anyone, whatever their understanding of Tech, can be part of this story. It all comes down to a mindset of learning, and a very good first step is to click the button below :)
You can also go along and hear Anne-Marie in London on Sun 23 October at The Southbank Centre, part of the London Literature Festival. Click button below for ticket info.
My Edinburgh Festival Highlights
4 jam packed days of joyous creative immersion! Watch a little overview of my visit to the Edinburgh Festival a couple of weeks ago.
A mini overview of my 4 day #edinburghfestivalfringe adventure.
Impossible to cram-pack everything into 1 minute but this hopefully gives a flavour of the atmosphere!
Thank you to all the amazing performers who poured their extraordinary energy into such fantastic shows! The joy, humour, innovations and - at times - sheer physical daring, endlessly inspire and energise me.
Featured performers, in order of appearance :
@lutrek_art - 'Juliette' / 'Old Blue Eyes' / 'Marie Curie'
@ameliacadwallader - Amelia Cadwallader
@bhoundp - 'Seeds of Memories'
@agoodcatchcircus - 'Casting Off'
@flabbergast_theatre - 'The Tragedy of Macbeth'
@interactearnest - 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
@benzeiulia - #ladywhistledown
@oldtroutpuppetworkshop - 'Famous Puppet Death Scenes'
@circo.goyo - Grego Richter
@melonthehuman - Thomas Stewart
@puppetstate_theatre - 'The Man who Planted Trees'
Paddy McCullagh - 'Paddy the Potato’
@thebananamanofficial - Matt Eberhart
@thejugglinggent - Matthew Kerr
@walkabout_eddie - Edwin Eddie Bond
@yannelvis - Yann Elvis
@lacliquetheshow - ‘La Clique’
@blackbluesbrothers - ‘The Black Blues Brothers’
I urge you to click and discover the pure magic of what they do!!
INTERESTING FACTS
🎉 The Edinburgh Festival is a 3 week performing arts festival that happens every August.
🎉 It started in 1947 and is now in its 75th year!
🎉 It includes a formal ‘International’ festival and a less formal - anything goes - ‘Fringe’ festival.
🎉 The roots of the Fringe were planted in 1947 when 8 uninvited theatre groups turned up in Edinburgh and performed outside the 'official program'.
🎉 The fringe society was officially formed in 1958 and still prides itself on not vetting shows.
🎉 This year the Fringe included 3,334 shows performed by artists from 63 countries!
🎉 My first festival encounter was in 2003 when I started my 5 year MA Fine Art journey in Edinburgh and it's been inspiring me and my artwork ever since!
Watch out for some sketching spotlights coming soon!
A New Ride
My love of bicycles is finally finding expression in a new toy inspired painting! Watch the progress so far!
Those of you who know me, also probably know my second hand beast of a bicycle, which I am constantly getting from A to B on.
A big fan of cycles, I have been meaning to pay tribute to one in a painting for a while.
This charismatic diecast acrobat, riding a cycle, again manufactured by Charbens is my first go at the subject! Will report back when I am further along with it!
New Muscles
Building my strength back up and what better way than with this new painting of a Toy Circus Strongman! Watch the progress so far!
Building up new muscles!
In the wake of last week's tech shock - I thought I'd reinforce the visual muscles with a strength inspiring subject!
This diecast toy circus strongman, with his barbells, manufactured by Charbens, seemed like the perfect candidate. A figure I've painted before, but one I have wanted to revisit for sometime.
It's only a beginning but has definitely got my digital paint brush singing again! More updates to follow soon!
Lessons Learned
Big lessons learned this week in a horrible shock when I discovered 3 weeks of recent projects were accidently erased in a routine back up! Today I share an inspiring story which has helped me pick myself back up again!
Today is a bit of a confessional!
I managed to erase a bunch of recent projects in a routine backup that went very wrong!
Having explored recovery options, but alas to no avail, I have had to stand back and take this one on the chin and learn a massive lesson from it!
It could definitely have been worse and I am very grateful I had a certain amount I could retrieve from other places.
Needless to say, I am giving my whole set up a massive review and overhaul and I guess better now than later down the line!
I feel very much a pupil of the universe right now and realise that no matter how organised you think you are, life can always throw a curveball your way, forcing you to change, adapt and start again!
I hope this little story helps anyone else going through something similar!❤
Kicking off a new painting!
A new artwork is on the digital easel! Check out a mini timelapse of how I got going on this painting, inspired by a toy die-cast goal keeper.
I'm getting stuck into a series of toy inspired digital oil paintings.
Kicking things off😉with this goal keeper.
I'm using the wonderful Rebelle 5 from @escapemotions which offers an amazing range of traditional mediums and brushes in digital form.
Going for a 'wet on wet' approach with this series, which means working with a more loaded brush vs building up in thinner strokes.
I'll see how things progress and post another update soon!
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon's Portrait Update
A portrait update! Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon and her portrait finally meet this week at the Stemettes headquarters in London Liverpool Street.
Yesterday my painting of Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon went to the Stemettes headquarters at their new base in London Liverpool street, where subject and portrait finally met!
This painting was an experimental piece of interviewing in paint, where I wove in lots of visual references, paying tribute to different elements of Anne-Marie's story.
Last, but not least, was a jazzy little bit of AR technology that I incorporated!
For a full video tour of the painting click the button below. Watch to learn all about who Anne-Marie is, the story behind all the symbols used in the painting, and AR feature in action!
The Final Goodbye
Watch the final pack up push and goodbye to this amazing building that has hosted myself and other artists for the last 12 years.
Tuesday's scorcher, saw me finalising the packing up of my studio space; dismantling my large canvases and moving the final bits out.
Today I returned the keys and said one last goodbye to this special place!
Farewell 7-9 Church Row! I wish you and your future residents well in your next chapter of redevelopment!
And to those of you who are curious about where all my abundant stuff has ended up...
So far it's packing out every inch of my spare room at home. The big unpack and get organised phase will begin soon, where I plan to get very crafty with maximising every inch of space.
Any helpful tips are most welcome!
Right now I’m feeling a wee bit physically and emotionally overwhelmed by the endeavours of this week, so say to you and myself may the weekend be a restful and recuperative one for all!
A Studio Farewell
Bidding a fond farewell to my studio and sharing a nostalgic look back over the last ten years there!
In a few days I will say goodbye to my studio of over ten years!
I am now in the process of an epic pack up and have been inundated by all the memories!
Whilst I won't miss the damp & mice I will forever treasure the sanctuary this quirky room gave me.
So many creative battles & victories of paint, so many quiet hours with paint brush, canvas and my thoughts. Joys and tears, the full spectrum of my emotions were free to roam in this room. It truly brings to mind the notion of 'a room of one's own' so eloquently coined by Virginia Woolf.
A huge hug and wave also to the community of wonderful people that made up this extraordinary artists’ collective and who will always be a part of the special energy of this place.
Green Turtle Story
Diving into the story of my green turtle painting, with a walk through of what inspired it and a timelapse of the painting process.
Today I'm spotlighting my Turtle painting, based on a green turtle from the Flynn Reef in Australia, discovered on a dive by friends of mine.
Did you know? Green turtles get their name from the greenish colour of their cartilage and fat, not their shells.
He is my first painting of an ocean creature and my eyes were taken on an extraordinary journey into this underwater world of colours & textures.
Green turtles are on the endangered species list. Along with the dangers of fishing nets, their eggs are overharvested, adults are hunted for their parts and as a source of food, and they are gradually losing their beach nesting sites.
I hope that in some way, celebrating the beauty of these turtles through art, will help raise awareness of their plight!
SHOP
This turtle is available as a print (in a range of sizes + framed finishes) & a greeting card.
Click button to view buying options
Come take a look at him in Putney Library, where he features as a print, card and clock!
My exhibition at Putney Library ends next week (Friday 15th). For all exhibition details click the button below.
Jed's Portrait Story
Spotlighting my portrait of this beautiful Border Collie, Jed. Watch a little video showing how his portrait developed and what Jed made of the finished framed painting!
Today's Testimonial is spotlighting my portrait of Jed, a beautiful Border Collie, whose adventuring you can follow @jedstagram_
In his youth he rounded up sheep in Scotland. Now retired, he lives in Devon, is a big fan of cuddles and is the proud older brother to Rose, his human sister.
Watch this little video showing how the portrait evolved and what it looked like finished and framed.
Here’s what Hannah, Jed’s human, had to say about it
Susie is incredibly talented, and has created the most beautiful and professional digital portrait of our beloved border collie, Jed. She has captured him brilliantly, and we look forward to him watching us from the wall every day! Exceptional. Can’t recommend Susie highly enough!
Commission Bookings for September are now open! For more info about my Commission Service click the button below
An Allegory of Kindness in Paint
Sharing the story behind my painting called Dreams of Tomorrow and Yesterday. Discover the thoughts and characters that inspired me and see how the painting evolved.
Today I’m sharing the story behind my painting of 'Dreams of Tomorrow & Yesterday'. In this video I share the thoughts and ideas that inspired this painting.
This painting is currently available for sale, to view details click the button below. You can also come and see it face to face at my exhibition now up at Putney Library (on until 15th July). For more details about this exhibition click the button below.
New Print Launch - Boris the Cob!
My painting of Boris, the Cob is now available as a fine art Print and greeting card! Find out who Boris is and watch his portrait story.
I am happy to report Boris, the cob is now available as a fine art print (in a range of sizes & finishes) & a greeting card!
I was introduced to Boris, the cob, in 2021. He is a sensitive soul with a peculiar fear of plastic bags which, on one occasion, caused him to jump sideways onto a passing car!
Full charge in a hunt, he is nothing if not enthusiastic. He is affectionately known as the 'slightly malcoordinated tank' being big and a little on the clumsy side.
I painted him in his winter coat & was completely mesmerised by all the shifting textures and colours I found there.
To browse your buying options click the button below!
