40 years ago…

I was at Salisbury College of art with my good friend Sue.

I was studying graphic design and although it was a great course in many ways, I knew that I didn’t want to go on to work in a design studio creating branded napkins for a living, climbing my way up the ladder.

It may have a been a sensible and methodical life choice but that wasn’t how I rolled back then!

I bought my first vehicle, a 1972 VW combi and went to work on it with painted Fablon ( who remembers that? )

We drove through Europe, picked grapes, did pavement drawings for money, scoured Italian junk yards for car parts, filled sketchbooks and had the most fantastic time.

still can’t get over the fact that it’s 40 years ago…😬

Choosing an alternative lifetstyle isn’t hard when you live instinctively. Perhaps I would have earned more money but being tied to the same thing every day was just not an option for me back then. I was excited to explore the world, live a creative life and see what could happen.

Many artists do not see themselves fitting into a societal norm and to pursue our creative ambitions, we have to take part time work to subsidise that.

I have worked as a sandwich delivery girl, made fresh pasta, painted shoes, worked in galleries, decorated georgian houses and more. All of those jobs made me who i am today and I don’t regret my choices…

Why making art is good for you…

For a lot of people, making art can be nerve-wracking. What are you going to make? What kind of materials should you use? What if you can't execute it? What if it’s…rubbish?

Studies show that despite those fears, engaging in any sort of visual expression results in the reward pathway in the brain being activated.

Which means that you feel good and it's perceived as a pleasurable experience. This extends to any type of creative expression: drawing, painting, collaging, cake decorating, clay sculpting or knitting. The sky’s the limit.

Anything that engages your creative mind — the ability to make connections between unrelated things and imagine new ways to communicate, is good for you! yay.

Researchers found that 45 minutes of creating art in a studio setting with an art therapist or fellow artist significantly lowered cortisol levels.

Their research also showed that there were no differences in health outcomes between people who identify as experienced artists and people who don't.

So that means that no matter what your skill level is, you'll be able to feel all the good things that come with making art.

I have to say that the moment I walk into my studio, a feeling of well being and calm hope comes over me. You could call it my happy place!

Want to give it a go?

If you would like to know more about how to get started, let’s have a chat!

I’m developing a ‘Kick Start your Creativity’ Course which I will tell you about soon….

How an artist’s style evolves part 2

As promised in my last newsletter, I thought you may find it interesting to know how my artist’s style evolved over many years…

We are up to the 1990’s now and a chance trip to New Zealand and Australia became my new influences.

Wandering around the North Island, I became aware of Maori art and found the graphic elements and curves too irresistable!

I ended up staying there for 3 months, living with some wildly creative people, painting furniture, signs, selling pieces in their shops and soaking up the visual treats on offer.

Maori influenced artwork

Australia was less impressive as I found myself on the backpackers trail which was not my scene and only stayed a few weeks. Immersing yourself in society and allowing yourself enough time to really see everything is important.

By now I found myself living in Bath where I teamed up with an old friend to set up a painted furniture business called Wildwood.

Wildwood

Making kids furniture in Bath

My friend Russ made the furniture and I applied my style of the time to mirrors, shelves, small tables and bedheads. It was a hit with parents of kids and even though this was before internet marketing, we did ok, appearing in magazines.

But it was hard getting exposure and hauling items to craft fairs so we called it a day after 3 years and I felt myself being pulled along a path of paintings in their own right, as opposed to surface design and applying a style to an item.

As an artist, you are blessed with skills and can apply them to a wide range of surfaces and uses and generally they look pretty good. Sometimes though, this can be a curse as you are swamped with possibilities and deciding what to make/paint/decorate can be a tough one. I have always followed my intincts and freely wandered down many paths.

A painting around 1996

Deciding that I wanted to give paintings a go, I looked to favourite artists for inspiration-back to Klee, visits to Southern Africa and the general prevailing mood for rich colour and an upbeat look.

With curvey influences and a grid frameworek starting to evolve, these pieces were around 1998-2000

Fed up with Bath and it’s restraints on my creativity, I moved to Brighton.

I was really enjoying working colour and form into a grid format- why? who knows, it was just a path I wandered down.

I started taking part in the Brighton Open Houses each year which became my main source of income. There were lots of young couples buying their first home and wanting colourful, original art for their walls and things were good.

I went through a red and orange period. Nowadays, I really struggle with those colours! isn’t it funny how you can move away from a palette? look at Picasso, all artists get inspired by different things and go through phases.

I got picked up by a few galleries but then I got pregnant. yay! but I still committed to doing the Open Houses of May 2003.

I expected to pull this off, what with first babies arriving late, but oh no. She came early- right between the two weekends I was open to the public. Not wanting to let anyone down, opened my doors and tra laaah! I had a baby to show off.

Her bedroom was a gallery and it was a bit daft but that was how I rolled back then….

22 Belton Road, Brighton

A year later we took off to Colorado where my husband had a job.

I was inspired by the majestic mountains and started painting large canvasses of those. It was the beginning of my landscape journey.

Colorado had a big influence on me and saw a change in direction once more.

The landscape has continued to capture my imagination but I can feel some abstract urges creeping in!

Never sit still, keep evolving and keep that creative energy alive by feeding it!

November newsletter

Thanks to all of you who visited my online sale In October and those who made the effort to visit in person that weekend- It was lovely to see you and chat!

Quite a few paintings found new homes which I am thrilled about.

I am delighted that I managed to raise £80 for my local Parkinson’s Support Group!

I am so pleased and honoured to have been selected for the South West Academy of Art (SWAc) open exhibition! This is a highly regarded show and I am braving the elements tonight to visit the Private View!

Dont forget, I have GIFT VOUCHERS in my shop that will solve no end of present issues -these can be used towards painting classes of all types, so if you’re a frustrated artist or live with one, it might be worth a thought..🙂

That’s all for now, Next time is part 2 of my ‘How an artist’s style evolves’ Promise!

Leaning into Collage

I’m not sure what started it all because I have never really been a fan of collage per se, but within the art community on Instagram I have been exposed to some pretty wonderful collage over the last six months.

What I liked was the unpredictability of gestural marks created with a gelli plate. If you have never heard of these, they are a silicon plate which you can apply acrylic paint onto and move it around to suit. You can use stencils, texture tools and different papers.

I think the biggest inspiration has been Sally Hirst who teaches online courses and is a great artist with a natural intuition for arranging shapes and creating very successful compositions.

I deceide to give one of her courses a go, which can be undertaken at your own pace. It was a gift to myself as I felt ready to move into developing my work over the coming year and seeing what happens. I haven’t felt this creatively fuelled for a long time! I want to spend every hour I can in the studio and even if this method sticks or not ( see what I did there? ;) it is just good to try new things, don’t you think?

How an artists style evolves

I thought you may find it interesting to know how my artist’s style evolved over many years…

After I left Salisbury College of Art (Graphic Design), my influences were Matisse, Klee, Collier Campbell textiles and Keith Haring to name a few.

I loved colourful bold and graphic artwork and remember, this was before computers so our resources were minimal- museums, the art gallery postcard section or books.

But we had time. We wandered around sketching, pavement drawing for money, being moved by art and spent hours drawing in sketchbooks while at home or abroad.

When I think back to that era (1983-1986) we were time rich, had no responsibilities or pulls on our day to day life. We were free and compared ourselves to no one.

I spent time travelling around Europe, picking grapes and tomatoes and logging everything in a painted journal.

I used to frequent Camden market and one day met some Zimbabwean shoemakers ( Like you do..) and started work the very next day decorating shoes!

Cue colourful years that were spent selling at markets and festivals across Europe and I learnt a lot from those crazy cats. Apart from selling, my main job was to spray paint leather and then paint them with fish, birds, giraffes and palm trees using Liquitex acrylic.

My unique style started to emerge and I was given free reign to express my ideas.

After developing my own business printing t-shirts, I continued to paint shoes up until the late 90's as ‘piece work’ which I could do in my sleep, virtually.

I painted and printed big white T Shirt’s with bold graphic designs of animals and palm trees and VW Beetles! I’m not sure where the inspiration came from- cartoons, graffiti or a blend of all the artists I loved.

Every artist gets inspired or influenced by something or someone and creatively ‘borrows’ elements that they make their own. Is any art truly original?

Over time these small elements take you down different artistic paths which gently shape a style along the way.

The more I travelled, the more ideas and influences I collected- African fabric, cacti and Native American art in New Mexico, indiginous pottery; Frescoes in Italy.

Design, pattern and colour were stored away, sometimes in a journal or my head.

My art started to become consistant and recognizable. Sometimes it is the choice of palette that holds everything together even when you are experimenting with new techniques and ideas.

My style has changed/evolved many times over 40 years but I have been told it still looks like I painted it! Such a great thing to hear because we artists can become plagued with uncertainty, especially when changing direction.

Next destination? New Zealand and Australia in the 90’s…what an influence that was! But that’s for next time…

Getting away to create

Even though I have a dedicated studio in my garden, a real luxury if ever there was one, I sometimes find it hard to stay focussed and undistracted.

You’ll know what I mean if you WFH. Especially if you’re a mum, or a carer in any capacity. You may have the best intentions to do a 4 hour session in the studio to get that group of paintings started/progressed/finished but what happens is that the dishwaher needs emptying before it can be reloaded, the washing needs to be hung, the dinner needs to be thought about. Dog needs a walk, elderly parent needs a lift to the doctors….the list goes on.

I guess we are not all in that phase of life and if you are, I am with you!

Sometimes I run to the studio to grab something, see that a painting needs moving on, do a 10 minute layer so it can be drying ready for the next time I run to the studio! But it works, I get there.

Is this something you can relate to?

So a few weeks ago a printmaker friend an I booked and AirB&B and took off to Exmoor and North Devon for 3 days with our materials, some wine and a stolen time to walk, sketch and muck about with ink and do something creative somewhere else.

To be honest, I would have stayed 3 weeks and wouldn’t that have been nice?

One day….I’m sure!

Alison and I at Valley Of The Rocks, Lynton, Devon

Interesting facts about my prints you may not have known…

Every one of my prints is carefully selected, produced and wrapped with care.

The machinery behind it all:

All my prints are created using a Thermal Inkjet System with an embedded spectrophotometer for colour consistency and accuracy.

Pigment-based Inks deliver high quality with confidence with an expanded color gamut enabled by RGB HP Vivid Photo Inks. High-contrast color enabled by chromatic HP Vivid Photo Inks with high-definition HP printheads. Water- and fade-resistant prints produced with HP Vivid Photo Inks last over 200 years in dark storage.

Water/pigment-based HP inks are ideal for professional photo/graphic applications on photo/specialty media.

This is why I use Andy!

PAPER STOCK

Fine Art Paper is a natural white 100% cotton rag. Its silky smooth surface has been designed to ensure high quality reproduction of the natural characteristics of a smooth natural white fine art paper whilst maintaining the necessary aesthetics demanded by artists. With a wonderfully soft feel, boasts a lightly defined felt structure, giving printed artwork and images an amazing 'three dimensional' appearance and highly impressive pictorial depth.

Ideal for equisite quality giclee style print reproduction.

Features:

• Smooth or textured surface.
• 100% Cotton Rag.
• Natural white.
• OBA free.
• Acid-Lignin free-Archival.

Andy can create custom prints to most sizes, depending on the size of the original including prints on canvas!

Send me an email if you have an idea you’d like to talk about.

My People.

My small, one woman business is a hive of activity and I wear many hats within it: marketing officer, graphic designer, bookkeeper, admin queen, website designer and product designer. Oh and Artist too!

But some jobs I can’t do myself and this is when I rely on:

Andy from Papergami

Andy is a perfectionist, dynamic and works well to a deadline. I wouldn't use anyone else now and I have worked with many commercial printers over the years. He’s a creative and has a very good eye for detail.

I send him hi res files of my artwork and he prints off samples for me on the 300gsm weight cotton rag paper that I love. It’s smooth but has a small amount of texture and a completely Matte finish.
He also produces hundreds of beautiful Greetings Cards for me too as well as postcards and promotional material.

You can get this all done online but because I’m very picky about my colours, this is always a high risk choice for me.
I’d rather let Andy do it right the first time and get myself a free sample to check colours before going into production.

He can tweak the colours or the shape and after a quick but funny and dynamic chat, we make choices and go to print. It’s so lovely to have someone to help me make decisions!  

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When you buy one of my prints, you can be sure it will fit an off the shelf frame so you get to choose one to suit your home, add the artwork and hang it: we all like to feel in control of things while saving a few quid.

But as with everything at the moment, materials for frames are going up all the time and when you have spent money buying flat artwork, a print or an unframed picture, we are always faced with the dreaded thought :

'How much might it cost to frame and what about those original pieces that are an odd shape?

Well I'm happy to say I have another local treasure, Andrea from Unique Framecraft in Axminster, Devon....

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Andrea from Unique Framecraft

You will find Andrea's framing shop and gallery tucked away in the back roads of Axminster

She is brilliant, precise and is very generous to artists. She lends her gallery wall space to artists for a month at a time and takes no commission! She just loves doing it.
People just drop by all the time as they know what a good job she does.

Recently I undertook a commission and I worked alongside the customer from concept to framing. I recommended Andrea and after some good productive discussions, it was left to Andrea to do her thing. We were all excited to see how it came out!
Andrea used non reflective glass, although a little more expensive, it meant the light from the window didn't interfere with the image and enabled it to be seen at any time from any angle without glare.
Clever eh?

Unique Framecraft
Millwey Rise workshops
Second Avenue
Axminster, Devon EX13 5HH
01297 631614

So sometimes its worth getting things done properly as you will be living with and loving that painting for years to come
I am always on hand to advise too.
I want you to be 100% happy with your new artwork and I’m always up for a quick chat to get you there.

Once my paintings have been framed, the cards and prints are bagged up, they either go into my online store or to ETSY uk.
( Jools Woodhouse Artist)
I sell quite a lot of these locally and without these lovely shopkeepers and galleries, my cards wouldn’t be reaching far flung places like they do.

Cilla & Camilla in Bridport and Beaminster
West Bay Discovery Centre, West Bay, Bridport
Herringbone, Charmouth
Persuasion, Lyme Regis
Coombe Street Gallery, Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis Museum
Courthouse Makers, Axminster

On show in Axminster for March 23

‘Landforms’ Acrylic and Ink on canvas 75 x 75cm

My local framer is a gem.

She lends the walls of her framing shop in Axminster to local artists for a month long exhibition and takes nothing in return

(apart from some framing work!)

Andrea encouraged me to join the waiting list back at the end of 2021 and the time has rolled around, as it always does, and here we are!

The show starts Monday and features some unsold pieces and a fresh new collection. Have a look in my shop under NEW WORK and you can see what I have been creating these past few months!

The one I’m most proud of is ‘Landforms’, my biggest painting and is 75 x 75cm and on a deep edge canvas featuring my local landscape of East Devon and West Dorset.

If you are local, and youy like the look of one of the new paintings, I offer a try it service which involves me bringing it to your home for one night so you can decide if it’s going to work. The other thing I now offer is payments in installments. Its easy to set up and takes the pressure off buying the painting outright, with monthly paymnets to suit your budget.

Drop me a line if youd like to chat about this.

In the meantime, Andrea would be happy to see you if you want to drop by to Unique Framecraft, Millwey Rise Workshops, Second avenue, Axminster EX13 5HH

Half Day Collage Workshop

I have been quite fired up with ideas since Christmas and New Year so wanted to share a few ideas with you.

I felt like I wanted to explore the collage element of my work again and found some painted paper that was not being used for anything so out came the scalpel and shapes were created!

I have to say this is a really fun process and a friend say how much she’d love to do this workshop so I have opened this to everyone but have limited spaces of 3. The reason I do this is because I get to spend plenty of time with each student and help them achieve something exciting they can take home and frame.

My studio accommodates 4 people perfectly and that’s another reason for keeping it cosy!

If you’d like to try this enormously satisfying workshop and kickstart your creativity this year, head over to my art class page on my website and book a place!

Don’t forget, if this date doesn’t suit you, get in touch and we can arrange another one. Also if you have a few friends and would like me to host a workshop, get in touch.

A pause in painting

Life throws all sorts of things at you when you are least expecting it.

There I was working towards a busy season, having booked Christmas fairs and classes when out of the blue my lovely Dad who has had Parkinsons for 23 years suddenly went into hospital and passed away a week later.

I wasn’t expecting this so everything stopped for a few weeks while we absorbed the reality, my mum left by herself, thankfully next door to us, and the task of making funeral decisions.

Dad, being a painter and creative himself, had made notes for us about jazz tracks etc but all my creativity went into producing an Order of Service that he would have loved.

Quirky, different and with my daughters help, we pulled it off. I have been into the studio to do some work this week as the funeral is in 4 days and I have a Christmas Fair the following day- life must go on!

My Dad was my greatest inspiration to follow the path of an artist and that I have done. Thanks Dad!

Special offer!

Thinking ahead to the autumn, I have been planning some new 'Fuel Your Creativity' workshops. My weekly Landscape Painting Classes are full so I thought it would be good to do some one off workshops and spend a half or full day making abstract compositions using paint and collage( and lots of colour!)

If this appeals, head over to my ART CLASSES and find out more.
This would be a great experience to share with a friend don't you think?

I have been working on a few paintings but it has mostly been a time of exploration and learning which every artist needs at some point. Summer is a great time for this!
Working towards a new collection or show can be long and labour intensive so at the end I like to do a creative review and think about what worked, what didn't and where to go next before starting a new collection.

Before I launch into a new body of work, I have made some small pieces of art especially for you because I'm feeling kindly towards you!
Under the theme of 'Coast Path', I am offering a FREE small painting worth £25.00 with every purchase over £40.00

Painted in acrylic and acrylic ink on thin wooden boards, each one is unique and full of colour and coastal vibes.

Mounted onto 8 x 8” white card which can be popped into a standard frame, the artworks can be sent to a friend or framed!

‘Coast Path 1’ Looking good in an Ikea frame!

Gift ideas for painters and first timers

It’s that time of year where I am busy planning my next workshops and classes for the autumn.

I have just taken a an order for a 6 week course as a birthday present for a dad. Someone who loves doodling but hasn’t ever painted- perfect!

My classes are suitable for very beginners so if you know someone who has everything, loves art and you are stuck for gift ideas, look no further! I have made up a nice card voucher for them to give him on his birthday and I’m looking forward to meeting him whn the new classes start in October!

Visit my ART CLASSES page to see the new class schedule for Autumn 2022

Trips down memory lane..

So 38 years ago I left art college, bought a 1972 VW combi and hit the roads of europe with some friends.

We ended up in Italy one autumn and we were blown away by Florence and Sienna. Our eyes were feasting on architecture, the colours, museums and bridges.

We kept painted journals of our entire trip and these have turned out to be some of my most treasured possessions.

Don’t forget, there was no internet or mobile phones back then so we were time rich and money poor, eating out of bins and begging fruit and doing pavement drawings for money but we had our Winsor and Newton watercolour pans and some sketchbooks. We ate a lot of pasta and painted our way through the whole trip. Such joyous times.

I had a look through my journals the other night and here are some of my favourite pages.

Can you see the italian colours? Terracotta, Dark Green and Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna

Enjoy!

The Long Mynd

So this weekend we went to a birthday party near Ludlow and spent time exploring the area and did a 6 mile walk around The Long Mynd- the temperature was climbing into the mid 20’s but we had our poles and water so kept going to the top and what views! The funniest part was that one of my students Bev came to a new class back in January with a photo she wanted to paint- The Long Mynd!

It was difficult to understand the layout of the hills until I walked them this weekend but that was a bit late for Bev’s painting- between us we managed to make sense of it all and I’m proud of what she achieved! A difficult view for a first time painter don’t you think?

The view from the top!

Bev’s painting

We framed it for her afterwards which really finishes it off and I love the colours she used- a little bit of artistic license was added along the way!

If you’d like to join a class and paint somewhere special, join my mailing list for Art Classes!

How I sign my paintings

I have always felt a bit uncomfortable about signing my paintings as I felt it detracted from the image- I didnt want it to draw attention to itself.

Some artists sign the back of the paintings and others have quite bold statement signatures. I wonder if it has anything to do with your personality?

Why Sign a Painting

While it's not a legal requirement, if you don't add your name to a painting, it will be difficult for a viewer to identify you as the artist. You may argue that you have a very familiar style that people will recognize, but unless you are already famous, you may not get the credit you deserve.

If a piece of art is hanging in a gallery, it'll have a label with your name on it, but if it's in someone's home, the owner may forget you are the artist. Or those who purchased it might know, but their heirs might not, especially if it's not identified in their will.

I like to paint my initials in a painted box about a cm square depending on the size of the image. I like to use a colour that I have already uesed so it feels cohesive and ‘belongs’ to the rest of the painting. I like to use a tool such as a brad awl and scratch into the square while its wet. The colour beneath will show through and this will be my actual initials.

Here’s an example. You will find that all my paintings are like this. I also add a title and profile card on the reverse and sign the back of the actual painting before it is framed. Have you ever seen a signature and it put you off the artwork? I know I have!

What does an artist do all day?

June 2022

Dorset Art Weeks has been and gone- what a fantastic event with my best sales ever!

I have some fresh new paintings in the shop now and plenty of ideas for new ones. I have felt energized by colour and the elements and excited about where this will go.

Have you ever wondered what an artists day consists of?

I have recently begun the practice of spending an hour between 8 and 9am to learn new skills and research opportunies, review the website, and other business progression thoughts.

I don’t paint every day, it depends if I have a show to work towards, a painting I want to finish or a commission to start on. Variety is the spice of life and I need that!

Running a small art business is not all painting and studio time- I am my own marketing manager, social media coordinator, photographer, stylist, website designer, tech support, videographer and graphic designer!

All these skills have been learnt over the years and it’s a challenge but one I’m happy to undertake- small creative businesses dont have the budget to pay people to do these tasks so necessity is the mother of invention as they say!

My studio is a place of tranquility. The moment I walk through the door I'm at ease. It's my space - no interuptions apart from the occcasional bark from my studio dog, Izzy, and very few notifications thanks to a slightly dodgy phone signal ( helpful for once )

ANY BAD HABITS?

Yes! I have a habit of leaving the lids off my paints and have to employ the uses of my trusty friend 'Brad Awl'. He always comes to the rescue and I use him for lots of tasks like scratching into layers of wet paint, making holes in things and as I said, gouging out hardened paint from lids...

CALLING IT A DAY

I always know when I've had enough. I lose interest and feel quite drained creatively and know it's time to stop, down tools and walk away.
I'm often in and out of the studio all day and spontaneously add a few more brush strokes in between processing orders, grabbing work to photograph, priming boards or cutting paper to paint. Always so much to do

Ask me a question!

Anything you’d love to know? fire away- I’m waiting to hear from you