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