Rembrandt up close
Seeing a Rembrandt up close is nothing like the experience I thought it would be. So, imagine this: you’ve spent years flipping through art books, soaking up every detail of Rembrandt’s paintings. You’ve marveled at the subtlety of his brushwork, admired his mastery of light,…
Planning an art residency to get results
Planning an art residency is the key to making sure you make the most of the opportunity. This January, I went on a week’s residency to the Ballinglen Art Foundation with two artist friends. It’s difficult to describe just how much this trip moved my…
New Year’s no-resolutions
This year I am making New Year’s no-resolutions. And here’s why. New Year’s resolutions are always about doing something you really don’t want to do, in order to achieve something you know you ‘should’ do. (Even writing that made me feel exhausted and demotivated. 😁)…
A daily enso art practice
Have you ever considered a daily enso art practice? It’s a great 1 minute process that now forms part of my studio practice and has recharged my enthusiasm for painting. The Enso’s Simplicity At first glance, the Enso might appear deceptively simple – just a…
Lessons from the Chelsea Flower Show
Yesterday, I expected to learn gardening lessons from the Chelsea Flower Show as I embarked on a captivating journey through its flowers and trees. Gardening is one of my passions. Some days I’m torn: turn left to the new greenhouse, or right to my deliciously…
Testing My Handmade Paints
In 2015 I made my own watercolour paints. I do these sort of things out of sheer curiosity. I wanted to know how they were made in order to learn first hand, what makes watercolour work. Then I had to start the process of testing…
Making watercolour paint
When I started painting, I never would have imagined I would be tempted into making watercolour paint. It all started with a visit to an art shop in Venice where the enticing rainbow display of pigments in the window tempted me inside. Just look…
Why artists create
There are two ways to think about the question of why artists create: What leads someone to pick up a brush and get started? What drives someone to keep creating artwork? There are different reasons for everyone. Here’s what it is for me: Why artists…
How limits improve your painting
It may seem contradictory to say that limits improve your painting. But in my experience, it is a good learning tactic that has worked for me. Limits make you stretch in different ways. For obvious reasons, we call it thinking inside the box. With limits,…
Nine tips for an Artists websites that works
Artists websites are the cause of a lot of soul-searching and stress for many, but they don’t need to be. Here is a guide on how to work out whether you want a website and how you should use it. Should you have a website…