Residency May/June 2025

Four weeks stretched out seemingly endlessly, with sunshine and blue skies…

Nothing lasts forever, the weather reverted to ‘English Normal’ and various visits- Twinning Association and family coincided with my first couple of weeks. All delightful interruptions-one of  my French visitors was an artist and so in spite of the language barrier we had plenty to talk about and share. We visited Delamore- a local sculpture garden and Gallery and they came to see what I was up to in the studio. Then my son, daughter-in-law and their 5 year old tempted me at half-term with beach visits and trips. 

In between I made a start on 6 boards, landscape orientation, with the intention to explore the experience of visiting Devon coves.  

Every painting starts with the  routine of sealing and preparing the boards. I find this such an enjoyable activity as I start to accustom myself to the size, the surface and meditate on all the possibilities inherent in the process. It requires concentration and patience as layer after layer is applied but it promotes a feeling of calm. 

Thereafter it becomes much more exciting as I make choices about colour and start to lay down some marks which reflect how I’m feeling at the time. They may or may not be a part of the finished piece. But they give me something to respond to. 

Between sealing layers, while waiting for medium to dry, I worked on paper on a series of small studies. It is a method of feeling my way into the main series and I was pleased with the results. The compositions were strong and several of them would stand on their own merit. 

The challenge is to maintain the freedom and energy of the small work and translate it into the work on boards. I fell into the trap of rushing to resolve the paintings before they were ready. When I caught myself painting waves I realised and reverted to looser mark making. I’m still not entirely happy with them so I will keep going until I am. 

I also started a couple of larger boards with some exciting gestural marks and vibrant colours to stop me over-thinking and obsessing.

Thursday 15th May

Today I worked on a large sheet of paper which I cut into pieces pre-taped so that they were already the size I wanted and worked on each one as an individual study. The idea was to experiment with different materials that I'd brought up with me, so I particularly wanted to play with pastels- oil pastels and soft pastels to see the effects I could get using them: on the edge, on the side, smudging them, scraping back into them and also to see how I could integrate that with my mixed media work. Also what was the best way to fix it without smudging? And what happened when I worked with oil and then tried to continue with acrylic so I used very little actual paint on these little studies and I feel they've been quite successful.

Video of paintings on paper and cradled boards a series of coastal studies of South Devon. The South Hams

January 2025

I decided to kick start the year by working towards one of the aspirations I write down every year but always feel I’ve not managed to give as much time too as I intend. Drawing and painting outside. Responding directly to the landscape. Towards this end I did an online course with exercises to be carried out en plein air led by a fellow member of Connected Artists- Sam Boughton. This has had several benefits already as my studio is pretty uninviting in January. I feel if I can get out and paint at this time of year there will be no excuse later.

Walk and Draw

Aim- a layered sensory sketch, gestural, loose responsive playing with mark-making, rich full of energy, strengthening your looking, directional marks, varied in tone. I went out with a small sketchbook and a large charcoal instead of a soft HB pencil. Predictably, it was quite messy. The efforts in the small sketchbook frustrated me at the time, but looking back some interesting marks and compositions. I noticed I wasn’t drawing shapes but lines. As I went on. I realised I was too focused on what was in front of me less on the whole experience it is going to take a lot of practice, more sketchbooks to break the habit of representing outlines of objects rather than responding with all the senses.

April 2025

April was busy everywhere except in the studio.

As mentioned already I had 3 paintings selected for an exhibition of art at The Artizan Gallery in Torquay which entailed several trips back and forth to attend the open evening celebrating International Women’s Day and the reception they hosted for the unveiling of the new statue of Agatha Christie. I was also engaged to help hang the work of local artists in the Yealm Art Society for their Annual Easter Exhibition. All members are free to exhibit and so the range of work was extensive. I’m pleased to say the response was positive which is a great encouragement to all concerned.

Now at the end of the month I have managed to start prepping boards for my next body of work. Always exciting to make a start and follow where it may lead.

March 2025

Each January I set a few intentions for the year, I don't call them new year's resolutions. One of this year's intentions was to exhibit my work in some new places. I am fortunate to show my work both at the Art Hub and the Green in Newton but feel I need to find other places in addition. So I submitted photographs of a series of three flower paintings to a gallery in Torquay. The Artizan Gallery is holding an open exhibition celebrating women artists and I am delighted to report that I had all three accepted.It is a lovely time of the year to visit the English Riviera so I'd encourage you to pop in between 9th March-13th April. Following that I will have work showing at the Spring Art Show at Newton and Noss village hall 19th-21st April. I have another Art Residency planned for May- June and will be ordering materials for it soon.

This is my inspiration, a beautiful ever changing vista outside my door. I take endless photographs but am challenged to capture and communicate a sense of this and other inspirational views in the South Hams. I could and have, used photographs as a starting point but I want to deepen my insights by spending more time in the environment and to distill the experience in order to share it in paint.