From Start to Finish - in a nutshell

From Start to Finish - in a nutshell

Someone asked me to explain my process. The clock was ticking, we were closing in on the hour and that’s a big question. So I summed it up by saying “I add, add, add and then I start seeing shapes, decide what the paintings going to be about and then edit.” If only it was that simple…

Other People's Opinions

How to be strong and resolute in the face of unwanted opinions. Asking the right people and asking the right questions will help us move forward with our painting and not be steered off course in our painting journey.

My Studio – What it’s REALLY like

My Studio – What it’s REALLY like

…when I have my music on, a canvas on the wall and my palette swimming in wet paint the mess, the skinks, the spiders, and the rats are not even a thing – kind of.

Building Layers with Mixed Media

Building Layers with Mixed Media

How do you integrate drawing and painting techniques in your artwork? Watch how I vary wet and dry media with differences in types of paint application. Working in this way holds my interest in the process and delivers variety to work with going forward.

Painting with Total Abandon

Painting with Total Abandon

The journey from difficulty and confusion to clarity and joy. That’s the path we are all on with our Art. We are all at different stages of that path – some at the beginning bogged down among the weeds, and others further along emerging into openness where the path widens and the walking is more easy. We can kind of see the way forward – a bit.

How To Catch The Viewer's Eye?

How To Catch The Viewer's Eye?

How do we get the viewer to notice our work? What makes us look twice at something? Knowing how to attract the viewers eye helps us to make more powerful Art.

Do the Groundwork Women!

Do the Groundwork Women!

My most recent experience of husbands getting involved with choosing artwork had not ended happily. ‘Dance Steps for Men’ was rejected by a husband (who I assumed couldn’t dance) after his poor wife had come from out of town to see it and almost had the picture hook nailed into her living room wall in anticipation.

Opposites & Aliens

Opposites & Aliens

When I paint I ask myself a series of questions. My number 1 question is: What is the Opposite of...? Finding a balance between Opposites and Relationships delivers harmony and interest in your work. Watch the video as I demonstrate using one of my favourite paintings.

How to Start a Painting

How to Start a Painting

Some people agonize over starting their paintings, which is a shame really because it’s like setting off on an adventure – but the best sort of adventure. You don’t have to scale heights, get wet, lost or hungry, you don’t even have to leave home. But you ARE venturing into the unknown with very little idea of what will result from the experience.

Photo Transfers

Learn how to do Photo Transfers.

Materials used: Heavy Gel Medium onto Laserjet Photocopy on photocopying paper

Then Soft Gel Gloss to stick the Photo-skin to the painting surface.

Perspective

Perspective

How do you achieve Perspective in your practice? I’m not talking perspective achieved by ruling lines and identifying vanishing points. I’m talking about how you keep a healthy balance between the good and the not so good that happens along the way in your Art Practice.

Questions to ask...

New Beginnings...

New Beginnings...

I also really enjoyed letting loose with drawing and using dry media a lot more in my paintings when I was working on the large sized paintings. This added a playful looseness which I really liked and prevented me working in a straight-line towards finishing when after each painting session I would draw and scribble over the painting. Coming back into it the next day I would cover a lot of the drawing over but the little remnants that peeped through were really fun suggesting a naivety which I liked.

Finishing a Painting II

Finishing a Painting II

Follow the final moves as I bring this mixedmedia painting to it’s finished state. This painting integrates photocopied images with paint and collage.

Is there ‘Precious’ in your Studio?

Is there ‘Precious’ in your Studio?

Finally, the insistent call of the outside world drags us away and we close the studio door on that tangled grid-locked mess of paint, hope, and self-belief. As we square up to the dishwasher and the dusting that secret smile is now a nagging sense of dread. Am I good enough? Why can’t I figure this out? I’ve killed my precious ….

Finishing a Painting

Finishing a Painting

Watch the finishing stage of this mixed media painting with photo collage. In this video I demonstrate how I finished the painting, analysed what it needed and made final changes.

Learning to make Art without Fear

Learning to make Art without Fear

So how do we get the confidence in the beginning when we don’t know that much? We have success. How do we have success when we’re beginning? We need bite-size chunks, roadmaps, guides – frameworks that keep us on track, keep us safe while allowing us to make decisions and learn.

Sealing & Varnishing

Sealing & Varnishing

Follow my process as I demonstrate sealing and varnishing an acrylic mixedmedia painting to get a lovely soft satin finish.

My Why - Why do I paint and Why do I teach?

My Why - Why do I paint and Why do I teach?

When I was growing up there was no such thing as a ‘why’. Well, we didn’t know we all had one or at least there was no drive to examine our motives and find out. I remember doing quite a lot of motive examination directed by the nuns – but I always fell short and found myself counting down to the next confessional to cleanse my soul.