Sketchbook work

One of the beauties of keeping a sketchbook for painting in, I find, is not necessarily making notes and thumbnails for future work, but simply to feel an emotion into. This is what I try to teach on some of  my workshops.

The sketchbook is a freeing and liberating place sometimes, without the importance of a full sized painting.

This week I attended a funeral for a colleague who’s life was cut short before she was even 40 years old. There are no words for this. It was useful for me to express the inexpressible. Both art and music do this for me.

A Pleasure Trip

Yesterday I went to Saltaire, Yorkshire to visit the open houses there which have displays and sales of art in them from artists of the area. The houses in themselves are treat to visit, built as they were originally as dwellings for workers in the mill belonging to Titus Salt. There was some excellent art to be seen – it’s all open again today if you can manage the trip.

Salt’s Mill itself is now an amazing building with galleries, shops and a huge amount of work by David Hockney. It was fabulous to stand so close to paintings such as this which are all in a shop which is filled with art books and materials – heaven!

This is Salt’s Mill – huge! What’s more it has the most glorious kitchenware shop!

Workshops

See the workshops page above – I have opened a couple of new dates for Creative Sketchbooks workshops – click here for information as to what’s available – they are proving very popular.

Exhibitions

Two coming up soon

1. Wolverhampton Open Studios – my studio at Newhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley St., Wolverhampton WV1 4AN is open on June 25-26th 2016 from 10am – 3pm.
   Lots of other houses and studios are open that weekend.
2. Bantock House and Park, Wolverhampton July 23rd – Sept 4th 2016 with a theme of “Birds”. Children’s activities and exhibition in the gallery. Street Art also by Steve Edwards.