Black on Grey on White

Ever had the feeling that your feet are never going to stop stamping out of frustration? Read on: this is my way letting off a little steam. I'm a Mum. I'm an artist. Both are driven by the heart, demand loads of love, energy, understanding and devotion. Are they compatible? Absolutely. Are they rivals? Absolutely. Both careers require time in bucket loads and are not 9 to 5 jobs (no matter how hard one tries 24hours is the absolute max you can get out of 1 day!) Both require huge amounts of flexibility (which eats up on the others time!) and both are rivals on the depletion of inner energy levels. Who ends up winning? Well at the moment my mother instinct has the upper hand (I am very glad to say!) so where does this leave my art? Gathering dust? Hiding under piles of work? On hold until tomorrow? Waiting for the children to grow up? NO, no no! (thank goodness!) Having to surrender, now and then, some of my art's needed time, flexibility and inner energy leaves m...

Relieved, proud and elated. Gentle Tom was not a one off... Quality Time is finished and shows another precious childhood moment . Spent roughly 50 hours on this piece. Commission work has been coming along really well and allowed myself a little treat. Ups and downs, this piece has seen a few but overall a great learning curve and I'm up for the next challenge. First back to the drawing board to get cracking on the next commission. Cheers.

Have you ever had one of these moments where you feel incredibly sad but also relieved? This is how I feel right now. I brought my gorgeous mare to her retirement home today. It's a great place where loved and well cared for horses come to live in peace. She walked off the trailer and into her new home with a serenity and a calmness I have seldom experienced. It was with a sense of great relief that I watched her walk off confidently and happily into her new home; relieved at her acceptance, relieved at knowing everything is going to be OK. The sadness comes from knowing that I have closed the last chapter (for the time being) on my life with horses. Family commitments and too little time have meant that, for now, horses are a thing of the past. It's a strange feeling knowing that something you have worked so hard with for so many years, with a passion and a devotion you never suspected you possessed , should have no more room in your life. Rugs, blankets, bandages, wraps, g...

This is a gorgeous little guy known by the name of Beauty. I took the reference photos down on my knees he's so small. His portrait is the first of a double commission, he has a little brother (literally) that I have also been commissioned to draw. Have started on his portrait today and hope to have him finished to post by the end of the week. Like Beauty I am drawing Bonfire on Steinbach paper using graphite pencils (6B, 2B and 2H) and a touch of charcoal.

What is art? Now that must be one of the most controversial and complex questions to answer. Controversial in its subjectivity and complex if only by the number of art forms there are. This actually means answers (usually long and longer) can be given at so many different levels and in no definite way. Having said this, answers have been given and in quite a large way. So why ask I hear you think. Well, I believe it is an important question for every artist to think about at least once and to attempt to give a coherent answer. (You can read a a good critical article on defining art by Arthur Dirks about why and what) So I will put my thinking cap on and probably bore you all to tears. OK here goes. If you don't want to read any further you could always check out the wikipedia, free encyclopedia for their definition and answer to Art. A spontaneous answer would be the classic: "it's a fantastic means of expression". How shallow is that? Start again. Art, is somet...

T here are several artists out there that are having a great influence and indirectly helping me with my art and my understanding of the art world. Over the next few months I would like to pay credit to them, pay credit to their talent and the way in which they generously share their knowledge and experience. The first talented artist I would like to mention is Kim Santini Kim is the founding member of the CAG and fellow EAG member. Kim Santini’s work is worth taking time to enjoy. Once in a while you are struck by an artist, by their use of colour and light. By work that is alive, colourful and vibrant. I remember the first time I saw Kim’s work. It had all these attributes and more. It struck a chord. The painting was entitled Patience. I stopped, looked and really enjoyed. “Patience” , a close up painting of a donkey, shows an imaginative use of colour and light to portraying a classic pose of a donkey. Kim brings emphasize to the donkeys mood by her use of c...

I felt it was time to master a great but (I find) very difficult paper called Mellotex. I had the great opportunity to assist Mike Sibley 's workshop in July and saw first hand the stunning results this master achieves using this paper. Apart from possessing an incredible talent, I am hoping that this paper has a lot to do with his stunning drawings. (Checking out his work is really worth it and a definate feast for the eyes.) The very interesting thing about this extra smooth sheet of paper is that forgives no sloppiness or rubbish pencil strokes but on the other hand allows for an incredible range of greys and textures. Needless to say that over the last couple of days I have been going through a string of emotions ranging from utter frustration to letting out very loud sighs of relief. Here is the second step of this "out of the comfort zone" drawing. I am soooo curious to see what my end result will be. The journey there is definitely a great learning curve ... no...