Artists are frequently asked about the influences shaping their work. While understanding these influences can enrich the appreciation of an artist’s creations, it may also limit interpretation by anchoring it to specific references. Artistic inspiration is rarely singular; it emerges from a confluence of experiences, ideas, research and impressions. These influences often operate subtly during… Read more: Artistic influences

In the annals of art history, few stories are as compelling and tragic as that of Camille Claudel. A brilliant French sculptor whose talent was largely overlooked during her lifetime, Claudel’s journey is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by women artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a woman in… Read more: Camille Claudel: The Unsung Brilliance of A French Sculptor

Actors are taught that a person’s back view speaks volumes. I believe it’s the same for artists, so can’t understand when drawing students complain about the boredom of getting the back view of the model. But it’s not a simple view to draw. What does the back say about the front of the figure, what… Read more: Reflections on Life Drawing II

Life drawing is a difficult skill to learn. Many artists avoid it and when I was at college in the 90’s it was often considered by students as old fashioned and stuffy. Maybe it was because life drawing requires practice and can feel exposing. It is a process of enquiry, taking years of practice to… Read more: Reflections on Life Drawing

Grandparents’ stewardship of future generations and mutual appreciation from both generations was a feature of conversations with participants in the Age In The Frame project. There was much discussion of intergenerational mixing, which was generally seen as something desirable by all ages. Here are some quotes which were influential when I was making the image… Read more: All That Follows

The images below are based not only on the views of participants in the Age In The Frame project, but the experience of meeting with them face-to-face, and hearing and recording their often poignant reflections. Old age is about remembering and often re-assessing the past. The participants were frank about their personal experiences and attitudes… Read more: Cork, Matchstick, Paper: Instructions to a Small Boy

Children, grandchildren and grandparenting were a recurrent theme in discussions with older participants on ageing (Age In The Frame project). Their views were intriguing and complex, heightening awareness of the continuous cycle of life, of which we are an inevitable part. See some participant quotes below. PERENNIALS, 2020 (paper, card, acrylic) 84 x 60 cm

The pandemic spotlight has been turned on older people. I have lost three people during this time, two in their 80s and one aged 54. I made the image below, called ‘Landscapes of the Unbidden’, as a visual response to the extreme vulnerability felt by many, but particularly by older people, at this time of… Read more: Landscapes of the Unbidden

A transcript from one of the most touching recordings from the Age In The Frame project. Participant (18 yrs): I clearly remember sitting on his lap and he would read me stories, and my first word was “Grandad” and my second word was “buttons”, because I would sit on his lap and play with the… Read more: First Words

Another myth bites the dust: we creatives are no more moody and unhinged, than the rest of humanity.  There is no proven scientific correlation between mood disorders and creativity. But is the pressure off?  Conforming to the myth can help your career Those creatives savvy enough to conform to the myth of the mad artist,… Read more: Mad artists – another myth heading for the dust