Art Training

Beginnings

My artist background is scrappy and varied. My mother was talented at art and craft and I was lucky to be given materials, instruction and encouragement from an early age. By the time I left school I had tried pencil, pastel, oil paint and watercolour even though I didn’t choose to take a qualification in art. In addition I had done collage and mixed media, screen printing, Lino printing, ceramics, foil scraping, macramé, embroidery, appliqué and more. I even had something of my own art style.

At the time, artists’ pastels were my favourite medium, but I also loved oil paint with its workable texture and deep colours. And embroidery. I believe some women have extra-vibrant colour vision and have always wondered if I was one of them, as colour is so important to me.

University and beyond

At our college we had an art room and tutor available for all students and weekly life-drawing. I also owe a lot to my boyfriend at the time and his family who opened my eyes to modern art forms and styles that I simply didn’t ‘get’ before. There was cheap, reliable transport to London so I was able to visit all the big galleries and exhibitions regularly. It’s hard to remember how much more affordable and manageable everything was then, almost like recalling a dream!

For some years after that, I neglected art in favour of music. Pressures of life didn’t leave me time or energy for both except during holidays. I did occasional study, of watercolour technique for example, although that has never been one of my preferred media.

Back to Stoke-on-Trent

On moving back to this area, I was immediately among a group of artist friends. The focus was mainly on ceramics. It was not a medium I had had success with when young, but I soon fell in love with it. I adore the process of building and shaping, although interestingly I’m not so interested in using colours in three dimensions. And I have a more free style of art when modelling, coming more from imagination and less from real life.

I also met my partner and fellow Castle Sefton Press author and artist John Blake, an MA in Fine Art. His rampant and unconventional creativity and his varied art experience inspired me and gave me confidence.

(The image shows The Shock of the New by John Blake, named after Robert Hughes’ television series).

Current Work and Art Style

Charcoal and chalk

I naturally have a classical art style and I studied some classical drawing. Despite my life-long love affair with colour, I found that I adored this combination of media. Black-and-white drawing is a great discipline for colour addicts, too. It works particularly well for portraying the old movie stars who fascinate me. I also enjoy the challenge of using it for still life, with just a tint of colour provided by a coloured pencil or two.

Artists’ Pastels

For so long my first love among art media, it took me some time to readjust to pastel work. The available brands and papers have changed, and we no longer have a local art shop where I can choose colours. I still love pastels. They give a fine balance between immediacy and complexity, and nothing else feels quite like them in the hand or against a surface.

They do require a large upfront investment though as you can’t mix the colours. At present I only have a very limited palette and I won’t be able to extend to a full range for some time.

Pencil

Not my favourite. I would much rather have a piece of charcoal. I have studied pencil drawing and produced some good work, so I don’t want to let those skills lapse. I’m planning to keep a pencil sketch book in 2026. Let’s see how that goes!

Acrylic Paints

I never learned proper oil painting techniques such as fat-over-lean. Although I was able to mix and apply the paints well, this meant that my paintings haven’t aged well and some of them are ruined by browning and cracking. I had vowed to study oils and learn these skills, but by the time I came to do it it was no longer practical. Oil paints are slow-drying, messy, and odoriferous and we simply don’t have the space to accommodate them.

I had always been prejudiced against acrylics, but eventually learned to love them when I finally developed my own style. I’m excited about painting with them in 2026 and intend to make that my main area of work.

Pen and Ink

I like pen and ink drawing, but have only limited experience using a dip pen years ago. There are now so many exciting pen options, including refillable ones, that I’m excited to be taking some sketching courses that will introduce me to some of them. At present, I’m overwhelmed and confused by the choice available! I tend to be quite a tight worker, and sketching is also a great way to loosen up your work.

Ceramics, Printing, Embroidery and more

These are all things that I would like to work with again if I had the time, space and money. They are exciting projects for the future.

Subjects and Inspiration

Contemplating Reality

I love to draw what I see, and that is something that I do well. I particularly like the mixture of cerebral, technical application and free, intuitive interpretation involved. And even the most abstract or surreal interpretation has a kind of honesty in that you must have looked very well at the reality in order to produce it.

Contrast that with the trend in photography, which is to record an image of reality and to doctor it towards some imagined ideal that has never existed. I was quite shocked by the imposition of false norms onto landscapes and people when I took course in Affinity Photo. (I am and have always been a poor photographer, but I use the Affinity suite to turn our art into prints and products).

Progress

I’m sure I shall push the boundaries of my interpretations over time. I also love completely abstract work, and that is something I hope to do more of one day. Surrealism is not for me. I find reality sufficiently bizarre and too often disturbing!

Learn More

If you’d like to follow my work, see how it develops and hear more about the process, you can follow me on TikTok, the Castle Sefton Press YouTube Channel or sign up to the blog. And all my art work is available as prints and products in our online art shop.