I have just been notified that my painting “Doughnut Treats” has been selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. This is something I have had on my Bucket List for a while so I am delighted! It will be such fun to attend the Varnishing Day reception and Private view in London. What a real treat!

The theme for this years exhibition is “only connect”. This painting of doughnuts reminds us that a treat is a good thing but that too much of a good thing has it’s consequences. Hence the scales and the price ticket. There is a connection between actions and consequences. I love doughnuts but I don’t wish to look like one, so best kept as an occasional treat.

I am fascinated by the uplifting Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi at present. Literally meaning to join with gold. It is a reminder to remain optimistic when things break, be it something physical like a pot or something non-physical like a relationship. It is about the acceptance of imperfections and flaws and the beauty to be found in simplicity. Missteps in life can create resilience and a mended pot can be even more beautiful than the original.

I will be exhibiting in the Surrey Hills Artists exhibition which starts at Denbies Vineyard Gallery on Monday 8th May 23 until Sunday 21st 2023.

My favourite time of year, it’s been a slow start but there is lots going on in the next month or two with fast approaching exhibitions in my mind. I have had a painting accepted in the first round of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition so I am hopeful that it doesn’t get culled in the next round!

I have just visited the Ditchling Arts and Crafts Museum in Sussex. What a gem! A very interesting exhibition of Craft pottery by Shoji Hamada, a contemporary of Richard Leach and also some woven textiles on display, small but beautiful sums up this museum, well displayed and in a charming rural village I found it inspirational. I am working on various nature inspired paintings at present, both oils and watercolours which will be in The Dorking Group of Artists Spring exhibition 27th April to 1st May at Betchworth Village Hall.

Happy New Year!

Last year was a rather frustrating year for most of us I think, after all those stops and starts during Covid we expected to get on with life with new enthusiasm in 2022. However the news put paid to a lot of that. But all things change…. hopefully for the better this year with a rather more calm and optimistic outlook.

I currently have a few of my oil paintings on show at the South Street Gallery in Dorking. Some calming and uplifting still life subjects. Just the sort of thing that we need to contemplate at the moment. This is a lovely little gallery and framing shop run by Vicky Kirby full of intriguing art work, jewellery and ceramics. I will also be exhibiting with both the Dorking Group of Artists and The Surrey Hills Artists in the spring. I will keep you posted.

The Dorking Group of Artists winter exhibition, which finished on 4th December, looked particularly good this year and I was lucky enough to sell a few paintings. It is always gratifying to know that they have passed on to a new home with an appreciative new owner.

December could be quite dreary if it wasn’t for the Christmassy events and festive bright colours everywhere to enliven it. This weeks frosts have added an extra bit of sparkle in the clear bright sunshine. I will now start planning some new paintings for a new year, perhaps trying some different styles and approaches influenced by recent books I have read such as “Peacock and Vine” By A. S. Byatt, which is about William Morris and the designer Mariano Fortuny. Their fascination with natural forms and with ancient patterns was inspiring. So I am exploring a pattern of stylised Pomegranates in this watercolour I am working on at the moment.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Time to hunker down and enjoy your own home. I am beginning to think about how I will decorate the house this year for the festive season. I am usually temped to buy a nice new decoration of some sort, but this year I would like it to be something that will give me some enduring pleasure rather than to be stored away until next year. Needless to say I have a large choice of my own paintings to display. So this year I will have a change of hang and put up the more colourful and warm ones to set the tone.

Christmas fairs abound and I love to browse the lovely arts and crafts that are on offer. This year the Dorking Group of Artists Denbies exhibition falls at the end of November so bringing it into the festive season. Perhaps a new painting would be a great present to someone if you know their taste, or for oneself to solve that “what would you like for Christmas” question!

This painting of sun ripened lush tomatoes, like polished baubles, will be in the DGA exhibition.

Burlesque Tomatoes Oil £225

This is such a rich time of year in terms of a positive bounty of new things to paint. Everywhere you look there are gorgeous autumn leaves and fruits which are beautifully complex when you look closely. The way that leaves furl and curl once dropped from the tree as the structure of the tree itself slowly reveals itself again is a lovely thing. As is the satisfying shape and lustre of an acorn or an apple. An artist is spoilt for choice!

I am currently exhibiting at the Denbies Wine Estate with the Surrey Hills Artists until Sunday 23rd October 2022.

I can’t believe it’s autumn again and so much has changed in recent months. To have some familiar routine has been a real bonus. I can get lost in painting and researching new subjects to enjoy and inspire me.

Both the art groups I belong to have annual autumn exhibitions coming up. Surrey Hills artists in October and Dorking Group of Artists in November, both at Denbies Vineyard. I have been trying out a new style inspired by Angie Lewins delicately beautiful watercolours, which I plan to show in October. I am still doing oil painting as well. I couldn’t not! Oil is such a luscious medium and suits the still life subjects I enjoy painting so much.

Well it’s certainly been summery weather here! Now it’s a bit cooler I can get out and enjoy the amazing botanical creations that are in full bloom at the moment.

Pale pink Cosmos is such an elegant plant with translucent and papery petals that are smartly crimped and pleated as though cut with pinking shears. The delicate fronds of foliage add a delightful contrast to this design classic. It grew easily from seed saved from last year and it looks beautiful painted on a grey mid toned paper.

Also the meadow is doing it’s thing with a sea of wild flowers decorated with butterflies, bees and beetles. Thankfully some things never change!

See in Watercolours

I came across an interesting remark in a a book recently (What are you looking at, 100 years of modern art. by Will Gompertz)

David Hockney said “A camera cannot see what a human can see, there is always something missing”.

If several people took a photo of the same view or object from the same place and time they would turn out to be much the same. If several artists painted the same view or objects they would be surprisingly different, concentrating on different details, even seeing different colours. We all bring our very individual years of experience, spatial study, stored information and interests and obsessions to the equation, and express it in the colours, composition and atmosphere we put into our artwork.

Now, I have some time over the summer before I will be involved in exhibiting again, I can concentrate on pursuing by own individual view of the world and revel in portraying it in paint, from my minds eye.