I’m writing this early in the morning before the final day of our summer Open Studio where I paint with four other artists. Painting is often a solitary activity and I’m very happy in my own company. My artwork is mostly about peace and calm. The last few weeks have been the opposite if that. It’s been a busy time selecting which work to hang, how to have something on offer for a range of budgets and then how to use my tiny studio space to present it well. Then there’s the publicity- sharing on social media but also sharing information with friends and family. It’s the first time I’ve done an open studio and I already have notes to inform how to do it better next time.

Barn Studios is tucked away down a narrow country lane. Follow the brown tourist sign for St Nicholas Church; the sign is about 100m west of Brockley Stores on the A370. Turn down St Nicholas Way drive almost to the end ignoring houses on the right. At the end is a large Manor House (now a care home). Take the track round to the right towards some green farm buildings. Barn Studios is on the left. Parking is available

This blog explores how Japanese aesthetics have influenced my artistic practice and a little of how they resonate with me personally.

I first became aware of Japanese aesthetics as a student at Newlyn School of Art, when I asked about how we can approach evaluating our own work as artists…

I am fascinated by composition and at one time my paintings were full and busy with detail. Currently I love to play with composition and discover how sometimes little is needed to give the eye, the brain and if I got it right; the heart to explore. The ‘Beith’ series of prints in my Trees portfolio…

This autumn I have been developing my monotypes and what started in my mind as rocks have been honed into pebbles. My initial thinking came from my impressions of the rocks in The Fish Trap in Torridon…

Over the last year everything about my art-making has re-set. It has shifted from large-scale calm vistas of imagined landscapes to a slower more considered and contemplative mood and scale. I recently…