Category: Art Blog

The Long Suffering Artist It’s not essential to suffer for your art, but mental health issues do seem to be rife among artists. Whether it’s the mental illness that allows artists to see the world the way they do and create the art they create, or it’s the creation of art that changes the perspective, artists throughout history have been known not just for their creations, but for their quirks and neuroses. And I am no exception*. Self Portrait – Vincent Van Gough Mental Health and the Fetal Position When I started drawing Phoetal I had a different title in … Continue readingPhoetal – Mental Health in Art

Painting the Iconic 50s There’s something about that vintage Hollywood starlet look that has captured each decade since the 1950s. Maybe it’s the sheer class of it all – that poised, seemingly effortless beauty. Or the smooth, perfectly coiffed hair and subtle eyeliner. From the ‘60s exaggerated wings to the 1978 film Grease to the rockabilly revival and Imelda May’s blonde streak, we hark back to the time when women were women in pretty dresses and perfect makeup. A time when women knew their place. The Hollywood Starlet Painting In Swallowed, I wanted to create a painting that had that … Continue readingSwallowed – The Hollywood Starlet and the ’50s Housewive

Painting Toxicity In its most obvious definition, poison is a chemical used to cause harm or death to another being via ingestion or injection. But there are other ways to interpret it; the word toxic is often used in the modern vernacular to describe a situation where one person can cause emotional damage to another. Manipulation and mind games can be equally as damaging, causing mental health issues, putting someone into harm’s way and, in some cases, death. Alchemists and Alchemy My fascination for witches and everything that the word witch encompasses is far too complex to cover in one … Continue readingPoison – Alchemy Painting

The Surface and the Easter Eggs in My Psyche Painting The Japanese Mage in Psyche may not be as innocent as she looks. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with creating a piece of art purely as a nice picture, and there’s nothing wrong with liking art simply because of the way it looks. But I like to create layers in my work – some easter eggs for you to hunt out or read about, if you are that way inclined. The Sinister Hiding in the Pastels of Psyche While this might be the most feminine painting I’ve done to date, with … Continue readingPsyche – Japanese Mage with Butterflies

Ritual – Painting the Eye of Horus Tattoo In my painting, , I borrowed several symbols from different mythologies. Most noticeably the tattoo on my model’s hip and the peridot hanging over her left shoulder. The light cast from somewhere behind her is warm, maybe as the result of a fire – the long shadows of the trees support that. The wolf is there as an easter egg – once you see it, you can’t unsee it and its enigmatic presence is meant to be questioned. Symbolism and Religion Using symbols in paintings of mysticism can be tricky if you’re … Continue readingRitual – Eye of Horus Tattoo Painting

Shadow Cast – the Inverted Cross Painting with Many Names Art can have many meanings, so naming a painting can be hard if you have more than one title to choose. Shadow Cast was no different, but once I’d tried several out loud, Shadow Cast became cemented and the inverted cross became the focus and the second meaning depending on how you viewed this piece of art. Nudity in Shadow Cast Several of my nudes have been quite controversial. Whether that has been intentional or not, I can understand if people are taken aback by the fetish art. But Shadow … Continue readingShadow Cast – The Inverted Cross Painting

Siren Call – Painting a Water Witch Sirens are creatures of Greek mythology – traditionally they appear in the shape of beautiful women who lure sailors to their deaths with their singing. They’re often depicted with wings or musical instruments, and in more modern day settings, as mermaids. Mythological Creatures As mythology goes, the sirens seem to get overlooked in this modern day and age. Mermaids have remained popular, probably due in part to Disney, and this new obsession with unicorns is beginning to drive me up the wall somewhat. Especially given that I’m bisexual and people seem to think … Continue readingSiren Call – Water Witch Painting

A Summer Solstice Painting Being fascinated with witches, mythology and all things magical means that when the solstices roll around, it feels only right to commemorate it in some way. Naturally, for me, that commemoration comes in the form of art, and this painting was inspired by the summer solstice. I’m Melting, I’m Melting We had some hot days over the summer, even up in Yorkshire. 2020 isn’t known for its sunshine and lollipops, but there were some glorious days of sunshine. Unfortunately, I am of the redheaded variety and my skin is like white, tissue paper, so sunbathing isn’t … Continue readingSummertime Ennui – Summer Solstice Painting

Painting the Magic of Loch Lomond The beauty and mystical feel to Loch Lomond makes for the perfect setting for a summoning spell. Couple that with the rich history of Scotland and the tragic stories of its “witches” and you’ve got a whole backstory formed before you can even lay paint on paper. My First Witch Painting Dabbling in Magical Realism is fairly new to me. When I was in my early 20s, I went through a phase of drawing fairies with watercolour and ink pencils (Derwent, of course) which led to a spate of straight forward commissions, but with … Continue readingSummoning Spell – Loch Lomond Painting

Creating an Original Painting of Tropical Flowers It’s good to do something different once in a while, especially when that something can lead you onto a path you didn’t quite see coming… Tropical Flowers Inception At the beginning of 2020, I was commissioned to paint a huge box canvas of fresh, pastel flowers. Peonies, roses, hydrangeas and baby’s breath with bees and butterflies all came together as . It wasn’t unusual for me – at the time I had been working on commission for 20 years, and commissions bring with them all kinds of subjects, styles and media you wouldn’t … Continue readingTropical Flowers Painting – Original Art

Original Painting From the End of the Woodhead Tunnel Although creating art from photographs, sketches or your imagination is all fine and dandy, there’s nothing quite like painting from life. I find sitting in front of a subject, or in the landscape that I’m painting gives the work so much more urgency and, given the choice, would choose life over a still image any day. The Weather in the Dark Peak Can Be Pretty Chilly I had the privilege of painting Woodhead Tunnel from life. Living in England, and particularly oop north, makes for very unpredictable weather, particularly when what … Continue readingWoodhead Tunnel, Longdendale – The Peak District