Do What You Love

(18” x 22” mixed media on canvas board) She skipped the streets of Paris with a tiny bag and happy heart. For those few magical days she was truly travelling light. *****Bit of technical joy – I am SUCH a non-techie so am currently feeling a quite ridiculous glee at somehow having managed to make myread more >>

On my happy wanderings through the streets of Paris I discovered one gorgeous shop after another - sharing some of them with you here… Textiles and ribbons in Montmartre… Ribbon: Mercerie Saint Pierre, 6 rue Charles Nodier, 75018 Paris Fabric: Les Tissus Laik, 1, rue de Steinkerque 75018 Paris Stationery, ahhh stationery… Papeterie Laffitte, 27 rue Laffitte, 75009read more >>

I love Paris for many reasons, but not least because you can be whoever you like.  You can be… … a movie star … a musician … a bride … an artist … a gossip … a sunworshipper … a grafitti artist … a skyver … or just yourself What would you like to beread more >>

A volcano erupted in Iceland sending a cloud of volcanic ash across Europe yesterday. You may have heard about it, seen the pictures, thought it bizarre.  As the cloud has filled the airspace, the airports have shut down one after the other and it has left an estimated 600,000 people stranded – including me!   I wasread more >>

Thought I’d share a piece from a series I am working on – ‘Bloom True’. The smells and colours of the emerging spring made me want to paint flowers. Acrylic on canvas (20″x16″) Recently I was introduced to the incredibly talented Flora Bowley in a post by Lorrie Spotts, and instantly loved her work.  Iread more >>

cherry blossom (Japanese ink on rice paper 12″x6″) When I started learning Japanese 15 years ago I used to stay up until the early hours of the morning in the college library copying characters from an old dictionary, dipping my brush in juicy ink, sweeping it across the rice paper and marvelling at the wordsread more >>

…trying to emerge from a long dark winter, seedlings wiggling up through the ground, trees preparing their new wardrobe, daffodils blooming courageously (Is it just me or do they look like they are whispering secrets?) Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke This feels like a good timeread more >>