I am extremely excited to announce a creative partnership with the UK’s Marine Conservation Society just in time for the end of 2024 and the Christmas period. The partnership is designed to run for two years and will conclude in 2026.
I learnt to paint in school, but my teacher told me not to bother pursuing art to GCSE or higher levels because, well, he suggested I wasn’t talented enough. So, I quit art and pursued sport instead. However, during university and my time spent living abroad, I found myself drawn to Art Galleries. I have loved looking at different styles, the originals of some of the greatest artists and learning from them. Mostly I find myself absorbed and inspired by art and colour. Colour therapy is definitely real…
Fast forward to the end of 2019 and I signed up for an adult art class in London. It was over one weekend, learning to paint in acrylic. I completed the course and this time, the teacher was nothing but encouraging - with all of us in the class. He taught us how to mix colours properly, prepare the canvas, all the basics and then set us a series of challenges. At the end of the weekend, I felt invigorated and confident again in my creative abilities.
Then came the pandemic and lockdown. As with most of us, I didn’t know what to do with all this new time on my hands… I picked up my brushes, got out my easel and started. My first painting was a study of a crab, painted by Van Gogh. Not the easiest to start with, but by copying a master, I realised the intricacy of the detail, the strokes and brushes he may have used and how a relatively limited palette of colour was actually much more subtle and vibrant than I realised. The copy is an amateur comparison, but I was pleased with how it turned out.
Starting with the crab, it inspired me to try other marine life. So I set about painting some vibrant orange hued jellyfish, then a menacing reef shark. Gradually, I had created three or four paintings. Looking for ways to continue supporting the efforts of the Marine Conservation Society during lockdown as one of their Ocean Ambassadors, I reached out and offered to donate my art to sell as prints, raising funds for the organisation’s work. They agreed and over the four years, I continued to paint and share with them.
I am hugely grateful to anyone who has bought a piece of my art over the past six years, raising vital funds for a worthy cause.
A selection below of the paintings, featuring different stages of each and the process to create each original. I mostly paint on canvas with acrylic and make up my designs..
For any further information, please reach out to me directly through the Contact button at the top of the page.
