art & inspiration

Here’s a screenshot of when my painting “The Yellow Window” appeared in Vogue Magazine last year, in the Culture section accompanying an article about author Elizabeth Day. The joys of licensing your art is that it turns up in all sorts of interesting places, all around the world! To license any of my artworks, see my… read more

It gives me a very particular thrill to realise art concepts I’ve had in new ways, such as this Springtime Sparrows design on an oilcoth tablecloth ideal for al fresco dining (…should summer ever arrive this year). This cotton canvas oilcloth is a cut above the rest, hanging and gleaming like a satin tablecloth whilst… read more

I finally received a copy of this book (“In the Clouds”) in which my super-sized painting Relentless Light (2012) was published last year by Paris based art publishers Flammarion. You can see it on the cover and inside where I have a full page spread…auspiciously…sandwiched between artists such as Degas, Delacroix and Magritte on one… read more

If you are looking for lockdown Christmas shopping ideas, feast your eyes on this newsletter put together by talented jewellery designer Wendy Penrose, featuring myself and several other unique makers/designers with online outlets. This year is the perfect excuse to explore the kind of gifts that will shine out for being crafted with far more… read more

Update 2022: Prints are now exclusively available via my etsy shop whilst custom fabrics and certain home accessories can be ordered from me direct by sending me a request via this website. Using the last couple of months home-time to good effect, I’ve partnered with Shopify to bring a collection of one-click products together into a… read more

With his yin-and-yang feathers, the magpie is the living embodiment of that most fundamental of truths…our world is full of light and shade. Just in case you had forgotten this, you will see it represented in the leaves right above his head, in the dark clouds and light in the sky…yet which of these is… read more

“I may be very small and just so ordinary that I seem to blend in with the background but, when I speak, my words are so beautiful that everybody stops to listen”…. This is what the Wren, with her beautifully powerful song, always seems to “say” to me; which is a timely message for our… read more

I’m a bit of a folk head when it comes to music and I recently chanced upon a collaboration of some of my favourite artists called “The Lost Words”. Their intention is to bring to the stage the oh-so important message of a book by the same name; here’s the “about” section from their website: “Once… read more

Over the coming months, I will be sharing some brand new artworks on the theme of English garden birds since I have such an ongoing love aiffair with them. This first one, entitled Sacred Song, was inspired by an experience I had with a robin a few weeks ago when the timely encounter I had… read more

“Transience”. I wanted to capture the fragile, other-wordly beauty of some quite tiny blue flowers that appeared, self-seeded, in the cracks of my patio in the late summer. For over a month, this tiny plant produced 2 to 3 flowers each morning….only for the petals to scatter to the winds by lunchtime, every time. Yet,… read more

Click for a link to a recent article about my work in the Vida blog. In this article, I talk about what inspires me and why I am so passionate about art on fabrics.

Is there such a thing as the perfect storm? This oh-so serene swan brought such a thing to mind. Content and self-focussed as a fiesty “storm” of blossom blew down onto her, for all the world like a heavy blizzard of snow or ice, and yet this storm was so benign that she hardly noticed.… read more

We were on a visit to Kensington Palace when the concept of this artwork came to me. I had been in search of the essence of Diana yet didn’t find her in the palace, with its queues, its security checks and paranoia (we watched a couple of security-related scenes play out as we sipped our… read more

Pleased to announce I have been invited to join the Kyo Gallery in Alexandria old town, Virginia…just across the river from Washington DC and quite a jump from me over here in the UK. My work will be joining a new influx of international artists in time for the gallery’s Grand Reopening in June. Looking… read more

Click image to flick through the new spring brochure of my designs for fashion and scarves!

So far this year, my primary focus has been on putting together an exclusive collection of fabric designs for VIDA who manufacture excusite art-inspired scarves, clothing and accessories. VIDA is a global partnership which aims to connect and support both artists and manufacturers, creating stunning end products that are a cut-above average and which (of… read more

Am delighted to announce that a selection of my floral work will be on display at Venue 10 of the Henley Arts Trail next weekend, 30th April – 2nd May, in addition to two pieces which are already on display at Venue 1, The Old Firestation Gallery, Market Place, Henley-on-Thames. For full details of the… read more

I forget to mention here that I was the proud recipient of three more American Art Awards in 2015. I received these prizes in the categories Portrait of Someone Not Famous (third prize for Blossoming), Fantasy Landscape (fifth prize for Field of Dreams) and Floral Realism (third prize for Aglow, left) from an award body… read more

Exhibition opening next week – ‘Wild’ at the Robin’s Nest Gallery in Wargrave on Thames.   A gorgeous gallery with an eclectic mix of sculpture, prints, photography, jewellery, pottery, originals and more – am very pleased indeed to be trying out this new space for my work for the next few weeks.   After a… read more

Alliums are a favourite subject of mine; I love their almost architectural form – perfect spheres made up (when you look more closely) of so many intersecting stars; they are like a metaphor for the whole planet and they catch the light so brilliantly. These favourites have already appeared in a number of my paintings,… read more

Visiting Monet’s house and garden at Giverny was a bucket-list experience for me and is up there with a handful of other artist and collectors homes that I have now visited, from Charleston and Kettle’s Yard to, more recently, Cezanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence (highlights will take you to blog posts I have written about all… read more

This painting held itself back for the very end of 2014 and then asserted itself in a way that wasn’t to be argued with. It was a painting of the heart; one that presented (first) as a compromise and (then) as more than an answer to a dilemma I had been having about painting one… read more

In early September 2014, I received the fantastic news that I had received an American Art Award for The Yellow Window in the category Realism Still Life.   These awards, which have gone from strength to strength since they were founded in 2008, receive literally hundreds of entries worldwide; that is, submissions from 51 countries this… read more

Anyone that has read into my background at all, via my Biography or my health blog Living Whole, will know that I have been on a long journey of self-recovery from fibromylagia. The many-layered way that my journey towards better health has interwoven with the art that I produce is undeniable to me and, increasingly,… read more

If your business is looking for beautiful images to license for a creative project, advertising, book cover, computer app, editorial content, prints and cards, website design…the list is endless, then I’m pleased to announce I have joined Bridgeman Images, the world’s leading specialists in fine art reproduction. My back-catalogue of artwork is now being uploaded… read more

Its almost a year since my customisable art reproductions became available on Pixels.com. Well, now they are being printed in the UK as well, which means that they can be customised then shipped to any address in the UK/US within one business day…and to any other address worldwide within 2 – 5 business days! Canvas… read more

My newsletter has now been retired in favour of using social media for all of my news and announcements. However, the archive is still available. All back copies of are listed below Newsletter Back Issues (starting with the most recent):  2016 APRIL (breaking news) APRIL   2015 OCTOBER AUGUST APRIL 2014 DECEMBER OCTOBER SEPTEMBER JUNE  MARCH… read more

This time last year, I was getting ready for this exciting bit of New York exposure – well here’s the official photo from the event:    

With the Opening NEXT SATURDAY 14th June, between 11am – 1pm (an opportunity to come and meet the artists) in this lovely, light-filled gallery space – click here for the address. The flavour of all my work, this time around, is blowsy, floral and reminiscent of gardens and overgrown summer hedgerows – the perfect excuse to put… read more

Now for the launch of a totally new venture – art videos, through my brand new YouTube channel Scatter Light. What began as playing around with presenting some of the stuning photography I have gathered over time of my paintings has evolved very quickly into a project that morphs images with music and words. I’m already… read more

The Spring Exhibition at Gallery Fifty Five has seen the launch of one of my brand new acrylic prints, which offer a whole new contemporary spin to some of my more familiar work. With this print of Incandescence, sealed under thick glass-like acrylic, which distorts and magnifies some of the detail in the loveliest way… read more

 The Spring Exhibition at Gallery Fifty Five got under way last Saturday, doubled-up with my book signing. The event was absolutely packed with visitors for two hours of wonderful atmosphere, very much (mind bending) conversation and a great deal of laughter. Below is a flavour of the work currently on display along with one of… read more

Hard to believe that Spring is almost upon us but the fact the Spring Exhibition in Gallery Fifty Five is about to open its doors is always a clue.   This year, I have a range of styles and framing options on display – from unframed box canvases to the traditionally framed pieces that are… read more

More and more of you have been in touch asking about the possibility of purchasing prints and, I have to admit, this opens up a whole array of options, not least the many different ways of customising art to suit your wall or budget and, if you are on the other side of the world… read more

Loving the digital age of exhibiting – from my rustic corner of Berkshire UK, I have just submitted a high-spec image of Parisienne Window for my allotted slot in the digital exhibition that is being produced for SCOPE as part of Miami Art Week.   Quote See.Me who are the brainchild behind the group digital… read more

One down, two to go….   Light Grounding was voted Best in Show in the HACG Autumn Exhibition in Henley-on-Thames last week, chosen by the steady stream of visitors that came in for a look over the long weekend – not a bad start. Apparently Brad Pitt was seen wandering about the town as he’s… read more

Earlier this year, I was invited to become a guest author for the Adventures in Manifesting best-selling series of books. Having focused ever-more on my writing, I was thrilled to be contacted out of the blue and invited to submit a chapter based on the life-experiences that I already share through my two blogs. My… read more

  The Story of the Creative    At 7pm Eastern on the evening of July 25th, my work will be opening in the exhibition “Story of the Creative” in New York; three pieces, including The Yellow Window – which is simultaneously part of an exhibition in Gallery Fifty Five, will be on display.  How is this double-up… read more

Your work is stunning – really beautiful. Scattered Light really spoke to me and something told me when I saw it that it would be healing for me to have around. It arrived and it is BEAUTIFUL! Thank you so much. I am still trying to figure out where exactly to hang it but last night I had… read more

With a Private View taking place on Saturday 8th June between 11am and 1pm, the Summer Exhibition at Gallery Fifty Five is set to be a diverse affair, with my own contribution focussing on the architectural themes to be found in some of my work.     My subjects in this exhibition include light coming… read more

Have just dropped off new work at The Frame Gallery, including some of the panoramic landscapes that I so love to paint. I find the proportions of these wide, shallow canvases work so well for certain landscape subjects, especially where I am seeking to draw the eye in at virtually ground level and then…on and… read more

As the Spring Exhibition at Gallery Fifty Five draws to a close, and as I sit here looking at the big blowsy peonies in a jug right in front of me, I thought I would just say a few words to celebrate this favourite flower of mine. My contribution to the current exhibition is a… read more

Here’s a montage of pictures from the last two Exhibition Openings – both ‘Spring’ Exhibitions; one at Gallery Fifty Five, Hartley Wintney in February and the most recent Grand Opening last Friday evening in Henley-on-Thames.  My work (‘The Yellow Window’, ‘Day’s Finale’ and a selection of prints) will continue to be on display at The… read more

Something I’ve been asked fairly consistently for some time, by those who enjoy my work, is whether I make prints of my work available but, until recently, I had only ever offered reproductions of my pencil-work, assuming that it would be near impossible to reproduce my oil paintings to a standard that I was prepared… read more

The Henley Arts & Crafts Guild will be holding their Spring Exhibition later this week, with the Opening Event on Friday 26th April, between 6 and 8pm – to which you are all cordially invited!   Original work on display are The Yellow Window and Day’s Finale.   I’ll be dropping my work off to… read more

Whether its according to the Gaelic festival of Imbolc or the celebration of Groundhog Day that has its roots in an old German tradition, there are some who consider today – 2nd February –  to be the start of Spring. Most of the ‘official’ calendars of our northern hemisphere would have it otherwise, positioning the start of Spring in… read more

I recently took a step out of the framed, contained paintings that are my norm and ordered myself a canvas of new proportions; something about as big as I could practically transport to a gallery and with sufficient depth to stand alone without framing.  The subject I had in mind: a particular moment captured in… read more

A universal truth that I seem to have tripped upon is that, even when something  appears to strike a posture of separateness or independence from all else, it takes just a small step back to find that it is actually working in harmony with everything around it – there really is no separation. A solitary… read more

A very typical sight across the English countryside in mid to late August is that of hay bales spaced out in fields and across hillsides and it is one that I deeply love, not least for being something that signals to me that I am back home amidst the very familiar after our travels. Before… read more

  I waxed lyrical about Charleston in a much earlier post and my most recent painting is my own tribute to a garden – indeed a place – that had a massive impact on me when I first visited it over 20 years ago and which has retained a special place in my creative psyche ever since.… read more

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my (four) recent paintings was of a Venetian canal hemmed in by all the haphazard geometry of shuttered windows, porticos, balconies and rooftops. I spent a good portion of last weekend scanning this in sections (its reasonably large), sewing it together and uploading it to my website and… read more