My Diary

As well as translating my experiences through my work, if you’re a regular visitor to my site you will also know I like to record my thoughts – both professional and personal – in a regular diary. I hope you enjoy reading my updates as much as I enjoy writing them.

How do you start?

Artist Blog resurrected. For a long time I wanted to pick up the blogging again but it seemed to take up time which I didn’t have! In 2014 I will get started again I thought, and here we are, a quarter of a year in, just at a point when I have finished a big project and in that painful

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The Magic Bird

The Use of Words

There was no February blog I see! So many priorities competing for attention. To top it all I went through the life changing experience of acquiring a puppy! He is called Kasper and is now 13 1/2 weeks old. Link to Artist Page on facebook I have used words in my pictures for a long time. It is a part

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Spring Tide (includes mono-printing, machine stitching, collage)

We Learn by Teaching

“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand”. – Chinese proverb This is the time of year when I think about workshops, why I do them and what ideas I will put together for the New Year’s workshop programme. I go back and look at experiences from the previous year, what worked, what

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Vasterbotten March 2011

Glimpses of a Year

It has been an eventful year on all accounts and there was rarely time or space to stop and reflect. There were new arrivals in the family; I experienced some interesting journeys; artistically I took on quite a few challenges. This year had high points in every season as well as some tough stretches; I had many lovely rewards and I also

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Frozen Green House

An Artisan’s Christmas

Suddenly it is December, and where did this year go? As an artist I have had a very busy year, deadlines following each other like pearls on a string. This week the snow came up here in the hills and I feel such a strong urge to wind down. Creativity doesn’t just pour out of a tap on demand, it

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Arriving at Stromness

Artist on Holiday

I am five weeks late with my artist diary; my aim roughly was to write every two weeks. Well there is a reason of course, hence the title of this blog! I did finally get a summer holiday at the end of September, better late than never, and went back to Orkney, in search of that magic which transfixed me

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Margaret’s Garden 2008

Mixed Media Flora

I surprise myself wanting to write about flowers! Maybe this is because I went to the Northumbrian National Park last week for a lovely break where I saw lots of exquisite wild flowers still blooming around Kielder Water in the gentle late August sun. Secondly, I am going to the Botanical Gardens at Sheffield this weekend to show work, where I

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Place Mapping

I hope to blog every two weeks; it is nearly three weeks since my last entry due to a need to recuperate somewhat from an action packed July. I have spent august so far regrouping, focusing on marketing and studio work, so never a dull moment! Link here –  Artistic jargon is a law to itself. A word I come

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Stitching Stories

I will post alerts on Facebook and Twitter to my web diary every time there is a new blog published, and here is a link to my Artist page on FB: Link here –  I was at the Great Dome Art Fair with Peak District Artisans all last weekend and got involved in many different conversations about my work, such

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Northern Spring

This is my first ever blog, which also salutes the new style web site hereby launched! I am excited to have a so called contents managed web site now, which allows me to link up my web presence with the social media as well. This change also involves me in managing all the on line work myself, so I am truly learning,

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