I have been working on some forest ideas, and I have collected some bark. I'm hoping to use the real bark to add some texture on the trees. I'm not sure if it will work, but I'm going to experiment with it. I'm of to Tunisia tomorow, so it may have to wait until I get back. But hopefully the warm weather, meeting up with friends, and the all important Tunisian coffee ☕️ may give me some inspiration. I have my sketch book 📖 ready and packed. 😎

You know that delicious thing that happens when you look at a painting of a bird and… it’s clearly a bird, but it looks nothing like a “real” bird? Maybe the body is a funny shape, or the whole thing is stitched, collaged, scribbled and slightly wonky. And yet your brain doesn’t hesitate for a second….it goes, “Ah, bird.” That’s the quiet magic of art. Our minds don’t actually need perfect realism to recognise something. In fact, the less literal the image, the more space there is for you to step in, to feel, imagine, and project your own story onto it. A totally unrealistic bird can be more fascinating than a photographic one because it isn’t just about feathers and anatomy anymore; it becomes about character, mood, emotion. Unnatural colours might make it feel otherworldly, symbolic, or deeply personal. When we move away from realism, we’re not failing at art, we’re inviting a different kind of truth. A truth about how something feels rather than how it looks. That strange little bird on the page starts to hold all sorts of things: freedom, fragility, hope, curiosity, grief, joy. It becomes a mirror for whatever the viewer is carrying. So yes, you can paint a bird that would make no sense in a biology book, and still have it land straight in someone’s heart. Sometimes the wonky, impossible bird is the one that feels most alive. 🦅

I've been working on a particular painting, which is proving more complicated than I originally thought. Actually I'm working on four. I put one down, have a coffee, and continue working on another. The world map painting is very finicky and quite intricate. I knew it would be. But the problem one is a deep blue water spout. I can see it in my mind and I keep adding more detail to make it look more convincing. Hopefully by the weekend, I will be ready to add some siluettes to it, that I have in mind, just to give it a bit of mystery. This seems to be my style at the moment. Not that I have a style, but this seems to be developing. Although really the painting is just for me, it does allow individuals to look at it and use their imagination to fill in the details, and interpret what's going on. A kind of dreamy mystery I guess. 🙃🤔

Tracey Emin has a new exhibition. Ha! Not sure I’d like a review quite like that when I have an exhibition 🤪🫣🤣 ouch!

A fun mixed media technique I sometimes use is to make my own stencils, simple shapes, repeating patterns, and then layer them into paintings, collage, or art journal pages. This painting was created layering my homemade branch and leaves stencils 🍃 🍂 Why I love DIY stencils: - They can give your work a signature look. - You can design shapes that fit your style: wonky shapes, flowers, symbols, textures. - They’re perfect for layering: soft, transparent shapes in the background, bolder patterns on top. A few easy ideas to try: - Cut simple shapes from cardstock or plastic folders (circles, leaves, hearts, windows, clouds). - Trace around everyday objects, lids, keys, lace, doilies, to inspire patterns. - Use your own doodles or character sketches as stencil designs and repeat them across a series. Once you’ve made a stencil, play with: - Acrylic paint and a sponge or dry brush - Spray inks or watered-down paint for softer, misty effects - Gel printing plates to build rich, layered backgrounds I’d love to see what you come up with:👉 Have you ever made your own stencils?👉 If yes, show us your favourite stencil and how you used it in a piece.