This September I was thrilled to have been selected to be Cambridge Artworks artist in residence for 3 weeks! I was super excited about this opportunity and thought you’d like to see what it involved. It’s called The Caravanserai Summer Residency and is situated in a bright blue caravan that has been transformed into a bespoke studio space. They call it their ‘Cabinet of curiosities’. My winning proposal was to make a series of artworks called ‘Joy in a box’ inspired by the idea of fun family caravan trips, of deckchairs and funfairs. I planned to use the time to explore pattern, printmaking & collage towards developing a new body of work.

Week one and two I spent time learning Gelli plate printing - using leaves, kitchen utensils, stamps, stencils, lino cuts, corrugated card, bubble wrap, cotton reels and Lego on a variety of papers.

Week three I moved on to learning screen printing.

I’ve had a lot of fun but I’ve just got started, and can’t wait to see where this leads. Watch this space!

Eight big beautiful abstract pieces celebrating creativity and brightening the walls of my local primary school.
Last year I enjoyed a week’s art residency at Arbury Primary School, and I’ve recently been back for a visit to see the art we created actually up on their walls.

The week began with me painting on stage in the school assembly. I painted in response to their favourite song ‘A right to be loved’ whilst the 450 pupils sang along and watched the picture evolve, projected onto the large screen.
As the morning progressed each class was invited onto the stage to take a closer look and add their own circle round the edge.

This painting is now pride of place on the back wall of their Expressive Arts Hall.

Here is the time-lapse video of the performance art

I photographed their beautiful creations, so the school could purchase some large canvas prints to display around their building.
Here are the seven finished prints that I saw on my recent visit, now hanging in the corresponding year group areas, for the children to remember the fun we had.

To see more pictures and read more detail about my week as artist in residence at Arbury Primary School last year, here is the blog post about:

• the week itself
• and also a post about the idea behind my visit.
  

To make enquiries about booking me for your school, community group or event, please email me at [email protected] and we can discuss a package that is tailor-made to suit your setting.

At Easter I spent the week as the artist in residence at a conference in Butlins, Minehead and thought I'd share with you what I got up to.
There were three main parts to my role. 1. to provide all age activities for the morning programme called the BIG START. 2. to lead an art workshop for the guests one afternoon and 3. to paint live in the evening session. I also had the opportunity of selling my art and merchandise in the bookshop.

The creative team leading this morning programme had to dress in school uniform to fit the week's theme – hence the pigtails! I based my activities around the idea of a graffiti wall and each morning added a new word. I'd learnt from the previous year to keep things super simple as there would be a large number of kids, about 10 minutes to do things and it was too loud to give any explanation, alongside the songs, games and drama also happening. We used chalks, made handprints, created collage and sketched.

Each evening, next to the stage, I got to paint HUGE pictures to live music. Working so big and with limited time lent itself nicely to expressive, messy work. I barely used a brush or palette, I just threw the paint on the canvas roll and manipulated it with a shower squeegee and sponges.
There was a camera over my shoulder a lot of the time, with a live feed to the large screens either side of the venue, with images of me painting interspersed with footage of the 3000+ audience and the band. I was having so much fun that I was mostly able to block this out of my mind and just get on with what I was doing.

Each evening I left my paintings to dry over night, then in the morning I hung them from the bleachers. The pictures are available for guests (and anyone else) to purchase as poster prints in my Etsy shop (click each image below for a link).

There were over 7000 people at Newday this year, camping at Norfolk Showground. Part of my role was giving visual art support to the team, this included updating signage and site decoration.

In the afternoons I invited delegates to interact with a 3 stage art installation on the main concourse. Pieces made from countless thumb prints of all ages entitled 'True Identity' sparked easy conversations about where we find our sense of identity.

The highlight of my week was getting to paint live outside the Big Top where the whole camp gathered each evening for the main meetings. Eight foot OSB plywood boards (one for each of the 6 nights) were secured around 2 trees.

Below are the six abstract paintings I created and some images of the details. The theme for the week was TRUTH, so each board was based on a different bible passage about truth. To read the explanations of the pictures and/or to buy a poster print – click on each image (which will link you to my Etsy shop).

ALL PROFITS from the sale of my posters will be DONATED to the Newday offering:
'Power the Fight' - a charity “Empowering Communities To End Youth Violence”
and to church planting in a variety of countries.
Posters are £20 (A3) & £30 (A2)

I've never painted on OSB plywood before so needed to learn as I worked. They provided a lovely texture that sometimes worked for me and sometimes against my techniques!
For each painting I had decided upon a base colour and I learnt to apply this by flicking the paint straight from the bottles or troweling it on using a squeegee. I then followed by spraying with water and moving the paint across the surface with a kitchen sponge.
After this I used a variety of techniques

1. Squirting the paint into my hands and wiping it/mixing it onto the surface directly
2. Spray paint or sponge painting using various stencils (stickers and paper plates)
3. Flicking, dribbling, thumb prints, water spray - adaptations of my normal techniques

Each evening I would begin with a sketchbook page with my base colour, the concepts/main inspiration written and general plan of techniques/patterns/colours that I felt would help communicate the theme of the piece. Apart from a vague idea of composition I didn't generally know what the final image would look like. I displayed a laminated title and strap-line.
As the week progressed I had an increasing following of delegates who learnt how and why I work as I do and quickly learnt to anticipate my next moves and ask informed questions, turning to the right page of my sketchbook they would ask about the meaning of today's base colour, how I would use fluorescents this time and how I would include my trademark circles.

Thanks to the fabulous photographers on the Creative Team I now have some great shots of me in action!

It was only on the final morning as we all packed down and headed home that all six of my pictures could be seen fully complete.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to paint live at 'The Light' venue, London. This was part of the Relational Mission Courage conference with around 800 attending and a live-stream video to other nations via YouTube.

Although I am an abstract painter and my style is very loose and free I always think through in advance of an event like this, what the theme of each painting will be and how I will symbolise this with colours, shapes and marks. I decide on a title and print out a brief synopsis to attach to my easel for people to read. I often have some idea of composition (where the points of interest might sit within the whole) but am not clear on what the picture will look like when finished. I like to work expressively and freely, layering various techniques that include a good dose of spontaneity and 'happy accidents'. I like to respond to the emotion and heart of the moment as well, ready to add elements that I hadn't anticipated if it seems right at the time and if it expresses the life that is growing from within the painting.

When working in this spontaneous manner and on this scale I have found that once they are complete I discover many 'paintings within the painting', sections of the picture that have a personality of their own – the treasure within the details. Here are some that I have captured.

Another question I get asked a lot is what happens to the paintings once I've finished. Well first I take them home, add any finishing touches and take photographs to share on social media, my website and for making prints. I paint the edges of the canvas, sign the picture and varnish it. Unless I have it agreed in the contract for the event that the payment for my booking includes keeping the painting (for example at a Wedding, or a school residency) then the pictures are available for anyone to purchase (I offer a 10 month payment plan which makes it more affordable for many). The paintings not sold immediately will be included in my next exhibition and offered for sale in a gallery. As many people are not in a position to buy one of my original pieces I also offer poster prints of pictures created at such events, for a limited period.
In the case of these particular paintings, I have sold 2 (one will be sent to London, the other to Holland – both of these people were at the conference), I have someone coming to view the third picture in a week's time (who has only seen it as a photograph so far) and the fourth will be displayed in my Open Studio exhibition in July.
The prints are available on my Etsy shop - click on these images for a link

If you would like me to create live art at your event, do get in touch. My paintings are unique and personalized to the theme of your occasion. I am available for weddings, concerts, conferences, charity fundraisers, cocktail parties, festivals and indeed any event where you would like me to add a splash of colour!

I also offer a tailor made artist in residence package for schools, churches and community spaces - from single workshops to a 5 day event.

I've realised that I love working both really big and really small, just like I enjoy working messy and expressive, AND working neat and detailed. I'm inspired by the extravagant dimensions and intimate detail of creation, what is seen through a telescope as well as what is seen through a microscope, so I guess this makes sense that these contrasts exist within my own art.

This time last week I was at Butlins Skegness working as the artist in residence at Spring Harvest #SH2018. It was an amazing, stretching, encouraging, very busy week and I loved it! I got to work in the Creative Arts Team alongside the talent of Kees Kraayenoord from Holland, 4front theatre, NGM dancers and the fantastic Luke Aylen (who heads up creativity across all 4 SH breaks), in front of an audience of 3500! I thought you'd like to hear what I got up to.

Next thing on my programme was my favourite part of the whole week, creating 6 foot paintings live in front of 3500 people in the big top each night! I love working big and working messy, I love combining worship and the prophetic with paint, I didn't feel nervous I experienced a tangible grace as I co-created with the Holy Spirit for my Daddy God and did what he made me to do! I was projected live onto the big screen on and off through the meeting for folks to see, and hopefully my visual/creative response to the biblical themes of the day helped people engage further in their worship of God. Once dry, the pictures were hung up around the venue.

I'm an abstract painter and 'sing with colours', I studied and prayed about the themes for each day in advance of the week so that I could help people engage with God and with the teaching, through my art. Each night I started with a title, a colour palette, a plan of which shapes and details I would bring in related to the theme and then worked whilst praising and praying, partnering with the Holy Spirit to discover where these ideas would take me and what picture would result. Clicking on each painting will take you to my Etsy shop where you'll find an explanation of the picture as well as being able to purchase a print if you wish.

Another significant part of my week were the Big Start sessions each morning at 9am – all age 30min meetings in the big top using drama, art, dance and music to engage with the focus of the day. We had a fantasy theme running through this so I dressed as a butterfly art pixie alongside a unicorn, some trolls and other fantasy dressed folk from the fab Creative Arts Team. I planned, prepared and led the art activities each day for ~100 children, each activity was stuck to a huge letter spelling out KING. My highlight was rolling paint onto the hands of tiny little children.

On the Tuesday afternoon I decided to do one of my BIG LIVE ART pieces on the floor of Skyline, the shopping arena in Butlins, to music. Although I painted live each night in the big top, this gave people of all ages the chance to come up really close to see me working and chat with me, and hopefully I inspired some 'wanna be' artists to give it a try. Here is a timelapse movie of the creation of this picture. Music is by the fabulous Kees Kraayenoord - one of my favourite songs from the week: 'Saviour's Song' (used with permission).

On the Wednesday afternoon I offered an abstract art workshop called 'Sing with colour' and 146 people turned up! It was like feeding the 5000 trying to find everyone a place to sit and to make the resources stretch to double the expected number. Everyone did a great job of embracing the 'thinking in colours' and 'drawing with eyes closed' exercises. I intentionally whetted appetites, leaving people wanting more, sending them away with a desire to continue experimenting. I was thrilled to see the results of their playing with paint.

On the Thursday evening as I was praying before I painted, I felt God nudge me to offer my picture as an interactive creative element on this occasion. After dialogue with the event hosts we agreed that during the ministry time at the end of the evening once I'd completed my piece we would invite people to respond to the challenge of surrendering their all to God by coming up and putting their thumb print on my picture, like a physical statement of individual commitment. As people queued to do this I prayed for a pouring down of heaven over them as they gave their all afresh. It was a really poignant and humbling moment. On returning home my 6 year old helped me count the thumb prints using kidney beans - we discovered that over 230 people had responded that night.

At the end of a wonderful week of flinging, throwing, splatting, dribbling and flicking paint to my heart's content, I left a few marks behind! I had so so many people come up asking me about my work, thanking me for the impact my art had had on their week, interested and inspired by a way of working that they had not seen before. I've not done anything on this scale before but genuinely found grace and courage to REALLY enjoy myself!

I had a fantastic time at Arbury Primary School last week and wanted to share with you what I've been up to.

Each year the school spend a whole week studying an artist and one of their paintings. This year they took it a step further - they invited the artist into the school to paint the picture in front of them. That artist was me!

My picture was called 'Take my hand' and was inspired by one of their favourite songs 'Right to be Loved' by Song Academy. I started painting the picture on stage in their assembly, projected onto the screen with all 450 of them singing along! I worked on the picture all morning as classes took turns to take a closer look and I invited each child to draw a circle round the edge. Here is the video (using a different song for copyright reasons).

Once finished, my painting was hung along with other examples of my work in an exhibition in the school entrance. I created a montage of some of the layers used in the picture to aid follow up written and art work.

Next I visited each year group to introduce myself properly. I showed them my tools and materials, they asked me lots of very good questions, and I planned with them the pictures we would create later in our workshops.
I gave them the titles of Happy, Love, Peace, Kindness, Excited, Thankful & Hope, and they decided which colours, shapes, lines and marks would suit their theme. 

Each year group (60 children) collaborated on a giant painting which they created in 6 groups of 10 that worked on 6 layers over the course of an hour, using the same techniques, tools and materials I use.
1. pencil lines & squirting paint 2. squeegees & handprints 3. sticker stencils with sponges
4. shape prints 5. sticker stencils with sponges 6. pencil lines & squirting paint

I videoed them at work from above and created mini timelapse movies for them, set to music like mine.
Links to these are on the school website side menu bar here

We ended up with 7 big beautiful paintings each measuring 1.5m square.

I provided suggestions of cross curricular lessons that teachers could do during the week in response to my visit and was thrilled to hear of the extra work I inspired - a couple of boys choreographed a dance, children discussed what colours different emotions would look like, one class bought a canvas to paint together, another responded using batik. Parents were talking about art activities developing at home throughout the week, and even some of the teachers were prompted to start painting in their spare time!

I was definatley in need of a rest by the end of the week, but it was such an encouraging & rewarding experience

Every year the school participates in 'Take One Picture', a National Gallery project aimed at encouraging school pupils to interact with and be inspired by art. In the last few years they have studied Renoir, Hokusai, Klee and Seurat. This morning the teacher reminisced with the children about these pictures concluding with "and THIS is the picture we will be focussing on this year" - showing a blank canvas! "I'm showing you a blank picture because it's a picture that hasn't even been painted yet! In fact it's a picture that is going to be painted right in front of you all here in school!.. Not everyone will have heard of this artist yet but one person in this school knows her very well" Esme (my 6 year old) puts her hand up "It's my mum" she says and stands up in front of the whole school, fit to burst with joy!

So I will start my week (after half term) by painting on top of a giant canvas on the school stage in front of 450 people, with an aerial view projected onto a large screen. Every pupil in the school will take it in turns to come onto the stage, look closely and make their own mark on my painting.
Once completed the painting will be displayed in an exhibition of my work in the school entrance hall and I will edit a video of it's creation for the classes to use. The week will include a 'meet the artist' session where I will take my materials to each class, discuss my approach and answer their questions, and an 'artist workshop' where each child will contribute to one of 7 large collaborative pieces created with me using my techniques and concepts.
I have created a sheet of ideas for teachers to develop the themes of my work in a variety of curriculum subjects throughout the week (from poetry, to dance, history to maths and science). The week will conclude with a school exhibition of the work the children produce in response to meeting me and my artwork.