Happy New Year!

Everything slows down over Christmas and New year and I very much take on the urge to hibernate, read and spend evenings in front of the fire. This means that I haven’t been in my little studio to draw, paint and make much. Now, as we move into January, I am half looking forward to and half fearing getting back to it.

Over Christmas and new year, the only art I really managed to continue with was my 52 Weeks of Nature journal. I’m delighted that it is now finished and I’ve posted a flick through of it on Instagram (link below). It ended up being a 5 minute video because there is so much of it but it’s worth watching to the end. I feel incredibly proud (and not a little surprised!) that I stuck with this project every week all year. It also made me commit to getting out and noticing nature and regularly practising my drawing and painting skills which have definitely improved as a result.

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I absolutely loved working with so many people last year at art workshops and art club and this is something that will definitely be continuing this year so I’d love to be a part of your creative plans for 2025. I also have a half plan for a guided 52 Weeks project using email or social media prompts and support so keep an eye out for that if it’s something you would be interested in. Just think of the lovely full sketchbook you would have to look back on by this time next year!

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Here’s a round up of what’s coming up in January and over spring term!

Adult Art Club at Dungworth Village Hall

Thursdays, monthly, 7-9pm

This group is very friendly and open to everyone with or without prior experience. The sessions focus mainly on drawing and watercolour painting techniques but I like to throw in other processes such as printing occasionally! Each week is a stand alone session so don’t worry if you can’t commit to each one but if you do attend regularly, you’ll really start to notice your skills improve over time.

I provide stimulus and gentle instruction so you don’t have to worry about knowing what to draw. I also provide paper, drinks and usually homemade cake! I can also provide a sketchbook, graded pencils and watercolour paints or you are welcome to bring your own. Sessions are £9 each.

If you’ve wondered about 2025 being a good time to try something a bit creative, why not come along and give it a go?

Book here

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Family Workshops at Dungworth Village Hall

I’ll also be running more of my popular family workshops over the spring term and these are open to book now. The workshops are suitable for children over 5 with a parent or carer. Family Workshops costs just £10 per person making them a really reasonable way to spend time learning a new creative skill alongside your children.

Family Printing Workshop, Saturday 1st February, 1-3pm

At this workshop, you’ll learn how to create simple prints that can be used to make greetings cards. Everyone will learn to use sticky-backed foam to create simple print blocks which you will then have fun inking up with paint rollers to create multiple prints in a range of colours. Children over 10 and adults can also learn how to carve rubber blocks to create relief prints.

Family Watercolour Workshop, Saturday 15th March, 1-3pm

As we move into spring, we’ll be enjoying the chance to look closely at and paint some beautiful flowers using watercolour paints. You’ll learn a range of simple watercolour techniques including how to get the right amount of water and paint on your brush, how to mix colours on the page and in the palette and how to build layers of paint on the page. you will then learn how to combine these skills to paint petals, flowers and leaves.

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Other great things to do in January!

• Enjoy a crisp morning start – The weather has been surprisingly mild over the Christmas break and I’ve enjoyed getting out for morning walks, sometimes as sunrise. Dawn is as late at this time of year as it can be so it’s a good time to see sunrises without a painfully early start!
• Visit David Hockney’s exhibition in Manchester – I have been a huge fan of David Hockney’s work ever since I visited his ‘Some Very New Pictures‘ exhibition at Salts Mill in 1993. His work has evolved and changed so much over his career but I have always loved his use of colour and mark-making. The new ‘Bigger and Closer not Smaller and Further Away‘ exhibition is made up of projections of his work on all four walls and the floor of a large warehouse type space. The projections include animations and a spoken explanation from Hockney about his approach and how he sees the world. The exhibition is on until the 25th January.
• Enjoy getting back to ‘normal’! – Although the time around Christmas and New Year is lovely and relaxed it can start to feel it’s time to get back to some sort of routine and ‘normality’. For me that also includes getting back to some regular drawing and making practice. I find this quite daunting at first, particularly because my studio has become a dumping ground over the break! But the urge to get creating again is strong and I’m now itching to get back to it! Why not build some regular creative practice into your ‘normal’ routine this January?
• Paint, draw (or print) this – I took this picture from Derwent Edge, just above Ladybower reservoir, on a morning when the cloud was collecting in the valley. I love how soft the cloud is and the mystical feel it adds. You could try using very wet watercolour paints and working wet on wet playing with how the colours interact with one another on the page to try to recreate this.

Thank you so much for reading this and supporting me! If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter and want to stay in touch with upcoming workshops, ideas and tutorials, please add your email below to subscribe and why not share this with friends who you think might also fancy something creative in their lives?!