Scotland

Finally, after booking our trip in 2019 and having to postpone twice we were able to take our two week trip to the Scottish Highlands in April. The holiday was as inspirational and awe-inspiring as I’d hoped, we spent most of the trip walking in the vast landscapes; through forests, past waterfalls, scrambling up winding steps and over rocks and boulders. One day was spent aboard the Jacobite steam train from Fort William to Mallaig, another atop a mountain which we got to by gondola - all very exciting for our three year old (and ourselves of course).

Rather than rewrite our busy itinerary I have attached some photographs taken by my partner Craig Pendrill which perfectly summarise our time in the north.

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Exhibiting with Wiltshire Artists

In July my university friend Patrick Bull contacted me asking if I’d like to take part in an exhibition in Marlborough with Wiltshire Artists. Patrick and his wife Karolinka had taken over the organisation of the groups annual summer show and wanted to invite some new artists to take part.

I decided to make some new ink and brush drawings especially for the exhibition which was to take place on august bank holiday weekend. I had been on a hot summers day walk in Micheldever Woods and had taken some photographs of the woodland which I thought would translate perfectly into some atmospheric drawings.

The exhibition was held at a stunning church on one end of Marlborough High Street. I attended the private view and was delighted to receive really positive feedback about my two pieces, both sold at the private view with other parties also interested which was a huge confidence boost.

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A Little Life Update

The last time I wrote a blog post titled ‘A Little Life Update’ was in 2018 when I shared that my partner and I were buying our first home together and expecting our first baby. I seemed to share a little more personal news back then and as 2018 was ‘pre-children’ I had a lot more time to write so my journal entries were looking pretty healthy with lots of artist interviews as well as other musings.

I didn’t share much about the next life update that we had which was moving from our first home to our second in June 2021. Mostly because our first home together didn’t end up being the exciting new chapter that we’d hoped for. We experienced some challenging times while we lived there, challenges that were no doubt exacerbated by having a newborn baby to look after. We’re happier in our new home (which is in a different town as we were priced out of our hometown).

The main reason I wanted to write a life update was to share the happy news that in the autumn we are expecting a new addition to the family. I’m currently seven months pregnant and feeling all the exhaustion and aches that I did the first time round except with a heatwave and a three and a half year old to look after thrown in the mix. I’m glad to say that I’ve still been drawing and taking part in exhibitions which I hope to continue to do though likely at a reduced capacity for a while.

I like to keep those that follow me and my work in the loop as I’m a bit of an open book sometimes and it feels strange keeping things to myself - especially when they affect my life and work to such a big degree. I estimate that going from one strong willed child to two children will be a big transition but I’m looking forward to the challenge - and the challenge of keeping up an art practice too!

As with before my shop will remain open and I won’t be technically on maternity leave or receive maternity pay so your support with purchasing my work and sharing/engaging with it on social media will be even more appreciated than usual.

I’ll leave you with a rare photograph of me from a few weeks ago, in the woods.

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them. ❤️