Where I Am At Now

Summer 2024

Many of my readers will know me as an artist as I have been art blogging and writing for many years (I think I started blogging about my art around 2005). Initially I wrote about my own art adventures, but over the years my blog has become less about me and my work, and more about the art world with exhibition and product reviews, art tutorials and demonstrations. I am grateful people are still finding me and hopefully enjoying my posts! Tutorials and advice does not grow old (although it is updated now and then). The most recent article I wrote for The Artist Magazine was published only last January. But I feel like I owe an explanation to my arty readers, as well as my online art students, as to what I am up to these days. I must admit I have fallen somewhat out of love with the art world. That has more to do with me than the art world, and I am not breaking up forever, but let me explain.

I love a challenge and have taken on plenty of challenges over the years. Some have brought me success and some were complete failures. That’s how it goes. But after exploring various areas of the art world I’ve grown a little tired of the art challenges. I’ve enjoyed my successes and learned from the failures but I was missing something in my life. I have always drawn and painted but at times my creative pursuits were put at a low simmer, for example when I was in university. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in uni. However, kids and life in general, made me change direction. At home with two small children I picked up painting again, things developed from there, and you know where it all lead to.

Now my kids are less reliant on me, and practically grown-up, I realised I missed the way academia can blow your mind, crack your brains, and provide, well, I suppose they call it an intellectual challenge. I have grown tired of (the few) annoying portrait clients, the stress of open art competitions, the pointlessness of gallery shows unless you can churn out dozens of paintings a month, the sexism (are we still painting women in the nude because they are so ‘beautiful’?), the London-centric art world; all the negatives of the art world. Mind you, there are still plenty of up sides: the friendliness and community spirit of fellow artists, the enthusiasm of art students, the joy of creating. But I’ve been sort of done with it all. Art books and exhibitions felt repetitious, rarely bringing anything different or new, my own art consequently started to slow down. Time for a new and exciting challenge!

Although my art practice was very much fused with art history, it was not the same as actually researching stuff. During my years painting and researching historic lace I constantly ran into the closed doors of academia; I struggled to get access to recent articles, books etc. In the UK academic libraries are generally not easily accessible to non-academics. I realised during that research I missed that intellectual challenge. One day I came across the option of online degrees and decided I would love to do another degree. It would get my brain into gear, I’d learn new things, and I am always up for a new obsession. Ancient history was quickly chosen as one of the areas I always wanted to dive into but never had. An online degree would be perfect as my kids still needed me at home at the time. I’ve stretched the degree out over a few years and thoroughly enjoyed it. I just graduated from the university of Edinburgh last month (what I am doing next is another story).

So although I am not painting professionally anymore I will not throw away my art materials as I have no doubt I will take it up again. But when I do it will be just as a hobby, without the pressure of competitions, sales, or clients. I sketch on my iPad now and then as I am still reluctant to add more art works to the piles of paintings I have in the house (some still available for sale!). But my paints and pastels are just there, I can grab them whenever I feel like it. I very much enjoy supporting my online art students in my art school, and try to share interesting articles and art work with them, and on my Facebook page. I am proud of the work I’ve done and the courses I’ve created and I regularly update my blog posts when I think it is needed. But without the pressure of being a professional artist, I will be able to enjoy creating art more when the time comes again.