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I’ve just read a very interesting article in the New York Times by Michael Pollan called Weeds Are Us. In a way, it develops the point I was making last week about having empathy for non-human species – namely, weeds. […]

I was clearing out the bindweed from my garden this weekend when it occured to me that, in a way, it is like a virus. By that I mean that it is a form of nature which, in seeking to […]

In this time of crisis, when normal life has been so uprooted, it’s important to be able to adapt to the changing situation. The same is true for us artists as anyone. For example, when the Williamson Art Gallery’s Open […]

Here in the UK, we are enduring the second week of self-isolation (aka lockdown). I struggle with anxiety and depression even in normal life and this pandemic has just made it so much worse. I really miss my freedom of […]

In this time of the coronavirus crisis, we’re being asked to regularly wash our hands to curb infection. If people are anything like me, this will increase our water usage just when we’re meant to be preserving it to save […]

It is entirely impossible for me to ignore the coronavirus crisis this week… As I type, I’m self-isolating, as advised by the UK government, due to having flu symptoms. I don’t know what it was but it passed on Sunday […]

Last week I began to follow the eco trail of my Winsor & Newton watercolours. As I don’t wish to single Winsor & Newton out, this week I’ve decided to follow the eco trail of my Royal & Langnickel brushes […]

Following on from last week, when I started to follow the eco trail of my art materials, this week I’m going to talk about the packaging they arrive in… Recently, I bought a half pan of Winsor & Newton watercolour […]

In last week’s blog, I wrote about becoming more atune to the ecology I’m part of. This inspired me to look closer at the eco trail of my art supplies. My watercolour paints are supplied my Winsor & Newton. Their […]

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m collecting rainwater in a bucket to use for my painting and, to stop the wind blowing the bucket away, I’ve placed a brick in it. Well, this weekend, I was surprised to find a snail […]

Talking about walking last week reminded me that being environmentally friendly often saves me money. So why pay for a bus ticket when I can walk? Or pay for tap water when I can collect rainwater? Or buy paint when […]

Last week, I came to the conclusion that no matter what I do, I’ll end up hurting someone. This left me feeling stuck; I felt I had to do something but I also felt I could do nothing that helped. […]

It struck me last week that, whatever way I look at it, I will derive pleasure from hurting others. On the one hand, as I have already acknowledged, my art practice – which I rely on for good mental health […]

Following on from last week when I was beginning to appreciate how precious rainwater is, it dawned on me that all my materials are precious – I can’t just carry on consuming as though it has no consequences. Creating art […]

As someone who struggles with anxiety, and the mood dips that go with, the climate crisis affects my mental health – and, therefore, my wellbeing – greatly. I have some really dark thoughts that leave me feeling powerless. However, in […]

Sketchbooks- a piece art in it’s own right? I recently delivered a workshop entitled The Magic of Sketchbooks. I enjoyed researching the sketchbooks of famous artists – Henry Moores’s Sheep Sketchbook is a joy. Van Gogh’s letters, Picasso’s myriad of […]

LS Lowry, The Reference Library (now Manchester Central Library), undated

“We may start producing generations who know a great deal of “information” about the past but who have no purchase on pastness itself” Sven Birkerts, The Gutenburg Elegies

A message from Barack Obama to the librarians of the world

“Inundated by perspectives, by lateral vistas of information that stretch endlessly in every direction, we no longer accept the possibility of assembling a complete picture… We are experiencing in our time a loss of depth – a loss, that is, […]