#womanwhopaintswhitehaven

I have spent the last few years engaging with the Cumbrian landscape in all kinds of media. I have painted and collaged the forests, fells and coasts. When lockdown happened and the shops and galleries closed and the printers closed I was without my sources of income. However I was lucky to have the art materials I needed to create original watercolour paintings and so I began to paint people's houses. They were popular and so I was able to keep working and with the use of social media I was able to sell online. 

On one of my lockdown walks, close to home, I passed a Georgian terrace of six houses. I have always thought that this is the finest terrace in Whitehaven. I instinctively wanted to paint it. At first it was the challenge and I hadn't necessarily thought about selling it. It had elaborate columns and staircases and it was a pleasure to paint. I used Bockingford watercolour paper and a 0.1 fineliner and coloured it using Derwent Inktense watercolour paints.

It sold as soon as I put it on social media. I also received a request to paint another terrace and so I set off with my camera to photograph this new challenge. 

"Always look for the happy accident"

In a few months my terrace paintings became street paintings. I loved wandering around the town centre looking up at all the wonderful buildings and deciding which ones to paint. I think I have become quite obsessed with our town. It is a Georgian gem town and within the buildings in town there is at least one example of all aspects of Georgian architecture. With the use of social media and my drawings I have helped others take another look at our town. There is a great many buildings of listed status that are looking a little unloved but with my sympathetic yet architecturally accurate paintings, people are taking a new fresh look at the town.