Phew!! What an amazing weekend. A whole year in the planning of the 2nd Annual Factory: Festival of Creative Arts. This year we wanted it to be bigger and better than last year.  We named the event Factory because it is held on the site of the famous factory that was the Home of Cumberland Pencils. A gorgeous art deco building now refurbished ...

I thought I'd share a 'day in the life' today as it has been varied and pleasurable. The day always feels so much more promising when the sun is shining and the weather forecast suggests it's going to be good all day.First stop was Gosforth and District Art Society. We meet once a week in Seascale Methodist Church. It's a lively group of mostly ret...

 Sunday evening in my van in checked pyjamas snuggled under my alpkit sleeping bag and my furry blanket. I'm warm under cover, not toasty but it's May so I've not put on the heating. The top is slightly open bringing in the country air.It's all quiet except for the gentle bleating of lambs and the occasional owl hoot. I'm hoping there won't be...

I trained as a teacher, working in Schools and then as a Professional Development Officer for Cumbria Education Authority organising in-service courses for Primary School Staff. I've always loved working with children and when I was made redundant I set up my company and started freelancing in schools. To begin with I was doing poetry workshops and...

Postbox Nerd So I've recently been called a postbox nerd and I guess it is true. I've always liked postboxes with their bright red coats. But it was in lockdown that I became more interested. If you google 'postboxes near me' you are directed to a website with a map with all the postboxes on. During lockdown I would orienteer myself around the map ...

You might never have thought about commissioning a piece of art but it is a great way to get something very unique and personal. In the run up to Christmas, I was very busy doing paintings for presents. Most of these were individual houses, but I have completed public buildings and churches for people as well as terraces and streets.Wedding and Chr...

It was an early start for me. Driving through the busy west Cumbria traffic up to Wigton to meet Alison. Then Alison took over the driving to Kelso. Snaking through the rolling hills of Reiver country, spotting the Pele towers on the journey; Gilnockie Tower, just south of Langholm and Fatlips Castle perched on the top of Minto crags above Teviotda...

It was in the late 80s when I lived in Cockermouth on South Street. I lodged with a delightful lady, that I called Mrs P. I was later to teach alongside her daughter. I lived opposite the charming Victorian, Croft Terrace, that's why it was the first streetscape I painted in Cockermouth. I had the front sitting room of the large Victorian semi and ...

 Collage, from the French, means to glue or stick together. An art form, usually visual, involves creating a new composition from other materials. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years. It enjoyed popularity in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty and an inspiration to the pop artists that followed. ...

It was in the late 80s when I lived in Cockermouth on South Street. I lodged with a delightful lady, that I called Mrs P. I lived opposite the charming Victorian, Croft Terrace, that's why it was the first streetscape I drew in Cockermouth. I had the front sitting room of the large Victorian semi and a bedroom to myself. Every morning Mrs P got up ...

 "I cannot paint for monetary gain I would rather starve than sell one piece of my work - but when I depart this world people will stop and wonder at the beauty and truth I have endeavoured to portray." Percy Kelly in a Letter to Chris Wadsworth When I had to miss the preview evening for the Percy Kelly Exhibition at The Beacon due to covid I ...

8.30am and the stall holders arrive and set up. All the crafters make their own products and we meet and sell together monthly. I'm the resident artist selling my cards, prints, map collages and some original paintings. Today we have two jewellers, Christina and Alison. Christina uses beads, crystals, shell pearls and gem stones to make matching ea...

During the month of March, I will be exhibiting work in the shop inside Carlisle Cathedral.  There will be original paintings of the buildings in the cathedral complex. These come beautifully mounted. There will also be prints and cards of my mapscapes and landscapes.  Time March  Location Carlisle Cathedral  Tick...

It was great to be interviewed and features in a recent BBC article called 'Focus on west Cumbria: The woman who paints Whitehaven' and also to get a lovely spread in the Cumbria Life magazine!Read the full article by visiting the BBC website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-62880790

Nikolas Pevsner was an architectural and art historian best known for his monumental guides, in County volumes, of The Buildings of England. I first came across his name when I was travelling around Cumbria with an old guidebook of my Mum's. She worked in the Tourist Information Centre in Whitehaven and had a number of reference books to ...

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 o...

So I'm not going far at the moment. It's been icy on the roads and although numbers of Covid-19 are much lower round here, I'd rather keep a low profile until the vaccine has been rolled out. I have new art materials to play with and my camera with me on my walks and I have been experimenting with images of starlings. I have some gorgeous multi-pri...

I was so excited at the start of the year. My van was nearing completion and I had new work ready to print. I was all set to drive around the county with my books; Pevsner's Cumberland and Westmorland Buildings of England and Cumbrian Villages. Then Covid -19 changed all that. Initially I was unable to create, I was worried about fam...

​2020 looks set to be an exciting year for me. I am currently having a van converted into a Day/Camper van so that I can get around the county and paint new views. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of it with you before I take to the road. Initially I will be going all around Cumbria's towns and villages and painting castles and churches and ...

There are still four more dates in Cockermouth before Christmas if you are wanting to give my art as a present to family and friends or to yourself. I also have two new colourful Christmas card designs available. The dates are 23rd November, 7th and 8th December and 21st December 10am - 4.30pm in the United Reform Church on Main Street 'Art is some...