“I was an art student who became a screenwriter. Twenty years later, I abandon the page and return to the canvas as I attempt to tell stories through pictures.”
The Meaning of Black
The Abstract Expressionists used black to tell their stories. How will it help me tell mine?
Artist Identity: the things that I’m not.
If the whole world is a stage and everyone plays their part, what if you're not a performer? In this blog I explore the notion of how I might overcome anxiety in this performance culture.
What screenwriting taught me about expressionist painting: the artist's search for meaning.
Incredibly, I was never taught self expression in art class, I learned it through screenwriting. In the first part of this series I share the importance of discovering the WHY in art.
From Anxiety to Boldness
Creativity requires bravery. Could anxiety be a sign-post to boldness? My guest blog for The London Screenwriters’ Festival
Digging Deeper
When I choose a subject matter for a painting it's because I've uncovered a narrative I emotionally connect to. This dialogue with the subject matter continues as I begin to paint.
Making an Exhibition
The value of exhibiting work publicly isn’t just exposure, it goes much deeper.
Art on the High Street
At the beginning of 2017 I said that I wanted to be creating large scale works by the end of the year. However, I never dreamed they would be *this* big!
The sale that changed everything
When my largest painting was displayed in my local coffee shop and a stranger saw it, wanted it and bought it, it changed everything for me. Read more to find out why.
August - Painting Music (Pt Four)
Expressing the emotion of music with paint. Combining all of my expression experiments so far, I complete my first "Painting Music" canvas.
February - Painting Music (Pt Three)
For the second exercise in my Painting Music series, I follow artist Paul Klee's guidance to create a very structured foundation to my piece.
When will I feel like an artist?
It's been two years since I quit screenwriting and became an artist, but it hasn't been an easy transition.
Layers of Work
During my Year of Expression, I’ve been creating a number of personal canvases over a period of time. Watch the progress of one piece expressing my emotional response to my work life.
My Mind in Pictures
I track my emotional state of mind over the course of a month with four paintings on one canvas. See the evolution of my "Mind" canvas.
Four Paths to Expression
I have canvases that contain weeks of hidden expressed emotion, layer upon layer, some small glimpse of each preceding day surviving, a frustrating daily battle of trying to answer the question "what am I trying to do here?"
February - Painting Music (pt two)
They say trying something new is exciting. It's also extremely uncomfortable. I face more battles as I follow in Jackson Pollock's footsteps and attempt to paint the motion of music.
February - Craft: Composition for Emotional Impact
Why is composition so important to artists? Because we want to control and manipulate you *mwa-haha*
February - Painting Music (Part one)
Inspired by artists Delaunay, Klee, Kandinsky and Pollock, I make my first attempt to spontaneously express the emotion of music in a painting.
February - Why Did Kandinsky Paint?
With the birth of photography, modern artists sought to justify their work beyond realism and express their own unique way of seeing the world. This week I attempt to find my own answers to these questions.
Making Bad Art
I had big plans to deliver some great art in January. It was going to be lovely. However, I didn't envisage creating with a battle going on in my head.