People ask me a lot how long I have been painting , and the easy answer is as long as I can remember. I never stopped. We all draw and paint as children and then most people just stop , well I carried on and please don't ask me why?
I had no great talent , I was certainly no child prodigy but it was just in me I suppose. I loved art at school but when at 16 the 'O' level results came out and I had failed art along with most of my other subjects I just carried on painting and drawing ( rarely showing a soul) but I kept going and it has given me joy all my adult life.
So today I thought I would take a look back, I found an old sketch book dated 1992, when I exclusively painted and drew scenery, not a bird or hare to be seen.
This is a small sketch of the North York Moors
A Pen and Ink drawing of Staithes.
I predominantly painted and drew on holiday and was desperate to capture the sea
Here is an early seascape
Then one around 10 years later
moving through the years
I got all moody with the sea a few years ago, trying to capture light on the water.
Then bang up to date with my calmer seascape from yesterday ( April 15th 2026)
It is so interesting to see how my style changes ,it gets more fluid, as I get more confident I start to take more risks
Likewise with landscapes, Around 15 years ago I began going to a watercolour class at my local Arts Centre in Crediton and I learnt new styles, and was dragged kicking and screaming from my comfort zone....
I discovered Payne's Grey....
Then I began to paint Devon Lanes. Something that really interests me and the lanes I see everyday
I enjoyed painting flowers as I had a horticultural background too, my first attempt at bluebells....
Compared with some recent bluebells
and many other flowers now too
Then around 10 years ago someone asked if I ever painted hares....
My first attempt.
Yikes should I even show you this !
which slowly evolved to
until they became more like the hares I paint at the moment
A similar metamorphosis occurs with owls
From a very early attempt....
through different stages
to more recent owls...
I do continue to learn and evolve, try new things and most importantly enjoy my painting, watercolour is a medium which will enchant, frustrate and challenge me to the end of my days
They say never throw away a painting ( oh but I do, the really terrible ones have to go!! ) but don't get rid of everything. They show you who you were, how far you've come and how far you can go. If painting or drawing give you joy, if they fulfil a creative itch the the joy is as much in the creating as it is in the finished piece.