Perhaps it's the time of year, or perhaps it's my age, but I have been looking back , at when I first began to promote my work as a watercolour artist. I looked through my oldest blogs to see how things have changed and thought I would post my very first blog from 2016 , they were certainly shorter and more to the point back then,
First post
Hi everyone so this is my first blog post on my new website. I am so pleased you have taken the time to look at what I do.
I am a self taught artist who paints from a small cob cottage in a village nestled in the lanes and rolling hills of Mid Devon. I painted for many years without showing anyone except very close family and friends. But around 4 years ago I tentatively showed my art to some work colleagues, they were very complimentary and one even asked if she could buy a painting! A seed was sown. So I hope you enjoy seeing what I paint and where my painting will lead me ........
Rachel
I am so pleased to say that here I am 8 years later still painting, and more importantly still enjoying what I do
World events, wars, climate change are all in our daily new feeds, and I continue to cope with some health issues and a body that doesn't always do what I want it to. That said however last year was a good one, for me. I continued to paint and continued to have people pay their hard earned money for my work.
My third calendar was available this year and has Sold Out !
I still have my book on sale of my swimming women along with my poems . I was so thrilled by the response it got. I shall continue selling them , for as long as people show an interest, Thankyou so much to anyone who bought one.
I have also introduced keyrings to my range, some of which are still available, shall I do more ? Or coasters perhaps ?
This year has been a year of firsts...but also a year to consolidate what I do. I have continued to paint as often as I can , discovered a new way to paint light. I love to master new things and when the result is pleasing it is such a joy.
Continued to challenge myself with portraits
and seascapes
It has been a year to try to get better at subjects I love too, Like a swan landing.
A year when my crows really got noticed , by the society of women artists and the Royal Institute of Painters in watercolour
and another highlight was getting into the Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition this year with my octopus
Along with my daughter's Jellyfish, it was a real highlight to be exhibiting together in London, both these pieces are available as prints.
Oh I have had my failures too...but I learn from them and move on
I have been lucky enough to create new commissions for people, and I find great joy , especially when a painting is loved by the recipient.
The end of the year brought new challenges ,moving house, learning to live with cronic pain, realising I can't paint for as long as I used to, even learning to say no to some things.
All in all 2024 was a good year, and in 2025 I will try my best to keep painting, keep trying new things and keep challenging myself, as I have found if I take risks, nine times out of ten, they pay off.
Happy New Year to all of you, your input , your comments and your support is wonderful , thank you x
1 comment
Hello Rachel, I’ve been admiring your pictures on Instagram and now on your blog for several hours. I am fascinated, enjoy your tutorials, for which I am very grateful, and often ask myself, “How does she do that?” only to find the answer two pages later. I am particularly impressed by your waves and the way you draw light. Here, with the stone circle, or a page back, the two trees in the sunlight…you feel like putting on sunglasses. And now I’m at the point where you casually mention that you have to learn to live with chronic pain. And I think, oh no, her too? Because that’s the reason I recently started painting. Until I was kicked out of my happy life by an antibiotic (levofloxacin) and lost everything you can lose, I took photographs. Every spare minute I had, I loved it. Suddenly, I couldn’t walk anymore, couldn’t crouch down to take macro shots of insects or flowers, no more dragonflies with dewdrops on their iridescent wings glistening in the sun, no sunflowers, no bright poppy fields… Instead, I had aching muscles, tendons, and nerves, feet that were slowly going numb but still hurt as if I had broken glass in my socks or red-hot wires cutting off my toes…there were no limits to my imagination. For a few weeks now, something similar has been happening to my hands. I have dozens of diagnoses, take morphine at the maximum dosage, and recently I can no longer do without fentanyl patches. Actually, I had already seriously considered assisted suicide. Then I stumbled across watercolor paintings on Instagram. I remembered having a box like that somewhere in the cellar, and my husband looked for it for me. It was at least 30 years old and from a brand (Pelikan) that makes school boxes. Anyway, I tried the colors and they were like new. Crazy, after so long. I had been given it as a gift back then, but didn’t know what to do with it. Back then, the pictures were also completely different. Now I was particularly enthusiastic about these mixed media stories, and I quickly got myself better paints, brushes, and paper. I tried a few things and it grabbed me. I immerse myself in another world, forget everything around me, and have even forgotten to change my bandage on time twice. At times, I even forget the pain. It’s great. I don’t really achieve anything, but that’s not what matters to me. I watch the colors, some of which literally explode as soon as the tip of the brush touches the wet paper, while others run quietly, revealing further shades. I’m particularly taken with the granulating colors. OMG, I just realized I’m writing a novel here. Sorry, I didn’t mean to, it just poured out of me. The comment window will probably slow me down anyway. I want to leave you some love here. I sincerely hope that you can continue painting for a long time to come and that your pain remains bearable. All the best to you from my heart.
Kind regards from Gemany, Uschi