I am getting together a selection of original pieces I am (nearly!) ready to part with.
They are special to me but I love the idea of them living on in different spaces. I also have some ideas to make them that bit extra special which I am working on now and I will release more detail as soon as I can.
Watch this space :)
Sian x x x
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It is wild in places but romantic and home-y. There is so much to paint here. My new favourite thing is collecting small cuttings for painting and also using them in product photoshoots for cards. But also just having them around all week, so pretty and uplifting.
See my collection of Cottage Garden Florals Prints here. There are more Summer Prints coming soon too. Of course, I have to make the most of this time while everything is bursting with beauty and colour :)
Sian x x x
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Progressive Greetings Live 2023 will be at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London, 6-7th June 2023.
Come and see me on Stand 769 in the Springboard section.
I am showcasing all my new Art Cards and also 2 new illustration ranges.
]]>Here is another little look at some of the stages involved in my painting process. This is a new piece titled 'Love Birds'. Mostly all my products start out with a painting and then go on to be prints, cards or something else, maybe a notebook depending on the design.
For this piece, I used gouache paints (Winsor & Newton and Holbein) on a cold pressed watercolour paper. I really enjoyed the simple, fresh pink palette and putting this gentle scene together. I'm starting to really enjoy making these videos too - more to learn of course but they are lots of fun.
Sian x x x
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What a difference the warmth, the light, the sunshine all makes! The increasing colours coming through outside are a real inspiration and as such I have put together a small Spring collection of prints for you. (View here)
Spring Paintings
These latest paintings are a burst of colour. It has been a real joy to just paint freely and really indulge in some bright, popping, bold and happy tones. I want to bring the outside in and really capture the feeling Spring brings out in us. The choice of colour is so key to create the right mood in our homes. My new 'Kingfisher' piece is particularly bold and lively and I am really happy with the result of the Linden Green and Spectrum Yellow taking over with a bit of a punch - perfect to brighten up our walls and lift a room.
'Kingfisher' Print (Available here)
Spring Palette
Alongside these bold yellows, I have also been enjoying a combination of pinks and mints - so fresh and happy together. A lovely look for a Bathroom maybe? I will definitely be using more of these colours.
'Floral On Mint' Print, (Available here)
Spring Inspirations
Now it is a little warmer, I feel the garden is coming back in to play and makes a great subject for painting. Here is a close up from my 'Gardening' original painting which is currently one of my favourites. What a peaceful place to escape to - I'm looking forward to what blooms in my own garden now to see what else I can start painting. I've seen my first Swallow too so that is a lovely sign.
'Gardening' Print, (Available here)
'Swallows' Print, (Available here)
Some of these paintings will also be available as cards soon so be sure to follow along for when these launch.
Sian x x x
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Here is a little video I put together creating this still life floral on a peachy / coral background. It feels so good to be painting again after a bit of a gap and I have so missed it! I really enjoyed putting this together - this was a first for me filming myself while I work and then stitching the clips together.
I used gouache paints (Winsor & Newton and Holbein) on a 300gsm hot pressed watercolour paper.
I hope you enjoy seeing the different stages of my process. And don't worry parts of the film are sped up - I don't really paint that quickly!
I plan to do more of these videos in the future so do watch this space x x x
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Support Small
Now, more than ever, asking you to ‘shop small’ and ‘support small’ businesses in your community has become particularly important in these recent times. Even if not an actual sale, every share, like, comment etc does really help.
Start Small
Wider than this, with all the uncertainty we have been facing, I have realised I am regularly telling myself to just ’start small’ or ‘take small steps’ when it all gets a bit much.
This can relate to my creating too and how sometimes just taking a small step forward is the most important part. No matter how insignificant that step might feel, the rest can then follow. It feels like the concept of ‘starting small’ is really coming in to its own and is so needed for wider change.
Being Small
Being and feeling ‘small’ has always featured heavily in my life. For one, I am a pretty small person! Now I realise, my work is also really small. I paint small pictures with tiny brushes…… I even had a phase of painting tiny beads (!)
Small Is Beautiful
My latest makes are my ‘Mini’ Cat Cushions and one of my most popular products are my ‘Notelets Packs’, which are small versions of my Cards. I just keep getting smaller it seems! Growing up my parents would often say to me - but ‘small is beautiful’ or ‘good things come in small packages’ and in a funny way that has sort of become my life’s work, with my art and the things I make.
Now this personal mantra has really taken hold for me and is the advice I give myself when feeling overwhelmed by the issues we all currently face. If we all start with some small changes then surely bigger, better things will come.
Sian x x x
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I often get asked how I create something I've made whether an actual painting or a physical product. So here's a little bit more detail about how I create my paintings which is my fundamental starting point from where everything I make begins...
Start out with Painting
Currently I paint with gouache on paper. This doesn’t mean I am not open to using other paints and materials (I have tried many!) but this is where I am at the moment. Gouache is a pleasure to paint with. My work is quite pattern led, so I particularly like the opaque effect of gouache and the solid layering up of pattern and shape it allows me within a piece. It is also quite smooth and silky to work with so the actual process of brushing it on the paper is very enjoyable.
My Materials
I use 300gsm watercolour paper, mainly cold pressed but I do use hot pressed also. My paints are Winsor & Newton ‘Designers Gouache’ and the brushes are Cotman Winsor & Newton Watercolour brushes. I work quite small so my brushes are as small as you can get to achieve those teeny tiny marks and details.
Tackle the Blank Page
I usually have a clear image in my head of what I want to create way ahead of time. I can be quite impatient and don’t always want to sketch things out or practice my composition in a sketchbook beforehand! If I have an idea I am keen to try I usually just start without much planning - this can either be brilliant or a big mistake but I think I have to go through this part of the process regardless even if I have to go back and correct or start over. The main thing I need to do is just start. I will sketch out just a few outlines of the composition, dividing the foreground and background and an outline of the main subject. I may have practiced the shape of the main subject beforehand but literally getting the scale and outline shape right will do.
Adding Colour
Colour is a very significant part of the process and again I will already have an idea in my head of some colours I want to put together. I will paint in the main sections in blocked areas so there is no raw paper left. Even if I want to retain a light area I will paint it white at this point. Sometimes the paper can crinkle and curl up so once this first layer is dry I will flatten the paper between books or under something heavy and come back to it a bit later when it is flat.
Adding Detail - Creating a Story and Mood to the Piece
Next is the most freeing part where I will just freestyle painting in florals, trees, foliage etc….. I may look up photographs of certain plants or flowers to be sure to include signature details but mainly I just let it flow, get lost in it and see where it goes. I will work all over the piece but be mindful to leave some of the front to the end so I can layer these sections over what is happening in the background. I will repeatedly revisit the main part of my painting (e.g. the bird or animal that is the main subject) to add a level of detail in line with the rest of the piece so it feels balanced.
There will absolutely be a point during this part where I start to hate what I'm creating! So I have to kind of adapt the image in my head and also take a break sometimes and revisit. But always I have to keep going and finish it regardless as it is this forcing through moment that often makes my painting better in the end (I hope!).
My Palette and Signature Colours
I do tend to have a few colours I always enjoy using and I return to the same ones time and time again. They don’t necessarily sum up my whole body of work as I do use many different colours (as I like my work to be bright, colourful and bold) but I do have my favourites that I rely on.
Among these are Yellow Ochre, Spectrum Red, Indigo, Olive Green and also something Coral / Orangey.
My Subjects
Most of my paintings feature birds or animals among nature or are still life florals but I don’t feel limited to this if there is something else I want to try. I think I lean towards these subjects because I live in a village and this is more of my everyday reality than if I lived in a city. I depict birds or animals in different scenes, most often among flowers and foliage or if an indoor scene, there will be a floral pattern somewhere!
End Result
In some ways my paintings are never finished. But at some point I have to just stop adding details and dots or petals here and there and move on. To be able to then create products and prints etc, finishing an original is just the beginning in terms of what product it might then contribute to. It will need scanning, editing, formatting for it to be a Print, Greeting Card or whatever comes next (it could also be for a Tea Towel, Notebook, Cushion….. just depends what I’m making) but I find this part of the process just as enjoyable. I think it is the making and the process in general I enjoy - how something can go from a blank piece of paper to a physical item I use in my home or hang on my wall is really satisfying.
Sian x x x
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And a warm welcome to you. This is my first time writing here …… for what I hope will become an enjoyable space to share my work, my practice and my inspirations.
I have always been creating art and making things in some form and it really has become a necessity to my life and my well being - a well needed outlet that provides joy and balance.
More recently, developing my art in to more of a business has brought a new dimension to my work, and I realise that finding ways to design and create items for the home is also something I feel massively passionate about.
I live in the Cotswolds in an old cottage with a young family and have really found a purpose in bringing beauty, colour and pattern in to the home with my work and the things I make. The process of improving our home and designing new items, painting new pictures or just DIY and decorating are all things that keep me inspired and motivated.
My aim with this blog is to share more of these artistic escapades here! I hope you will enjoy seeing a bit more of what goes on behind the scenes and in my practice generally as well as what inspires me and my work.
Sian x x x
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