#50: A New Challenge: My Self-Portrait for the HSFK Portrait Award
I’ve begun a new self-portrait for the HSFK Portrait Award 2026 — one built from overlapping slices of my face to reflect the instability, shifting perspectives, and strange clarity that come with living with vertigo and chronic health issues. This post explores how the painting is taking shape and why this piece feels important to make.
#41: Trusting the Experiments
Before a painting exists, there’s a lot of invisible work — the quiet stage of testing and failing. In this post, I share how I’m using a sacrificial Perspex sheet to experiment with paints and varnishes for my moiré project, and why these unseen steps are vital to inventing a new process.
#29: Wrapped, Ready, and Real: Varnishing and Preparing for Holmfirth Artweek
This week in the studio has been all about the final layer — varnish. As I get ready for Holmfirth Artweek, I’ve been experimenting with matt and gloss finishes to give each painting its own distinct voice. This post is about that final act of care — and what it means to let the work go.
#24: Sealing the Story: Finding the Right Varnish for Each Painting
As I finish my latest paintings for the art show, I’m realising how much those final layers of varnish matter — not just for protection, but for mood, presence, and the quiet dignity of letting the work stand on its own.
#22: The Space Around the Painting: Why the Studio Matters
The studio doesn’t just contain the work — it shapes it. In this post, I reflect on the mood, movement, and small rituals of my workspace, and how the space around the canvas quietly becomes part of the painting itself.
Thinking Bigger: What I’ve Learned from Larger Canvases
Lately, I’ve started working on larger canvases—and it’s changed everything. Not just how I paint, but how I move, think, and relate to the people in my paintings. It’s a shift in scale that’s opened up a new kind of presence in the work.