"Art is not a career!"

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I've painted since I can remember, in fact, since my parents bought me an artist's drawing stand aged 3, as shown (clearly a 70s child!). Having followed my folks' dreams of not becoming an artist and a subsequent career in Marketing, I'm now channeling my late Auntie Margot who, I recently learned, defied her parents' attitude of "art is not a career" and became a painter, a potter and a teacher of both. You see, Art in our blood; Great Auntie Elsie painted the two dogs shown here in pencil when she was just 13 years old. Penny dropping moment; I had been painting dog portraits for a few years when I discovered this gem!

 

I began to "paint for money" whilst living in Spain working in another marketing job that didn't tick all fulfilling boxes and a boss who, quite frankly, could provide many comedians with content for years. When my daughter was born I took it up again, this time in London. Now I'm painting on my kitchen table in our family Cotswolds cottage, still drawn to painting the great outdoors and it's animals, with my latest series being Bees entitled "The Bee Sides", too much? Well, it turns out our tiny furry friends have a big fan base and not only for 'bee-ing' (sorry) an extremely important part of our natural environment and all the beautiful things in it. 

 

I cant wait to get stuck into future series; underwater themes, botanical art and having a crack at the whip with horse portraits. Let's see! Much to Whoop about!

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I also restore antique furniture, mixing old and new styles to breath life back into classical antique furnishings. Selling pieces as products rather than a service, I stock three or four one off pieces at a time. 

 

Now look who's a busy bee. So Goodbye marketing Hello "career in art"! Wish me luck!