🖐️ slowing down, ☀️ summer sketchbooks and 🗓️ upcoming events

16 August 2025

slowing down

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you'll notice I've been pretty quiet since March, with the odd flurry of posts here and there. I didn't even shout too much about the People, Places, Patterns, Pots and Plants exhibition in July.

Anyway, I've been quiet partly because I've been slowing down (despite somehow creating 13 new paintings for the exhibition). I feel like so far a lot of my paintings have stemmed from ideas I've had and thinking 'well how could I make that?' or seeing a particular process and wanting to have a try in my own way (e.g. the collage / decollage / recollage paintings below). I admit I have been heavily process-led so far. I guess that's the scientist in me.

Now I have more of a handle on my materials and the processes I enjoy, I am in that slightly uncomfortable, uncertain place where I'm thinking well what do I want to paint next and why?! I'm being pulled towards landscapes and there's some underlying storytelling and memories formulating... I'm not sure where it's all going yet, and I'm ok with that too. I have what seems like a crazy 74 paintings available for sale right now 😮 from the past 5 years, and new work will emerge, so I'm good with slowing down while new ideas percolate.

{I've still not finished updating my shop, so you can still grab a bargain - including the tulip paintings above - click here}

summer sketchbooks

While I'm in this pondering stage, and while it's summer holidays and time in the studio is sporadic at best, I've been working in sketchbooks. More specifically two sketchbooks: a hand-made sketchbook I made on a workshop with friend and artist Claire Mycock, and a 'sketchbook' I started in February for a 30-day sketchbook challenge.

The hand-made sketchbook has turned into a home for all the botanical gel prints I make, either for fun or as part of demonstrating during my gel printing workshops. I hadn't realised how many prints had accumulated and it feels good to have a place to put them. I'm finding having a book that doesn't contain blank paper, but a mix of sheet music, gel print roll-off sheets, maps, dyed paper and the odd scrap-booking page way more challenging than starting from a blank page! And I find that quite amusing... but it gets easier the more pages you work on.

The 30-day challenge sketchbook is a different kettle of fish. I managed to get about half-way with the challenge, but after a few days it also very quickly became my teapot sketchbook. So I've been adding teapots to pages as and when I feel inclined to do so. This sketchbook is actually an old GSCE maths workbook from school! I found a whole box of school exercise books at my parents house. I glued pages together to make them more sturdy and I actually don't find the non-blank pages challenging at all, it's nice when bits of the maths work shows through but I don't feel as inclined to try and 'save bits' like I sometimes do in the hand-made book.

If you want to see development of the 30-day sketchbook challenge / teapot book, start with page 1 on instagram and scroll through my posts.

upcoming events

Northants and Rutland Open Studios Festival

this September - SAVE the DATES!

Discover Hub, Rushden Lakes, on now until October - I have two paintings in a display promoting Open Studios events and exhibitions.

The Botanical Art Workshop Collective, Wicksteed Park, Saturday 6 September - Come and join 6 artists between 10am and 4pm for a day of demonstrations and taster workshops. Everything from botanical gel plate printing 😉 to batik silk painting, sketchbook-making to linocut and needle felting to eco printing we have it all going on in one large room. It promises to be a lot of FUN!

Central Exhibition, Lamport Hall, Friday 5th September to Sunday 5th October - A huge exhibition showcasing the work of hundreds of artists from Northamptonshire and Rutland! I am exhibiting recent Morocco-inspired paintings 'City Walls' and 'Three Tagines', plus some of my art prints in the 'browser barn'. I'll be stewarding on Friday 12th September and Friday 3rd October in the morning, you'll find me at the sales desk! 😁

Opening MY studio in Wootton - The studio is currently in quite a state even though I have done a fair bit of tidying this summer already. I'm not sure yet how much space I will have to display paintings: my works in progress shelves might become a new display for smaller works!

Have a go at gel plate printing or watch me demo, explore my sketchbooks, or just come for a chat! Here are my opening times this year:

Thursday 18 and Friday 19 September 10am – 1pm

Saturday 20 September 10am – 4pm

Closed Sunday 21 - Tuesday 23

Wednesday 24, Thursday 25 and Friday 26 September 10am – 1pm

Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September 10am – 4pm

Bye for now,

Lucy

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