5 Galleries to visit in London this Spring
In this blog post I share my recommendations for 5 art spaces worth visiting this Spring, starting with a double dose of Gilbert and George at their newly-opened Centre in the East End of London, and over on the other side of the city, at White Cube Gallery in...
Deocupage Tutorial: upcycle your shoes
In this post I will show you how to transform a plain pair of shoes into your own unique creation using just paint, paper and glue. This project will take you 4-6 hours from start to finish.Tools and materials: An old pair of shoes: leather works best, avoid suede or...
Ikea hacks: Papaja plant pot
This is the third post in my series on Ikea hacks: transformations of simple items from Ikea using just paper and glue. In this post I’ll show you how to add interest to Papaja plant pots, which range in price from £1 to £5.50. I chose a tall white pot in one of the...
Is everyone creative?
First of all, let me own up and tell you that the gorgeous picture you see above is not mine: it's a collage on canvas that was created in just one day by a participant in my very first mixed-media workshop. I have been teaching decoupage for a while, which is very...
Decoupage obsession
I have been using both collage and decoupage in my work for a long time now, but only discovered that there was more to decoupage last year. The turning point came when I was shown how to decoupage the boots you see above, which were scuffed and worn but otherwise fine. So fine in fact that I was bored of wearing them, and while the soles and heels were in really good condition, the leather had lots of creases and looked “tired”. In other words, they were perfect for upcycling! In a few hours, with just paper and glue, I transformed them into this exuberant riot of pink flowers.
Take a look behind the scenes
Today I want to share a whole sketchbook with you, all 42 pages of it - I hope you can take a few minutes to look through as I think you'll enjoy it . My sketchbooks are where I play and work through ideas that later may find their way into my work. I keep going back...
Streetart inspiration
I love the way street art adds colour to the city - you turn round a corner and suddenly there's a giant bird, a face, or even a wave inspired by a 19th century Japanese wood block print . Yesterday I came across Camberwell's Hokusai Wave, a well-known mural first...
When it’s grey outside…
... I add colour inside, and as my kitchen is the first place I go to every morning, it needs to be particularly bright. A combination of "The driving lesson" on the main wall, cupboards with turquoise doors and a table cover with a profusion of red flowers keeps me...
Maximalist
I love pattern, as those of you familiar with my work may have noticed. Recently I have been playing with decoupage, and used this technique to add a touch of colour to a couple of chairs I found in a skip some years ago. I think they fit in well with my "maximalist"...
Oh we do love to be beside the seaside
A short while ago I visited the Turner Contemporary for the first time - a stunning interior full of art and flooded with coastal light. It's the perfect setting for "Atmosphere", the Edmund de Waal exhibition which runs until February 2015. And even if the British...
What’s inside your head?
I often use images of phrenology heads in my work so I was delighted to discover this rather fabulous one at an exhibition called "An idiosyncratic A to Z of the human condition", on at the Wellcome Collection until 12 October and well worth seeing. Many other...
Touched by magic
I spent a couple of enchanting hours at the workshop-cum-showroom of talented designer Celedonio Lohidoy on a recent visit to Argentina. Everything Celedonio makes is touched by magic, and this magic is transferred to whoever is...