Things I’ve Noticed…
For a long time, I called this journal Studio Notes — a place to share glimpses into my painting process and the stories behind my work.
Over time, I realised that the beginnings of my paintings often happen long before I enter the studio. They begin with noticing: a shift in light, the colour of a field, the sound of birdsong, the texture of a hedgerow, or a fleeting moment in the landscape.
This is a place to gather those observations — the small things that catch my attention and, sometimes, find their way into a painting.
Field Notes: A Few White Feathers
I almost walked past them.
Just a couple of white feathers caught amongst the dry grasses at the edge of the path.
They weren't remarkable in themselves. There was no bird in sight, no dramatic story unfolding. Just a quiet reminder that something had happened here before I arrived.
I stood for a moment, wondering.
Field Notes: Books That Changed the Way I Notice…
I've found myself returning to The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd.
It's one of those books that seems to reveal something different every time I open it. Not because the words have changed, but because I have.
As I was reading, a long distant memory floated to the surface…
My mum once told one of my teachers that she couldn't understand why I kept rereading books. "Surely," she said, "once you'd read a book, you knew how it ended."
My teacher smiled and replied that each time we return to a book, we bring a different version of ourselves to the reading.
I've never forgotten that.