This is one of my more recent pieces, and for once, I can see the progress without having to squint or convince myself it’s there. I’ve been working my way through a sketchbook with a very simple goal: actually fill it. No abandoning pages halfway through, no skipping ahead when something feels difficult, just showing…

This was one of those paintings. The kind where the initial sketch lulls you into a false sense of security. Everything was working. The proportions behaved. The lines made sense. I remember sitting back, looking at it, and thinking, oh… this might actually be good. And then I started painting. Despite every rational thought in…

Back in the depths of the rubbish paper era, this one happened. It’s… fine. Perfectly serviceable. Not a disaster, not a triumph, just ok. Which is slightly annoying, given that this was firmly within my self-declared “good at trees” phase. Naturally, that confidence was immediately punished. The tree isn’t terrible, but it’s not great either.…

This painting was created under very specific conditions: a ticking clock, borrowed space, and the imminent arrival of my gorgeous nibbling. Which meant I had one rule, it had to be finished, packed away, and my evidence of chaos erased before small feet and boundless enthusiasm entered the room. So I painted fast. Too fast.…

Another miniature, another small win. This one didn’t quite go to plan (really, I hear you sigh) the flowers don’t really fit. They spill and lean and jostle for space like they arrived early and refused to wait their turn. Compositionally, it’s questionable. Sensibly, they should probably be smaller, calmer, better behaved. There’s a looseness…

Painted almost immediately after Flora, this piece stands as undeniable proof that I learned… absolutely nothing. Fresh from watching ink feather its way into wet paint and silently promising myself I’d be more patient next time, I promptly did the exact same thing again. No pause. No drying time. No reflection. Straight back in with…

One of my first miniatures, but another lesson in not waiting long enough. I liked this one, right up until I sabotaged it. The shapes were gentle, the bottles behaved themselves, the flowers had that airy, almost-there quality I keep chasing. And then, in a move that surprises absolutely no one, I added the ink…

This was meant to be my foray into the traditional canal boat painting style. Bold florals, confident shapes, decorative flair, all the hallmarks of a very distinctive, very established aesthetic. What I produced instead was… an attempt. A sincere one, but an attempt nonetheless. I remember being drawn to the style because it looks so…