2024 began in earnest with a day shortly after New Year at the Royal Tunbridge Wells Art Society, where I gave a talk on mediums and transfers. It’s always a tricky subject—many mediums need time to dry and build in layers—but the group was wonderfully engaged. I know the acrylic class went out and bought some Golden Gloss Medium afterwards, and I hope they had fun experimenting with it!
In May, Jof and I set off on the trip of a lifetime to Zambia. Although I was born there, I had never been back, and I’d always dreamed of going on safari. This felt like the perfect opportunity to do both—and it absolutely did not disappoint. We visited museums, galleries, schools, and cooperatives, and were fortunate to have incredible guides who immersed us in all things Zambian. I returned home with a head full of inspiration, lots of notes, and hundreds of photographs. I plan to use these as resources for a new series of paintings. Big plans afoot!
Since October 2022, I’ve been the Area Co-ordinator for South East Open Studios, and by January we were already deep into organising the June 2024 event. Caroline Daly, a local landscape artist, joined me for our own show at my studio. We had a great time, helped enormously by some lovely friends who lent us a large tent for the event. The private view was full of good cheer—despite some uncooperative weather! While visitor numbers were down this year, I’m happy to say sales were better than expected.
Once the show wrapped up and we’d had a chance to catch our breath, it was off on our travels again—this time sailing in Greece with friends. We flew into Preveza and travelled 350 miles to the Peloponnese, through the Corinth Canal, and back via Athens. I called it my odyssey—and it truly was.
While in Greece, I received two pieces of exciting news. First, I was accepted to exhibit at the Tenterden Artist Show this October. It’s an inspiring and eclectic show, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be taking part.
The second announcement is even bigger: I’ve been selected for the Turps course in Hastings, running from October 2024 to July 2025. I’m beyond excited to begin this journey. The programme is a mentoring course for painters who continue to work independently in their own studios while receiving support and feedback from established artists and fellow participants—twenty-five of us in total.
I’ll be sharing more about this experience in future newsletters… so stay tuned!