A lovely frog!

And finally...

I drew this at the request of a friend. I quite like how the water turned out. 

I've got a few more planned but the entire month of May has been about exploring as my parents are visiting me in London at the moment. As it is, the visit has involved a trip to Dublin, which has left me rather inspired by all the celtic artwork. 

The ideas are stacking up and I intend to do a lot of creating this summer. 

Hare today...

I incorporated some fun colour blending into this one. I'm really pleased with the hare's feet and general watchful pose.

I'm sorting out prints for these so hopefully they will be available as greeting/post cards!

Art Nouveau animals...

I've been posting 'progress' photos of this piece to my Facebook for the past few weeks. Well, it's finally done! I'm really pleased with it and would like to play some more with the Art Nouveau style. It's one I really enjoy for it's bold lines and play with shading and colour.

I'd love requests for different animals so if you want to see me do anything in particular please post a comment below or send me a message through Facebook. 

Dharma Series continued!

'Non-Attachment'
Pencil Crayon and ink on A4 Bristol Board

The Buddhist concept of non-attachment is often misunderstood in Western culture. For example, I once told a friend I was going to buy a set of mala beads to help me with my meditation practice. Her comment was that buying something wasn't very Buddhist.

I retorted by saying non-attachment wasn't about not owning stuff. I could have a whole house full of stuff but what would be Buddhist of me would be accepting, if that house burned down, the loss of all my possessions.

Since then my understanding of this has deepened quite a bit and I can see my own explanation as quite weak because non-attachment is not rooted in the physical world.

One thing I've learned while on my path is there will be a shift from intellectual understanding of a teaching to a deep 'knowing'. Intellectually I understood that letting go would result in an overall improvement to my sense of wellbeing because obviously, if I put less importance in 'stuff', the loss of said 'stuff' wouldn't bother me so much.

This made perfect sense to me and was reflective of one of the many important lessons my mum taught me when I was growing up. She made it abundantly clear that if my brother or I were to break a glass, for example, it was far more important that we weren't hurt than that we'd been careless. As human beings we had more value than a thing.

Recently I experienced the shift from intellectually grasping this idea of letting go, to a deep 'knowing'. I came to see how attachment has nothing to do with the 'thing', but with our perception of it. To genuinely practice non-attachment we must learn how to view the world without expectation. 

It's not about letting go of things but letting go of perceptions and ideas about how the world should or shouldn't be. Effectively, non-attachment is accepting the world as dynamic, fluid, ever changing. 

My intention was to capture this realisation in this piece of work. Whether I accomplished that or not is unknowable, but I enjoyed making it and ultimately, that's all that matters.

Buddhist Art

Just before moving to London and in my first six months of living here I completed two different paintings exploring Buddhist teachings.

'Without Limits' featured a blue Buddha and my own text exploring the theme of unlimited potential or the 'seed of Buddhahood' that resides in all beings. 'Worthy of Love' employed a laughing, green Buddha accompanied by text about the importance of having love and compassion for oneself.

I've had many ideas for a whole series of these paintings bouncing around in my head but inspiration has been abruptly lost and I now have a small selection of unfinished canvases not dis-similar to this:

Somewhere along the way my spark went out and I found myself just unable to keep painting as the canvas grew messy and the image in my head simply wasn't translating onto the white surface. 

Recently I found two unfinished sketches from ago. It was a particularly sunny day so I took the sketchbook outside, along with pencil crayons, pens and pencils, and set about completing them. 

'Genuine Happiness'

'Unfixated Mind'

Upon finishing the drawings I realised there was space to incorporate words. Just as with those past pieces, the words came to me without much deliberation - my own reflection of the Dharma. 

Having finished these two I felt an overwhelming desire to keep going. I wanted to do more pieces this way, to continue with the hand drawn, hand coloured process and see just where it would take me. 

I've now been working on these for nearly a month. With each new piece I find more inspiration for the next. There is a series unfolding here and I'm finding myself once again drawn to canvas. 

It feels wonderful to have a project like this to work on! My Tarot Card series and the original two Buddha paintings were completed ages ago. I've felt like my art has stagnated somewhat and as I've been working on design I find myself in front of the glow of a screen for too long during the day. It's refreshing to have a project which requires no technology in its execution. 

We shall have to see where it takes me, but for now I can say there is no end in sight. 

There's an artist in everyone...

I'm a terrible musician. I can't carry a tune to save my life. I'm totally tone deaf and as a result I'm the one person at Karaoke guaranteed to make everyone feel better about their own singing.

This wasn't always the case. As a kid I was part of the school choir and I had private singing lessons that helped me improve. I took band as an option for one year in Junior High, learning the basics of playing a clarinet. And if you give me a guitar and about 20 minutes I'll remember how to play 'House of the Rising Sun'.

It's not that music completely eludes me. I know, if I was passionate enough about it, I could probably be a really talented musician. But I'm not passionate about it and a lack of 'natural' musical talent doesn't bother me.

A self portrait
I didn't wear my glasses so I had to practice
going by shape alone

Now, I have met a few people who are naturally very talented at playing instruments or writing lyrics, but most of the musicians I know have had to work really hard at it. Music is hard work! All creative pursuits are.

Yet there's this strange belief that I encounter again and again that, despite having any proof to back it up, persists in the minds of those who hold it. It's this belief that people are born artists. That an artistic person has some inherent ability to draw or sculpt or paint or sing or write lyrics etc. That creative talent is something you're born with and if you weren't well, sucks to be you, there's simply no hope.

This sort of belief baffles me because saying, "I can't draw so I'll never learn" is like saying, "I can't speak second language so I shouldn't bother learning one." 

Artistic talent is not a personality trait.

It's a skill.

No one is a born architect or surgeon just as no one is a born dancer or portrait painter. There are exceptions - there always will be simply because there are so many people on the planet - but the nature of an exception is the rarity of it. Even those with a supposed 'natural' talent will struggle in some aspect. We all have room to learn. But it's less that we have room to learn and more that we have the capacity for it. Learning is a never ending process and something we all have a talent for if we put our mind to it.

Doodling!

There's this nifty collective blog I follow called 'Doodler's Anonymous'. I don't identify as a doodler, per se, but I do enjoy doodling now and then. So when I saw their contest to doodle your ride I decided to do a little something.

Jonnie Rocket is a lovely red bike my partner gave me for Christmas. He's very shiny and here I've 'fancied' him up. I'm really enjoying playing with the Art Nouveau style, as you can probably tell.

I've also been working on my idea for a comic/blog around growing up in Inglewood and living by the river. Yesterday I rode my Blue Bullet (my bike that resides in Canada) all along the bike path, taking photos and jotting down ideas for different stories.

I love having outlets for my creativity. It's brilliant to have so many available to me and as I develop my design skills further it's fun to see the new ways I can get creative.

Seriously - if you love making beautiful things, be it visual, written or performed - just go do it. Life is too unpredictable to waste.

A Cultured Mouse

I attended a concert conducted by the delightful Sue Perkins. It was held at the Barbican, a London venue I've often read about but not been to before. It's a sprawling building with multiple auditoriums. The atmosphere was festive and the evening's music proved to be very delightful. Sue's energy was fantastic and despite having a restricted view, we had front row seats that still afforded us a decent enough view of half the orchestra.

There was some bonus entertainment during the night in the form of a mouse. The little creature was under the edge of the stage and during the second half of the performance it began peaking out and attempting to make it's way across the floor to get out one of the fire exit doors. The problem with this plan was all of us sitting in the front row, including one woman who had an obvious fear of the small creature as her legs involuntarily jumped the first five or six times the mouse made an appearance.

Soon, however, the woman relaxed and the mouse almost became a part of the performance. The poor wee thing was missing one of it's hind feet and it did the sweetest little sideways run when it emerged from the shadows of the stage. It ran up and down the length of the stage on the side we were sat and proved to be a source of entertainment and delight for several other concert goers.

I have to say, whilst it was brilliant to see Sue Perkins conduct, and whilst the delightful music of Tchaikovsky definitely began putting me in a Christmas mood, it was probably the antics of the little cultured mouse that most made that evening for me.

I couldn't think of a decent title for this entry

'Pixie King' Work in Progress

For all the new skills I've been developing with my design work, I still really do love the simplicity of paper, pencil and pen when it comes to creating an image. I think it's because nothing ever really beats the feeling of potential I get when I look at a blank sheet of paper and hold a freshly sharpened pencil in hand. It's a mindful process, in which I can focus not on what I'm drawing, but on how the actually act of drawing feels. The soft scratch of the lead catching the minute contours of the paper's surface, the smell of the rubber when I erase little bits, the smoothness of the ink as I outline the pencil - all of it gives me a sense of calm and well-being, much the same as when I do Metta meditation.

This is just a little something I started today, for no particular rhyme or reason, other than I wanted to do it for the pure joy of it.

Lovely.

Mary Portas - Mighty Women con't

I've been up since 5:30 so this probably isn't going to be one of my best blog entries.

Apologies for any garbledness. Like made up words N' stuff.

Firstly, here's a picture I just finished drawing. I'm so tired I didn't even use my camera to take this shot. I used photo booth, which is why it's a bit grainy. Otherwise, I'm quite chuffed with it. The subject is none other than Mary Portas, fashion guru and business savvy celeb who makes delightful shows about good business practices.

I admire her hugely. She's well spoken, assertive, intelligent, motivated and compassionate. She really believes in better business practices, loving what you do and inspiring shop keepers, business owners and the consumer to be more responsible.

And she's really, really lovely.

Several weeks ago I emailed my number to the production team for Mary's latest show. I didn't expect them to get in touch but figured: Why not?

They didn't call for the show I'd sent my number in for an I'd all but forgotten about it until yesterday. I was sitting at my day job, suddenly becoming massively overwhelmed as my workload seemed to be spontaneously growing in leaps and bounds, when my phone rang.

Unknown number.

Normally I don't pick it up and just hope they leave a message, but this time, maybe because I wanted distraction from my suddenly stressful work duties, I answered it. It was the show. They were filming the next day at 12:30 and could I make it? I said I'd call them back but the second I hung up it occurred to me that the odds of this happening again were pretty slim. I conferred with some co-workers and in minutes I'd made up my mind. I called them back and confirmed, figuring it would be easier to cancel if I couldn't get the time off then it would be to try and get a spot if I waited.

I cursed myself for being so responsible before unloading my minor crisis to my manager. We went through my twenty item To Do list, gleaning it down and prioritizing it as best we could. I wasn't even going to mention the show until I knew things were under control. I couldn't just skip out when so many things were so urgent, no matter how much I admire the woman and how absolutely cool it would be to have the chance to meet her.

I cracked on with my work load, nipping off chunks here and there, plotting out solutions and generally getting it under control. Eventually I figured I should take my lunch so I popped out to the staff kitchen to make a delicious gluten free sandwich. My manager happened by and I took this as my chance. I asked if I could run something by him, ask him about something that had come up.

"Do you know who Mary Portas is?"

He nodded.

I explained about the call and that it was for tomorrow (today) and would be right in the middle of the day. He nodded, listening carefully and proceeded to tell me that, as long as I worked my hours around it, made up the time and kept my workload under control I was free to do as I wished. I thanked him profusely and then headed back to work, sandwich in hand.

In the evening I got my confirmation email with the details on where to meet and what to wear. My partner and I were a bit giddy and we proceeded to watch two episodes of Secret Shopper on catch-up.

And so we come to why I've been up since 5:30. In an attempt to make up the hours before going to the show, I rose well before the sun and headed to the office for 6:30. I cracked on with my work, pretty much resolving every little explosion I'd encountered the day before, and at 11:30 I was free to make my way to Angel.

I don't know that I have the energy to re-cap what happened. I've written it all in my journal and am eagerly awaiting my partner's arrival home so I can gush and *glee* all about it. It was incredible though. It was fun and light and the sun shone all day! Mary was delightful, the twenty or so other people who joined us were friendly and fun and the crew were really great. But I don't really want to share it because I don't want to spoil it. So, for a brilliant show by an inspiring and definitely mighty woman, do tune in on Wednesday for the last episode of Secret Shopper.

The Next Big Thing

The past few weeks I've been working on my final three tarot cards in turn - The Chariot, Justice and The Wheel of Fortune. I usually split my time between two each time I set up to paint. Sometimes I focus more heavily on one for a few days, sometimes I add bits to all three. Either way, the progress is showing and I'm beginning to think about my next big project.

My followers and fans seem to be in the same mind-set, asking me what I plan to do next, hence this entry.

For just over two years I have endeavoured to complete the major arcana of a tarot deck in my own design on 24X36 inch canvases. I have worked on other pieces, such as my Buddha paintings and Dragon a Day project (I'll always dabble and potter and play), but this has been the all consuming thing on my mind as I go about my days. Not having it there doesn't worry me at all. The end of something is always the start of something new and we cannot hope to grow if we do not change our passions and focus.

Of course, sometimes it's about renewing an old passion, or a passion that has always been there but for whatever reason - fear, apprehension, uncertainty - has been put to one side as something to do later.

On Monday I attended my first ever course on writing. I signed up for it over the New Year break. It was described as an "advanced course for writers with a completed manuscript looking to improving their editing skills and prepare for publication." I have one piece which has been edited by someone other than myself. I have several other pieces I've begun to edit. I'm not focusing though and by spreading myself thin I know I'm successfully multitasking my way into not completing anything.

I say it again and again. I am a writer. I've always been a writer. But my soul will not be content until I'm an author, holding a published and bound book of my very own creation. step one has been signing up for this course. Step two is to pick one story, just one, to focus on for the next six weeks.

I will continue working on my paintings until my tarot cards are complete, but the next big project will not involve brush and canvas but pen and paper.

Maslow again

A little sketch I did on a whim after a sudden burst of inspiration that, like most of my sudden burst of inspiration lately, was fleeting. I was reading a blog entry by a fellow artist when I was struck with the idea. This is one of many blog entries written by artists who don't make quite enough with their art to sustain themselves day to day. Contrary to popular belief, artists do like to eat and as a result many of us who should be out taking photographs or playing an instrument on stage or tapping away on a keyboard, compiling a manuscript, are going into offices or shops and helping other people make money.

I'm really good at administration. I'm organised and efficient and I have a strong enough work ethic that even if I really, really don't care about what I'm doing, whilst I'm getting paid for it, I will do it to the best of my ability.

This aptitude I have for administration has landed me a relatively well-paid position in a charity. Everyone working there is lovely and the job itself is decent in that I'm making a contribution and not just pushing paper for some huge company. Whilst my hard work has lead to me making enough dosh that I can purchase canvases, get art imaged and stock up on other supplies, it leaves me with very little time to actually do the things I want do. And honestly, it's still not like I'm making some glorious sum which allows me the freedom to spend willy-nilly. I'm on a tight budget with time and money and it's all making me feel a bit robotic.

I get up early and on the walk down to the tube I usually find myself buzzing with ideas. Thoughts on looking up publishers, sending out manuscripts, seeking a gallery space, starting my next Tarot painting, starting an entirely new project, updating my blog and visiting museums whirl through my brain and add a spring to my step. The first few hours in the office I'm running on this feeling. I'm feeling zippy, full of ideas, full of creativity. I'm alone for the most part and I can tackle my to do list without interruption or distraction. I get emails and phone messages out of the way and delve into something creative. Something I've been storing up, like designing a pamphlet or certificate. My lovely co-workers trickle in, the rest of the country wakes up and the phone begins to ring. My inbox begins to fill.

Suddenly I'm pulled away from my creative task. It's shut and put aside whilst I stuff envelopes, write letters, prints documents and do data entry. My day becomes filled with these tasks, seemingly without end, until it's four o'clock and I'm free to go.

Its only a twenty minute tube ride home but when I get there the sun is already setting and my energy wanes with the disappearing light. This paints a bleak picture (pardon the pun) but I'm trying my best to remember that this is a spring board for other things. CS5 is on it's way and my line manager appreciates that I'm a creative soul.

I've got food, water, shelter, warmth. I feel safe and secure where I live. I'm loved both here and afar. For the most part, I feel pretty spiffy about myself. But I'm finding it extremely difficult at the moment (just at the moment, mind you) to get to the plateau where true self-fulfillment is found. Where I don't have to worry about making enough money to have all those lower levels met whilst also meeting that top level.

One day.

Character Sketches

I haven't done any character sketches in a super long time. Two years ago, when I was doing my animation, I got really into them. Even though I was doing a claymation and even though I never need to draw my 3D characters, I took the opportunity to do so because there was something so mindful about creating a character and then rotating it in proportion along fine pencil lines. I actually started sketching characters I had no intention of using in my animation and at one point the only drawing I did were of character sketches because it was therapeutic.

After I finished my animation and my employment at YAP was over I put my creative energy into painting, largely ignoring my sketch book. I had begun an attempt at a graphic novel, which I have every intention of continuing with at some point, but once again, drawing it had been a form of therapy I needed at the time. The repetition of my pencil lines was reflective of the personal mayhem I was working through. It felt like my life was going through the same pattern of frustration, hurt and loss. As I went through the motions of my life, learning a little bit each time and slowly getting stronger, so too did I see my art improving.

As I began to feel more stable I began stretching what I was doing with my life into other aspects of creativity. I also decided it was time to really work on my tarot cards in earnest. The character sketches and the sketchbook I'd used to do them were put to one side. My work has become about single pieces, single static characters.

My graphic design course has re-awakened my interest in animation and it's also pushing me in another direction. Time and again people have asked me if I would consider doing children's book or providing illustrations for their own writing. I've been daunted by the idea of doing either because I honestly haven't felt I've got the skill to create illustrations nor do I have the discipline to write a story for children. I've been daunted, but that doesn't mean it's not something I really, really want to do.

Next week I'm learning Illustrator, the last of the three programs covered in the course I'm currently doing. This is the program I've been waiting for because it could be just the tool I've been looking for to finally jump into the world of children's literature. I feel enough in touch with my inner child that I believe I can write stories captivating for children to read. I also remember my childhood quite vividly including the books and stories I most enjoyed. All of this should built a solid foundation for the makings of what I hope to be a well written, lovable and fun series of books/animations.

But before I vectorise anything and before I make the very expensive but desirable purchase of CS5, I am returning to my sketchbook and those simple pencil drawings. I have to say, I do feel my character sketches have gotten a bit rusty. I'm not quite so quick to rotate a character all the around across the length of a page. But I can feel it coming back and along with that I'm finding ideas for story lines becoming more solid in my mind.

We shall have to see what comes of this.

Mighty Women - Hazel Dooney

The term 'mental illness' is a very interesting one. I've been writing a book about my personal experience with it, a book I hope to share with you soon enough. It just requires a lot of editing at the moment.

But I digress...

One of the key things I have contemplated again and again is the stigma that goes along with the term and where that stigma comes from. Thing is, we've all been there. Take the word 'mental' out and drop-in 'physical' instead. There are a lot of physical illnesses and they can range from the common cold and minor aches and pains to something as severe as cancer or AIDS. Physical illnesses certainly do have their own stigma's, but there is a certain sense of acceptance about getting sick.

We all get sick.

Well, same thing goes for our brains. Pay attention to your thoughts and the tangents they can go on. You brain has a mind of it's own, as funny as that sounds. If we don't take care of it, just like if we don't take care of our bodies, we're inclined to get ill.

And just like a cold is telling us we're run-down and maybe not getting enough sleep or eating the right foods, a burst of anxiety or a bout of depression can be a clear signal that something needs to change. Some of us experience it more often than others,but we all know the signs and symptoms. This is why it's so important we remember the role we play in our own lives.

We are the manufacturers of our own happiness and our own misery. It is not enough to accept the ailments that afflict us as a fact of life. We have the responsibility to ourselves to be as compassionate, wise and capable as we know we can be.

Hazel Dooney is an incredible example of this. Here is a woman who knows quite intimately the strain that can come from feeling as if your mind is in a battle against you. She blogs about it, she shares it in her work, sometimes she even needs to take some time to focus on just fighting that fight.

But she never lets it stop her.

She knows who she is and she knows that whatever little pauses she may encounter on the way, she is an artist and she will create her art.

She is more than worthy of the Mighty Woman status and I am grateful for her encouragement on a both professional and a personal level. I honestly don't believe this sketch is particularly good, but it's not shit either and reading Hazel's blog has taught me that sharing all aspects of yourself is a good way to grow.

Mighty Women - Angelica Kauffmann and Mary Moser

Waiting for paint to dry...seems like the perfect time to update my blog.

Continuing on my journey to learn as much as possible about influential women throughout history, I was pleased as punch that the last artist-led drop-in sketch class at the National Portrait Gallery was held in the same room as portraits of these two women.

Angelica Kauffmann and Mary Moser were the two female founders of the Royal Academy when it was established in 1768. There is a famous painting depicting the founders of the Royal Academy which, at first glance, would appear not to have any women in it. This was because it was considered improper for a woman to be in the room with a nude model, however, the two are included. Look closely and see if you can find them.

And remember them the next time someone asks you to name five famous female artist.

Mary Beale

I know I keep saying it but it's true:

Who needs art school when you have London?

Last Friday I attended the free artist led drop-in sketch class at the National Portrait Gallery.

Yes, you read that right.

I didn't get the name of the artist as she didn't introduce herself. She just launched right into things, handing out paper, charcoal, pencils and erasers.

"We're going to do perspective," she said, "So I want you to set yourself up looking down one of these corridors."

I chose the one everyone else didn't, leaning against the wall, my sketchbook on my lap.

I'm not adverse to perspective. It's actually something that's never really bothered me. I've just not seen it as difficult. This was, though. Probably because I've not done it for such a long time, and definitely not on this scale. I was drawing the doorways as they stretched out, stacked inside each other. I gave it four solid attempts, my lines becoming more free and loose with each new start. Eventually I got a desirable sketch and I flipped to a fresh page to sketch Mary Beale.

I felt I'd earned it.

Mary Beale, one of the first female artists on record. Her mother died when she was very young and her father, who was a painter, raised her to follow in his footsteps. It was an opportunity not granted to women in the 1600's and so she is one of very few. She is also largely unheard of and in the spirit of Sadie Lee's project to educate people of the famous women in art history, I ask you to remember her name.

Mighty Women - Pema Chodron

So I set out to write a blog entry about Pema Chodron when the 'E' key on my laptop (Which has been a persistent problem as of late) got stuck for the umpteenth time. In a fit of frustration I shut the whole thing down and proceeded to remove a small cat's worth of hair from the keys, pulling the 'E' from it's home entirely to see if this would help. I vacuumed the whole lot and even gave the screen a good washing.

I started the whole thing up again and ran a 'tweet test' for the 'E'. At first it seemed to be just as hopeless as before and my first thought was, "My computer is going to be the bane of my writing from now until some unforeseeable point in the future when I can finally buy the shiny, lovely Mac of my dreams."

Then I thought, "I should go to bed."

Then I thought, "I'll feel guilty if I don't write this blog entry."

Then I remembered Pema and I thought, "You're thinking too much."

I pretty much always have one of her books on my person. I read and re-read her with great satisfaction. She has an incredible wisdom about her and reading her writing is much like listening to her speak. This is a quality I admire in an author and one I hope to emulate in my own writing.

It also helps me to remember to be mindful. When I can hear someones voice applied to the words they've written it tends to stick in my head. Her writing sticks. She is full of compassion and has the same humble air about her as the Dalai Lama.

She is my unofficial Buddhist teacher and I am eternally grateful to my psychologist for suggesting I read anything she'd written.

She is also my next 'Mighty Woman' in the exploratory project I'm doing to capture and record those incredible female influences now and throughout history.

Mighty Women...con't

Petra Kelly 1947 - 1992

Graphite on paper sketch KSCH 2010

Born 29th of November, 1947, Petra is one of the must influential women in the history of politics. She founded the Die Grunen, the German Green Party in 1979. Her

activism was honoured in 1982 as she was presented with the Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Peace Prize).

In Barcelona there is a small tribute garden to

this incredible woman. Though it only consists of a small terracotta sculpture and a few plants, I think it's a beautiful and simple gesture that she would have appreciated. The key feature of the memorial garden is a cherry tree, which was her favourite tree. The inscription on the accompanying sculpture reads:

No hi ha un cami vers la pau

La pau es l'unic cami

(Peace is the only way)

Many thanks to M.A. for contributing the photo to the right.

Doreen Lucy Hatch

The response to my last blog entry was amazing! Evidently you all have a lot of recommendations for mighty women who truly have changed the world. This presented me with an important question:

Where to begin?

The names flooded in from you: Petra Kelly, Nina Simone, Kim Cooper, Kiki Smith, Gretchen Bender, Lisa Braun, Susan Rothenburg, Georgia O'Keefe...

This just made me think of my own list; Mary Beale, Sadie Lee, Hazel Dooney, Tracy Chapman, Dame Shirley Bassey, Angelica Kauffman, Mary Moser, Mary Portas, Margaret Mead, Esthero, Pema Chodron...

It all seemed a bit much, to think about representing each of these women with a piece of art and to choose only one to start with. But it was the response from my Facebook Fans that gave me the clear and obvious solution. When I asked them to contribute examples of strong women they admired and why, each of them listed family members: Mothers, sisters, aunts, partners...

There is a woman I admire very much, who I have recently begun to get acquainted with in a different way than I ever had before. She couldn't be a better choice, I think, for the beginning of this project. Born December 14th, 1920 my grandma Doreen lived in Luton, England for her entire youth and into her young adulthood. In September 1945 she married my grandfather, a Canadian soldier fighting (Well, actually cooking) in WWII. At the end of June 1946 she boarded the Aquitania and went to Canada to live. At the age of 25 my grandmother made the reverse journey I have just made, but rather than eight hours flying with an obnoxious stop-over in Chicago, she went four days by boat and another four by train to a province 4,000 miles from her family and friends. At 25, in a world where the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail, my grandma did something far more courageous than I have ever done. I admire her strength and resilience and I dedicate this entire project to her memory and to all the wonderful women in my family who have shown me I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

Line drawing in pen, lifting it only once for the entire outline. Face filled in after initial sketch completed.

A Quick Sketch

Generally my style of art is cartoonish or anthropomorphic. I use bright colours and even my more realistic pieces are more of an illustration than a depiction of a real life image.

But when it comes to pencil sketches of animals I find myself drawn (pardon the pun) to a style very unlike my usual. I love capturing the softness of fur and I find pencil allows me to do this extremely well. When I sit down to sketch an animal I usually have it in my head that it will be extremely labourious and even frustrating. I choose a photograph and then I work out the basic outline of it. Almost every time I find myself producing a sketch from start to finish in under thirty minutes. I'm generally always pleased with the result and quite often stunned that it was something I did. I'm quite proud of my last two, especially given the difficulty of sketching a mostly black cat.

So here they are, Gert and Mabel... two lovely London cats.