After taking part in Lila Rogers Mats course I decided to start focusing on larger pieces of work. I started to experiment with a landscape painting as I always felt a sense of inspiration and awe when driving or walking through the countryside. The painting below was the first landscape painting I did of the beautiful scenery we have here in Britain. It was based on a drive from Scotland through Northumberland on the way home to Durham just before dusk. I still love this painting and much to my delight it sold soon after I had finished it. This really helped me believe in myself in this new venture so I continued along this path.

In early Spring of 2014 I visited the NEC to the Greetings Cards & Stationary fair. I had been attending this for years whilst working for Unique Images/Hallmark. I reached out to a few people concerning my work and chatted to an art agent based in London. Meanwhile I set up a website for my paintings, which was still under my married name but changed a few years later.

In May of 2014 I signed an agreement with the agency and started licensing my work to various companies one of which was Whistlefish in Cornwall; hence all the Cornish scenes I started painting! These were licensed as greetings cards and I could still sell the originals and later prints. I started having my paintings scanned and printed by outside fine art printers but realised this took up a lot of my time so quite soon after I started along this path I purchased a fine art printer which at the time was a huge investment.

Whistlefish kept me busy as I developed my style as a landscape and now seascape artist. I am glad that I documented all my work on a particular website (Artwork Archive)as I can now look back and see the exact date I did a painting and also the way my work has evolved. Facebook is also great for looking back at your journey and the unfolding of your business.

In June/July 2014 I started to exhibit pieces of my work in various exhibitions and galleries, one as part of a North East artists group and the other in The Nest Gallery which was then around in Barnard Castle. I also had some work in ‘Artery’, St Andrews by September 2014.

I tried out my first small Christmas Fayre this year but as it was their first one it wasn’t as well attended as I had hoped, I began to learn footfall is very important if you are going to invest in a fayre and this takes a while for an event to be come well known.

In 2015 I started doing commissions and also branched out and had a few of my own exhibitions in Allendale Forge, Durham Botanic Gardens and Cafe on the Green, Durham.

I also was selected to take part in Art in the Pen, Skipton and then later in the year two Christmas Stalls, one at Wynyard Hall and Palace Green in the marquee outside Durham Cathedral. The stalls went really well and I sold a few originals, one of which was my first Christmas Cottage along with prints and cards which I now sent out to be printed from my paintings.

As you can see my lovely assistant often helped me on the stalls! Start them young, that’s what I say :)

In 2016 I started with exhibiting some of my work in Gallery 45 in Felton. I then took part in ‘Meet the Maker Meet the Buyer in March 2016 at the Hexham mart. It was on this day that my dad was suddenly taken ill and I hadn’t heard. I got back to the house and found the post on the mat and knew immediately something was wrong so phoned the hospital to find that he had been admitted earlier in the day.

Sadly 2 days later he was gone… this was a very difficult pill to swallow as my dad had been my greatest supporter especially over quite a few very difficult years. This is one of the reasons I changed to my maiden name in honour of him and also to add some continuity in the future.

As this post is taking longer and I have far more to say there will be a part 3 next week on my Artist Journey, see you then!