An Art To It

What happens when the art you're known for no longer brings you joy? In this episode, mixed media artist Jane Wilson shares her journey from fashion buying to creative commercial success, and how a door closing lead to her finding her true voice as a playful, joy-filled artist. Jane opens up about early experiences of imposter syndrome, the emotional fallout from a tough gallery break-up, and how...

In episode three of my mini series of mini podcasts, I'm talking about something that comes up again and again - in both quiet conversations and loud frustrations. Invisibility. That creeping feeling of no longer being seen or noticed as we age, especially as women. Whether it's being ignored in a cafe queue, looked through as we walk into a gallery or walked past at a party, there's a moment many...

In this week's episode of An Art to It, I chat to artist I talk to the multi-talented Franca Westaway - an artist, designer, educator and all-round creative force. Franca's work spans textiles, ceramics, teaching, painting, mural commissions - and a deep commitment to following her creative instincts wherever they lead. We talked about her early love of fashion and textiles, and how she pivoted fr...

We've all done it, a quick scroll turns into a spiral. Someone else is making more, selling more, getting that gallery show or grant… and suddenly, your own progress feels like it doesn't count. In this episode of Unframed, I'm taking a look into the spiky topic of comparison: - When it can actually help your creative practice - When it starts to undermine your confidence - And how to set your own...

Artist and mentor Lisa Henshall joins me from her Norfolk studio to talk about the creative spiral that underpins her practice. From a wild and free Cornish childhood to painting at the kitchen table with three small children, Lisa shares how she's built a full-time art career rooted in self-trust, sharing, and expansion. We talk about the business of being an artist, what real gallery support loo...

In this first episode of An Art to It: Unframed, I'm taking a look at something that comes up again and again - in my coaching, my course, and in conversations with artists and makers: imposter syndrome. You know that voice. The one that says you haven't studied enough. Or sold enough. Or been doing this long enough to really call yourself an artist. I hear it all the time - especially from women...

In this episode of An Art to It, I chat to artist Susan Kinley, whose striking glasswork blends a fine art sensibility with applied material techniques. We talk about her journey from fine art textiles at Goldsmiths in London https://www.gold.ac.uk/  and mixed media work at the Royal College of Art, https://www.rca.ac.uk/ to her layered, landscape-inspired glass practice rooted in Cornwall. Sue sh...

This week, I'm joined by ceramicist Liz O'Dwyer in an entertaining - and very honest - chat about building a creative practice from the ground up.   We talk about Liz's early love for making, her years in both art education and Forest School, and how she reconnected with clay later in life, thanks to encouragement from her family, eventually finding her material in porcelain and her voice in form,...

Artist, Gallery Owner, Creative Force This week, I'm joined by Sharon Harvey: a painter, gallery owner, and passionate creative, to explore what it really takes to run a commercial gallery while maintaining an active artistic practice. Sharon shares her winding journey from a successful corporate career into the art world, what led her to study fine art in her 40s, and how a chance conversation ch...

This week, I'm joined by painter, and Byre Gallery regular, Jill Hudson, whose creative life has been shaped by travel, resilience, and an enduring love of the sea. Jill shares her journey from studying at Falmouth art school to achieving an enviable life/work balance, and how experiences like teaching in Uganda and studying in Venice helped shape both her perspective and her practice. We chat abo...

This week, I'm joined by the brilliant and irrepressible Sara McKee - art historian, copywriter, branding expert, and founder of Life Full Colour, https://www.lifefullcolour.com/ a vibrant gallery and cultural hub in North Wales. Sara shares the rich tapestry of her creative and corporate life: from being mentored by legendary art historians at Warwick University https://warwick.ac.uk/ and discove...

In this episode, I chat with London-based painter Melody Reynolds, whose luminous swimming pool and beach scenes have brought a welcome breeze to the gallery walls this summer. Melody reflects on studying at St. Martin's in the 1990s, why she's always felt like an outsider in the art world, and the ways her painting process balances instinct with experimentation. She talks about what it takes to s...

In this episode, I chat with award-winning silversmith Alex O'Connor about the winding path that led her from sculpture to silver—and from the Isle of Wight to the far west of Cornwall and the rugged landscape of West Penwith. In a hugely engaging and very honest chat, Alex shares how her autistic thinking and aphantasia (inability to voluntarily visualise mental images) shape her highly tactile,...

What does it mean to make art that's truly yours—even when it doesn't fit the mould and you have to face potential resistance in the market place? In this honest and uplifting episode, I chat with Cornish artist Siobhan Purdy, whose dreamlike, deeply personal paintings have earned her a cult following. From navigating childhood as a selective mute to building thriving artist communities in Cornwal...

In episode 31 of An Art to It , ceramicist Deborah Harwood joins me from her beautiful studio on the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex. Deborah shares her remarkable creative journey: from growing up part of deeply artistic family, her late father, is the acclaimed playwright and screenwriter, Ronald Harwood, (The Dresser, Quartet, The Pianist) to working for over a decade as an agent representing so...

In this solo episode of An Art to It, I share my experiences of creating a brand identity for myself. Why am I doing that you might ask. Last year I realised that I really needed to set up a separate website as a home for the online courses I run, and for this podcast too. I wanted the Byre Gallery to concentrate on doing what it's supposed to do, showcase our exhibitions and the beautiful work we...

In Episode 29, I'm delighted to be chatting to Caroline Reed, a London-based glass artist working in the exquisite and lesser-known technique of pâte de verre. Caroline shares the extraordinary story of her transition from a career in science and leadership development to a deeply creative life as a glassmaker, her third career, and one she treats with both passion and professionalism. Caroline re...

For many artists, despite having an idea of what you want to create, sometimes the work finds you. For Claire Brewster it was a love of paper, a passion for the freedom of birds… and some handy foam board and pins that sparked her creative practice. Twenty years on from her 'eureka' moment, her exquisitely detailed paper birds, hand-cut from vintage maps are in art private and public art collectio...

We have a double delight in this week's episode of An Art to It: a painter who is also a gallery owners, as I'm joined by Judi Green—painter, curator, and co-director of Cornwall's Tregony Contemporary, a gallery she runs with her husband Brian Green.  Judi is a rare and inspiring creative—an accomplished artist in her own right, and someone who brings the same care, clarity, and commitment to nur...

In this episode of An Art to It, I'm joined by Amy Frankie Smith, a ceramic artist and designer whose stunning porcelain lighting and fluid watercolour paintings bring together texture, translucency, and an undeniable sense of place. Amy's journey into ceramics began with a degree in 3D Craft at the University of Brighton, followed by hands-on experience in architectural ceramics for conservation....

Shaping a fresh brand identity is something a younger Laura Wasley might have envisioned—but back then, it would have been for a major fashion house rather than an arts venue and educational charity. Now CEO of the prestigious Make South West, Laura originally set her sights on becoming a buyer for the iconic London store Harvey Nichols, leading her to study fashion. After a brief stint in visual...

Nikki Mosley's stunning paintings - whether her cool, pale and elegant beach scenes or her passionate pink skies - do feel quintessentially Cornish. And that's no surprise as Nikki lives and works on the Cornwall coast. But it was the other side of the Atlantic where Nikki's first seriously began her creative journey. After following her husband and his career across the globe, a posting to Housto...

When you have an artistic eye and a talent for creativity you are often blessed with being able to use this skills in different ways, and Claire Stockings-Baker is a perfect example of a multi-disciplinary artist.  Sculptural silver jewellery is what Claire is best known for as an artist, but her creative career started in costume design, and print making and painting are still a big part of her l...

Sometimes a guiding hand is all that is needed to kick start you on a particular path or career, and sometimes fate delivers that in an unexpected way. Visual artist Kerry Louise Bennett knew that she wanted to pursue a career as a painter but it didn't seem quite achievable; then prompted by misremembering a comment from a friend, she picked up a book in a second hand shop by hypnotist and self-i...

If you could pick the ideal medium to create your art work what would it be? Oil paint, charcoal, … or chocolate? Although painting had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, it was as a chocolatier that Ashleigh Anne first found creative professional success.  In our lovely chat, Aisleigh shares her love of creating in all its guises and how following in her family's footsteps...