Now i'm based in Brighton, East Sussex, it was only a matter of time before me and my 4 legged friend Mango made it to walk in the mud in Ashdown forest AKA Winnie the Pooh's hundered acre wood. The wintery trees and storybook vibe set up a nice concept for this tree mural. As well as stunning countryside around Brighton, the city is full of more fun and more nice people than i ever imagined!!
So, finally we saw the mega mural up on-site at Sunrise celebration Festival.
The bad installation of it didn't worry me, neither did the mud or the weather. I just had a really really nice time with all of my lovely friends. This time next year we'll be back in the fields of gold where we belong...
Yes we
raved like idiots in our wellies.!!! but we just couldn't help it there was so much love in the air and great tunes in our ears!!!!
Gypsy chic as designed by Pearl Lowe and painted my me. Shame about the April showers but proud to be part of this stylish refurbishment! Cant wait to see real published photos next year!
Hanging out in the Somerset valleys, painting crucial floral detail that i didn't dream i was capable of , is just one great example of why i love my job.
A few weeks in this countryhouse garden has put the concept of success into a different frame... but.
Cant get too deep now i've got a 10metre whale to start painting tomorrow....
This stylish flat just got more stylish.....!
Lemon coloured flowers in limetree square. in Street. Somerset looking brighter every day :)
So far, our special friend the peacock and his snazzy feathers has been quite an ongoing theme in Glastonbury this winter!. the freshly wed and brand new landlady of The Market House is making sure everybody knows shes there and has chosen a feathered theme throughout the pub that suits me and my brushes just fine!
As she jetted off on her honeymoon this week and left me to work my magic by the pool table; the snow fell hard outside, i got a bit sad about the daytime drinking habits of my town and i wished that somebody would CHANGE THE MUSIC
where am i gonna find, someone like yooooooou???
good F**king question Adele
A kiss that speaks volumes is seldom a first edition.
~Clare Whiting
Dark-by-4pm-boredom lead me to paint this Indian peacock canvas and then physical addiction to the painting of smooth round repeated shapes lead me to paint this kitchen wall.
68 feathers; soft, repeated and flowing, that as i painted them reminded me of your kisses.
or was it the other way around?
City VS country is the theme these days, I'm dividing my time between the 2. Gazing through bus windows along the A303 is giving me plenty of time to ponder on which environment is simply better for a girl like me. THEN i realise i dont have to decide, and i find myself in Vauxhall where young children, dogs, pretty flowers, community and craft life exist despite the urban surroundings.
Heres' a garden corner i painted as the seasons turned. I learnt to use mortar, fell in love with raspberry coloured paint, battled with rain, broken mirrors and crumbly old walls! and I thank the Brookes for giving me the challenge.
This is the mock design i worked from using images from THIS incredible flower website
I also found time to skate around Stockwell, eat sushi in Soho and see the sun rise after a stupid night out on Brick lane. now THATS the city life i miss!!!
Although my home town of Glastonbury is saturated with independently run cafes, the neighbouring town of Street is the commercial opposite.
Across the road from Starbucks, Costa and Subway, the Mad hatter cafe in Street High st,is thriving on people who want no fuss builders tea, jacket potatoes with coleslaw and good old fruit cake made on the premesis.
Time flies REEEEEAlly fast when your not rolling. who would have thought it was 2 whole years ago since me and Helen first painted these infamous skulls on the 3 Amigos skate shop on Camden Rd.
2 years of tourists taking photos of the mono-chrome shop front, and of me forgetting to go skating more and more frequently, and then WOW! suddenly Petes beard has grown,we're back kneeling on Camden pavements in the August wind/rain/sun, local tourist attraction Amy Winehouse has died of an overdose, and I actually manage to get back on board in time to join my dearest lovenskate boys in the Clissold Bowl.
Now the shop looks like this. and there is a fire starting in my heart.. again.
Here is our little amigo Joe getting stuck in too!
Finally got to do some painting in the sun at Womad last week. Been waiting for that ever since i left the Pacific coast! me and Helen Lovlee did our bit for a small decor team at this world-wide festival. We got hot, cold, tired, happy, hungry, drunk and barefooted as is the way in the uk summertime. We also made some awesome new art friends
check them out
Phill Harvey .. made me miss skateboarding!
Tim Uleweiz...fell in love with a cow
Dom Williams. Organiser/ teacher extraordinnaire. even without the guyliner
I consider Helen a super and well organised lady, putting in serious time with her art and the correspondance that goes with it, As well as keeping up travelling all over europe with her skateboard. i never really was able to thank her enough for sharing Sydney time with me in her home city in the winter , but now i've shown her a bit of my festival background and we've both got buns of steel from crouching in the grass with our brushes for days.
Since finishing full-time education.... the university of life has brought me many many lessons in many different things. factory work and t-shirt printing taught me how to deal with monotonus work that feels like its never going to end. Life in London town taught me that it's OK to not waste precious time with fools. Front crawl in chlorinated pools across the globe has taught me that discipline is important for progression, and more recently a little furry friend of mine has taught me how to sleep properly, finally.
BUT never before my midsummer times in the Park Field have i had anybody teach me how to paint. working for Misty and Reg in the Park farm corner of the glastonbury site, rain or shine.. each year, is my most invaluable learning time. I get to see others weilding brushes or cans or pens in the way in which they know how and i come out more technically brimming with tips than i ever did exiting the LCC turnstiles.
Some do it for the money
others for the love
i do it for the knowledge.... (and access to a backstage shower!)
This is Mr Fly who doesnt know it but is by far my favourite teacher. he is seriously PRO
I'm not going to lie, rural life is starting to get me down. bike rides and walking puppies in meadows and going to bed early is making me feel like i'm missing out on something.
This weekend i painted an explosive mural in an office filled with everything fun that you could think of.... www.partypacks.co.uk
Whopee ! i thought as i popped party poppers to myself,painted bottles of champagne , listened to carnival music on my i pod and gazed a bit out of the window a the stunning somerset countryside...
When i'd finished successfully cheering up this office i wanted to go and celebrate but here i am instead in bed at 9.30 pm. ! Party on.
Getting ready for the festival season in true compost style........ i decorated the outdoor eco- toilet for the boys and gals at rebels yard.
In the last 2 years, 28 year old Rime here , has built himself an entire house. it IS up a crazy hill, and the neighbours ARE grumpy, but inside the walls is a perfect fusion of tastefull Balaneese decor, yummy Japaneese food and a soundtrack of uk dubstep.i'm really happy to have spent time contributing to this handbuilt homestead. Rime is a man of many plans and hopefully i can get involved again someday.
I had to make the most of this chance i had to paint in such epic interiors.. These oval windows serve as beds AND seats as well as having built-in sexy ambient lighting to set the scene for whatever Rime has planned in his palace.. After all he is a king.
