I’m continuing to engage with a wonderful worldwide artist community on Instagram. I was so chuffed to hit over 2000 insta followers last month. Thank you all for your support!

I’ve decided to double up and post my newsletters as a monthly blog.

So here's what I've been up to ...

What fun! As a response to lockdown, Sky Arts created a compelling incentive for everyone at home to pick up their paintbrushes and they called it ‘Portrait Artist of the Week’.

Passion. Skill. Vision. Flair.

For me, these are the four components of 'talent'. Only when they join forces like a Mighty Morphin Megazord do they really shine.

The thoughts below tumbled out of my skull upon waking this morning so I thought I would share my musings.

For me art is the ultimate human experience. It is the zenith of the Maslow triangle. It is a means of collating data from all of our life experiences and communicating it to another in one swoop.

Yesterday I went to visit Dublin Castle to see my painting ' Misty Ree' in situ.
What an honour it is to hang in such a prestigious location!! 

How did it get there?

I lost my artistic 'voice' for an unnaturally long time (16 yrs +). A time where I 'couldn't' even start a drawing or painting. This 'block' crumbled when I met Neil at Schoolhouse for Art just over a year ago and started back with a regular practice.

So we had finished filming 'Painting the Nation' and the question was .. what next? Kevin's idea .. 'Let's go on the road!' ... and off we went to exhibit, not the work done in 90 minutes on the show, but the work we had done ... 'In Our Own Time' ... 

It started with a text from a friend .. 'hey you should apply for this' ... Erm, reality tv? I don't think so lol. But then ... friends and family started to encourage it ... 'ah sure it won't do any harm to apply' etc etc. .. Pauline Mc Lynn is hosting!? ... ah g'wan so.