At this time of year I find myself inundated with urgent requests for commissions. The idea of truly unique personal gifts is becoming the new norm as we negotiate lockdown . It seems that spending more time with family and less time with friends has made us stop to appreciate who and what is important in life . Gone are big fancy weddings , instead replaced by small intimate gatherings with the people who really matter, Christmas plans with only our immediate family, cancelled’ BIG’ birthday celebrations and all sorts of other adjusted festivities.

It seems we have all been trying a little bit harder to find gifts with special meaning ,to let people know we are still thinking of them ... cue ,call the artist ! The range of requests has included paintings and pen and ink drawings of pianos, dead dogs, puppies, cats, commemorative benches, beaches, personalised maps, sunsets, roses / thistles/ clover , houses, hospitals ... the list is endless.

As a result I am on very personal terms with the picture framer . I practically live at the gallery. I should probably have my own car parking space !!! I also had some fun designing fun cartoon Christmas cards for my friend Gavin’s electricians business . Rudolph will certainly be lighting up this Christmas . As you can see it has been a very varied and very busy autumn . It shows no sign of slowing down just yet.

Sadly the recent lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic has delayed the delivery of fine bone china merchandise which I had ordered with my artwork on it as Christmas gift ideas . Hopefully I will be able to share them as year round gift options instead ( candles, diffusers and mugs ). The quality of the samples was excellent , so I am really excited to see them and share them with everyone. Watch this space for updates.

During the summer I worked mostly on pen and ink pointillism and felt less motivated to paint . How things change ... a recent surge of painting requests has sparked my interest again .

These two commissions were requested by my friend Sam ,to harness memories of two special people no longer with us . They are of places with particular significance to them so they are a constant memorial to their lives .

Who will you be remembering this Christmas?