After carving lino and wood blocks for over 20 years my arm needed and rest and my mind needed a reset. So I've been thoroughly enjoying following Gabriella Buckingham's online course 'Experimental Still Life' and the current live online version is particularly inspiring. You can find out more about her courses here.

I've updated my web site and the Paintings page now shows the feed from my @walkinglooking painting Instagram account. On there I share my paintings and sketches, including real-life adventures in my travel sketchbooks.

I recently delivered some of my linocuts to the Church Street Gallery in Saffron Walden. This beautifully curated gallery is opposite the footpath to the church in what has just been declared the UK's best place to live! So that's two good reasons to explore the delights of Saffron Walden, I can also recommend visiting the Fry Gallery and there are many lovely independent shop and cafés.

Alongside printmaking I am exploring painting and have signed up to Gabriella Buckingham's 'Experimental Still Life' course, which is online and self-paced. I've found it to be packed with inspiration for colour and composition which can be applied to printmaking as well as painting.

Practice practice practice! As an incentive joined in the twice-yearly Strada Easel challenge to paint form life every day for a month and post the resulting paintings on Instagram. So, during September 2024 I painted small still lifes on scrap cardboard. This coincided with the weeks I was visiting my Mum to sit by her and watch her long life come to an end.

At first the paintings seemed like a chore …



… they became a daily habit …



… the ceramic vessels and flowers were like characters on a stage, spending time with these small scenes was like therapy …



… the daily painting, especially the monochrome hurried ones, became a necessity.



I'd like to say I've continued the habit, I haven't. But I am beginning to miss it and I will do it again.

Among my first linocuts almost 20 years ago, included designs depicting the hares I see in the local fields where I walk regularly. Last year I decided to revisit those designs and create two new circular linocuts 'Sleeping Hare' and 'Dancing Hares'.



There are also cards of the two new designs. These were printed for me by an indie print business in Yorkshire, so they look a little different from my usual greetings cards. The new hare roundel cards are available from my online shop.

I'm pleased I have now sourced a supply of recycled card stock and my eco-friendly cards are now back in production, I've ordered reprints of the popular designs which were out of stock and have ideas for new linocuts and cards.