Posts

A Seaside Artist Wardrobe

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Visual artists are often expected to have a really quirky, if not outrageous, appearance. While my art is colourful and often challenging, my wardrobe is all about understatement and elegance rather than shock value. Living by the sea has had a big influence on the clothes I choose. I am comfortable and confident wearing a relaxed, bohemian, arty look and I like mixing bright colours and vintage clothes with interesting patterns with classics such as ballet pumps, black blazers, cardigans and chunky knits. In my choices I prioritise lasting style over disposable fashion. Below are my favourite items, a combination of high street and charity shops buys.  Adding glamour: big sunglasses and big floppy hat Big sunglasses and a big, floppy straw hat give an instant sprinkle of glamour and a bit of mystery to the simplest of outfits. They are also essentials if you live by the sea and/or do a lot of outdoor activities like I do.  Audrey Hepburn style ballet pumps and other fla...
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Born to run? How running can help with mental health issues and anxiety

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Exercise has always been a great help in managing my long term depression and anxiety issues.   I love my weekly pilates class, leisurely swimming in the sea in the summer, walking in nature and occasional horse riding lessons. I have also tried yoga, tai-chi and going to the gym over the years to vary my exercise routine and keep it interesting and challenging.  One activity that always remained a mystery to me was running.  I must admit that I never understood the appeal and that I looked upon all the lycra wearing runners in parks, on the seafront or on treadmills with a bit of puzzlement.  Where they really enjoying running around like hamsters in a wheel? Being all sweaty and often visibly out of breath on sunny days for everyone to see? none of that looked comfortable or enjoyable to me and I often found myself muttering ‘show off’ as they passed me by… To my surprise I made the decision in January this year to finally try that running thing.  I got...
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Up-cycling furniture: chalk paint chic

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Most of my furniture come from charity shops, markets, Freegle and Facebook Marketplace. As usual I like the idea of recycling items, rather than buying new. I also think that these pre-loved pieces fit in better with the overall boho, eclectic decor that I have chosen for my house.  Learning to up-cycle these items, with chalk pa int for example, means that I can give them a new lease of life and surround myself with colourful pieces for a fraction of the price that vintage, wood furniture would cost in the shops.  Below are the steps that I follow when I source a new piece of furniture that looks a bit tired, dated and unloved to turn it into a new, bright addition to my home.  Preparing the item Clean item thoroughly. I use sugar soap or create a solution made of equal parts white vinegar and water  Fill any scratches or holes. I use   basic wood filler Sand the item. This helps take any sheen off and remove old paint. Always sand in the same ...
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Sewing Siren - The joys and tribulations of learning to use a sewing machine

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Last year my interest in up-cycling, and the fact that I was too broke to buy new clothes, led me to decide to learn how to use a sewing machine.  From Pierrot doll to pirates… I vaguely remember using a sewing machine for the first time at school during an art and craft project where as part of a group of bored and slightly puzzled teenagers I was taught how to create a fabric Pierrot doll.  Needless to say as an adult I had forgotten everything about threading and using a machine, beyond the memory that I had somehow managed to sew the Pierrot’s black hat the wrong way around. My first step before investing in a beginner sewing machine was to attend an introductory sewing workshop. I wanted to make sure that I would enjoy sewing, before I spent any money on purchasing one, and to be able to learn the basics of using a machine and ask for support before letting myself loose on my own machine at home. Someone recommended Fabrications   in Hackney and I signed up for...
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From Rapunzel to G.I. Jane - living with thinning hair

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For the first twelve years of my life I had beautiful, long hair. Strangers in the street often randomly   complimented me on my healthy-looking hair and I was told that I had 'the most beautiful hair in the school' by the mother of one of my classmates. But from the age of 13 everything changed. I went within a few months from Rapunzel to G.I. Jane. My hair was thinning quickly and alarmingly and strands of white hair appeared in my light chestnut hair. My eyebrows also grew thinner and thinner. My hair sings the blues I had to cut my hair short to try to disguise some of the loss, even though every trip to the hairdresser was traumatic as they invariably commented on my thinning locks. The family GP did not offer much help and simply suggested I look into using 'a good hair colour product'. A dermatologist  had a look at my scalp but also seemed puzzled. Stress and genetics were mentioned as possible causes and I was dismissed with the general advice...
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