Exhibiting, Teaching and Giving Back: A Week in the Life of an Artist

One of the things I love about being a professional artist is that no two weeks are quite the same.

One evening I can be surrounded by paintings and people at an exhibition in Newcastle; a few days later, I'm back in my studio preparing to teach an online painting class.

This particular week was a lovely reminder of just how varied – and rewarding – an artist's life can be.

A night of art in Newcastle

I was delighted to exhibit some of my work at a special event at The Biscuit Room, part of The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle.

My paintings were shown alongside work by many other artists, including Cumbrian artists Dorothy Ramsay and Lionel Playford.

There is always something exciting about seeing a collection of artists brought together in one space.

We may all be responding to different subjects, working with different materials and developing our own visual languages, but exhibitions create an opportunity for those individual approaches to sit alongside one another.

As an artist, I find that incredibly energising.

When paintings find their new homes

Of course, an exhibition is also an opportunity for people to encounter paintings in person.

However good photography becomes, there are qualities of an original painting that are very difficult to communicate on a screen.

You can see the scale of a piece, the physicality of the paint, the texture of the surface and the subtleties of colour. You can also stand back from it, move closer and experience how the painting changes with distance.

Most importantly, there can be that wonderful moment when somebody simply connects with a painting.

The event proved to be a particularly successful evening for me, and in the days that followed I delivered four paintings as a result.

There is something very special about seeing a painting leave the studio for its new home.

As an artist, I've lived with that work through every stage of its creation – from the first idea or sketch to the final marks on the canvas. Eventually, though, it begins another life with somebody else.

Art that gives something back

There was another important element to this particular event.

Funds raised through the evening were supporting the stroke unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Art can sometimes feel like a very individual activity. We spend long periods alone in our studios, concentrating on the work in front of us.

Events like this are a reminder that art can also bring people together and contribute to something much wider.

Knowing that the evening – and the sale of paintings – could help generate funds for an important cause made an already enjoyable event particularly worthwhile.

From exhibiting artist to art teacher

Within a few days, however, my attention had shifted completely.

I was back preparing for one of my online painting classes.

Teaching remains an important part of my creative life. Before becoming a full-time professional artist, I spent many years in education, and I still love helping other people develop their confidence with painting.

Interestingly, I don't see teaching and my own studio practice as entirely separate.

Both are concerned with looking, experimenting and making decisions.

When I'm painting, I'm continually asking myself questions: What happens if I change this colour? What if I cover this area? Does the composition need something else? Should I leave that mark alone?

When I'm teaching, I'm helping somebody else develop the confidence to ask – and answer – those questions for themselves.

The many sides of an artist's life

From the outside, being an artist might appear to be predominantly about standing in front of an easel and painting.

Painting is obviously at the heart of what I do, but the reality is wonderfully varied.

There are days spent exploring gardens and landscapes with my sketchbook. There are long periods alone in the studio developing paintings. There are exhibitions, conversations with collectors, teaching sessions, packing paintings and – occasionally – the very satisfying experience of delivering a finished work to its new owner.

And sometimes, art provides an opportunity to support something beyond the studio too.

Perhaps that's why A Colourful Life feels such an appropriate name for my video diary.

It isn't only a reference to the vibrant colour that runs through my paintings.

It's also a reflection of the varied, creative and occasionally unpredictable life that surrounds making them.

You can watch the accompanying video for a glimpse of the exhibition at The Biscuit Room and a little of what happened afterwards.