I was invited to spend the day at the beautiful gallery in Shenton, painting and chatting to the gallery visitors. I really enjoyed myself. I may have done more chatting than painting in the end - luckily I had brought three ‘works in progress to carry on with, so I think I got away with it! I met some really interesting people and saw some friends that I hadn’t seen since before the pandemic, so the whole day was a joy. It’s nice because the gallery supports several local artists and makers, and I had the chance to meet artists as they popped in to visit. I always love the chance to chat with fellow artists, it really lifts my spirits..

This gallery is dog friendly, so every now and again, I would hear the pitter-patter of tiny claws and I’d grab a couple of wet wipes, clean my hands and get ready to make friends! I managed to meet a Spaniel, a Jack Russel and a Labrador- I saw another spaniel from afar but didn’t get a chance to pet him. I think most of the dogs were regulars as they all seemed to know where the cafe was!

I had delivered my new owl painting at the gallery on Friday, and he sold on Saturday so I didn’t see him in situ, however, I was delighted that he had so swiftly found a beautiful new home.

I brought some sheeting to cover any surfaces that might get splattered, and we moved vulnerable art pieces out of the way too. I brought my day-to-day palette and a small selection of paint tubes. However, it turned out there was enough paint already on the palette to last the day. Wet wipes and kitchen roll for quick clean-ups, a drop of Zest-it medium, and a few brushes although I only used one. But the most important thing was the cough sweets!

Right next to my little table was the cafe entrance, so I enjoyed a coffee and then had a delicious slice of Bara Brith for lunch. They make wonderful cake-always a vegan option available and plant-based butter too.

Above: Inveraray on the wall at White Dove Gallery. The gallery is open on the first weekend of every month, 11-4 Saturday and Sunday. The cafe is open and you can sit inside or outside. The space is wonderfully cool on a hot day, as I discovered!

White Dove Gallery , the Old Village Hall, Shenton, Leics CV13 6DP

I was extremely pleased when I was tagged in a post by Victoria Featherstone Pearce this week on Instagram! It turns out she has featured my cruelty-free silk alternative scarves in Vegan Life Magazin this month. Of course, I am absolutely thrilled, as I spent ages and ages trying to find a way of producing these and the easy option would have been to use real silk, however, the process they use to get real silk real is barbaric so I won’t have anything to do with that. Instead, I’ve managed to find a fabric that is almost like the real thing - soft floaty and beautiful, and man-made. I have my original artwork printed on this fabric which is then hemmed by experts and then sent out to the lucky recipient.

To celebrate this bit of welcome press coverage I have revamped my collection and added the option of a printed presentation tin to match. Have a look at the newest designs here. And if you want to have a look at the magazine, I’ve linked it in the image below!