So I used to draw as a child but I haven’t picked up a pencil for years now. A few years ago I tried watercolour, but found I was hopeless at it and quickly gave in. However the feeling of wanting to paint has never left me. So around March time this year (2025) I decided to give it another go, I brought a watercolour set off amazon which wasn’t exactly cheap and I realise now totally rubbish. My paper was also years old which did not help.
Anyway one evening sharing a bottle of wine with Steve I stumbled across a lady’s insta page and I was blown away, she painted exactly how I wanted to paint, loose, beautiful wet on wet style of wildlife and pets. I said to Steve “thats how I want to paint”! She just happened to have one space left on her watercolour workshop too, so maybe it was the wine but I jumped on it and paid and before I knew it I was booked on. Her name is Jane Davies, check out her art its lovely.
So I have a real hang up of travelling anywhere I don’t know on my own, it stresses me out, especially where motorways are involved, my sense of direction is terrible. The workshop was in Guildford Surrey, I live in Staffordshire, for anyone not in the UK reading this, Guidford is roughly 4.5 hours away in a car, so this was way out of my comfort zone.
I discussed it with Steve and considered taking the train but that seemed too much hassle, so I decided to drive. I also booked a hotel for not just one night but two, again way out of my comfort zone. I have never stayed away in a hotel on my own.
I decided to shelve my painting practice until after the workshop as I was just producing disaster after disaster.
When the time came I dilly dallied all morning until Steve virtually pushed me out the door, I managed to drive there without getting lost, or needing a wee, I did have a men’s urine bottle tucked in my glove box just in case lol. I didn’t stop on the way either I was too stressed. I drove down the day before so I could relax and not be rushing in the morning as it started at 9 and then I was stopping on the evening too. When I arrived at the hotel it was a little bit strange, my room was downstairs and I had to walk through the lounge to get to it, the lounge was obviously the proprietors as they were later having their evening meal in there and watching TV so I felt a little awkward. I sat on the bed and thought I was going to cry. Instead I pulled myself together and went for a walk, the countryside was lovely, it was a lovely warm May evening and there were lots of people out walking, it was obviously a popular spot right by the horses gallops. Then back to the hotel I went armed with a bottle of wine from the local tesco which was in walking distance.
I got up the next morning and I was tempted to skip breakfast because I was too scared to go in the dining room on my own, but I put my big girl pants on and went and I was the only one in there so I needn’t of worried. The dining room was lovely all open and airy and looked out in the garden so I am glad I was brave.
I managed to find the venue and was greeted by Jane, it was funny because I had been following her for a while I felt like I knew her and I forgot to introduce myself as I hugged her.
We had a lovely day, lots of cake, a huge lunch outside in the garden. The venue was in a workshop type of building in the grounds of a stately home, very posh ! The gardens were open so we got to walk round the gardens before lunch. There were 7 of us if I remember correctly, all really friendly and welcoming as some had been before and knew each other already.
Jane introduced me to Daniel Smith paints and I now converted. She also advised me on the correct paper to use. I painted a beautiful hare and I could not believe it.
I made it home in one piece, again not stopping and not having to use the urine bottle, which incidentally came in very useful when I took my elderly Mom to Anglesey later on in the year.
My Artwork has improved greatly, it hasn’t all been plain sailing, I tried to skrimp on paper as the paints were so expensive and could not understand how I had managed to paint something so lovely and yet when I came home could not do it again, I even tried the same hare twice. Then I realised it really was the paper, the paper I was using was not the best for wet on wet technique. The whole painting process has been a huge learning curve but one I have thoroughly enjoyed.
I called my painting of the hare New Beginnings and it is available as a print or a greeting card.
I hope you like this blog, and thankyou if you have made it to the end. Please bear with me, this website does look a little empty. I work as a chemotherapy nurse by day and paint in the evening so my art is slow progress .
thanks for reading xx
