As part of Sketchbook Revival 2026 I participated in the class run by mixed media and collage artist Drew Steinbrecher. In this class we were encouraged to go out into our environment whether that be an urban environment or a natural one, and take notice of the shapes, textures, colours and contrasts that interested us. …
Continue reading Drew Steinbrecher sketchbook revival class: making work from your environment
This April I took part in the Sketchbook revival challenge. This is an 11 day sketchbook challenge organised by Karen Abend. The sketchbook revival is in its 9th year and consists of 11 days of free courses provided by lots of talented artists on various subjects, materials and techniques to get you using your sketchbook …
A watercolour painting of beetles from a series of artworks capturing the artist’s recent trip to Florence
A look at the last 7 days of the mini collage a day challenge and what I learned from the experience of making art everyday day.
A look inside the artist’s sketchbook exploring the symbolic interpretations of birds and vessels. Mixed media artwork featuring gel plate printing, collage, pastel and conte crayons.
Here is a quick catch up of my Mini Collage a day challenge. At the end of the week I seemed to be drawn to bright, warm colours such as reds, pinks and oranges, as well as imagery like fruit and flowers. At the beginning of the week I experimented further with using text in …
This February my family and I took a special trip to Florence, Italy to celebrate my husband and I's milestone birthday. One of the places I enjoyed visiting most during the holiday was the Museum of Natural History, La Specola. This painting is from a photograph I took of one of the museum collections of …
Continue reading Watercolour butterflies: memories from Florence
Here is the next installment of mini collages created in my 2x3 inch sketchbook. This challenge, so far, has been a great way to ensure that I show up to the page and create something everyday, even if I only have a few spare moments. It doesn't take long to fill a 2x3 inch page …
“Portrait Gallery” by Rachel Crawshaw I was very pleased to hear that my submission for the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery Open 2026 was given “highly commended” at the opening on Saturday. I was unable to attend the opening but am looking forward to visiting the exhibition and witnessing in person all of the fantastic …
Last month I started a mini project in a tiny sketchbook of creating a little collage everyday. Here are days 8 to 14 of the project! During this week I began to explore adding more hand painted and printed papers to my collages such as in days 8, 12 and 14. I also enjoyed introducing …
Mushroom Moon Designs 