Contemporary Art for your home
Original layered artwork full of colour, texture and joyful detail - created to bring warmth and personality into everyday spaces.

Hi, I'm Sue

My artwork invites you to linger, to explore its layers, and to discover moments of memory, emotion, and quiet curiosity.

My paintings evolve intuitively through paint, texture and mark-making, creating joyful pieces designed to be lived with and enjoyed every day. I often scratch back through these layers to reveal hidden fragments, echoes of history, memory, and chance discovery. I love repurposing old books and paper ephemera, weaving traces of the past into the present.

Art to Live With

These are paintings designed to be lived with. Pieces that reveal new details over time and quietly lift a room every time you pass them.

Each piece is completely original and created in my studio in the beautiful historic town of Uppingham.

Some paintings are bold and playful, whilst others are quieter and reflective, but all are made with the hope they bring warmth, energy and a little moment of joy into someone's home. whether a statement piece on a wall or a mini piece sitting happily on a shelf.

I enjoy bringing together elements that don’t naturally belong, creating quiet tension and harmony, intrigue and play. Sometimes botanical shapes or vessel forms appear, familiar yet abstract. I search for harmony in contrasts: the seen and the hidden, the deliberate and the accidental.

MORE ABOUT ME

TRY THIS!

‘Chunk it up’
My granddaughter has been using the expression “chunk it up” while learning to read — breaking things into manageable pieces and just starting somewhere. Such a lovely phrase don’t you think?

I realised I’d been doing exactly that with some vases, bowls and vessels or whatever you like to call them.No grand plan. Just a way to start.

So today I was just snipping into papers I’d recently painted, printed and made, then seeing what wanted to happen next.

Who knows how they’ll eventually be used, but “chunking it up” feels like a pretty good way to begin anything creative don’t you think?

I hadn’t done this for sometime!

I love it when the little ones inform the slightly bigger ones and going back to grid journaling which I did quite a bit of a few years ago really got me in the landscape zone.
It was @kelleewynne that got me started so have a look at hers. I’d recommend it as a no pressure activity if you just want to play with shape, colour, form and generate lots of ideas.

Now back to putting some of the ideas into use and extend the little group on cradle panels I’ve started.
And by the way my motto is when I’m creating grids using collage bits and pieces is just ‘don’t overthink it.’ If you pick something up cut it, tear it and stick it down! Otherwise it goes in the bin.

Anyone else done a grid exercise recently?
And if you want to see a few more grids happening tap the video to see a linked reel with @jackie.cheetham we made from a few years back.

Can you help me decide?

I’ve been working on these little mixed media, garden-inspired pieces and I’m a bit torn on how to present them.

Do I pop them into mounts for an easy-to-browse, affordable collection?Or adhere them onto cradle panels so they become ready-to-hang, more substantial pieces?

They’re all sealed and varnished, so no need for glass (which I usually avoid anyway). But with Open Studios coming up, I know it’s important to have a browser of accessible work too.

I’ll be exhibiting again this September in the wonderful studio of @jackie.cheetham , and we’ve alreadyworking towards this exchanging ideas and looking forward to making another great exhibition together. We’ve also invited @tchamberlain.studio to display her beautiful jewellery.

Thanks to @vounapp I can also start to visualise how they’d look on panels… and of course, they could still be framed later.

So many decisions!

I’d really love to hear your thoughts — what would you be more drawn to? Suggestions always in comments below!

Reasons to be cheerful?

Start with dots and spots of colour. I’ve always been a fan!

There’s something instantly uplifting about playful bursts of colour — little pops that lift your mood, and we certainly need that right now don’t you think?

These joyful paintings and cards have found their way to a beautiful gallery in Arundel. So I’m really chuffed to have them shown in such a great gallery. Thankyou @arundelcontemporary for selecting them.

Follow along for a little behind-the-scenes moment as they receive their final polish before framing — ready to take their place on the wall.

Anyone else a dotty, spotty fan? 🔵🟢🟡🟡🔴

ART on its way to new homes..

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments and for requests to be ‘in the hat’!

With the help of a couple of eager little assistants before school run this morning (eyes firmly closed!), they conscientiously drew out the names of the winners.

And what better place to do it than in front of @johnapedder The Happiness Angels, celebrating this brilliant initiative which John initiated and is now the caretaker of.

If your name is below, please message me your address. It’s a lucky dip, and I’ll pay for the postage and post your artwork in the next few days.

When it arrives, please make a donation to a charity of your choice. I’d love to hear it arrived safely — and which charity you chose, if you’re happy to share.

Thanks again, and do check out @oneofmanycharity for more artists’ work.

@louisemaywatson
glormur67
@annagyngell
@nicksbarton
@debrazebra14
@kathmcfarlane_studio
@northantsrutlandos
@kittydinners
@shedstudio52

Who knew a fork could steal the show?

So I’m paying homage to lovely Arches watercolour paper , some new inks, paint and zero overthinking… then in came a rogue fork, scratching out the most satisfying lines. And don’t worry it stayed in the studio and didn’t find its way back in the cutlery drawer!

I chopped my piece up and gave each individual mini its own little moment—moody, a bit atmospheric, but all heading out into the world as part of the free postcard joy-spreading mission known as @oneofmanycharity
Want in for @johnapedder next week’s Spring @oneofmany draw? Just say!

You ask, I post and then you donate what you fancy to a charity of your choice. Simple, generous, lovely. It’s been going g for quite a few years now.

Just a lovely thing to do especially now when the world seems a very dark place and spreading a bit of giving seems the right thing to do.
So message in the comments if you would like to join in. A UK address please.
Thanks! I’ll pick out some names later next week.

Don’t want to spoil your Summer… especially as it’s hardly started….

But we’re already thinking about September! Planning is underway for Open Studios and we’re excited to welcome fused glass artist Tracy, @tchamberlain.studio to join us this year.
Jackie and I have been playing with collage pieces (some kindly gifted by @debbiewiggan all the way from Brisbane), cutting, cropping and trying not to overthink — a true play date as always.

We loved layering Tracy’s beautiful work on top… so watch this space.

Each of Tracy’s pieces is fused, broken and refired to create something completely unique, then set in silver and bronze as beautiful jewellery.
Follow @northantsrutlandos this spring and summer as we build towards our month-long September festival.

It’s just the beginning of lovely things to come, work towards and look forward to. We all need this just now don’t you think?

Paper play date…

When an idea starts to take hold and suddenly it’s all about the greens . Must be the time of year!

However the orange scissors freshly cleaned up, made an appearance and there is a possibility orange may be a feature. Who knows at this stage?

I always find this the best way to let things evolve — moving pieces around, following instinct rather than overthinking. Inspired by some postcard-sized works from a 100 day project a few years ago, I printed and painted papers, then began cutting out leafy, botanical shapes.

At this stage, nothing is precious… even the table covering paper gets involved with spontaneous marks and layers along the way!

It’s still early days, but it feels right for Spring — fresh, loose and full of possibility.

So good to see the days stretching out again and those first green shoots appearing don’t you think? 💚

Well I really put my foot in it this time…

And yes, I mean literally!

A canvas I’d been working on (on and off) was left discarded on the studio floor — exactly where it shouldn’t have been — and of course, the inevitable happened.

It couldn’t be repaired or rescued, so I took @juliehamiltoncreative advice and went for a “chop and crop” approach.

And honestly? Something good came out of it.

I now have five original paintings in mounts exploring land, sea, and those moody, expansive skies — each with its own quiet personality. The 4 smaller ones ( 20cm x15cm) are available now and I’ll get them on my website as soon as I can.
The larger one will be heading to the @wellandvalleyartsociety Spring Show as a browser piece this week. Update. Now SOLD

If any of the minis catch your eye, just send me a message — £30 each (including UK 48hr tracked P&P). Update - only 1 left! Message me and I’ll tell you which one.

So what’s the lesson?
Maybe don’t leave canvases on the floor… but also, sometimes the mishaps take you somewhere better than you planned. Agreed?

Sometimes you just have to take the risk.

Trust your instinct, make the move… and see where it leads.That moment of uncertainty is often where something shifts — where the work starts to breathe and become something new.

Earlier this week there were elements of a bigger piece I really loved… and areas that just weren’t quite sitting right or connecting with each other.
So I took a chance — I cut it into sections and began working into each one individually, letting their own personalities emerge.

What followed was a quiet, peaceful few days in the studio. Adding, subtracting, adjusting… until I found that sense of balance I was searching for.

Now each piece sits in its own mount, telling its own story — ready for exhibition with @wellandvalleyartsociety next week.

Sometimes you just have to trust yourself… and do it anyway… what’s the worst that can happen?!

Every mark matters.

The faffing and fiddling is finally done. Layers sealed, varnished, and the paintings framed.
Each one labelled and ready for submission to the Spring Exhibition with @wellandvalleyartsociety next week—drop-off day, then the nerve wracking parade before the selection committee.

It’s set to be a bumper year, so a few disappointments are inevitable. But there’s something satisfying in knowing you’ve done your best and each tiny brushstroke, each piece of painted collage is where it’s meant to be.
And if they don’t get in there will always be other opportunities for the work to be seen. That’s the way it is!

I’ve really enjoyed weaving in tiny fragments of text within some of these pieces—quiet little details that echo the concept and aren’t immediately obvious.

Did you spot any?

Can you feel it??

Even though it comes around every year, I still get a little surge of excitement when Spring begins to show its face.
We’re right in that beautiful time around the March equinox, when day and night sit almost in perfect balance.

I spent some gentle time varnishing this little mini today — Whisper of Spring.
Inspired by the view from our kitchen window… soft blossom, fresh verdant greens… that quiet sense of things waking up again.

This piece will be part of the minis/small works wall at the Spring Exhibition with Welland Art Society next week — where everything is £75 or under. Truly something for everyone.

So do make a date… the exhibition opens on 31st March at @stamfordarts

Let me know if you are coming. And have you got that Spring feeling yet?!

Would be lovely to see some of you there.

Chasing Light… Capturing Warmth

Enjoying a little sun here today… and it’s found its way into these paintings too.

The honey-coloured sandstone in our historic town looks so beautiful in the early Spring sunshine — I think my palette has been inspired by its glow.

I’ve called these two Ignite and Spark. They’ll be submitted for a Spring exhibition very soon… but more on that later!

For now, I’m just happy to be almost basking in this very welcome light in the studio.

And being able to photograph work at the end of the day feels like a real treat, doesn’t it?

Hurray — the days are beginning to lengthen.
Aren’t we all looking forward them?!

I thought it was done! But I was wrong. UPDATE - now sold 👍

Sometimes it’s the little details that make all the difference…

And those differences make a piece more interesting.

I thought I’d finished this one some time ago, but I was never quite happy with it. The others in the series sold, but this one always bugged me.

So with the help of more paint, ink, sandpaper, a scalpel and some extra collage, I went back in.
Sometimes it’s changing the design as well as the little details that make all the difference…

I thrive on opposites — graphic, hard-edged areas alongside those serendipitous moments that start as happy accidents but somehow turn into the perfect solution.

It’s now reached the sealing coat of gloss medium stage, so it will go back on the thinking shelf until something else annoys me… and then I’ll be back!

Now to clear up my horrendous studio although when everything is out it usually means something good happened.

Creative chaos. Sound familiar?

This is how I get back into studio mode.

When I don’t know what I’m doing, how something will turn out, or even what it might become… I know I’m on the right track.

I’m leaning into uncertainty, chance, surprise and play.

I’ve always loved experimenting with techniques — even back when I was a printed textile designer. But tight deadlines and getting to the finish line meant those experiments couldn’t always go as far as I wanted.

Now I don’t rush the ideas. I let the experiments breathe. And that’s what’s happening here.

That shift really clicked for me when I first took the @art2life_world CVP course six years ago — learning to trust the process and keep playing.

CVP 2026 is open again.
If you’re thinking about joining, there’s a link in my bio under my photo. It’s a life changer!

Watch this space to see what happens next…
I haven’t a clue yet — apart from discovering some beautiful textures on different surfaces, inspired by the details I see around our historic town.

Trust the process is the mantra!! Okay??

So this was disappointing!!

Back to grey skies here in the Uk so somehow darker colours felt more appropriate.
But nice to be back into a little sketch book after our Oz travels and a studio break.
I so enjoyed just playing with papers, mono prints and following my intuition.
No expectations but the best mind set to be in.
Hoping to get out more Spring colours tomorrow! 💚

Watch this for a playful studio day!

Honestly, the best bit isn’t the tape-and-peel (though that reveal is always something to look forward to!)

It’s making it with a friend. I needed to get back into some playful studio time after being away so very grateful to be back in @jackie.cheetham fab studio making moving paint around again.

Good chats, messy marks, shared tools,mediums and collage papers.

Encouraging each other through the “this is terrible” phase and focussing in on the parts that we liked and are working.

Then the ‘ trust the process bit’ where we peel the tape off and hope for the best!

Long way to go… but a few little squares are already whispering possibilities!!

Isn’t this the best way to play?

I needed to do this!

Today was such a joy with the sun pouring through the windows of my studio.

It made finishing these mixed media pieces that I made before we went away such a pleasure.

These quiet, golden studio moments… everything feels a little easier with a few rays!

So with a bit of buffing and a satisfying clunk when they fit perfectly into the beautiful hand crafted St Ives made by @trescollstudio frames these mixed media pieces were a delight to finish in this light.

And they are exhibition ready for upcoming shows happening soon. Follow along for updates. Who else enjoyed sun today in the northern hemisphere?!

Little moments like this matter don’t you think?

Happy days!

Lovely days spent with other artists, talking about the same things but from different perspectives that being a creative on opposite sides of the world determines.
Studio tours, sunshine, fabulous meals, art galleries and the kind of conversations that remind you why you make art in the first place.

Grateful for these moments and these people. And virtual connections that become real.
Isn’t that a wonderful thing?

Feeling very grateful and humbled today!

So excited to be part of this exhibition that opens today with @lsaleicester — thank you @kevan_porter for the sneak peek and massive thanks to @printmaker_jayseabrook for transporting my paintings to Leicester gallery & museum as we were already on the other side of the world by then. I love how supportive we artists are!

Counting down to seeing it in real life when we are back and welcoming visitors on 14th March as part of the Meet and Greet team and proudly showing visitors what a fantastic exhibition this is.

Let me know if you are coming!

Art and life are so beautifully linked…

We’re well into our stay in QLD again and it truly feels like a second home now. I think this must be our 15th trip! That’s what happens when one of your daughters makes it her home, brings up our 3 Aussie grandsons over here and you try to visit every year.

Bus rides, train rides, art galleries, warm evenings with dramatic skies… and yes, the heat and humidity — which we absolutely love after leaving an icy, grey UK behind.

I know it’s not for everyone if you don’t like their summer heat, but for us it means lush landscapes, incredible colours, wildlife, beach life, and that relaxed Queensland vibe.

Precious time with our Aussie family.Time with art friends including @helenjevansart who I met on here and discovered we had loads in common with our English art school backgrounds in Liverpool and Manchester as well as our shared hometown of Darlington back in the UK!! And meeting up for a yearly cuppa with @clairebaines who I used to work with at @dmutextile.design who amazingly now lives 20 mins from where we stay.
Art and life all beautifully tangled up together.

I know I’ll have added a thousand more photos to my camera roll… but I can’t help it! And can you blame me?

Can anyone remember the days when you waited eagerly for your 36 photos to arrive back from wherever you sent them to be printed, and then invited friends round to look at them!! I tried to explain this to my grandkids the other day but I’m not sure they got it!! 🤣

Very grateful to be here and living and loving it. 😎

Why don’t you try this?

Let randomness lead the way!

When you are away from your studio, you can’t make a mess and there’s a few minutes to spare grab a glue stick, a few receipts, some random collage papers from all kinds of previous existences and just get cutting and sticking.

I found some odd playing cards to give me a limited size to compose my collages on and it was fun just to play with shapes, textures, graphic marks or whatever I could find.

My rule was don’t overthink, if you pick it up use it, it’s just an exercise to flex that creative muscle and it scratches that itch!

And as my mum used to say Variety is the spice of life… an old fashioned saying but so true don’t you think?!

Most people only see the finished exhibition… but heres a little peek into what happens first.

It doesn’t just appear on the wall—here’s the journey my work takes.

Firstly the small matter of creating the work!!!.... but of course thats another story in itself....so after its created frames get made, work secured in them and then they are polished, strings and labels attached, and when the tables aren’t big enough, the floor becomes the workspace.

Every piece is wrapped carefully, ready for its journey to be delivered in perfect condition.

This time, it’s all heading to @tarpeygallery, and I’m so honoured to be asked again to take part.

I’ll be off on a big trip ‘down under’ for the start of this, but I’ll be watching virtually as it all comes together. Huge thanks to @di_guttridge_art for kindly delivering the work—love the way us artists help each other out.

And that’s just my part—over to @luke_tarpey , who always does a beautiful curation job in this gorgeous contemporary gallery and there are of 14 artists involved in this one.

Follow @tarpeygallery and come see Refresh, the first show of the year, for yourself.

Starts February 7th - 22nd March. And of course for those that cant visit the work will be online after the exhibition opens.

Follow @tarpeygallery so you don’t miss this this exciting first show of the year—‘Refresh!’

I kept a single photo of a tree on my noticeboard for over a year. Until the right moment…

A few days ago it came into its own and now this mixed media painting it’s called ‘The forest that holds the night.’

Layers of blue paint and ink, scored lines, printed papers and a moody atmospheric vibe all went into the mix.

I joyfully created this piece which is destined for @northantsrutlandos Spring Show at @lamport_hall on the 7th and 8th , 14th and 15th February.

It’s to coincide with Lamport’s own annual Snowdrop Walk. I can guarantee it will be a lovely exhibition and a sign Spring is on the way.

So we may see less moody greys and more uplifting blues… who is looking forward to Spring?
Update : SOLD

Does anyone else have a carrier bag or two …

full of winter stems and dried up flower heads?

Twisted twigs.
Brittle grasses.
Hollow brown stems going off at odd angles with funny little spiral bits curling around.
Not blooming.
Not pretty.
Left behind.
Overlooked.

I have a few bags full of these things!

Leaning, snapping, twisting—
each one a tiny dance,something that has inspired me to make a mark or a print of some kind.

I have just finished these 3 three little pieces and possibly they will go off for a Spring Show with @northantsrutlandos at Lamport Hall. I’m still deciding what to submit. It will be one of the first shows for 2026.

So this is how it comes about for me.
I’m looking out of the window when a bird lands, tilts its head,and pauses.
I stop, I look, and grab my phone and if I’m very quick and lucky that quiet moment of a little bird
on some winter branches becomes the star of the show, and the catalyst for a new painting.

Sometimes that’s all it takes to get me going.
Does this resonate with you?
Mini in scale, but rich in hidden delight!

Why oh why do I do this?

At the very last minute I decided these frames had to be painted a lovely dark, inky blue… plus a few “tiny” adjustments I just kid myself that are very necessary just to make these paintings better.

There were elements that were just niggling me so I had to have a little sand and get the paint out again.I can’t help it.

Does anyone else do this??
You’d think I’d have learnt by now, but no — it’s always at the 11th hour. Nevertheless, it was strangely satisfying.

Thunder Struck and On Reflection are now ready to go out and party — all dolled up with a fresh coat of varnish - probably the process I like the most as a lot of you know.

A little polish on the dark wooden frames ( which took several coats)!and now they are also smelling lovely and they’re officially exhibition-ready. Deadline in a few days... plenty of time!!

Follow to the end as I’m holding one of them up with a very self-satisfied expression.
It’s the WRONG way up. Silly me….

How can I unlearn habits of a lifetime?? Suggestions in the caption please.

Happy and Healthy 2026 Everyone.

I was going to do the traditional Best Nine but somehow Life got in the way and now it’s a New day and a New Year. Hence you’ve just got this!!

So keeping it simple and just saying how much I value all the Likes ( 35.5k views on this one!!) , comments, banters, help and friendship to all who follow me.

And yes sometimes it’s working big and sometimes tiny. But just working and creating anyway.
New year… same process. Same love for making however it goes.
Wishing you all the best for the year ahead. X

Who knew all these odd scraps would turn into a full deck?

Life, like collages, is better when you play your cards a little weird!

Back into the studio over the last few days, sorting, tidying and decluttering collage papers — not an easy task. I’ve bundled a few of them up into packs, so give me a shout if you’d like one.

But the real purpose of the exercise was to have a proper sort-out, ready for some real work soon. That said, I couldn’t resist, late last night, seeing if I could make something out of these bags of random stuff.

So… what do you get when you combine a postage stamp from California, one featuring the Taj Mahal, a 60s Spirograph brochure (remember those?!), an old music score, lots of random monotype prints, photocopies of peeling paintwork and rusty nails, the insides of envelopes, splodgy marks, and various other odd painted papers too bizarre to mention where they all came from? Well something that can suprise you if nothing else! And keep that creative muscle flexed and ticking over.

So I worked hard, rationalising, culling and pruning and ended up with black recycling rubbish bags of papers too as well as a few collage packs ready to send out if anyone else wanted a go. (£12 each, including UK postage). I now feel a bit more in control as my papers are colour coded in plastic zipped sleeves.

But I also rewarded myself by having a little play on the back of an incomplete pack of Playing cards — just to make sure I could still do this thing, after encouraging others with my collage packs!!!

And I so enjoyed the oddness of it all — embracing the unexpected and the serendipitous, creating visual dialogues between all these found, peculiar things that come together so well because they are so DIFFERENT!

Isn’t that just like life sometimes? A bunch of odd bits and pieces, all different… yet somehow, when we try, we make something brilliant together.

Grab anything that catches your eye, arm yourself with scissors and a glue stick, and — if you can — throw in a few paper punches for some satisfyingly perfect little shapes. No rules, no pressure… just see what happens!

Happy Twimax everyone.

A friend asked me why I like Instagram..... the first thing I said was ‘the connections.’

It’s where conversations start, friendships grow, and you realise you’re not doing this alone.

So here’s a little rewind through my people albums from events this year — starting way back in January in Australia (yes, IG even gave me friends there too!).

If you’re not in these photos, please know I’m still so grateful for you — for the chats, likes, support, tips, encouragement, and random messages that always seem to arrive at the right moment.

People say an artist’s life is lonely, but honestly? I don’t find that at all. There’s always someone here going through something similar, feeling the same things… and somehow we all meet here. Instagram isn’t about showing off—it’s about showing up and linking up. And good things happen.

It also makes me realise how lucky we are to capture these moments so easily from a phone in your pocket and turn them into even more memories to be looked back on in the future.

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and holiday season — however you’re spending it, I hope it’s full of good people, good vibes, and a little bit of magic.

I hadn’t done this for a very long time!

It’s the shortest day of the year as the Winter solstice approaches.

Seizing an hour or so in the studio keeps me connected to the work. It felt a bit odd but what can happen in a very short time with a few inks, a little bleach, china markers, and a sense of adventure felt good.

No hesitation.
No second-guessing.
No forethought.

Just go with the flow.
Then crop out a few squares and let each one find its own voice. Keep on editing but for me that will be another day. Too much to do just now but glad I got a little session in… sound familiar?

Process as practice. Darkness turning toward light.
I’ll be glad when the days start lengthening again don’t you?

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Contemporary Art for your home Original layered artwork full of colour, texture and joyful detail - created to bring warmth and personality into everyday spaces.

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Follow me on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at my studio. Join me for updates on works in progress and newly finished paintings.

Contemporary Art for your home
Original layered artwork full of colour, texture and joyful detail - created to bring warmth and personality into everyday spaces.

Follow me on Instagram
for a behind-the-scenes look at my studio. Join me for updates on works in progress and newly finished paintings.