Wow it’s nearly here!!
Banks Mill Studios open studios is back for 2021.

The whole building is a hive of activity with preparations to showcase Derby’s creative hub with so many unique things to see & take home!

There’s street food & sweet treats too!

I’m on the 1st floor this time & I do hope to see you! Please see the opening times on the pic.

There’s always something exciting happening in The Derbyshire Makers creative community that I am proud to be part of.

We will be hosting The Derbyshire Makers Christmas Pop UP Gallery & Shop in The Gatehouse at Haddon Hall from the 3rd to 23rd December from 10am until 4pm every day.

I’ll be there from 10th to 16th for info.

Haddon Hall is going to be open and it looks absolutely stunning decorated for the festive season so if you’re visiting during those few weeks, don’t forget to pop in to see us.

So this happened !!!
My huge 4ft x 3ft painting of Major Mercury has been sold, but until now, it’s been top secret.

A few weeks ago I was contacted out of the blue by a wonderful kind hearted lady to discuss purchasing the painting to donate to the breeders of Mercury aka Celt. The lady is a lover of horses & the household cavalry. She loves to photograph them in all their glory & felt the impact of Celt loss

As you can imagine Dyfed Shire Horse Farm were extremely upset by the untimely passing of Celt & it felt so right that the painting should go to where it would be loved, appreciated & be pride of place to commemorate him.

So myself & the generous benefactor came to an arrangement & the exciting surprise was put into motion :)) The painting was collected by specialist art couriers from Banks Mill Studios & then a week later it was delivered safely ( phew 😅) to South Wales on Monday 22nd November.

As you imagine it came as a huge surprise for Huw & Mark at Dyfed, in fact they were both lost for words.
The feeling of joy at doing this for them cannot be put into words to be honest, for both myself & the mystery lady :))

The painting has gone home, where it belongs. I couldn’t have wished for better 🙂

My diary for pet portraiture commissions is now fully booked for 2021. It’s going to be a busy few weeks pre Christmas. 🎄

I’m now taking bookings for my 2022 diary. So if there is a significant date such as a birthday/anniversary/wedding etc then I’d suggest getting in touch to grab your slot.

To secure a slot I take 1/3 of the total cost as a deposit & then the remainder is paid prior to handover.

Please message me if you have any questions

The 4th September marked 3 years in business as an artist at Banks Mill Studios – my goodness it has flown by! It’s been an amazing journey so far, filled with making an impact on people & charities with my artworks.

And what better occasion to share with you this amazing letter I received last week from Her Majesty “The Queen” herself!

Yes you read right! I wrote her a letter a few weeks ago to share with her my journey & some of my artworks. Especially the painting of her favourite military horse “Mercury” who she named & met on several occasions. She would have been sad at the news of his passing.

I was so shocked when a letter with the postmark from Balmoral landed on my doormat at home. I’m still pinching myself & will treasure it forever.

Wow !! I can’t believe we are into July & approaching the school summer holidays! What a year it’s been but it also feels like time is flying by!

If you are like me & have been mulling a purchase over or needing to get a gift organised then now is your chance.

I’m offering free postage this month on orders over twenty pounds on my website , plus you can combine it with my mailing list sign up discount which gives you 15% off your first order.

This also applies to ORIGINAL ARTWORKS!

So go on treat yourself- you deserve it after the last 18 months we’ve had!

It’s been a busy few days of enquiries & deposits being paid to grab slots in my diary! So here is the up to date info on my availability

For more info & to get booked into my diary, you can either message me on here or give me a call to chat it through.

Ps Sorry about the mention of Christmas!

I am proud to announce that I have been specially selected by a leading animal charity to help celebrate its 135th Anniversary.

The Horse Trust, which provides retirement and respite care for horses and ponies that served in the police and military, has commissioned myself to create a portrait of three of its most famous horses.

The ‘Horse Trust Legends’ artwork, features the heads of three famous horses from the charity’s history. The late Sefton, a British Army horse, who served for 17 years and survived the Hyde park bombings has been honoured within the piece. Met Police horse, Boris – who was awarded the PDSA’s order of Merit for showing outstanding bravery during the Tottenham riots – and Viscount, the longest serving military horse in history, has also been included.

Now that the painting has been unveiled, the artwork has been made into limited edition prints signed by myself. There will be 250 of the prints available, available in both A4 and A3, with 100% of the profits being donated to the charity.

Follow this link to the Horse Trust Website

The beautifully framed original artwork is available on my website with 25% of profits also being donated to the Horse Trust. You can find it in my online shop