I have been exploring mythical concepts of transitions and the collective unconscious for several years now. 

At the start of this year, 2025, I felt a strong urge not just to paint nature and elevate it into art, but to go further — to draw the viewer into the magical world we inhabit, yet so carelessly destroy. 

I wanted to create something gentle, beautiful, and affirmative as a counterpoint to the constant stream of negative imagery we face. For this, I enlisted the help of fairies and my imagination - with a little bit of inspiration too.

I began by sketching from Cicely Mary Barker’s work in a concertina sketchbook, then drew from life — a flower arrangement — and wove the fairies into it. Then I used my sketches of girls studying ballet (I spent 6 years painting in a local ballet studio, you can see some of my work from then here) and changed them into fairies. 

Away with the Fairies, water colour and ink on Silvretta paper, 50 x 70cm

Fairyland, water colour and ink on Silvretta paper, 50 x 70cm

And because it was such a beautiful spring, I really needed to paint in my garden... 

The Garden of Life, water colour, ink on Fabriano paper, 80 x 100cm

Down by the Pond, water colour (including artemis plant colour), ink on Canson paper, 50 x 65cm

While in my studio this appeared on my canvas....

In the Circle, oil on canvas, 60 x 60cm

I kept being drawn deeper and deeper into the magical and mystical... 

Home, oil on Arches paper, 31 x 41cm

I am enjoying the process so much I can't seem to stop!

Between, oil on Arches paper, 31 x 41cm
Inspired by my sketches from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria

Aphrodite goes into the Underworld, oil on Arches paper, 31 x41cm
Inspired by my sketches from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria

 

What do you think of this new development? Write to me and let me know!