It is with enormous delight that I can say that I have been selected to exhibit alongside some of the most skilled seascape painters at this year’s RSMA Annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries. I have so enjoyed visiting the Mall on many occasions over the years and have always been inspired by the incredible variety and skill displayed by the various artists, many of whom are members of the notable societies managed by the British Federation of Artists. It’s such a privilege.

I have never shown work there before. Why? Well I can only say that I have been truly fortunate to have had brilliant support from both clients, collectors and gallery owners and my work has been sent straight off to be displayed in the various galleries that have represented me over the years. My time was always finely balanced between painting, finding inspiration, liaising with galleries, looking at art and tutoring too and that was pretty much how my time was filled.

My working pattern has completely changed since moving up to Suffolk, largely because my husband Stephen and I find ourselves in a caring role for both my aged parents. We are fortunate that we now live together in a house with annex in a beautiful corner of the East Anglian countryside and where Stephen and I also have a great studio set up just a few footsteps away from the house. I now spend most of my time there, in between caring duties, painting as much as possible every single day; it’s my island of calm. Our movements have been significantly limited over the last 4 years, overnight stays are tricky for example, so my studio productivity has gone up enormously, whilst other parts of my artistic endeavours have reduced slightly. I have been delighted to dust off my oil paints after many years, again, as I have more drying time factored in to my practise, as well as continuing to work collaboratively with Stephen and printmaking. Whilst being so fortunate to immerse myself in producing paints, drawings and prints too, I have been acutely aware that the other elements of art practice, that I once did without thought, can’t be left to one side. It’s like a three legged stool; one leg of course is your artistic output, one is finding fresh inspiration and the other is getting out there and finding your audience. I guess that I have been balancing on one leg for a while!

With that firmly in mind, I decided to enter the RSMA this year. I realised as soon as I pressed the submit button for my 2 oils pictured above, how much I wanted to be a part of the exhibition, showing my work with everything crossed, next to such a wealth of talent. That was July… and as time approached to login for the result, I felt some anxiousness as to what the result would be, in fact in all honesty, my hand was trembling. I was blown away that both had been instantly accepted. Just amazing. I have been walking with an extra spring in my step since and am so looking forward to a long overdue trip down to London to deliver work, attend the exhibition and meet some of the RSMA members at the PV too.

If you are visiting London, the show runs from Thursday 21st September to Saturday 30 September 2023, and is open from 10am to 5pm