All posts tagged: artist blog

Pastel sky painting by Emily Louise Heard

Life without Social Media

Published by

Hello May! Some of you may have read my recent posts on Social Media, letting you know I was taking a short break from the platforms to focus on creativity. I’m thinking more and more that social media, whilst a fantastic platform for creatives, can become a little overwhelming and a bit of a distraction from what really matters. So I’m not sure how long I’ll be away, but I know I definitely need some time off.  If you have had similar nagging doubts about Social Media, and it’s impact on your time and energy, I’d love to know. (If you are reading this from Facebook – I’ve got an automatic sharing link set up, I’m not back just yet!) The short time I’ve been away so far has refreshed my mind and given me a whole new sense of focus. Here’s what I’ve been up to … So many new paintings! I’ve had a flurry of creative energy, whilst I have been cleansing my mind from technology. I’ve added all my new pieces to my …

Control the unicorn inside your head

Published by

Finding your flow as an artist is an ever evolving journey. It’s like chasing sunbeams dancing off walls. You can touch them, watch the light reflect off your skin, magical and illuminating. It’s inspiring, distracting, frustrating and like drowning in oxygen all at the same time. There’s a whole wealth of things to create, and your heart wants to express them in so many ways. The trick to being a successful artist and developing your ‘style’ is learning to control the distracted child, entranced by shiny things, trying to play with them all. It’s something I’m still learning, evolving and trying to control. After several years of battling I’m starting to feel like I have a bit more of a grip on the reigns, to lead this frigging art unicorn inside my mind to the place it needs to go. I’m working on a new collection, inspired by and building on a recent 30 day painting challenge I completed. 🦄🎨❤️ You can watch this here: 30 Day Painting Challenge – YouTube

We spend too much time not living

Published by

Art isn’t just about creating, it’s about taking the time to sit and think. To explore ideas in your mind and just be. I don’t think any of us take enough time just to think, or just to be. We spend our lives rushing, chasing, doing, going, working, watching, scrolling… Take time out just to be in your own body, and in your own mind. 🙏

Find your direction

Published by

I’ve literally struggled for YEARS to find a consistent theme to keep in my work. I know I like bright colours and that my work leans towards contemporary impressionism, but to be honest that is about it. The rest of the time I was like a child in a sweet shop running around with glee and distraction by all the bloody beautiful things to paint. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only artist to wrestle with this struggle. Don’t get me wrong, I still sell my work, take commissions, and have solo exhibitions and I’m very happy with the journey I’m on. But I’m even happier to say I think that finally I’m not just skipping along a path I want to follow anymore, but running with purpose. I think this piece is a turning point for me, I’ve never enjoyed painting a piece more and felt so much enthusiasm to create more. I’ve named it Briony, after my sister a she continues to inspire me with her strength and resilience of character after a …

Do what you love

Published by

Art is a journey. A process, an experiment, an expectation of what the next piece will be. It’s full of emotion, self criticism, doubt, hope, joy, apathy, frustration, bliss, shame and pride. Next time you look at a piece of work by an artist, know that you are not just viewing brush marks on a canvas, but fear of failure, judgement, bravery, a labour of love and an undying drive to never stop fighting to do what you love.    

Painting the future – A wedding gift

Published by

  Earlier in the year, I posted that I was working on a secret painting. That painting was commissioned by a customer who wanted to surprise her sister with a unique wedding present. She asked me to paint the bride and groom on their wedding day, before the wedding had actually occurred. So I got out my artistic crystal ball (all artists have one on stand by) and tried my best to paint the future… With the brief of a teal theme, white dress, the venue, and a few Facebook photographs of the couple to work from, I had to try and imagine the scene. The most difficult part was deciding what to paint the bride in. Would she be wearing her hair up or down? Veil or no veil? Big dress? Lacy dress? Ivory, white, diamantes, plain or silk dress?? I really didn’t want to get it catastrophically wrong, so aired on the side of caution, aiming to keep it as simple as possible. Painting a couple I have never met, and creating a scene from …