Ouseburn Open Studios November 2017

This weekend, I opened up my Artist's studio to the public for the annual Ouseburn Open Studios event. The event takes place in a number of creative hubs in the Ouseburn Valley, and is a fantastic opportunity to see inside the private worlds' of artists studios that are normally such a sacred and personal space.

My studio is as colourful and warm as my range - rather than being cool and minimal, it is lively and layered with years of painting, collage and experimental marbling work. 

The studio hosts a range of work. My art has undergone an evolution. Initially, I explored the worlds of fashion and its' imagery: many of my earlier collages have a fun, sprightly look - feminine and fresh. 

During my time at Northumbria University, I experimented primarily with colour, composition and geometry which resulted in abstract, clean images. These served as the basis for my Geometric silk scarf collection. 

Most recently, it has been my marbled work that has inspired the Susi Bellamy Home Collection. I marble using a traditional Florentine technique, in a range of colours, then digitally manipulate the designs to create patterns that can then be printed on a host of products. 

I installed a shelving system on the largest free wall, which allowed me to play and arrange my smaller pieces to create an installation. In my previous life as a fashion editor, it was the skill of curation and not the creation, that I perfected. It is an activity that I do not neglect, even in my current role as a fine artist and interior product designer, as it allows me to identify trends and create capsule collections within collections. 

The Open Studios event is always an opportunity to interact with a new audience, and to share my love of colour and art. It was busy all weekend, and I was happy to sell some of my smaller, experimental pieces to local art lovers!