Here is a quick flick through my sketchbook, with studies made in acrylic, gouache, charcoal, conté crayon, pen, pencil, watercolours and crayons.

In March 2023 I spent a wonderful week on residency with fellow students from Manchester School of Art at  Joya: arte + ecología (AiR), an independent, off-grid, climate-positive art and ecology residency located in the Parque Natural Sierra María–Los Vélez in Almería, Spain. 

I was amazed by the colours of the landscape and the incredible light.

I focused on the landscape, different views in all directions, my paintings becoming more abstract as the week went on. Sunrise, terraced farmland, zoomed-in cropped buildings, even the colours of the concrete mixer and adjacent tarpaulin - there was so much to inspire. The long days in this serene environment gave ample time for painting, walking, contemplating, collaborating and cameraderie. I made lots of work, one painting leading onto another idea; my full sketchbook provided inspiration for subsequent work.