art

Sensory Cyanotypes

eco photography, Environment, photography workshops

I’ve always been interested in the overlap between the senses – sight, hearing, smell… . Many years ago I wrote a dissertation about Synaesthesia in Theatre and TV. I knew as a director that if you bombard the eyes with red for example, you will get a visceral response from your audience. I’ve always believed there are subliminal connections between for example colour and sound. For me a Middle C note is royal blue and always has been. After all, light and sound are just different types of waves, and colours and pitches are different frequencies.

Rosemary cyanotypes

When I work with ultraviolet light in my cyanotype printing I am very aware that the optimal frequency is 365nm. I can see the effects of sun, and all manner of clouds of the final print – I work with the weather to get the precise results I am after … I can control contrast and colour by harnessing the elements in the same way a farmer does to maximise his yield. This week I have noticed that my freckles start forming when UV breaches a certain point, I can literally feel them forming on my skin – no need for a light meter!

Pic of my mozzie bite and freckles

And that brings me to the connection between Earth, Body and Spirit, one that I fear we are losing in today’s concrete jungles. I’ve worked with city kids who have never touched a growing plant and don’t know where supermarket veg comes from beyond the plastic tray. When I lost my senses of smell and taste for years after Covid, the world felt a very 2-dimensional place. I felt detached, like I was living in a simulation of reality, a character in a computer game. When my senses returned I felt euphoric, and determined to never take these senses for granted again. I found out about the charity Fifth Sense who help people with smell/taste disorders and I did their training and now volunteer for them, to help raise awareness.

On the day that my sense of smell returned I happened to be picking rosemary at the John Evelyn Garden in Deptford. So this is where we are running an informal workshop on Fri 16 May 2025 2.30-4pm. Suitable for anyone wanting to explore the senses and nature, and to get hands-on with plants and make a cyanotype print with sunlight. We will be continuing the discussions of sensory perception then. Details on how to book a free place here

Deptford X & other buses

photography

Since Lockdown work has been like buses, nothing for ages and then 3 projects at once. I always love Deptford X Festival as it interacts with my local community, but it was a lot of work this year because all work had to be outdoors. Artists had to find their own outdoor spaces, and I was walking down Deptford High Street in the pouring rain one day, and knocked on the door of a new bar (many places were still closed at this stage of lockdown). The venue (Badger Badger) were very hospitable and have allowed me to hang my work outside , and in the windows, and on the roof !

Now more than ever I see the value of physical art in a physical space like a street, and one that isn’t just a ticketed ‘art prison’.

My “Day 59” exhibition includes images from my Lockdown Diary in Cyanotype (book still in production!) and more responses to my thoughts on historic plagues. My work will come down at about 10pm on Sunday 18th July.

The opening event I held was online due to restrictions but it was quite a happening ! I gave a talk and demo but I then wanted to discuss pandemics in general , and we looked at the historic Plague Doctor. Having engaged the services of actor Ian Crosson, I was able to get a real Plague Doctor to join the Zoom and read my script that was based on my historic and scientific research.

I have my 1st in-person Cyanotype Workshop of the year planned on Friday 23rd July in Woolwich. Only £15 and a great opportunity to make some lovely blueprints in the midday sunlight. I am also planning a Process-A-Film Workshop for Fri 13 August – I am not sure if there will be interest in that but it can certainly save you a lot of money in the lab !

The other new project I am working on involves more mermaids – watch this space !

New – Online Shop!

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UPDATE : My online art sales are now closed as work was sold out, and galleries are re-opening. I am working towards 3 real life exhibitions. Get in touch for commissions.

With exhibitions cancelled this year, I am listing some recent works for sale online. These would make unique Christmas presents. There seems to be a move towards buying local and from small businesses, which is great to see.

I can deliver next day to SE London postcodes, and many items will fine for posting.

I am sometimes commissioned to make artwork that matches interior decor, or to a specific theme. If that is of interest, get in touch for a quote.

New Commission

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I’ve won a commission to produce artworks for 4 lobbies in the new Timberyard buildings on Grove street, Deptford. I am delighted to bring my local knowledge to this project – and I am involving the community in researching Deptford figures past and present.

Working for a large corporation is a world away from doing your own thing as an artist, there are lots of hurdles and demands, sometimes I feel like a very small cog in a big wheel, but I am rising to the challenge. I love the thought that new residents will walk past a slice of Deptford history when they leave the building to head off to work in the City etc.

My proposal included wood collages, paintings, photo collages and huge cyanotypes. So I have my work cut out! Here are some of my activities so far.

  • Cutting backing boards in the shape of the Thames
  • Coppiced logs sourced from Kent
  • Sanding log slices
  • Prototype. Had to go smaller after weight restriction imposed.
  • Deptford past & present
  • Painting and collaging
  • History reseach with stalwarts of Deptford
  • Help from the John Evelyn Garden
  • Collecting fallen branches after the storm
  • Rinsing a branch cyanotype
  • This branch was ripped off by a lorry I reckon
  • Carried a huge branch on the train!
  • Testing paper I coated
  • Good results!
  • Photographing the river
  • Battling with periodic sun, shade and rain for this winter project

How one small postcard can lead to bigger things…

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In 2019 I was asked to decorate a postcard for a charity auction in Dulwich. I painted Edward Alleyn one night (I based it on an old oil painting) with a tiny brush and it sold. A couple of months later, I heard the call out for a local artist to make artworks for a new building in Timberyard reflecting the history of Deptford. Representing figures from the past is hard ! You can’t photograph them! But I really liked the thought that new residents would step out of their modern flats and walk past my pieces, and be reminded of Deptford’s rich past. So I sent a proposal containing portraits of Deptford figures, and photography, and was lucky to be selected. I am now painting more mini portraits onto wood. Moral of the story? Sometimes those charitable deeds reward you later on.

  • My tiny painting of Edward Alleyn. Although he is a renowned as a benefactor and educator, he actually made his money from running houses of ill repute. Hence my modern nod to this, with a fishnet sticking in his hand 😉
  • Note my palettes made from old plastic lids