Current projects

It's been a few weeks since my last blog post, so I thought I would quickly update you with news of what I'm up to with my artwork.

I've recently been doing some painting rather than drawing. I'm hoping to design a few greetings cards and postcards to sell in the near future, but unfortunately that won't happen overnight - I'm really excited to get them finished and printed though. I'm planning to produce 2 different sorts of product, one that is very much focused on marine life, and the other on more general styles (the usual florals and what not).

As a quick preview, here is part of one of my floral designs, which will be in a set of three:

I came up with this design after seeing the William Morris Exhibition at Wightwick Manor (see earlier blogpost here), and his designs have certainly had a subtle influence on the overall composition of this card.

Of course, being very conscious of the environment and conservation, I have been exploring ways to produce environmentally friendly cards that have minimum impact and encourage recycling after use.

Aside from this greeting card venture, I'm also planning to return to screen printing, which I've really missed since graduating from university.

All in all, I'm really excited about getting stuck into my art again and hopefully I'll have some great things to show for it!


Caroline

Visiting Wightwick Manor

A little over six months ago I decided that I wanted to start visiting local attractions within my area (see post here). Last Sunday I finally took the time to visit Wightwick Manor just outside Wolverhampton, a National Trust owned property that still has links with the original family. I admit that my main reason for visiting was to use my membership card (which is reasonably priced if you bother to use it, which at that time I hadn't) but I'm now amazed that I hadn't been to Wightwick before! It is a beautiful property that still houses some magnificant art works, including many by William Morris, where his designs continue to be used as intended.

The Manor was built in 1887 by Theodore Mander, a paint and varnish manufacturer based in Wolverhampton who was very influenced by the ideas of writer and critic John Ruskin. The house was designed from this inspiration, showcasing incredible handcrafted woodwork whilst incorporating modern amenities including central heating and electric lighting. Here you can see some of the outer detail on the woodwork:

Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside the property in order to protect the art works, however here are some of the pictures from the guide book:

Drawing Room

Dining Room


The house has many impressive rooms, including the Drawing Room and Dining Room, however my favourite by far was the Great Parlour. This room is huge. When you look at the outside of the property, yes it looks big, but at no point did I imagine that it could house a room this size. It felt more like entering a small church than a sitting room, with it's high ceilings and large, intricate fireplace. I'm sure I am not the only person to have walked over the threshold into that room and wished that it was my house!

I studied the Pre-Raphaelites at University and it was easy to see thier influence in every corner of the manor. I particularly liked Edward Burne-Jones and so I was particularly happy to see his piece 'Love among the Ruins' in the Great Parlour - the detail in this work is beautiful, particularly the fabrics.

Love amongst the Ruins - Edward Burne-Jones (courtesy of Illusions Gallery)

However, the star of the manor is of course William Morris, famous for his designs in fabric, wallpaper and furniture. It is perhaps a disappointment that the family had no known connection with Morris himself or his company Morris & Co., as so many rooms feature his work.

Morris' love of pattern has always appealed to me and was in fact a direct influence on a selection of my GCSE art work in school. Thanks to my visit to Wightwick I am determined to use his work as an influence again, and incorporate it into some of my future compositions.

Overall Wightwick was a fabulous property to visit; as well as the house itself it also has some beautfiully kept gardens attached to it, including a pond, rose garden and orchard.

I had a great day visiting Wightwick Manor - it's very inspirational and a complete gem situated just outside the built up areas of Wolverhampton - most definitely worth a second visit!

If you'd like to find out more about Wightwick Manor, including how to get there, please visit the National Trust website.


Caroline

Returning home and the prospect of employment.

So, I am back from my holiday in Tenerife – it was long overdue and much needed! I have always enjoyed going on holiday, but I have never really understood just how important they are until now. Ever since coming home I have realised just how wound up by day to day life I was, ever consumed by general tasks and to do lists that are never ending. Holidays are important. Just being able to let your mind relax and take a break from everything is a complete luxury – I certainly won’t be leaving it 3 years until the next one!

Here are just a few of my holiday snaps:

Unfortunately I have since had to return to normality, and am faced with new challenges to clog up my brain once more. Whilst my art work is still very much a priority, it is still on the backburner for the moment as job hunting must take precedence. My current employment contract ends in just a few weeks and so I am surrounded by the usual list of job applications and covering letters.

Getting a job should not be this hard. I realise that everyone is struggling right now, such is the state of affairs, but it is, as reported recently, the youth of the country who are suffering the most, and I would even go as far as to say it is graduates who are paying the price.

I am one of many in a generation where going to University was the ‘done’ thing – only a handful of people in my school year chose not to attend university, and it was the same for many across the country. We were told that if you go to University, you will be able to make the most of your future and make yourself stand out amongst other applicants. They were almost right. Whilst a degree does make you stand out amongst applicants to higher level jobs, every other applicant in the top half of the pile has a degree – potentially putting you in the top half of a list of 300 people. So whilst the degree does give you more of an advantage, it isn’t much of one.

‘You lack the relevant experience.’ Something I hear constantly. Just yesterday I ventured around a few recruitment agencies:

‘Whilst your work experience is broad and sounds really good, it just isn’t what our clients are looking for. You would need 3 to 4 years of experience within an office environment in order to be considered.’
Right then…and exactly how do I go about getting that then? Being as I can’t get a job because I don’t have the experience but no one will give me a job so that I can get the experience?

Catch 22 doesn’t even begin to cover it. Whilst I don’t want a job to be the most important aspect of my life, a career is something that helps to shape and define you as a person. This Catch 22 is shaping the lives of the youth today and unfortunately I can’t see it ending anytime soon.
With the number of redundancies being made across the UK, any previous jobs being assigned to graduates are now being taken by those with more experience; they too need the work and so will accept a lower wage, but can offer the employer so much more in return.

Unfortunately for graduates, choices are slim. I myself have built up work experience in positions that I could have gained, had I left school at 16, in order to try to bridge this gap in work experience, and whilst it has paid off in some respects, I am now in a vicious circle of rejection.

From being told that I do not have enough experience to even be considered for an interview, I am faced with the prospect of being over qualified for others. Companies see my degree on my CV and realise I actually have the desire to progress within a career and challenge myself and therefore do not see me as a viable candidate. Graduates are most definitely stuck, as the saying goes, between a rock and a hard place.

If it weren’t such a depressing situation it might actually be amusing. Many times I have seen the look of confusion on a person’s face as I have explained to them that yes, I do have a degree and yes, my job does involve serving in a cafe. As one customer said, ‘So that’s the degree you need to serve a cup of tea! I always wondered!’ As I said, almost amusing.

For me, it is back to the drawing board, more applications, more covering letters. The trick is to stay positive and keep going, a challenge within itself – it’s just a shame that you can’t use it as an example within an interview, because these days, it really does show strength of character…



Caroline

Off in search of new material

I am writing this only a few hours before I leave for the airport on my long awaited holiday to Tenerife. One of the first things to go into my bag was of course my underwater camera and snorkelling equipment, as it is almost unimaginable to me not to take them. I am hoping that I can get some great new photographs to work from and some much needed relaxation time, then as soon as I am back I will be directing a lot of my time towards painting and drawing.

In the last few weeks I have been doing a bit of redecorating (which is still not quite finished) and I now have an area set up purposefully for producing my art. It is incredibly important to have a working area set up that gives you the space to work freely and allows you to work undisturbed in comfort - it will definitely be a nice chnage from working on the kitchen table!

As soon as I am back I will hopefully have some great new photos to upload! See you soon!


Caroline

Quiet of late

I realise I haven't posted a new blog in a long time despite continuously meaning to over the past few months. Time has been flying by over the summer and unfortunately I've been too busy to do much art lately. However, I hope that in the next week or so I will be starting a new painting, and uploading some photographs of a drawing and painting from July.

Updates soon!

A few thoughts on Kindness

I'm back! Firstly I will be starting a new piece this afternoon, so hopefully some new images for you soon! I'm in the mood for some painting so I shall be starting a new canvas, but not sure exactly what I will be painting just yet.

However, the main reason behind this entry is that I want to discuss a topic that has been playing on my mind lately. I wanted to write this probably more for myself but I think that it is something that everyone should think about in regard to their own life.

I have recently started to get back into reading again. I never seem to have the time or inclination to start a new book these days, but being such a huge fan of Derren Brown, I have started his latest book Confessions of a Conjuror. Although I am still reading the book, one chapter so far has really resonated with me. It involves the subject of kindness.

After sharing rather a humorous anecdote involving Hugh Grant, which had me trying desperately hard not to laugh in a train carriage of solemn passengers, Derren acknowledges that during the events of this story he had missed one simple point; that we all gravitate to people with similar character traits to ourselves which then can typically be boiled down to one main quality, an attribute that is 'a pleasure to foster and the greatest pleasure for others to feel in us'. He says that it is the quality missed by generations of self-help books, the most valuable element of character which is most likely to win us friends and influence people.

'The single most valuable human trait, the one quality every schoolchild and adult should be taught to nurture, is, quite simply, kindness.
Kindness. If you prefer compassion. Even benevolence. It is the quality that makes people lovely.'

In an age of self-help books, courses, you name it, Derren is right - all those mantras could be 'swept away' and replaced with the one single sentence 'just be nice'.

Now you may be thinking that this is all very well and good, but how is this really that important? To me, it was Derren's following point that really made me think.

'There are those who are undoubtedly lovely, but lovely to the point of flaccid, vapid futility. They have developed their own wearying addiction to selflessness; cannot themselves receive; feed off the broken; and perhaps even live through a string of abusive relationships as they attract those who exploit them. There are those damaged souls who live out an ostentatious display of masquerading kindness born only from desperate, toxic neediness. Balance is all.'

I generally like to think I am a kind person, perhaps even bordering on the realm of being a pushover (although I don't like to believe this to be the case), but thinking about this paragraph really made me think about events in the past, how I had coped in certain situations and came to realise that whilst I hadn't suffered abusive relationships or hopefully not fed off 'the broken', in the past I haven't always attached myself to the most worthy of people. In the last year or so this definitely has changed and hopefully I am a stronger person for it. Balance is all? Yes it really is. Balancing work and leisure, family and friends - it all seems to be getting so much harder, But in terms of kindness, I would like to think that it is better to be too nice than not nice enough.

I have been called 'lovely' and 'kind' on more than one occasion, in fact just last week during the interval of Derren's Svengali show, whilst in the ladies' queue, a couple of girls ahead of me were discussing how they would go about writing on a sheet of paper as requested of the audience, discussing whether lipstick or eyeliner would be more suitable for the task in hand. Without even thinking I offered them a pen, and in response was called 'a really good person'. This really took me a back - is it really that rare for people to show common courtesy to others that this simple act led to such praise? Perhaps it was only said in passing and just another generic response, such as always saying 'I'm fine/good' to 'how are you?, or 'that's interesting/nice'.

Thinking about this later whilst driving, I realised how different the attitude of a person driving can be to the attitude of that same person on the street. How often do you pull over to allow an oncoming car to pass you whilst driving down a road lined with cars, and receive a 'thank you' gesture from the driver? Quite often. Now think of the same scenario but on foot, how often do you receive a thank you from someone you move out of the way for on the pavement? Not nearly as frequently. I can only come to the conclusion that manners (which are linked to kindness by way of considering others) are taught in driving lessons which are mandatory but not in general life.

Derren ends the chapter by discussing kindness towards other people, suggesting that if we lower our expectations of others, judging people to ludicrously high standards, expecting them to know and understand our desires, we are always going to end up disappointed. We must always remember to keep realistic ideas about our impact upon others, and be aware of 'our tendency to cast them as cameo roles in the fascinating epic of our own lives. This in turn reminds us of the elusively obvious fact that those we meet are already leading lives as complicated as our own'.

Kindness. It is something we all should consider. Each of us has an impact upon the lives of others, whether knowingly or unknowingly, and whilst you shouldn't let this overshadow every choice you make in life, it is something to always consider - taking a few minutes or even seconds out of your day might mean the world to someone else and brighten up their day in turn.

I will continue to read Derren's book Confessions of a Conjuror with eager anticipation. Whilst I write hear with passion about Derren's words and thoughts, so too does he in this book concerning his own idols and his own experiences which make him seem just as normal and self-critical as the average reader. I think it is safe to assume that Derren is a kind and thoughtful person that anyone would gravitate towards, owning those same qualities that he decides are desirable within the best of people.

'Each of us is leading a difficult life, and when we meet people we are seeing only a tiny part of the thinnest veneer of their complex, troubled existences. To practise anything other than kindness towards them, to treat them in any other way save generously, is to quietly deny their humanity'. Derren Brown


For more information about Confessions of a Conjuror, please click here


Caroline

Quick update

Just a quick update as I know it has been a while. I have been very busy the last few weeks starting a couple of new jobs, and unfortunately my drawing has had to take a backseat for the moment. I am hoping to continue work within the next few weeks and I will update you with more photos as I progress.


Caroline

Progress Update: Moray Eel

I haven't updated my blog for a while as I have been working on my most recent drawing of a Dragon Moray Eel.

I chose the Dragon Moray partly because moray eels are one of my favourite animals in the Ocean, but also because it posed a new challenge for me - it is a lot more complicated than any of the drawings I've done so far. Unlike some eels, Dragons have very distinct markings for camouflage purposes, with stripes and spots all over the head and body. Whilst this would be easy to depict using paint, using only black ink combined with pointillism has created quite a challenge.

I started my drawing with a pencil outline in order to mark out the pattern and measure the specific proportions of the animal. Some artists prefer not to use an outline, but you should always go with what works for you as an individual artist.

From here I decided to start with the most distinct part of the eel - the head. The body of the eel has very few distinguishing features (in terms of anatomy) and so it is the head of the eel, with it's sharp teeth and menacing eyes, that hint at the potentially aggressive nature of the animal.

At this point I was finding it quite difficult to make the eel look 3D, so I started to work on the inner mouth. For me this was quite daunting as I knew that if this went wrong it would completely ruin the drawing.

This is the illustration in it's current state; the upper jaw still needs adjusting slightly, particularly to make the teeth stand out against the white background. However, putting in those darker tones has made a lot of difference already, allowing the lighter tones to jump out of the page in contrast to the darker areas. I will continue to work on this piece over the next week, taking photos of the progression, and reworking as required.

Check back soon for the finished piece!


Caroline

A Restaurant Not To Remember

I hadn't planned on using my blog as a space to review eating out experiences, and it won't be a regular event here, but I had to make an exception after visiting the recently opened Chopstix Noodle Bar on New Street in Birmingham. If you live locally you may have seen it on the news a few weeks ago, as it was once one of the buildings destroyed in the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974.

Outside there isn't much to go on apart from a large sign advertising their cheap £4.99 all day all you can eat buffet, which may seem good value but is actually not that much different to others in the area. They also offer a takeaway box for £3.00.

Photo of Chopstix logo on Flyer


Now after working in the customer service industry for several years I know how to give good customer service - it is drummed into you from day one that the customer comes first and this eventually just becomes part of your ethos. The customer service in Chopstix is really REALLY bad. I am not exaggerating when I say this.

Usually when you walk into a restaurant or even a cafe, you receive some sort of greeting or acknowledgement from the members of staff, and they'll usually ask questions, such as how many would you like a table for or what would you like to eat/drink? No. This is not the protocol in Chopstix. Instead you receive a gormless expression and end up having to tentatively ask the questions yourself, and if it weren't for the bright yellow staff t-shirts, you may think you had asked another customer by mistake. Eventually you come to the understanding that you are expected to pay upfront for your food, and from there you are more or less on your own.

Whilst bad customer service does annoy me, I can quite easily ignore it and not let it ruin my day. If only that were the biggest problem.

The food. Wow.

For an all you can eat buffet at £4.99 there is very little choice or variety in the food and don't expect a dessert as offered by most other buffet style restaurants. I am a fussy eater I admit and my first choice was pretty basic, the Lemon Chicken. All I can describe this as is strong Lemon Jelly watered down with soggy bread and a hint of meat. Undeterred, I went for something different...let me say it only got worse with the left over stodgy gravy roast dinner complete with battered chicken pieces and vegetables masquerading as 'BBQ Chicken'. Needless to say I didn't take advantage of the 'all you can eat' offer.

Overall Chopstix was a huge let down - I expected a lot more from a new restaurant in the city centre and whilst the price is attractive, the choice of less than 20 dishes that are basic and inadequate is enough to put me off for the foreseeable future. The staff need to spend less time staring into space and could benefit from a few lessons in how to treat the paying customer.

If you are looking for an all you can eat buffet restaurants in Birmingham, I would instead recommend Big Wok in Chinatown, who offer much more choice and diversity for a cheap price, or the slightly more expensive Dragon BBQ near Five Ways, who not only have variety but also for a small additional cost allow you to cook food at your own BBQ table, so that you can cook to your taste and enjoy this unusual novelty.


I'll be back to my usual art related posts again in the near future; I've started work on a pen and ink drawing of a dragon moray eel - bit more complex than my other drawings so I'll see how that turns out and upload photos of my progress soon!


Caroline

Updates to Website

A quick update:

I've had yet another day of arguments with my website however I have finally managed to upload some images of my art work to the site - there will be more coming soon.

On the site you'll now be able to see some of my illustrations using pen and ink, and also some of my earlier marine prints from the final year of my degree - I plan to upload the photos of my final exhibition pieces later this week.

To see the updated images just click here


Caroline

An Afternoon at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

It is, in my experience, a generally accepted occurence that people rarely visit the tourist attractions that are local to their area, preferring to travel further afield on those precious days off in order to explore and experience something new.

I have recently been researching the various historical, cultural and exciting attractions within my local area, particularly those that are either free or relatively easy on the bank balance, and I have been surprised by how many good days out can be had within such a close distance.

Whilst I am familiar with some of these attractions, whether through prior visits or through local advertising, there are some that I have never really taken full advantage of, such as Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum.

Now as a Fine Art graduate I have of course visited this excellent local gallery before on several occasions - it would be practically unacceptable if I hadn't - but with it being more or less on my doorstep, I was surprised to find that it had so much more to offer than I had previously realised. The gallery is currently being renovated and updated, leaving one gallery off limits for the present, but there is still plenty more to see beyond this and you will find their is something for all the family to enjoy.

The rooms within the gallery are laid out more or less in chronological order, showing the progression of art through the centuries, not just through paintings but through sculptures and furnishings, and it is likely that at some point through your journey around the gallery you will find at least one familiar name amongst the artists, such as Rossetti, Holman-Hunt or Madox Brown.

As you walk around the gallery you will find entertaining activities for children (and certain adults who should know better, such as myself) if you are attending with your family, with jigsaw puzzles of art works to complete, musical instruments to listen to and even a drawing corner, all of which will make your experience more enjoyable.

The particular area that I had never visited before was the World Cultures section, which includes an Egyptian exhibit with several mummies and their x-rays as well as artefacts and information about the Gods to name but a few. This room can be found on the top floor of the gallery and is probably one of my favourites (now that I have actually been there and learnt of it's existence!).

Another must see is of course the Staffordshire Hoard, found just outside Walsall only a few years ago. Even now the finds are still being cleaned and examined and so the exhibition is continuously being updated as this progresses. It is great to see that so many amazing items have survived the centuries and yet remain in such good condition - it will be great to see them again once the conservation process is complete.

There are occasionally exhibitions available that do come at an extra cost, currently being The Poetry of Drawing: Pre-Raphaelite Designs, Studies and Watercolours, which is the largest staged survey of the Pre-Raphaelite drawings and watercolours ever conducted. This however will come at the extra price of £5/6 for adults, £2 for children and runs until May 15th 2011.

Overall I had a great afternoon at the gallery; it was easy to appreciate the creative atmosphere that the whole building embodies. The Midlands in my opinion is not known for it's creative side, so it is really wonderful to have all these great art works easily accessible within the centre of town and free for anyone who wishes to view them.

If you do wish to attend the gallery, check out their website for full details about how to get there, opening times and possible closures up until 2012 whilst the building renovations continue, as well as up and coming exhibitions.

You can find more details about Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, or other associated properties at the following website:

Birmingham Museums and Art Galleries


In the coming weeks I will be continuing my quest to explore more local attractions, branching out into the National Trust and the properties that they have to offer, including Moseley Old Hall and Wightwick Manor.


Caroline

Amazing Animals!

Just thought I'd write a quick note about this video I recently watched about the incredible structures ants are capable of building underground. It's an amazing short video to watch (even if I have somehow gained an irrational phobia of bronchioli shaped objects) and well worth a view!







I also just read this article from treehugger.com about a new area off the coast of Costa Rica that is now a protected conservation zone for animals including Hammerhead Sharks, Whale Sharks and Leatherback Turtles. This will definitely play a large role in the reversal of their depleted populations and is an excellent move by the Costa Rican Government! -



Cocos Island New Shark and Sea Turtle Refuge


Caroline

Slowly Making Progress!

After a lot of arguing with Photoshop and a hell of a lot of patience I have finally managed to update the home page of my website, which you can now see in all it's glory! Just copy the link below, or click the link to the right! -


Caroline Wills Art

Although this is only a small step towards the overall website being complete, it will give me a basis to work from and improve upon over the coming weeks.

My next task will be to upload my art work to Flickr, incorporating all my favourite pieces that I have produced to date. I am hoping to have different sections for each type of work, including drawings, photographs and prints.

Check back soon for more updates!!

Caroline

*UPDATE* If when you view the site the words are running over the images on the front page, please just zoom in/out to adjust. I will try to resolve this problem.

Drawing Jellyfish

When I was planning to do a pen and ink drawing of a jellyfish I knew it was going to be a much harder challenge than if I were to use paint due to the translucent quality of the animal. With paint you have the added option of colour, which can be used to build up the layers and create that essential 3D effect with relative ease. With only a nib and some black ink however, this is a very hard effect to achieve as I was soon to find out.

It's taken a few days but I finally finished the drawing last night - you can judge for yourself whether you think I have achieved my goal but for a first attempt I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

Over the next few days I plan to work on my website, building up the content and including different sections for my art work so keep checking back for further updates!

Caroline

Save the Dolphins!

And the whales of course!

Last night I attended a charity pub quiz organised by some of my friends at the National Sea Life Centre, Birmingham all in aid of WDCS - the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

It was great to see so many people turn up for this great cause - it was just one event of many that are being organised to raise a total of at least £1000.

Earlier in the month the organisers participated in a charity abseil - a feat in itself when at least one of the party happens to freak out at being a metre off the ground, let alone abseiling down the side of a cliff face!!

After 7 exciting rounds that covered topics including history and science, as well as a bonus caption competition round, the winning team 'Chow down on my Clam' collected their prize of a £20 bar tab, with the runners up receiving a mixture of wine and cuddly toys.

Everyone had a great night, but there are still plenty more events ahead in order to raise the remaining funds for that £1000 goal. If you would like to donate to this cause you can now do so through JustGiving, just click the link below!

Sponsor Alan Kwan for WDCS

First Picture: Alan and Becky before the abseil
Second Picture: Alan conquering his fear of heights!

The pain of early mornings

I am most definitely a night owl. Trying to get up early in the morning is one of the hardest things for me to do. This is even more of a challenge during the cold winter months when there aren't even little rays of sunlight shining through your curtains to drag you out of slumber. But thankfully it is now coming up to Spring and the mornings are not as harsh as they have been of late. But like most people I still find early starts a challenge. However I have now decided this needs to change, and I need to find a way to make crawling out a bed a pleasure rather than a curse.

I recently read an entry on a blog called ZenHabits, which is about 'finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives'. This particular blog entry talks about exactly the same problems that I and many others face - how to make early mornings a blessing not a chore.

So in light of this article, here are some of the ways in which I will be changing my early morning wake-up ritual in order to sample the life of the early bird:


1. Keep your alarm clock well out of reach of your bed

In doing so, you will have to get out of bed to turn the alarm off, and by that point you'll already be up - just don't get back in bed!


2. Go to bed earlier than normal

Going to bed just 15 minutes earlier than normal may not make that much difference at first, however if continually practiced, those late nights will slowly turn into early ones, making the early morning hours seem a
lot more bareable!


3. Have a good reason to get up early.

Having a reason to get up will give you more inclination to follow through with waking up and starting the day earlier. Making this reason like an added reward might even make the morning more appealing!


4. Do not rationalise!

Don't give yourself time to rationalise why it will be ok to go back to sleep for just 5 more minutes - theyll soon turn into an hour!


These are the 4 things that I am going to be doing to make my mornings easier, but there are many other pointers on ZenHabits that I will definitely be incorporating into my daily routine in future, and hopefully I will be far more appreciative of the time I have.

Link to the ZenHabits blog entry:

10 Benefits of rising early and how to do it!

Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Blogs, Websites and more!

It's been a while since I set this blog up, and until now I haven't had any real use for it. It was intended for me to use as a basis to put my art work out on to the Internet, and that still is a plan for the future, but at the time I had no idea how to start the process of doing this.

Since then I have focused my art work on creating pieces that portray marine life using a variety of mediums, and I intend to use this blog partly as a journal for myself, but also where I can update you on the progress of any pieces I am working on, and integrate the blog with my website (which is currently still a work in progress) and other social media platforms.

It's going to take a while to get everything set up as I would like, but fingers crossed I can work everything out in the next few weeks.