Art & Life Blog

Watercolour tutorials, art therapy insights, ADHD creative journey, and stories from my studio in South London

All Posts Art & Process (5) Art & Wellbeing (1) Art Stories & Inspiration (6) Art Therapy (10) Art Tutorials (1) Artist Insights (1) Behind the Scenes (15) Botanical Art (1) Collections & Inspiration (1) Collectors (2) Color & Psychology (1) Commissions (3) Events (1) Landscapes (6) Local Heritage (1) Mindfulness (1) Nature & Wellbeing (1) News & Milestones (1) Seasonal Offers & Collections (1) Techniques (1) Urban Landscapes (1) Urban Nature (1) Workshops (1)

Art Therapy

Five Surrey Landscapes That Help Me Reset (And Why I Keep Painting Them)

As an artist with ADHD, certain places in Surrey have a particular power to quiet the noise in my head. Here are the five landscapes I return to again and again — and what happens to me when I paint them.

16 March 2026

6 min read

Art Therapy

Watercolour Painting as Art Therapy for ADHD: How I Found Calm in Colour

Living with ADHD means your brain rarely stops. Watercolour painting taught me something no medication ever did: how to be fully present in a single moment. Here is what I have learned about art as therapy — and why it works.

16 March 2026

6 min read

Landscapes

Painting in the Rain — How British Weather Makes Better Watercolours

Most watercolour artists dread overcast skies. I actively seek them out. Here's why British rain and grey light are the best conditions for painting landscapes — and how I work outdoors whatever the weather.

16 March 2026

6 min read

Behind the Scenes

My Studio Practice — A Day in the Life of a Watercolour Artist

What does a working watercolour artist actually do all day? Here's an honest account of my studio practice — from the morning walk that starts every painting day to the editing, admin, and occasional chaos that surrounds the quiet act of making work.

16 March 2026

7 min read

Behind the Scenes

How to Choose the Right Watercolour Paper

Paper is not a neutral surface. It is a collaborator — and choosing the wrong one is the single most common reason beginner watercolours go wrong. Here is everything I have learned about watercolour paper after twenty years of painting.

16 March 2026

7 min read

Commissions

What Makes a Good Commission Brief

You know what you want painted. But how do you describe it to an artist? A well-written commission brief is the difference between getting the painting you imagined and getting something that misses the mark. Here is how to write one that works.

16 March 2026

7 min read

Behind the Scenes

Watercolour for Beginners — Where to Start

You do not need much to start painting with watercolours. You need less than you think, and you need to understand a few things before you waste money on the wrong materials. Here is an honest starting guide from a working artist.

16 March 2026

6 min read

Art Therapy

Why I Paint Landscapes Not Portraits

Almost every artist who has seen my work asks the same question sooner or later: why landscapes? Why not portraits, which command higher prices and wider public interest? The answer is more honest than strategic — and it says something about what painting does for me.

16 March 2026

6 min read

Art Therapy

How Watercolour Helps With Anxiety

Anxiety and ADHD are frequent travelling companions. For years I managed mine with varying degrees of success — and then I found watercolour. This is a personal account of what painting does to my nervous system, and why I think it might help yours too.

16 March 2026

7 min read

Behind the Scenes

My Favourite Watercolour Brushes (And Why I Own Very Few)

Most watercolour tutorials will tell you to invest in good brushes. Fair enough. What they rarely tell you is how few you actually need — and that owning fewer, better brushes produces better painting than a drawer full of mediocre ones. Here are the five brushes I actually use.

16 March 2026

7 min read

Landscapes

Plein Air vs Studio Painting — What the Landscape Teaches You Outdoors

Both plein air and studio painting have their place in a landscape practice — but they teach different things, produce different work, and demand different versions of the same painter. After years of doing both, here is what I have learned from each.

16 March 2026

7 min read

News & Milestones

Hope In Bloom — Selected for The Salvation Army Easter Campaign 2026

My watercolour Hope In Bloom has been selected by The Salvation Army UK to appear on their 2026 Easter donation thank-you card, with 600,000 cards distributed nationwide. 25% of every sale from my website goes to The Salvation Army UK.

13 March 2026

2 min read

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