Life is busy and I have finally made it to my studio this week to do some creative work. Weeks ago I decided I would cut a spare sheet of MDF board, which had been cluttering up our garage, into painting supports. The preparation of boards as supports is a drawn out process. Owen first had to cut the sheet into the numerous sizes I wanted. I then had to sand edges, then coat surfaces with a sealer. Then it was time for two coats of gesso, including edges. They were finally ready to paint on!

This new series of work on boards is called 'Nostalgia'. Inspired by my recent vintage finds and treasures you have seen on the Inspiration Table. I wish to conjure a sense of a by gone era....perhaps memories from our past.

Here is a photo of the very early base layers...

There are many more layers to go before these pieces will be finished. More updates to follow.

And now I need to let the ink dry before I continue to work on them.....I have learnt from experience that it pays to be patient!

Sue x

My studio is a sunroom at the front of our house. Three of the walls have large windows and one end is an open doorway. It is a very light filled space. Working areas are at a premium and need to flow, so to help with the creative chaos I decided I needed an actual 'inspiration table'.

So here it is....a retro beauty straight from the sixties with a metal frame and glass top, perfect for my studio space and inspiration table.

I spied it on the pavement outside my favourite vintage shop. Thank you Vanessa from Two Squirrels Vintage!

And the contents this week are more vintage finds....

The old lace doily I could use as a stencil or possibly incorporate pieces into my work. I love the soft vintage colours and texture of the ceramic dish, and the blue & white pattern on the old biscuit tin...a good starting place for colour inspiration. The book on the young Queen Elizabeth ll contains stunning black and white photo's of this iconic female from the 1950's....possibly great content for backgrounds or a whole theme/series of its own!

Now to go and apply all this inspiration in the studio.

Sue x