“We were put here on Earth to act as agents of the infinite, to bring into existence that which is not yet, but which will be through us“
Steven Pressfield
I am inspired by history, sculpture, patterns and shapes in the natural world, and to capture this spirit and essence through watercolour.
I was born and grew up in Essex, spending my teenage years living opposite a windmill.
I was introduced to Art at 7 when I was put in a class of special needs kids in the corner of the playground at junior school. Amazingly, our form teacher was also an Art teacher! So our days were spent mucking around with paint, clay, paper, and glue. I was very lucky! Many of my classmates (me included) shouldn’t have been put in this class and some went on to university. It was a blessing that our teacher was so inspirational and introduced me to arts and crafts.
I am self-taught having abandoned any thought of an Art career after I left school. I took up art again 35 years later after going through a period of stress and anxiety. A friend encouraged me to paint as a way of dealing with it. I dug out a box of paints that had been languishing in a cupboard for years and spent a Saturday afternoon painting at the kitchen table and 12 years later here I am telling you about it.
I can honestly say, hand on heart that when I’ve finished my painting session in my kitchen ‘Studio’, if I ask myself “So Wendy, can you remember what you were thinking about when you were painting?” The answer nearly always is “I wasn’t thinking about anything, at all”.
Competitions
Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year – Stowe 2016 – I was given a Wildcard Entry
SAA Artist of the Year 2020 – My Artwork ‘Florence Street Corner’ reached the final stages of the judging and was given a commendation
Exhibitions
- SAA Postcard Exhibition to Celebrate the End of Word War 1 – 2018
- Salon Des Refusee – Margate 2019
- Hyde Hall Art Exhibition – 2019
Art is very important to me, because I have to really focus on what I am doing. I am using my hands and therefore can’t sit there and ruminate about ‘stuff’ at the same time. It’s a great way to cope with stress and anxiety.
I believe that there is a spirit and essence in everything and I am on a journey to capture this in my paintings. When this spirit is captured I feel lifted up, inspired and in a state of bliss.
I first experienced this blissful feeling when I visited Florence with my sisters. I discovered the statues outside the Uffizi Gallery. One in particular caught my eye and I was transfixed by his face. I could have stood there for hours. It was like meeting a real person. The look in his eyes was incredible, full of personality and intelligence. Art did that! An artist made that happen!
This essence and spirit binds us all together. Anyone who steps off a train when arriving in London will feel the spirit of the city immediately. It’s the spirit of London which ensured it’s survival after the Great Fire of London in 1066, and the Blitz in WW2. Some Lanes and Alleys in London are over 1,000 years old and refuse to be built over, so the building contractors have to keep them! This spirit remains in its ancient artefacts and buildings.
I am sure you will have at some point visited an historical building and picked up on the spirit of the place, or maybe sensed something about it. Some people are tuned into this vibration more than others of course. I’ve had a few experiences like this which have been quite profound.
Warmest Regards
Wendy x