30 January 2024

For me, I started thinking about all of this last year and researched how to make my own paints and sourcing pigments and other materials.

What is my practice?  I’m not 100% sure how to define myself as an artist/creative.  I know I love painting and drawing, photography and ceramics.  I also know that I am inspired by nature and love being outdoors, even more so since I’ve been a tinnitus sufferer.  It’s one of the few places the tinnitus subsides into the background and I have a small respite.  When I’m indoors it echoes.

My lifelong passion is horses.  Over the decades as a rider and owner, I’ve noticed how the changes to lifestyles and environments around them have impacted their care and changed how we look after them.  Nice quiet roads and sprawling countryside are difficult to find as our population grows and the urban areas spread.  The ripple effect on our environment is barely perceptible day to day but on reflection over decades are easy to see.

I used to hack for miles on roads to reach off road riding, now those roads aren’t as safe so we load the horses onto the lorry or trailer, and we drive 10 minutes to the beach or safe off road riding.  Chicken and egg situation, to enjoy the beauty of nature we do something that has a negative impact on nature.

It’s the same with art, we wish to recreate beauty in some way and share it with others, whilst following practices that are harmful to the environment that inspires us.

Being aware of our how we practice as creatives and the wider impact.

Reduce waste in my own practice

Recycle materials and other items where I can

Repurpose found items

Buy from sources that follow the same ethics with regards to sustainability where possible.