Exhibition at the seat of the Sultan

When Ottoman Sultans attended ritual prayer at an Imperial Mosque, they performed their namaz (prayers) from a raised, gilded loge, an ornately screened religious equivalent of a theatrical Royal Box. These loges (Hünkar mahfili) led back into a secret first … Continued

Standen House

My visit to Standen House was the result of happy chance and coincidence. Flying in to Gatwick, I had researched places of interest en route to the south coast and on a whim we decided to swing past and take … Continued

Pursuing the unattainable or journeying home?

When I was studying literature at university we came across the mythological story of Tantalus. It’s a pretty horrific tale containing many twists and turns (he steals the secrets of the gods and boils his own son for starters…). But … Continued

When You Hate What You’ve Done (Part 2)

You will remember that when I finally saw the fired, finished panel that had taken me months to complete… I hated it! But why such a negative reaction? Last post I talked about time as a reason for my reaction. But … Continued

When You Hate What You’ve Done (Part 1)

A couple of weeks ago now I finally got to see the fired and finished panel that had taken me, all told, about 6 months to complete… and I hated it! After so much expectation and waiting and determination to … Continued

The Legacy of a Lifetime

Last summer I stayed in the beautiful house of some dear friends in England. They are an elderly couple and their home bursts at the seams with drawings, paintings, sculpture, books, pottery… and much of the art is their own. … Continued

Celebrating 1 year of Intentionality

Around this time last year I had a significant inner moment of realisation (or something…bear with me) that completely altered my attitude about work and life. Eyes closed, music on, my mind wandered and I pictured myself being shown round … Continued

Trip to İznik (back in 2011)

Before I started at Poppy’s workshop, I used to attend local council run painting classes. Back in 2011 we had a trip to the home of çini, İznik. Here’s my account of the trip: As an end of term treat, … Continued