So, Jo Lavelle, Sarah Malone and myself have been hard at it for the past few months organising this year’s Arts Trail. This year is proving to be quite spectacular. After the success of last year, we have unearthed even more local talented artists willing to open their private spaces and will be making the most of our town’s canals, parks and undiscovered corners as part of the trail.

This year we have more than 50 artists showing their work, will be providing workshops, demonstrations and talks by many of these professionals and have some very exciting special events planned.

We have been delighted by the local support we have received for the event, we have topped 1000 followers on twitter, received grant funding by several Trafford based organisations and are really excited by the messages we receive from visitors planning to attend this year.

I shall be opening my studio again this year and will also have several pieces of my Manchester cityscapes showing in conjunction at the Sale Arts Trail group show at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. I will be showing some new work in my studio as well as offering the opportunity to purchase some old work at very special prices. So come and view my bargain corner!!! (Like Ikea’s… only better…)

The Arts Trail is on over the weekend of the 10-12th July commencing with an open to all group preview at the Sale Waterside on Friday 10th July between 6-9pm where we will be showcasing a piece by each participating artist.

Please make sure you are following us on twitter @saleartstrail, facebook /saleartstrail or our website www.saleartstrail.com for more information.

Can’t wait to see you all over that sunny weekend!!!

All the artists involved in this year’s Sale Arts Trail Christmas Bazaar is making a tree decoration to be raffled in aid of Birds of Paradise Arts www.birdsofparadise.org.uk

These will be shown at the Christmas Bazaar this Sunday 23rd June between 12-7 pm at the function room if the Moorfield Pub in Sale.

It’s another free event and a great opportunity to but original unique handmade gifts direct from the makers.

Hope you can all come along!

Here’s my attempt!!!

I was going through my drawings yesterday getting ready for the Christmas Bazaar and came across some really early mixed media pieces I made of Manchester from 2005. I haven’t looked at them in years but remembered making them. Whilst my work has changed in style since these early studies I really like the looseness and freedom of these images.

I’ve decided to get a couple of them re-mounted and will be selling them at the upcoming Sale Arts Trail Christmas Bazaar for £75 each. So if you like them come and bag a bargain on Sunday 23rd Nov at the Moorfield Pub in Sale. Or email me before then to reserve one.

Some of the images are below but will have new mounts on them before 23rd.

With a week until the arrival of my great friend and gallery owner Arwen, this weekend will be taken over with finishing the paintings of the Gower Peninsula. Can’t wait to see them framed up and on her beautiful new gallery walls. If you’re in Mumbles I highly recommend visiting Arwen and her team at The Gower Gallery on Newton Road. The gallery has just had a major refurb and Arwen has found some excellent new artists and makers to adorn her walls.

What a great weekend. A drawing of The Pev set sail for its new home in Dusseldorf and my painting of Abersoch Sunset was sold and taken to its lovely new home. I also started two new paintings of Manchester. My kind of weekend!

Found this drawing from 2012 in my sketch pad today. It’s a version of a drawing I did for my lovely friend Nicola’s wedding. Brought back some lovely memories of a weekend in London walking through Millbank, bumping into various of her friends and visiting the map room in the Foreign Office. Then we stopped off at The Primrose Bakery on Tavistock Street to pick up fabulous looking fairy cakes for Nicolas dad’s birthday. What a lovely weekend.