Another year has passed by quickly, and as we enter the year ahead, it's time for us to look back on the year, look forward, and make plans for 2023.

Northumberland Landscape Paintings

Even though our gallery is located near the coast and I'm well-known for my coastal paintings, last year I thoroughly enjoyed taking a different approach by researching and creating some fresh Northumberland landscape paintings. Walks up to the Simonside Hills and along Hadrian's Wall to Sycamore Gap have given me an abundance of new inspiration to celebrate all that is great in the North East.

One of the best parts of my job is putting on my walking boots, grabbing my sketchbook, and gathering inspiration from our glorious region. I’m passionate about experiencing a place for myself—to see it, feel it, love it, and capture it in my sketchbook.

‘Collectors Club’ original paintings 

Last year I painted 56 new original pieces of art, with many selling within a couple of weeks to my growing family of collectors. We created a ‘Collectors Club’ for friends of the gallery who are super keen to hear about my latest paintings and want to be in with a chance of snapping up my newest paintings first. 

We decided to move in this direction after the covid pandemic paused our ability to host in person preview evenings, and with my audience growing across the country, it makes my work accessible to those near and far! BUT we do miss our little gatherings, so we are not totally  ruling them out for 2023.

Northumberland Coastal Path

Staying coastal Ross and I walked half of the Northumberland Coastal Path and are looking forward to completing it in 2023. So far we have walked from Cresswell to Craster, completing it in stages passing by Amble, Warkworth and Alnmouth sketching along the way.

I’ve expanded my Northumberland Blue skies panoramic series with new paintings of Coquet Island and added to my harbour range with a vibrant painting of Amble harbour. 

Small Business Sunday Winner

We were honoured to be chosen as a Small Business Sunday winner this year by former Dragon Theo Paphitis. This recognition of our art gallery and our dedication to running a successful family business in the North East gave us a lot of encouragement. The first few years at the gallery have been a rollercoaster with the pandemic and the current energy crisis, but we appreciate the support of our devoted customers and are eager to continue to create and interact with you through my art. In 2023, Ross and I plan to attend the #SBS conference in order to meet the man himself and all of the other incredible small businesses that are preserving the high street.  

Read more on my Small Business Sunday BLOG post

Cullercoats Community & Local Lifeboat

Cullercoats is our business home and holds a very special place in our hearts. We were delighted to support two local ventures once again. Firstly, I was delighted to donate my image of ‘Safely Home’ to be reproduced on the local Cullercoats RNLI charity Christmas cards, raising much needed funds for the local lifeboat. Secondly, we had a great time supporting and participating in the wonderful Cullercoats Community Advent Trail. We love the community spirit and creativity that this event brings to the area, engaging us all in one glorious art trail!

The Creative Path into 2023

The beginning of a new year is a time for us to reflect, assess, plan and dream up some new ideas for the year ahead. Ross looks at the statistics, spreadsheets, and numbers while I look at what has made my heart sing creatively and the connections I have made with the region and with you, my customers through my painting. Together we somehow make this work as a business!

To keep up to date with my creative journey you can follow me on social media. Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and you can also join my family of collectors and subscribe to my newsletter. Sign up on the homepage of my website.