Artist Review / / Vanessa Bowman

I am thrilled to be able to share some inspirational art and design with you every Tuesday morning as Rachael's 'Art and Creative Writer'. This week, I'm featuring the lovely paintings of Vanessa Bowman. 

Vanessa is a contemporary artist working in oils and often taking still lives as her subject matter. She graduated from Winchester School of Art with a first class honours degree in Printed Textiles in 1993 and has won many awards for her work, including the Daler Rowney Young Artist of the Year.

She has a wonderful gift for capturing pattern, texture and colour in her paintings which celebrate the 'simple beauty of everyday objects'.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and see you for more inspiration in 2014! Justine x

Artist Review / / Erin Gregory

I am thrilled to be able to share some inspirational art and design with you every Tuesday morning as Rachael's 'Art and Creative Writer'. This week, I'm featuring the floral still lives of Erin Gregory.

Erin is an American oil painter, living in Columbus, GA. She graduated from Auburn University with a BFA in 2000 and has made painting her full time career ever since.

She uses vivid colour and brushwork to capture sunlight and shadow in her work, she also exhibits and  teaches workshops in oil painting. You can find more of her vibrant work on her website, have a wonderful week, Justine x

Artist Review / / Este MacLeod

I am thrilled to be able to share some inspirational art and design with you every Tuesday morning as Rachael's 'Art and Creative Writer'. This week, we're featuring the gorgeous paintings of Este MacLeod.

Este is a British painter and applied artist living in Berkshire. Her paintings often explore simplified, domestic still lives which are subtly distorted into a flattened perspective. She uses complimentary colours, layered paint and a variety of scraping techniques to add texture to her work.

As an Arts Council England advisor, Este promotes art in the community in addition to exhibiting and accepting commissions. You can see more of her work on her website. P.S. many thanks also go to Carolyn Gavin (one of my favourite 'pinners') for alerting me to Este's work through Pinterest. More next week! Justine x