I published my first ever first blog post on 14 February 2018 and, having been published posts continuously ever since over the last two years, the commitment is now an integral part of my art practice. In that time I’ve had to learn to find words to describe my art and ideas, where I’m usually more used to producing art to describe my words and ideas.

It’s satisfying to look back over this period to see a collection of articles reflect my artistic endeavours including places and themes, artists I admire, exhibitions that I’ve visited, tools of the trade etc. It’s nice come full circle and write a short reflection on the blog experience itself.

Keeping within parameters

When I set up my blog I initially posted fortnightly on a Wednesday, then later monthly. There have been a few late nights staying up to complete posts on time but the discipline of getting them done on schedule has kept me producing and publishing blogs regularly, even if I’ve felt tired or struggled to find inspiration. I always aim to write within a 500 word limit, which is ideal for the scope of writing that I’m trying to achieve, but it also presents a challenge in being succinct. I’ve taken inspiration from the BBC’s long serving but now defunct teletext service Ceefax (1974-2012) which used very short paragraphs to convey news stories in a concise and economical way.

My favourite blog posts

I believe that each of the articles that I’ve written are unique but there are some that I’m particularly proud of in terms of meticulous research, clarity of thought or just simple enjoyment. A night in the museum with Frida Kahlo (21 November 2018) was written right after a visiting a night time exhibition of the famous Mexican artist’s work and life at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Though Kahlo is not necessarily a great influence on my own artwork I did receive much insight into her creative process. The experience was both insightful and unsettling in equal measure, which made the subsequent blog memorable to write. London’s second river (25 April 2018) was a blog about the often overlooked River Lea in London, a waterway in the less ‘touristy’ areas of the capital, a place of of discovery and mystery, qualities that I look for when painting.

Keeping them coming

When I initially started writing my blog posts a good friend gave me valuable feedback regarding the writing style of my work and my ability to convey my artistic raison d'être. He once quipped that I might eventually run out of steam in terms of topics to cover. I responded, however, by casting my artistic net wide, sometimes in spontaneously inspired ways; for example I used my experience of eye surgery in December 2019 to write a post about famous artists with similar eye ailments. Many other posts were also written ‘off the cuff’ such as the time when I chanced to visit a fine art postcard exhibition at British Museum after another exhibition that I had intended to visit had been sold out (see Art is on a postcard 26 June 2019).

I feel that I have only scratched the surface regarding writing blogs. Thirty four articles is a nice sum but I’m looking forward to publishing the next thirty four!