A month of exhibitions and seaside trips..

Hello friends,

How are we nearly midthorugh July?June flew by for me!

I’m excited to be able to show you a new oil painting I’ve just finished, focused on an insanely vibrant sunset down in St Just, Cornwall. I’m still thinking of a name for it- Any suggestions out there would be welcomed! The next step will be for it to go to my framers, to complete the look and then it will be listed on the website for sale. At the moment though I’m enjoying having it hanging in my living room for a bit :)

It’s been a really busy time, with 2 exhibitions running at the same time during June. One in the gorgeous town of Nailsworth at the Hobbs House Bakery and the other in the Cirencester Information centre.

Hobbs House is a gorgeous, light and bright space and I think my pictures really popped on their white walls! I put up a mixture of framed prints and a couple of my watercolour and sea salt originals ~ Namely ‘Candy Floss Skies’, ‘Glorious’ and ‘Turquoise’.

The month whizzed by and last week I took everything back down. I had some wonderful comments from people and lots of traffic to the website, so it was an exhibition worth doing! I hope some of you enjoyed taking a look if you were in the area :)

*Hobbs House Bakery~ Nailsworth

My other exhibition is currently hanging at the Cirencester Information centre based on the ground floor of Bingham House in the Market Place. An absolute mine of information and should definitely be the first port of call for anyone visiting the town. Do pop in and take a look at my work on the walls. ‘Sunset Showdown’ original is there, along with ‘Cornish Blues’ original and some beautiful framed prints.

Cirencester Information Centre

For the latter part of June I was based in Norfolk, in the little village of Winterton on Sea. This is where my grandfather, Peter Rowles Chapman lives (and where I grew up!). He’s a spectacular artist, with a studio in the garden filled with dreamy Norfolk oil paintings alongside absolutely wacky (and sometime terrifying!) creations dreamt up from his imaginations. He really is the most creative person I know, always tinkering away at something new! If you are ever in the area, his studio is open most days and he loves taking people round on tours! He’s well known for his tattooed camper van that sits on the lane opposite his house- Fabulous!

The stuff of dreams and nightmares!

Gramps hard at work, tinkering away at a new creation.

I spent lots of time painting with him, listening very hard to his helpful suggestions and criticisms and I learnt such a lot. I feel very lucky to have such a mentor :).

Of course I also spent as much time as I could walking on the glorious coastline whilst I was in Norfolk too, taking lots of photos to help guide a series of paintings for the future. As the landscape is so flat , the skies seem huge and create a wonderful composition.

Stormy clouds over Winterton beach in June 2024.

My focus for the rest of July has been on pet portraits commissions as well as working on a first for me..an oil painting of Cirencester! It’s been on my to do list for a very long time, so I’m excited to finally be making a start on this- watch this space!

I’ll be at a makers market at the Bibury village hall on the 14th July, as well as at the Cornhall in Cirencester on the 22nd July- Pop by and say hi :)

I feel you are all now well and truly caught up, so toodles until next time!

Charlotte x

2 Weeks painting in St Ives = Happy me :)

It’s only been 6 weeks since my last trip down to Cornwall (Where I was based near Mousehole and the wilds of Lands End) but my itchy feet have won and I’m back down in my favourite place, St Ives, for a 2 week working holiday.

The glorious light here is just immense and so inspirational and exciting for artists. My first week Ive been wandering the cobbled streets, admiring the multiple art galleries here and seeking inspiration from other established artist’s work. My most admired artist at the moment is Neil Pinkett; His ability to paint light is spectacular. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Cornwall Contemporary gallery in Penzance and meet Neil, during an exhibition of his. What a feast for the eyes! The gallery itself is a beauty, with multiple floors of Cornish artwork. I could easily spend a day there just admiring everything.

*Setting off to Porthmeor beach for a morning of sketching and painting en plain air = big ol’ grin on my face!

My second week was spent sketching and painting en plain air, capturing some inspiration to take back home with me. Finished 2 nice little watercolour pieces which I’ll use as references for when I get back to the studio and can work in oils. I like working outside, as it teaches me to work quickly and to try and only capture the real defining features of a scene.

All in all, its been a wonderful 2 weeks by the sea, and I feel recharged and ready to create!

March madness!

Hello lovely people!

March has been a BUSY one! Ive been selling my work at quite a few art markets, alongside working on a big new oil painting (It’s going to be my most colourful YET!). My most exciting news is that 4 (yes 4!) of my original paintings have sold- ‘South West Coast Path Dreaming’, ‘Cornish Gem’, ‘Cotswold Winter’ and ‘January Breeze’. I’m over the moon that they are now hung in their new homes, all over the country.

Buying a piece of original art really is special- You can see every brush stroke, the true vibrancy of the paint, and know that the piece hanging on your wall is completely one of a kind. I’m so grateful to my customers and thankful to have the opportunity to paint things that people love and want to keep for themselves forever.

*Cornish Gem- original painting

Im feeling happy happy happy! :) Here’s to a successful rest of March!

My first blog— Eeee :)

I’ve been meaning to have a regular blog for a good while, as a way of documenting my progress as an artist and so finally here we are! You’re welcome to join me on this wild ol’ ride!

The run up to Christmas 2023 was very busy with craft markets (a first for me!). these markets were a brilliant opportunity to launch myself and my brand out into the world and so I made some fancy flyers to display next to my work. I’ve gone for a clean neutral look (quite different to my actual bright colourful artwork!) and made sure im not covered in paint for once! Smart hey?! :)

Now that we are well and truly into 2024, I’ve been setting myself monthly goals to help me focus and ensure that I split enough time between marketing/selling and actually painting/creating (my favourite part!). I found it a tricky balance last year. Mondays are market stall days, where I sell my artwork locally in Cirencester (come and say hello to me at the Cornhall market if you’re in the area!), Wednesdays have become my admin days (broken up by lovely stomps with Sybil the dog at lunchtime of course) and then the rest of the time I try to focus on creating.

Weekly art market in Cirencester at the Cornwall.

January and the beginning of February have been taken up by a very exciting oil commission, which I can’t wait to share with you all. It was particularly detailed piece, with gorgeous colours that really pop! A run of very limited edition prints of this will be available soon- Watch this space! Tomorrow I’ll be taking it to the framers and then it’ll be posted off to it’s happy owner!

Right, time to sign off, make a cuppa and crack on with a huge acrylic snow scene I’ve just started- exciting!

x