The Art, The Decor and The Countryside

Art competitions have been a great way of expanding my reach into the world and I am lucky enough to have been selected for a local exhibition twice in the last two years.

The finishing touches to any interior design work or renovation project is the home decor; dressing your home with artwork, photos, ornaments and plants. But choosing what art to buy and what size can be overwhelming, which is why I’ve created this free guide for you. Subjects You may have come onto this blog page because you are pondering over a particular print on my website. Therefore, your gut is already telling you what subjects you feel connected to. However, if you are still a bit stuck on which one to choose, you could ask yourself these questions: What reminds you of home? What colours make you feel relaxed and at peace? What subject have you always loved and would never get bored of? Art is about an emotional connection; you want your wall art to reflect how you would feel in your own home. If you want a calm a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere, choose a subject that will evoke this emotion in you. You also need to enjoy the art. There is no point in buying a print that you will get bored of very quickly!                Styles Now you know what subjects you would connect with, think about the style of artwork. Minimalist My minimalist drawings have a white background, allowing the focus to be solely on the subject. Minimalist prints can provide a clean, modern feel. White backgrounds work well in any space as the white background provides a neutral boundary between the art and your walls. Bright and bold Bright and bold art can create a statement piece, a focal point in your home decor. You can tie in elements of your interior design to the prints you choose that have colour backgrounds. Sometimes a piece of artwork is what you need to bring a room cohesively together. Bright and bold can still be calming - warm earthy hues such as an orange background can have two impacts depending on your mood. If you're in the need for a bit of calm, orange can feel like a sunset, winding down for the day but if you need a pick me up, the orange can remind you of Summer. Contemporary Contemporary art can take on many forms. In my range of art, the most contemporary pieces are my Nosy Ponies which could be classed as quirky or humorous. These pieces are a contemporary take on traditional realism art. Sizes You know what subjects you like and what style would suit your decor tastes, now it’s time to choose a size. Before you buy a print, have a think about where you’d like it to go as this will determine what size you choose. There is no rule about where you can put art in your home, but here are some ideas to try that you might not have thought about before: a child’s bedroom in a bathroom a ‘nook’ in the home, such as a reading corner in the hallway utility room in an office space A4 Print The smallest and most affordable option is an A4 print (210 x 297mm). This print should be placed either: as part of a gallery wall in a small cluster of home decor in a small room such as a downstairs toilet DO  Pair an A4 print with other home decor (either on a wall or on a shelf). Use them to create a gallery wall. DON’T Hang it as a standalone print with too much negative space around the frame. TOP TIP: Buy an A3 frame that sits an A4 print inside. The mount and frame will make the art look bigger.   A3 Print A3 prints (297 x 420mm) are a great way of going bigger when you have less space. A3 prints are a better option as standalone artwork, but you still need to style accordingly watching the amount of negative (empty) space that sits around the print. DO Create an alternating symmetrical gallery wall with A3 and A4 prints together. Place them on smaller walls as a standalone print (such as in a bathroom). DON’T Hang it as a standalone print on a large wall without other elements. TOP TIP: An A3 print can also look great on a shelf. Mix it with plants, lamps or ornaments.     A2 Print An A2 print (420 x 594mm) can create a real impact in your home and bring the interior design of a whole room together. This size should primarily be used as a standalone or statement piece of art. Suggestive places to hang would be above a sofa, a fireplace, a bed, dining table or at the end of a corridor. DO Hang above a bed, fireplace, dining table or sofa. Use this as a statement standalone piece. DON’T Underestimate the size of an A2 print. Once you add a frame it can get really big (depending on the thickness of the frame). TOP TIP: Take an A2 print to a framers or order a custom frame from EasyFrame.     Final Word Thank you for reading this guide, I hope you found it useful. Buying artwork is really fun and most of the time, the art will stay with you for life and be passed down to the next generation in years to come. That’s why choosing art should be done selectively.  

Ever wandered what a 'Nosy Pony' is? My signature style of horse drawing, where the nose is the most prominent feature, has increased in popularity in the last 2 years because of the cheeky and playful way your horses can be captured through art. Every horse owner understands the velvety softness and the smell of... I can't describe it in words. But if you know, you know!

2024 was the first year I exhibited at The Game Fair, which was held in the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Not only was this the first outdoor exhibition I had attended as a business, but it was the first exhibition after quitting my teaching job, so it felt like there was a lot riding on this event. Quitting my teaching job This had been my dream for a long time and I never really knew when I'd go for it and hand my notice in, but it just felt right at the end of May. Whilst it is a huge risk and leap from my steady teaching career, I knew it was something I needed to do. I've always wanted my own business and to be my own boss - but I'm not sure I would have necessarily found myself becoming a full time artist if I hadn't first become an art teacher. I'm a strong believer in everything in life happens for a reason and I truly believe my decision to quit this year was the path laid out for me. Why the Game Fair? I knew that I wanted to focus on targeting a smaller niche of customer and move away from pet portraits. This year I rebranded myself as an equestrian and countryside artist, focusing on British countryside pursuits and field sports. The Game Fair felt like the perfect opportunity for me to reach a new target audience. My 'game' plan Being a rookie exhibitor at this event, I wasn't too sure what would be popular, so I essentially took everything (products, commissions, originals). My other target was to get lots of emails (which I'd failed to do at The National Equine Show earlier in the year). I also wanted the look of my stand to really stand out and brand my business in a way that people would recognise at future events. One slight disadvantage for me was my location. The Game Fair was so huge and vast, the footfall was really low in my area. Other exhibitors found this too but that was completely out of my control so I had to focus on the things that were in my control. The weekend! It was 3 days of sunshine, sore feet, lots of talking and dogs! My favourite moments were when a few attendees found my stand and recognised me from social media, which shows that online presence is very important. Chatting to potential customers about my art and how I could create artwork of their dogs felt really good. I did a live drawing whilst I was there too, which helped pull people in. Sadly I didn't finish it, which was one of my lessons learnt from the weekend. Overall, I had so much fun and made a great friend in my next door neighbour Josh, who runs Northern Log Cabins.  What defines 'success'? My sales were much lower than I expected over the whole of the weekend and it's hard to judge exactly why. However, being a brand new business to a lot of people, not everyone will be willing to part with their money until you've built the trust up. My husband always says to me 'control the controllables'. Therefore every person that came to my stand, I had a chat with and got their email address. Over the course of the weekend, I ended up with 80 email address. After the weekend, I emailed each person individually and got a handful of responses back with people asking to book in a commission. At the point of writing this blog, I am nearly full up for 2024 already! So, what defines success? Ideally, I would have made a lot more money in sales at the event but I still consider the weekend successful. Not only have a made the cost of the stand back in commissions, but at least 80 people now know my brand. They are potential customers waiting in the wings which I now need to nurture and turn into customers.  Lessons learnt I like to reflect and will always think about what I've learnt from every experience. Here are a few things I learnt from The Game Fair, which I will change about my experience next time: 1) Lots of attendees will come for more than one day. I need to put a strategy in place to encourage people I speak to to come back (such as a live drawing). 2) Live drawing. The live drawing that I did, really helped to pull people in, but the downside was that it was really big and I hadn't started it before hand. I think people interested would have liked to have seen something finished so next time I will either start one so it gets finished, or do something a bit smaller (should help to bring people back to my stand too). 3) Print more business cards and leaflets! Towards the end of the weekend, I completely ran out. Considering I had low footfall, when I am in a better location I'm sure I will need more (perhaps 300 next time!). 2025 I will be back to The Game Fair in 2025, with a better stand and more beautiful artwork! Hope to see you there x

If you and your husband or wife like to celebrate wedding anniversaries then it is really fun to follow along with the traditional anniversary gifts. Whether to stick to the exact material or offer a tenuous link, here are some ideas for you to try… 1st Anniversary: Paper Look no further! Georgie’s commissions are all created on paper as she is a colour pencil artist. Spoil your partner with a bespoke piece of artwork for your 1st paper wedding anniversary. 2nd Anniversary: Cotton You’ve been married for two years, maybe you’ve moved house, renovated or built a new life somewhere. Georgie’s cushion covers are made of cotton so the perfect anniversary gift that you can both enjoy. Alternatively, these tea towels are made from 100% cotton too, perfect for the kitchen. 3rd Anniversary: Leather Ooh okay, a bit of a tenuous link here but did you know Georgie can draw realistic drawings of leather and other objects as well as animals? Failing that, a saddle or bridle for a horse lover would do… 8th Anniversary: Pottery or Bronze 8 years strong! Maybe you’ve welcomed a new arrival into your home by now with a tendency to break a few things, so it’s probably time to refresh your mug cupboard? 12th Anniversary: Silk or Linen Georgie’s tote bags are made from heavyweight linen and are the perfect unique gift for a linen anniversary 1st Anniversary: Paper 2nd Anniversary: Cotton 3rd Anniversary: Leather 4th Anniversary: Fruit or Flowers 5th Anniversary: Wood 6th Anniversary: Candy or Iron 7th Anniversary: Wool or Copper 8th Anniversary: Pottery or Bronze 9th Anniversary: Willow or Pottery 10th Anniversary: Tin or Aluminum 15th Anniversary: Crystal 20th Anniversary: China 25th Anniversary: Silver 30th Anniversary: Pearls 35th Anniversary: Coral 40th Anniversary: Ruby 45th Anniversary: Sapphire 50th Anniversary: Gold 55th Anniversary: Emerald 60th Anniversary: Diamond