A very special gift from Uncle Noel who visited Germany many years ago. This was so precious that several of the original Cumberland crayons which accompanied it still exit, almost sixty years on.
The roots of my current processes of practice can be traced back to the childhood play which so infuriated my mother. Now I can give myself permission to, ‘fiddle about’, to see where processes lead.
During my childhood, adhesives and good pigments were not available. It was a case of making do with whatever was available or coming up with workable alternatives. The restraints upon availability created opportunities for alternative developments and a respect for
resources. ‘Waste not, want not’, might well be my mantra. Today, many tempting materials surround me, but I cannot abide a wasteful disrespectful approach to being creative.
My processes of practice include using …
Sticks, stems, leaves, flowers, bark, stones, quills, dropped cat’s whiskers … 
… scraps of card, paper, old envelopes, boxes, packaging, pigments … 
… and fabric, are familiar indoor practice materials. Occasionally technical tools (even if they are rather old), are used alongside hand working. All close to hand thanks to a make-do-and-mend mentality.
Around me, the environment often provides unexpected moments of beauty and fascination. They can be transitory. A speedy sketch or camera lens may capture the excitement, but it is good to learn to appreciate the moment for what it is and to allow the senses to explore, discover and dance. This is an important area of personal development and can be especially difficult for an impatient person such as myself.
A frosty morning on a greenhouse pane … 
… a snail travelled this way.
Cameras are essential for my processes of practice. They record processes, the ephemeral, the passage of time and assist in focussing the attention on interesting details, as when light is observed creating diverting effects.
Glass collections appear to trap and reflect light. 
A single glass creates shapes and patterns. 
Plants can be imaged by chemical reactions to the light.
Whilst a painter will set out specifically to produce a painting, more often than not I will not have a method or an outcome in mind. The processes and materials with which I work, are of an interest in themselves and can lead and determine the outcome, whatever that might be.
Processes of practice involve experimentation to test out constraints. There may be construction …
Building up a maquette to explore movement. 
Solid structures constructed from flimsy packaging.
… drawing, painting, printing, wetting, drying, shaping, fitting,
knitting, knotting, sewing, threading, weaving, cutting, twisting, tearing, manipulating, pressing, placing, touching,
observing, listening, smelling, tasting, recording, preserving, conserving … and waiting,
waiting,
waiting,
always there is waiting.
Adhesives were never available in childhood and so the challenge of attaching surfaces without them is nothing new, but always interesting.
Gesso can produce different substrates depending upon how it is employed. It isa useful material to use for process experimentation. 
Making dressing up dolls with clothing inspired by the garden arose from recollecting the occasional gifts from a cousin’s magazine, The Bunty.
I might be drawn to inspect pencil shavings, a once fragrant, blush coloured crab apple found on a glorious Autumn afternoon walk or the stiff and uncomfortable apron, covered with splashes and smears of gesso from so many little creative adventures. Devising means of seeing them, viewing them in a manner which pleases and intrigues the eye (even if this is non-permanent), is the nature of my practice.
Having practiced as an individual, working with others and creating process challenges for them has provided new dialogical experiences. I looked at the experience of eating (a personal favourite), memory sharing and used a favourite artwork to explore possible historical occurrences in a relevant context.
Which drinking vessel should you choose? Does your choice make a difference to the experience? 
What should you do if you’re offered a plate of packages which are labelled with ‘eat me’? 
Discussing supportive emotions arising from recalled events or objects. 
Should we recall good memories to sustain us in our old age? 
Reliving possible events in their historical context. 
Recounting stories to the walls to imaginie their history.
A shared experience was devised to generate playfulness, something which can all too often be lacking in the adult world.
Instructions: “Allan likes splendid clothes. 
Use these scraps to create something special for him … 
… in 15 minutes!”
My processes of practice can involve a range of sensory experiences. The outcomes may be tangible, stable, environment dependent, ephemeral, individual or shared. There may be an outcome in the form of a painting, drawing, photographic image, print, model, structure, sculpture, an installation, a sound or video recording but the processes of practice and their refining to satisfy the senses, takes precedence over the production of an item which is immediately recognisable as a conventional piece of artwork.
A sister website mapped the MA experience at Aberystwyth University, School of Art.
This can be found at
