This page is a journal of my year with AGORA , a group of us associated with Newlyn School of Art spending a year Mentoring on Tour, starting in Newlyn School of Art, then the Phoenix Art Space in Brighton, then the Arnolfini in Bristol and ending the year in September with an exhibition in the Treemenheere Sculpture Gardens in Penzance.

The intention is in response to requests to learn about how I move from initial ideas to develop those ideas, and ultimately make some ‘finished’ work.. hopefully all this helps, as well as focussing my own understanding of my practice

‘When a woman whispers her fears to her ancestors, a thousand grandmothers answer her call’

Old family photos haunt me, I have no idea who they are, other than they are my family, my ancestors. These lost faces feed my practice, I create stories as I work with their photos, making a connection to those who have gone before me. My art is deeply personal, these photos are my only link to my family, and I find drawing painting and stitching, mainly large scale pieces, brings me a sense of my place in the world, even if it is mainly brought from my imagination

Sketches made from the photos, and a zigzagbook created. I thought I was going to work in just sepia tones, but my need for colour got the better of me. This forms the basis from which to work this year.

‘Mentoring on Tour’ is a new program run by Newlyn School of Art with two lead tutors and up to six tutors all together at any session. the two lead tutors are

Jesse Leroy Smith, www.jesseleroysmith.com @jesseleroy66

and Kate Jones www.daisylaing.co.uk @daisylaing @wharfside_art_hub

I have chosen to write this like a blog… so i will put the newest information first… because otherwise the viewer would have to scroll miles to read the newest stories

SECOND SESSION February 2026

AGORA has now moved on, to the Phoenix Art Space in Brighton.. the same format, but a large white wall gallery, very different feel. but lovely to recognise everyone from the first session

We were asked to bring 1 large piece or up to 6 small, to display in the gallery , and friday morning was spent with the team trying to fit us all in.

The tutors involved with this session and who gave the crits, tutorials and general discourse, apart from the lead tutors are

Kate Reeves Edwards @cuturalcapitalarts

Neil Pavey @neilpavey

Veronica Slater @slater.veronica

Jacques Nimki @jacquesnimki

Lucianna Whittle @luciannawhittle

Paulina Zorge @an_zorge.studio @theadelaidesalon

First evening a public event, ticketed but free.. there were three lectures/conversations led by Jesse, with the visiting audience

The artists in conversation were

Lucy Day, director of the Phoenix @lucydayherethere

David Shrigley @davidshrigley

Veronica Slater @slater.veronica

The conversations on friday evening led by Jesse Leroy Smith were, as always, excellent …it was full house and a livey audience as always… I particularly related to Veronica’s conversation , and sorry not to have had a one to one tutorial with her..

ARTISTS STATEMENT The beginning session for me focussed on my artists statement… talking to Kate Reeves Edwards.. it was a really useful session , with Kate asking relevant questions for me to answer… she wrote copious notes, although to date, I haven’t had any feedback

The GROUP CRIT with Jesse gave me several pointers .. simple ideas that i hadnt thought of myself! general feeling is that the transparent pieces were more successful than the fabric pieces made from the domesic cloths

The transparency work is trying to show my ancestors who are no longer with us, so an intengible set of drawings… the black line drawings are probably too obvious… if I want lost faces they should be lost! so why not try white drawings on white fabric?

Jesse looked at the back of my fabric pieces.. this gave a much more abstract result, so i might investigate this… it is so valuable for opinions of non textile artists , a fresh look , I think we textile people just keep doing what is ‘normal’ without enquiring enough .. these crits help enormously

ONE TO ONE TUTORIAL with Jacques Nimki.. another view of my work, let’s see these large! he pointed out that some elements of this body of work is very important to me but maybe not to the audience… the fact they are drawings of unknown people from my past is probably irrelevant to the viewer even thoughit is paramount to me … so try and see through the eyes of independent audience.. if the text is not really meant to be read, and is there as pattern, play with scale.. maybe handwrite a phrase huge! make a low tonal variation for the absence…

THINK TANK with Neil Pavey.. I am afraid I still dont quite get this part of the sessions.. it is supposed to be a discussion of what happens after this year, but, I have no idea where my work is going to go.. I am busy developing my current ideas, and dont have a clue what is going to happen next… i guess I will go down the exhibiting route while I am still teaching, and then I definitely want to do some residencies, and I have been given lots of advice on achieving these

BACK IN THE STUDIO, lots to think about .. and a variety of things to try..

‘I would love to take a step back in time and take a walk with my mother just one more time’

I intend to make some large faces on transparent fabric, might use Contrado for printing

make some white on white drawings and get those printed on large sheer fabric too

I would like to make white on white stitched pieces too, so I do have a stitched piece

make a series of small square faces on gesso’d canvas with faces stitched

finally I am determined to make a head out of waxed tissue with my drawings providing the features

This is the work that will go forward to the third session at the arnolfini in Bristol in May

FIRST SESSION November 2025

Well, the first session has arrived, a bit like a first day at school… a whole new group of artists to work with, although there are five of us who completed studio practice last year… this is a new program and there are 21 of us, painters, textiles, sculptors all mediums really and i am pleased to say a mixture of ages too.. located in Newlyn School of Art.

AGORA, an important meeting place for exchange of ideas. credited as the birthplace of democracy, where philosophers first debated and discussed those concepts

The three days consists of each of us having one to one tutorials, group crits and a think tank session

The tutors involved with this session and who gave the crits, tutorials and general discourse, apart from the lead tutors are

Marie Claire Hamon @marieclairehamon

Andrew Litten @andrew_litten_artist

Laura Porter @laurakporter @studio.kind

Jessica Cooper @jessicacooperdesign

Jonathan Michael Ray @jonathanmichaelray

Dan Pyne @danpyneartist

First evening a public event, ticketed but free.. each of us hung a small display of our current work. then in the evening there were three lectures/conversations led by Jesse, with the visiting audience

The artists in conversation were

Chelsey Pettyjohn @hideousthings

Todd @atodd.art

Jonathan Michael Ray @jonathanmichaelray

My tutorial with Laura Porter. Laura very quickly understood my focus for my work.

She gave me some very helpful suggestions, mainy to bring my celtic heritage into the work with my ancestors, even though i dont know the people in my family albums, I do know that they were either Welsh or Scottish…. imagery? text?… lots to consider

To be more considerd with my colour palette, particularly with my textile pieces

We also talked about my quest for more residencies, and she gave me lots of websites to look at… I would think I should start with Wales and Scotland to immerse myself in my cultural background, and re-acquaint myself with my childhood memories

Group Crit with Marie Claire Hamon

The group was invited to comment about my work and what they thought I had in mind

Interesting comments from the group, and quite astute observations

I think the comments were typical of a first session , and hopefully the group understanding will increase as the year progresses

Most people picked up on the sentiment in my current work, but were surprisedit was about my own ancestors.

I talked about my work , and how I got to where I am currently, but didnt get to talk about my intentions for taking the work further

Kate Jones lead the think tank sessions, discussing where or work will go after this year, plans, aspirations, future projects, residencies etc, this will continue throughout the year.. and provide continuity going forward

I must admit I didn’t quite understand the intention of the think tank .. this first session was a lot of finding out about each other, and more of a discussion about the program

Looking forward to seeing how this part of the program develops. Currently my intention is to work with some transparency, given that i am trying to use photos of people who are no longer here, possibly move into 3 dimensions, and possibly some animation to bring my ancestors to life, and create my own stories about how their lives might have been.

Back in the Studio

‘Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we might win, by fearing to attempt’ , have courage to attempt this Unknown

Thinking to use text combined with the faces, starting with Dylan Thomas

‘ Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day, rage, rage against the dying of the light ……’

Although this relates to my Welsh background, i am also mindful of the ageing process, and time passing..

i also tried colour

How do I link this to my textile practice…

I have tried two ideas here

I stitched in black on gesso’d canvas and in grey on gesso’d canvas, but neither sample is working for me at the moment… I will let that idea rest in the background for now

Transparency… I am working with old family photos, ancestors who are no longer here, so I have the idea of making transparent work.. i have experimented with using different wet strength tissues.. and then waxing for more transparency.

Writing on one side and drawing the faces on the other, means you can see through and view from either side.. then waxing the paper

trying cartridge paper

introducing colour on cartridge paper and waxing that

this is the work that i will go forward to the second session with in Brighton.

I will add session two to the top of this post so you dont have to scroll through so much to read it … i will add subsequent sessions at the top as well