The Angel of the Dandelion Clock I received this beautiful message about the Angel in the Dandelion Clock – ‘Some (of your paintings) have an incredible ability to remind me to stay present, and continue to observe what is happening inside myself. Observing the rhythm, feeling the flow, feeling the life. Allowing everything to be….
Tag: alexander technique
Allowing Hands
This drawing is an attempt explain something about the anatomy of the hand in relationship to riding. For those of us who ride English style we have been taught to hold the reins between our fingers where the digits poke out from the webbing of the hand. But there is no joint at this point…
Bum to the Wind!
Weathering the Storm by Kirsten Harris I’ve been thinking about how important it is to to keep a steady course in the midst of a storm, and that maintaining a steady course is a balancing act that requires courage, patience and trust. I notice people sail mentally into the eye of the storm and then…
Horizontal and Vertical Directions
‘Crucifixion’ by Kirsten Harris, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 150 cm A jockey friend asked me if I had ever painted a crucifixion? Answer no. But I had been thinking about the symbolism of the vertical and horizontal planes and so decided to attempt this classical and religious subject. Gulp! ‘Crucifixion’ is inspired by Salvador Dali’s…
Extinction Rebellious Art!
What if all we need to do to create change and stop destruction is to learn how to stop. Sounds simple enough. Just stop, or pause and take a bit of time out to think about what we are doing. Stop to create space to allow something new to happen. Stop the stuff that doesn’t…
What my horse drawings are about…
‘Connections’ – A drawing of two horses about elasticity, flow, direction, spatial awareness and connection. In February I set myself a drawing project, the weather was wild (snowed in home alone for 6 days) a drawing a day seemed like a doable project. I decided to concentrate my artwork on horses. For years…
Make Art Not War – Weapons of Mass Creation
At art school a tutor commented that my brushes looked like they had been at war. A comment that stuck with me, but I did not really understand. Twenty years later whilst painting I was listening to a Radio 4 programme on post traumatic stress disorder, previously known as shell shock and realised that…
Writing a blog is better than talking to yourself!
Cartoon of negative chatter that gets in the way of creativity I have been writing blogs! And it is interesting to me because it has now become part of the creative process. A bit of a revelation really and something I would recommend to any artist. Totally vulnerable making for sure, but it moves…
Does lying on your back make you a better painter?
Michelangelo (1475 – 1564) – Self Portrait as Skin from the Sistine Chapel We all famously know that Michelangelo lay on his back to paint the magnificent Sistine Chapel. This has always intrigued me – how did he do that? As an Alexander Technique teacher it is appealing to think that he found some…
Form and the Formless
Cartoon of me at art school In contemporary art anything goes! Artists have ultimate freedom! No rules! Break rules! Push boundaries! Explore! Create! Be original! Be daring! Be courageous! Be bold! There is no paradigm, no truth that holds art together. Unlike music which has an agreed set of notes and scales, a…
‘Be More Maisie!’
Maisie photo bombing with ball … Ever since I was given Maisie, my Cockerpoo, as a 3 month old ‘please have her we can’t cope’ pup, I have been saying to myself ‘Be More Maisie!’ She was wild! She still is highly energetic and completely obsessed with catching her ball and making sure…
The Daily Ease Colouring Book – Dog Ease
This page is a variation of a drawing I did to illustrate my blog 101 life lessons from my dog. I hope to turn that blog into a a wee book at some point as it makes me smile. (link here) So to the colouring book – how does one introduce the concept of…