I’ve always loved art.
At an early age I fell in love with the French Impressionists, and then the Pre-Raphaelites, and although my degree was in Ancient and Medieval History and Archaeology, I ended up specialising in Early Medieval art and architecture. And I read lots of art books, watched all the “artist of the year” type programmes on TV, and haunted art galleries wherever I went.
But I knew I couldn’t “do” art myself. How did I know? Well, I was never taught formally (apart from a few lame lessons at high school), but I had a go anyway, mostly in watercolour which was the only medium I really knew about. And the results were always amateurish and disppointing, not helped by the profound belief that I couldn’t draw straight lines with a ruler. Gradually my confidence ebbed away, to the point where I gave up.
Until September 2024, when I joined Windermere Art Society. The first couple of sessions were challenging to say the least! But as I watched the demos, listened to all the advice, and put brush/pencil/crayon to paper, suddenly something clicked. I found I could draw perfectly well after all, and discovered a completely unexpected affinity for charcoal, which I’d never even used before.
The result, as they say, is history! I accepted my first commission soon afterwards, drawing a friend’s recently-departed cat, and made my first sale at a charity auction in aid of the Kirkby Lonsdale fire recovery fund. I’m also entering work in Windermere Art Society’s own exhibition in August 2025. Please check back soon for further details.
In the meantime you can find news, photos and regular updates on either my Facebook page or my Instagram account. Please feel free to check them out!
fiona glass art 