23: Many creative threads with Claire Stockings-Baker
An Art To It
When you have an artistic eye and a talent for creativity you are often blessed with being able to use this skills in different ways, and Claire Stockings-Baker is a perfect example of a multi-disciplinary artist. Sculptural silver jewellery is what Claire is best known for as an artist, but her creative career started in costume design, and print making and painting are still a big part of her life. In our lovely chat - which as fellow dog lovers didn’t actually focus too much on our four-legged friends - Claire shares the creative path that fate as well as passion has taken her...
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22: Finding the right catalyst with Kerry Louise Bennett
An Art To It
Sometimes a guiding hand is all that is needed to kick start you on a particular path or career, and sometimes fate delivers that in an unexpected way. Visual artist Kerry Louise Bennett knew that she wanted to pursue a career as a painter but it didn’t seem quite achievable; then prompted by misremembering a comment from a friend, she picked up a book in a second hand shop by hypnotist and self-improvement guru Paul McKenna https://www.paulmckenna.com/ called ‘Change your Life in Seven Days’ and focused on achieving the life she wanted to live. Five years on, she is living that...
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21: Creating in all its forms, from chocolate to canvas with Aisleigh Anne
An Art To It
If you could pick the ideal medium to create your art work what would it be? Oil paint, charcoal, … or chocolate? Although painting had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, it was as a chocolatier that Ashleigh Anne first found creative professional success. In our lovely chat, Aisleigh shares her love of creating in all its guises and how following in her family's footsteps into the restaurant and catering world didn’t mean she turned her back on her artistic skills. Encouraged by her grandmother, she excelled at cakes and confectionery and before long was...
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20: The pattern for a successful creative career with Sarah Pooley
An Art To It
Creativity has always been part of Sarah Pooley’s life. But after completing a degree in textiles her career took her into the knitwear industry where she found a job she loved designing patterns for a brand of knitting machines. When she started her family having a home based career was preferable and the beginning of the next chapter in her creative life was in soft furnishings for interiors. It was her trusty sewing machine that took Sarah on to the next stage of her creative life, and what she is known for now: her stunning free motion embroidery fine art textiles. In our very...
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19: An eventful journey to being a full time artist with Claire Howlett
An Art To It
There probably aren’t many artists who can lay claim to a previous career working with stunt horses in film and TV productions, but Claire Howlett can. When she had to abandon her foundation degree in fine art, Claire first turned to art restoration as a potential career but after an enjoyable and educational few years in a darkened room, it was to her other great love - horses - that she turned. Applying to a few stables in her native Berkshire, she was lucky enough to be taken on by one specialising in providing equine performers and she was hooked. In our very entertaining chat, Claire...
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18: Creative entrepreneurship and multi-tasking with Emily Hadley
An Art To It
A glance at Emily Hadley’s website is enough to make the most accomplished of creative business owners feel (more than?) slightly inadequate. Not only has she and her husband renovated three homes, Emily took charge of the interiors - a service she has also developed professionally - she is also an Instagram influencer and content creator, a silversmith with a range of jewellery… and now runs a hugely successful art gallery from her home. And during much of this was also a primary school teacher championing art for future young creatives. In our lively and entertaining chat Emily...
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17: Flower Power: the art of creative business juggling with Lucy Innes Williams
An Art To It
Lucy Innes Williams runs not one, but two creative businesses - her fine art practice and her printed goods and stationery business, Floradore. In our really interesting chat Lucy reveals how she manages to balance the two separate entities, both linked by her love of capturing all things floral. We also discuss the journey Lucy has taken: a graduate in Fine Art from Central St Martins College in London, after leaving college Lucy didn’t feel either inspired or ready to begin a career as an artist. Spending some time interning in the USA after graduation encouraged her to pursue further...
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16: The art of taking every opportunity, with Helen Wilde
An Art To It
Textile artist Helen Wilde, aka Ova Bloom has made a career of being in the right place at the right time and grasping every opportunity with both hands. From work experience, (with no less than artist Tom Phillips to art college, and her subsequent successful career, Helen has been fortunate at meeting the right people and the most opportune moment. But that shouldn’t detract from her achievements: her work features in numerous bedroom suites at London Dorchester Hotel, she counts several high profile American celebrities amongst her collectors… oh and as a 7 year old her art work won a...
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15: Colours and Lines, a Glass Act with Ruth Shelley
An Art To It
Colour is at the very heart of Ruth Shelley’s creative life. Growing up in rural Wales with limited external entertainment, making and domestic creativity were at the heart of her childhood, and inspired her move to study textiles at art college. Travel and finding inspiration in the colours and patterns of south east Asia continued to influence her textile work but stumbling on an evening class in stained glass opened up a whole new creative adventure for Ruth. In our chat Ruth reflects on her creative path as well as her travels and inspirations - both overseas and closer to...
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14: Mapping a career in ceramics with Loraine Rutt
An Art To It
A love of making - and of maps - has taken ceramic artist Loraine Rutt on an unusual but very successful creative journey. Loraine began her career as a cartographer at London’s Birkbeck College but when digitalisation of maps meant that she would be using a computer rather than the more physical approach of a pencil and tracing paper, she decided to pursue her earlier dream of going to art college. A degree in ceramics from London’s Central School for Art and Design (later Central St Martins ) began her creative career which now sees her specialising in ceramic maps and globes with her...
info_outlineSometimes a guiding hand is all that is needed to kick start you on a particular path or career, and sometimes fate delivers that in an unexpected way. Visual artist Kerry Louise Bennett knew that she wanted to pursue a career as a painter but it didn’t seem quite achievable; then prompted by misremembering a comment from a friend, she picked up a book in a second hand shop by hypnotist and self-improvement guru Paul McKenna https://www.paulmckenna.com/ called ‘Change your Life in Seven Days’ and focused on achieving the life she wanted to live.
Five years on, she is living that life, creating beautiful, uplifting and sought after paintings and showing them with highly acclaimed art galleries. How did she end up living the dream?
In our very entertaining chat, Kerry talks about her creative journey: she excelled at art while at school, but didn’t feel she had the support to take her studies further and instead went down a more academic path. But creativity continued to be a part of here life - either tempting her in for a while, with roles such as a community artist or a trainee upholsterer - or using her creative eye in her PR and communications roles. Moving house and creating a studio as part of the renovations did prompt her to pick up her paint brushes again and she worked on her art after her young son was asleep. But it was the chance encounter with Paul McKenna’s book that proved the catalyst.
Kerry also shares how having previously invested in a photography foundation degree she didn’t want to spend more money on going back to art college and so embarked on teaching herself via You Tube and text books, and benefited from being excepted on the the New Platform Art programme https://newplatform.art/ She began to share her work on Instagram and soon built up a loyal following of other emerging artists - and found through that a supportive community that she says was just like being at art college.
Instagram also brought her exposure to galleries and she was quickly signed up by two; and recently fashion and lifestyle retailer Toast spotted her and she was featured in their magazine https://www.toa.st/blogs/magazine/kerry-louise-bennett-artist
You can see Kerry’s gorgeous work on her website https://www.kerrylouisebennett.co.uk/ and on instagram @land_of_the_grey_and_pink.
Kerry’s work also features on postcards with Sheffield based https://www.theartpost.co.uk/artists/kerry-bennett