NEW Episode: Finish A Journal! Yay!! Did you know that I have heaps and heaps of art journals? And did you know that pretty much NONE of them are fully finished/ filled up? Ha! It kinda breaks my heart when I go through my journals and it’s a mixed bag of ‘beautifully finished pages’ and ‘meh what is Read More
The Beast. I spent 4 hours wrestling with this beast of a painting last night. It’s a beast because it’s large 20 x 20”, and it’s a beast because it was created on heavy, cradled (maple) wood board. It was also a beast because it fought me with a snarl, tooth and nail. You likely Read More
I’ve just come back from a week away in Cornwall. Even though it was rainy and the bed wasn’t very comfortable it was just wonderful to get away with the kids and lovely husband for a week! We had a lot of fun and I managed to cram in quite a bit of creative time! Read More
I’m excited as I’ve just uploaded another new episode of ‘Finish a Journal’ on my youtube channel! I made it to episode 6, which is quite a big feat for me as I don’t often manage to keep going on my own youtube series, ha ha. In this video, I fill up another double spread in my art Read More
Argh guys, do you also sometimes just get totally stuck when it comes to painting and creating? I DO and it’s super frustrating and annoying! Luckily, I have a few ways to get out of my funk and I thought I’d share them with you today! :) Hope they help and if YOU have Read More
Hallo beautifuls! In this post I will answer the questions I get asked most by email in an attempt to help people send me less emails! (Hee hee and of course: to help you all with your creative business endeavours, may all your creative dreams, soar and become true with stars, strawberries and cream on Read More
Applications Closed – Winners listed below. Hey lovely friends! Last month, we ran many giveaways as part of the Life Book 2021 Taster Sessions, we ended up giving away 40 spots on Life Book 2021! Wowsa! :) The winners of these giveaways were randomly chosen, not based on financial situations, so now it Read More
Four years ago I turned 40 years old which I thought was a truly momentous occasion. I mean, to make it to 40 without even dying is a pretty spectacular feat in my books, ammirite my 40-something friends? Even though I felt nowhere near a successful adult (and still to this day find myself fumbling Read More
Explore Our Free Resources Dear Creative Friend, Sending you a hug and love while we are collectively going through these very strange times. I hope you are managing to stay grounded and calm, perhaps with your art supplies and some music. I had an insight the other day after another 2 hours of crying and Read More
Hey there fabulous friends! :) Time for a more up to date blog post on my favourite art supplies! I’ve been pretty consistent over the years with which supplies I’ve favoured, but it has changed quite a bit in the last couple of years, so I thought I’d do a new bloggie on this for Read More
Quirky Birds first came to me about 6/7 years ago in 2013. I found myself doodling one day and ended up creating this odd/ strange/ asymmetrical little bird characters who seemed to be totally happy within themselves. They had a joy of life in them and a self love and self acceptance I envied for sure! Read More
It’s time, it’s time, it’s tiiiiiime!!! I’ve been working my nose & ears off (15 hour work days for the past 3weeks!!) trying to get everything ready, beautiful and sparkly for, the grand opening and sale of, you guessed it; Life Book 2020 Yes yes, we (Team Unicorn) are now OPEN FOR BUSINESS! :D YAY! We Read More
Wrote and painted this 3 years ago. Sharing it again as I think it`s so powerful:
"Blink"
It’s over in a blink, she said.
“Swallows stop flying,
if you’re not careful,
if you’re not brave,
if you’re not wispy and grand and dramatic and full of shadow and let it all leak out, like liquid gold.”
Notice.
Every single minute.
Every single fraction of the astounding glory of the moment. Here. Now.
And don’t pretend you can’t hear those angels sing. Like bells, trills, high c’s, harmonies hummed like the sweetest honey.
Every breath is a song. Every tick tock an ocean of meaning, an orchestra of alive vibrancy wanting its way with you, soulfully.
Yes.
You cannot refuse this offer. No is not an option. Jump in with open arms. Swim, fly, cry, run, weep, scream and sing. Let it all happen. Take it all in, before the mighty blink, blinks.
Posting this one again now that I`ve properly scanned it! --> I’ve been playing with chiaroscuro lately — that dramatic dance between light and dark you see in old black-and-white portraits. Never painted just in black and white before (well, a little indigo crept in 👀). I love how moody it feels!
For my next Year of Light lesson we are exploring `chiaroscuro` (which is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition). I`ve always loved the black and white photos of people like Marlene Ditriech and wanted to try achieve that type of effect in a painting! I don`t think I`ve EVER painted just in black and white before, but really loved doing it! (Well, I say black and white, but this also contains indigo blue and paynes gray). 😊 Really pleased with it, it has such a `vibe` (as my teen kids would say haha). ♥️♥️♥️
The wonderful Jennifer (@therapistsanctuary) and I filmed another episode for our series on the tubes (up soon!). Here are some of the pages that came out of that session for me. 😊 Loved working with fluorescent pink and in the end adding in the teal! 😍😍😍
Art Oasis! Another fun free art event!
Hello my friends! Exciting news!
I know we’ve literally just finished the tasters for A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales but I wanted to let you know about another amazing free art event I’m sure you’d love to join and it’s starting in only 2 days! 😊
So, I’m super excited to let you know that I am part of Art Oasis, a FREE online creative retreat starting October 18 2025. Yay! 🥳🎉🎊 (organised by the amazing Jessica Swift).
For 7 days, artists (including me!) will be sharing lessons, stories, and creative inspiration to help you slow down, refill your creative well, and remember how good it feels to make art just for YOU.
Here’s what you can expect each day:
💕 Fresh, inspiring art lessons (all levels welcome)
💕 Cozy Conversations – real, heartfelt chats with artists about our creative journeys
💕 Daily creative prompts to keep your ideas flowing
💕A friendly, global, online community of fellow creatives
How It Works
🎨 Watch online – anytime, anywhere, at your own pace. Watch one lesson or all of them – there are no rules and no risk. It’s completely FREE!
🎨 Fit it into your schedule however works best for you!
🎨 Grab inspiring free gifts from the featured artists.
🎨 Want to extend your stay in the Oasis? Grab the VIP Pass!
I’ll be teaching a session on ‘play and the inner child’! Attached is the painting you`ll make with me (or something like it) 😊
… and I’d love for you to join me! ♥️
To join click here:
https://bit.ly/ArtOasisTamx (or find link in story/ bio/ linktree)
This event is all about permission; to play, to explore, to create without pressure. If you’re craving that kind of creative joy, I hope I’ll see you inside the Oasis!
Much Love,
Tam 💕
PS – After you sign up, you’ll have the option to upgrade to the VIP Pass – this gives you forever access to every lesson (including mine!) and some incredible bonus content. If you grab it during registration, you’ll get the lowest price.
