SHINING A LIGHT ON THE FEMININE

Something has been shifting in me — not suddenly, but steadily.

At first, I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I just felt it in the way I painted — the softness, the space, the flow. Then I started feeling it more deeply, more consciously. A kind of rising.

A quiet but powerful realisation.

A tenderness that is also resistance.

A deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman in this world, and what it means to raise a daughter within it.

For a long time, I didn’t think of myself as someone who painted “feminine” work. I didn’t even use the word feminine much. But over the past few years, without forcing it, I’ve noticed a shift — not just in my art, but in my awareness.

I’ve started to see that what I paint IS feminine. It’s intuitive. It’s layered. It’s emotional. It honours softness, and softness that isn’t fragile — softness that carries stories. That carries grief. That carries power.

And in that, something has become heartbreakingly clear: The world is not always a safe place for women.

And the feminine — the sacred, nurturing, fluid, life-giving force that lives in us all — is often misunderstood, dismissed, or violated.

I’ve felt this in the headlines. I’ve felt this in conversations with other women. I’ve felt this in the quiet worry I carry as a mother of a daughter.

And I’ve realised that my art is not separate from this truth — in fact, it’s how I process it. It’s how I respond. It’s how I “shine light” into it.

So I’ve made a commitment.

From now on, 10% of all profits from my art will go to women’s charities, starting with NDADA (North Devon Against Domestic Abuse). This is my way of putting my values into practice — of using art not only as a form of expression, but also as contribution.

Because while I can’t fix the world, I can add beauty to it.

I can hold space for healing. I can remind you that you have inner strength, power and a voice

I can paint stories that honour the feminine instead of shrinking it.

And I can invite others into that light with me.

This is the beginning of a new chapter for my work. One rooted in clarity, in care, and in courage. I hope it resonates. I hope it reaches. And I hope, in its own quiet way, it helps.

Thank you for being here.