All posts filed under: featured

Adam Handling Chelsea – The Art Of Belmond

Published by

Last year I began a project that could only be described as a dream come true. To create bespoke artwork for an impossibly beautiful hotel in the heart of London. In a complete whirlwind of compositional sketches, late night note jotting, ideas bursting at the seams, scouring the internet for historical records and deciphering latin names for all kinds of botanical specimens… I set to work on a creating bespoke commissioned original oil paintings for the newly renovated building that would become one of the most lavish, expensive and artistically drenched hotels imaginable. The Belmond group have renovated a building, where the room marked 118 is famously the room where Oscar Wilde was arrested. The hotel is owned by the Cadogan family, a lineage steeped in rich history as the ancestors of Hans Sloane, the 18th century physician, naturalist, adventurer and collector noted for bequeathing his collection of 71 000 items to the British nation, thus providing the foundation of the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum. He traveled to Jamaica …

Creative block – When your art doesn’t look how you want it to!

Published by

I love this topic. But I think there is another side to the conversation of creative blocks that doesn’t get mentioned. Maybe because it’s not about free creative expression and letting your brush work the canvas without a care or thought. Its logical. Its creation, but its not whimsical or freedom. I am talking about when your physical capabilities block the way you want your art to look. The subject of creative blocks and physical capabilities are intertwined but worlds apart. I don’t get creative blocks. I may have a day once in a blue moon where my paintings don’t come together as they usually would, or writing doesn’t flow out onto a keyboard like it often does. In fact I am so heavily flooded with ideas that I sometimes worry that I won’t have enough hours in my lifetime to create all the things I want to. I do understand creative blocks though, because I used to experience them in a way that symptomatically showed itself as frustration at life.  I know many people …

Lets stay connected

Published by

Lets stay connected. You and I have been connected for a little while. You actually see into every corner of my soul, if you do in fact look at my artwork. Scary. Sharing my sacred art space has been something I have felt more strongly towards for a long time now! From starting communities on FaceBook to trying to share more information on the how behind my artwork, for anyone interested in the creating side of my art. Whilst also adding additional information for the people who just enjoy the viewing or the more theoretical side. I know from my own experience that when I had made the decision to make my art more of a prominent feature in my life, the social media profiles of other artists were my biggest source of inspiration and drive. I waited for their next post, and I hoped for more information of the how. Be it how they created, how they marketed, anything! Because of the ever changing social media landscape and the difficulty staying connected to the …

Lately…

Published by

It has been such a long time since I last wrote a blog post (1 year in fact) and I thought I would revive and refresh with a few teaser close ups of my newest collection that I’ve been working so hard on. But first allow me to explain my absence from writing (one of my favourite forms of expression alongside painting) and what I have coming up that warrants a blog post or two! The last blog post I wrote, I typed with a sleeping baby strapped to me in a baby sling, who had been walked around the kitchen table over and over whilst I sang Bohemian Rhapsody (not sure why, but this method seemed to work occasionally) until he fell asleep and freed up my hands somewhat. I could have cooked, but this was too loud or messy. I could have painted but the arm movements seemed to disturb him. So typing it was! Fast forward a year and the tiny sleeping baby is a walking, babbling, giggling, dancing and relentlessly curious …

Social Media, Art and where I have been!

Published by

The past year for me has meant a slight distance from painting for the best reason. In 2018 I spent a vast majority of the year working on something that in the end, I didn’t feel was good enough to release as a collection. This work has stayed private and ongoing, and hopefully one day I will be able to call it complete. For now, it is one of the first times I have felt that I couldn’t quite meet the challenge that I had set for myself. I took this quite hard, as I have always stepped up to my own personal goals with painting, however it is good to know there is still so much to improve upon and aspire towards. I did manage to work on a collection named Dawn Chorus based on bird species from around the world, this made my heart glow and reinstalled my love for painting. Just after finishing this collection, I had my son Reuben. I continued to paint in small doses to ease myself back into …

The Dawn Chorus Collection

Published by

Dawn Chorus Nature’s greatest orchestra rivals many naturally occurring miracles each morning, as bird species from around the world mark their territory, make their presence known to mates, or call upon their flock in an enthusiastic symphony. A dawn chorus. Ranging from the beautifully delicate or well camouflaged species found in English woodlands, to the ostentatious birds of paradise parading around Indonesian forests. The intricate markings used for mating or territorial displays make perfect subjects and the plethora of species to celebrate is infinite. By encompassing the subjects in the beautiful colour ways that make them so mesmerising, I have hoped to capture the nature of each species in full concert. With extravagant blends of bright colours and bold textures, mixed with subtle areas of calm and reserve this collection of oil paintings was created to compliment the avian subjects through thoughtful composition and a love for the elegance of birds all around the world. For any information on this collection contact info@wishboneart.co.uk or one of the many wonderful galleries listed on my website here! …

Evolution of my Flamingos / Katy Jade Dobson

Published by

Did anyone else laugh at the flamingos on Planet Earth II? It is obvious then as an animal lover and colour lover combined, that flamingos would come up throughout my portfolio of work. In fact, they come up much further back than I remembered from the top of my head. Sifting through my past paintings I found a set of similar works that have evolved over time and gown in my experience. It appears that I loved flamingos just as much in 2012. Sitting these paintings side by side will always be inspirational to me, to show myself just how far I can push my work if I want to. Working on your art, or anything at all, can take years of daily dedication and pure hard work. I have applied this to my art with patience and looseness to help me grow. I have let my gut instinct walk me, and through that I have taught myself to paint images as I want them to be seen and will continue to grow further. Please …

2017 / Katy Jade Dobson

Published by

It is always exciting for me to reflect not only back on the previous year, but to look forwards at the opportunities and challenges and watching them become real.  Currently I am working on a new collection. Much like early last year, I am working hard on a full set of oil paintings that are interlinked, their concept is laced throughout the collection and their visuals are woven together. Working on a full set together is a piece of time that eventually reflects directly into a real, tangible ‘thing.’ I have often talked about pockets of time being mirrored in a painting, but a collection evokes both a memory of a period of time, or a feeling of de ja vu. This particular collection is exciting for me, and always, is an effort to push forward with my craft, honing, building on, and learning new skills. As well as an impending new collection, I have other very exciting things going on this year, which I will certainly be notifying anyone interested, though this website, my …

My 2016 in summery

Published by

Although on the broader spectrum of things, 2016 has been a tough year for so many people in many places, on a smaller and more personal scale I have known people to have had a great year, filled with personal achievements and good times. Early last year I worked solidly on a collection named The 21 Grams Collection. (See in full here) which was a great achievement for me. It was a body of work, full to the brim with enthusiasm and everything I had gained in knowledge and skill of art and my craft in order to create it. It was a personal highlight and achievement for me. This collection was shown in its entirety at Robertson Fine Art Gallery in Edinburgh, a place so stunning that I ventured back for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later that year. Amongst this show, I visited some other beautiful galleries throughout the year to showcase new originals and prints. A standout for me was Eye Like Gallery in Beaconsfield. A wonderful gallery full of life and enthusiasm for …

Eye Like Gallery / Exhibition

Published by

  Last weekend I had the privilege of exhibiting my work with the wonderful Eye Like Gallery in Beaconsfield. With a gallery full of my work exclusively, a mixture of limited edition prints and originals painted especially for the occasion adorned the walls in this beautiful space. The family run gallery  (the glamorous mother daughter duo Mollie and Saro above, along with Mollie’s father and their dog Brody) care deeply for their clients and the artwork they provide, basing the name ‘Eye Like’ on the way they only sell work that they love themselves. I was excited so attend this exhibition in the weeks leading towards it as I had admired Mollie’s innovative and witty take on their social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) and was keen to meet in person the passionate people behind the 2 year old gallery. I found that they exuberate passion and I couldn’t have felt more welcome. I found this family to be  a breath of fresh air in such a traditional field. The care and work they put in is blatant …