Why I paint

Someone asked me this week why I paint? The short answer is I love it. I love to paint and to create really but it is a bit of a drug, a tad addictive.

The reasons why I love it are complex. As a child , my Mum was often ill and she encouraged me to draw , paint, knit if I was bored, fed up, in a bad mood etc. she often would create alongside me and I learned to enjoy creating. At school, doing options, ny Mum advised me not to take Art, because , she said,'you can already paint a picture.' so I never did art at school after age 11. I continued to create, sew, knit paint etc all through school and through my jobs.

In my 40's , my Mum had a massive stroke and although she survived it, she was in a half life for lots of years after that. During that time with young children and my Dad to look after, I then took voluntary redundancy from the Civil Service and went back to University to study Fine Art.

My Mum died in my last year at University in 2002 ( her death was a blessing ) and you can see how I dealt with her death - in paint. I painted a painting each day for 16 days after her death. The paintings are not sad, but reflective and I often put them up in my workspace- they make me remember my Mum with warmth.

It seems strange to be writing about my Mum on Father's Day but the day or date isn't significant here. I am in a way just trying to explain the relationship that I have with my art, why I don't have a professional approach to it and don't make a high income from it.

I have got into a situation where I exhibit too myself, by myself, and enjoy it.Hopefully , with the Daily painting project, I will get the paintings out more.