When did you start your creative practice and why?
I began my creative journey after retiring in 2011 and have had a lot of fun learning new skills.
How would you describe your artistic style to someone unfamiliar with your work?
My style is figurative, rooted in a hands-on storytelling process, taking an idea from a
photo or sketches and then moving on to paint, print, or make a textile or felt picture.
It is very satisfying to see an idea come to fruition in a frame!
What themes or ideas do you find yourself returning to most often?
I find inspiration in my surroundings, particularly the Derbyshire countryside and the
small village which I live in. A wide variety of countryside animals and landscapes
influence my work.
What is your creative process from idea to finished piece is it always the same?
My process changes depending on the medium, but it almost always starts outdoors.
What do you find challenging as an artist, and how do you overcome these challenges?
Knowing when a piece is finished can sometimes be a challenge. Sleeping on it is a useful
solution!
Do you ever have creative blocks, how do you keep motivated?
Walking and cycling always provides me with inspiration and a desire to sit down and do
some art!
How has your style or perspective evolved over time?
My skills are expanding. I love learning new techniques; recently eco printing and
polyester plate lithography and exploring mezzotint techniques through Green Door
Print Making Studio, Derby, where I am a member. I enjoy taking part in print
exchanges, such as the 20 20 exchange between print workshops and the
International Print Exchange. I joined Derby Embroidery group in 2025 to extend my
interest in textiles.
What tools, materials, or techniques are essential to your practice? Is there a colour
you just couldnot do without?
My printing presses.
How do you balance artistic expression with practical concerns like income or
marketing, social media?
Having retired, my art work is a hobby. I’m still learning new techniques and methods to
express my love of the countryside.
Have you got a project / award/ residency/ or idea are you excited to share with us?
My current and 2027 project “Journey” is a challenge organised by Derby Embroidery
Group. My theme is a journey through time, based on the Ticknall tramway. I hope to produce a textile 20 page textile booklet ( possibly using Japanese Stab binding or the slot and tab method)
My rough plan is
- Side 1: Title Page / Cover Artwork (one of my existing Ticknall or Calke prints)
- Sides 2–3:Role of Calke estate and the transport needs of local Industries outlined
- (limestone, quicklime, bricks, pottery) Abstract textile or collage and verse
- Sides 4: The Winter Transport Problem (mud, clay ruts, parish roads) textile
- Sides 5–6: Benjamin Outram's Solution , the L shaped plateway (textile collage/print)
- Sides 7–8: The Map of the Plateway and Harpur Crewe control (Ticknall to Ashby
Canal) sewn
- Sides 9–10: Horse-Drawn Traction & Loads (single horse tram, embroidered textile)
- Sides 11–12: WWW 1, decline & nature's reclamation (war, steam train competition, overgrown tramway)
- Sides 13–14: Modern Preservation & SDDC/National Trust Plans
- Sides 15–17 Embroidered and Eco-Printed Flora & Local Wildlife (badgers, owls, flowers, leaves)
- Sides 18–19: Modern Negatives & Friction (overtourism, traffic jams, safety, vandalism) etching or lino print
- Side 20: Concluding verse and textile/ print to make the Back Cover
If your work could evoke one feeling or reaction in viewers, what would it be?
I like my pictures to tell a story, sometimes incorporating verse into my prints and textiles. I hope viewers feel like they are stepping into a story rooted in the landscape portrayed.
What is your website and how do we find you on social media?
I try to remember to store images of my work on my website, www.ashbyart.co.uk
