My Granny sent me this email:
Darling, your painting are fantastic, thanks for sending them they are so real and you bviously know what to do Magic thanks, keep it up and you,ll be famous …
All my love to you happy New Year
granny

Now, many people would think that this is some doting elderly dowager with nothing better to do than pander to her granddaughter. This is not my granny.

My Granny is an artist. her sculptures in bronze are famous and her paintings are amazing. Granny, quite simply, is the reason I am who I am today. She made me want to create art. as simple as that.

As I child I would draw pictures of the horses on their farm. I would take my pictures to her and she would tell me, quite plainly, that they were crap. terrible. awful. and this was why. and she would tell me about musculature, and the shapes they made, the interrelation of forms that went into the creation of a horse. this was when I was around 5.

I would spend weeks with her sculpting and drawing.

When I was about 13 she began to award me a ‘good’ or a ‘better’ and I was so happy! I showed her my first pastel painting and she said it was good! (my mother still has it, its a rabbit) By 15 and 16 when I was doing full traditional oil portraits she gave me ‘excellent’ s and couldn’t wait to see what I did next. She still gave me constructive criticism and I learned from her tips. My goal became to make my Granny Proud of me and my work. I never resented her or her encouragement or criticism because I knew that every word helped me down the path to becoming a good artist.

Her net connection now is slow so I sent her some prints of my works for Christmas. Her praise means more to me than anything because I know that I have earned it.

Thanks Gran!