Travel Art & Life

Art makes a meaningful, lasting holiday gift. Here are five simple reasons it’s one of the best things you can give — plus tips on choosing the right piece, finding work at any budget, and supporting artists in a real way.

Small moments can open entire worlds when you’re paying attention. In Paris, it was a tiny cat watching the street like he owned it. In Bordeaux, it was a shared smile that turned into an unexpected conversation. This post is about the people you meet when you’re open, the connections that find you when you slow down, and the stories that ended up becoming two new paintings. Field Notes from France continues with the art — and the people — who stayed with me.

After three fast-moving days, time finally slowed down in Bordeaux. We stayed still long enough to savour it — from wine bars and sculpture gardens to the meditative tasting at Cité du Vin. This was the pause I didn’t know I needed — the moment the trip caught its breath, and I did too.

We’d only been in France three days before heading to Bordeaux, and it already felt like a week — the kind of time that stretches when you’re paying attention. But travel has a way of reminding you that time isn’t as predictable as it looks on paper. These first few days taught me that half-days, detours, and small confusions can quietly steal the hours we think we have — and that how we spend our time matters more than how much we have of it.

What if slowing time down isn’t about clocks or calendars — but about curiosity, connection, and how wide your attention is? Lessons from two weeks in France.

Paris greeted us not with croissants and café music, but with chaos — and somehow, it made arriving even more real. You can’t truly arrive somewhere without being shaken awake first.

Every painting has a personality, and this one is bold, funny, and unapologetic. Off the Deep End is for anyone who’s ever thought “the beach is boring” and prefers their sunsets poolside.

In this post, I share the realities of starting a new painting, from the struggles to the moments of flow. I also discuss my decision to shift focus from social media to my own blog, where I'll share more in-depth stories about my art and life. It's a journey of creativity, self-improvement, and finding joy in the process.