On Thursday 28th March, as part of John Lewis & Partners Cardiff’s Room for Living event, I displayed some of my artwork and talked about bringing memories into the home.
Here are some photographs from the event.
Memories and family go hand-in-hand. Our lives are enriched every day old and young.
Many of the beautiful homes today are neutral with hues of greys and cream, and perhaps the odd pop of pale pink. Unfortunately, memories don’t always have a colour code but there is always a place for them.
My mother’s ashes are in his lovely pink hydrangea plant - I see it everyday and think of her.
90-year-old grannies with their beautiful lined faces, photographed in soft lighting, giving them a glow and a beauty all of their own. Compared to an angst teenager, angry and moody, in 70s clothing and having a fashion shoot to boost her confidence - something she wouldn’t admit to - now a 4ft canvas sitting on her wall.
Our houses have pieces from fantastic holidays. We tend to put in cupboards because a magazine will tell us to de-clutter, but go mad! You love that huge shell you bought from an exotic island in the West Indies… Put it on a shelf in your bathroom, add a Jo Malone candle, then drift off into a warm bath and you will remember when you bought it...
Jan x
On a Friday night you’ll find me…
Relaxing on the sofa with something delicious to eat, with Poldark on catch-up.
My fail-safe dinner party recipe is…
Quesadillas with dips - I can whip them up quickly!
To sum up my home in six words…
Cosy, colourful, eclectic, welcoming, imperfect and mine.
A favourite item in your home…
Amazon Echo playing Lady Gaga
If I could choose one colour…
Pink - every shade has a warmth to it!
The best way to add personality to a space…
Fill it with things you love.
I have always been in love with colour in design.
My passion was fuelled by the company Designers Guild - the magnificent colours that are in Tricia Guild's fabric, wallpaper and paint are almost intoxicating to the eye, and I love to recreate these colours in my canvasses.
Nature is absolutely glorious in any season.
© Designers Guild
From Victorian villas and contemporary apartments to cosy cottages, there is alway a space for individual pieces of artwork to create a perfect backdrop and a fabulous splash of colour to enhance the neutral colours that are so popular on our walls today.
Jan x