Heaps of good news! 
Newsletter 6 March 2024

What a fortnight it has been. The exhibition tour has been affirmed in so many ways with people saying that the dialogues they’ve had as a consequence have been important to them, funding coming to support those very interactions, more potential tour venues, funding coming to OTN from sales, and more published illustrations coming out. Each time there is a positive discussion about inclusion as an alternative to prejudice, we contribute to such conversations the world over. Good.

It was lovely to open an email saying, “We are pleased to advise you that, when Trustees met recently, they awarded a grant of £2,452 to the Open to All Tour Project.” Until it is on the funder’s website, we can’t tell you more, but it’s very happy news.  For your noting, the grant was ½ of what it costs to run this tour, so any further donations would be gratefully received 😊. Two of the churches have been able to cover costs, but others, for various very good reasons, have not been able to offer. Their welcome as free galleries with no percentage of sales taken is their generous gift-in-kind. We knew this at the start and are fully committed to bringing the stimulus for conversations which this tour enables.

The Coventry tour leg ended with as much joy as it started. The Chief Operating Officer visited as we were packing up and said that many people stopped to say how much the artwork had meant to them, and - this COO is very seldom stopped to talk at all about what the Cathedral does. The Dean said that that paintings had allowed the Cathedral to affirm its own commitment to inclusion.  There were sales (with 40% to OTN), not least because of the lovely display the Cathedral shop set up for us.

St Asaph’s, the smallest Cathedral in Wales which we arrived to amid freezing sleet, could not be more different than Coventry. It is over a millennium old and holds the most amazing atmosphere of prayer. No matter how traditional it looks, its welcome is modern indeed and I had deep conversations with people identifying from a number of places on the gender identity spectrum.  Points will hold its own for those chats as it wraps around in the most conversational space.

Pete (my husband, co-director, driver, easel taking-downer and put-upper) and I are learning how to pack well. At the end of each exhibition, we’ve learned from the last and made adjustments. For a good laugh, here’s our learning so far:

Oh – those published illustrations? I can’t tell you the book title yet as it’s not officially launched, but here’s a peek of its cover. You’ll note my habit for inclusion again; no human colours so anyone can see themselves. The organisation wanted this as much as I did.

Finally, this weekend starts the Spirit Justice Tour in Exeter.  I’ve been having fun (!) making boxes for the up to now unboxed and getting new prints ready.  I Am Your Neighbour already has a new home at DARE, The Darwen Asylum Refugee Enterprise. She moves in there in September on her way back from speaking her way up to Aberdeen and back. We’re delighted.

Much joy and hope to you!

Please contact me if you would like prints. The following formats are available. All prints on paper are sold on ivory mounting board. Frames may be ordered. Prints on canvas are stretched on wood.

Art Prints: Art Prints are created with laser printers onto quality wood pulp art paper.

Gallery Poster: Gallery Poster is a typical art gallery format with laser printer on poster paper, supplied rolled in a tube.

Giclee Prints: Giclee Prints are inkjet sprayed onto quality cotton rag paper. They’re known for their vibrant colours, fine details, and archival quality. The term "giclee" comes from the French word meaning "to spray," referring to the precise inkjet spraying process used in their production. They’re guaranteed to last at least 100 years (though no one’s been alive long enough since development to know…)

Embellished Giclee Prints: Embellished Giclee Prints are customised by me adding details, textures, or hand-drawn elements to make each cotton paper print unique. The result is a print that combines the advantages of digital printing with a personal touch.

Giclee Prints on Canvas: Giclee Prints are inkjet sprayed onto artist canvas material. This gives the print a texture and appearance similar to a traditional painting on canvas so that they resemble original paintings.

Embellished Giclee Prints on Canvas: Embellished Giclee Prints on Canvas are customised by me adding details, textures, or hand-painted elements to make each print unique. Embellishments added on top of canvas give the print a more three-dimensional painterly effect.