Exmouth Art Group

"My work explores the people, places, landscapes and seascapes of the southwest of England, Europe and the East Coast of America. I often paint en plein air, on the beach or in the landscape, while undertaking more considered works in gouache, oil and larger acrylic paintings in my studio."

Phil Creek gained a BA Degree in Fine Art from Manchester University and a Post-graduate Degree in The History of Art from Birmingham University. He was Head of Creative Arts at Honiton Community College, Director of Course at The Beaford Art Centre, and County Art Adviser for Devon. He is now a full-time painter living in East Devon.

He has exhibited at The Mall Galleries, London, The Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Exeter and The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol. He is Chair, Trustee and Honorary Member of The South West Academy and President of Otter Vale Art Society.

Based in Newlyn, Cornwall, Vicki Norman received her BA in Fine Art in 2000 working initially as an illustrator and then a full time fine artist represented by established galleries around the UK. A naturally gifted teacher, Vicki began her classes in 2005, gaining her post graduate certificate specialising in post-16 education in 2009 she greatly values teaching as an integral part of her creative practice.

A lifelong student herself, she has studied with master painters and sculptors around the globe, all the time searching for traditional skills and methods which can be applied to paintings of a modern world.

Inspired by both contemporary and past masters, Vicki’s paintings employ an historical skill set with a fresh, personal approach.

“My fondness for travelling and painting has naturally led me into the world of Plein Air painting. Working quickly on location to capture the essence of a time and place encourages a looser, more impressionist style of painting. This puts an emphasis on atmosphere rather than detail, and colour is the vehicle through which I seek to capture light.”

Her works have won awards in the Europe and the USA, she is a regular contributor to plein air events and competitions on both sides of the Atlantic. Vicki has exhibited with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in London and been awarded a prize from the Oil Painters of America.

Her growing reputation as a master of colour has led naturally to a role as ambassador for Michael Harding Paints which allows Vicki indulge her love of colour and ‘nerd out’ about pigments, binders and all things technical with one of the world’s most respected Colourmen.

A popular tutor and demonstrator, Vicki is recognised for her clear communication and boundless enthusiasm.
She has won awards and recognition for both teaching and painting.

More details on subject and materials to follow

Helping to keep visual arts and artists in our communities

LFTA in brief:

LoveFromTheArtist (LFTA) is the invention of, and is managed by, social entrepreneurs Ian Lacey and Lynda Harvey. It is intended as a means to contribute to the visual arts in Britain and the UK through the development of a mini “economy” that allows artists to trade with the public and earn income to support their artistic works.

LFTA is based on fair trade, is non profit making, supports a wide range of artists and artistic styles and provides an open and fair opportunity for British artists, photographers and illustrators, for whom it is free to use.

LFTA focuses on helping small shops, often community organised ventures, to find and support artists in their local communities as well as allowing artists to sell work directly to the wider public through their pages on this website.

Ian Lacey and Lynda Harvey are both Fellows of The Royal Society of Arts (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

Supporting British arts and crafts

Enabling the business of being an artist

LFTA aims to help visual artists in practical ways by providing access to products and technologies that help them make a living. Indeed, several contributing artists on this programme have stated that LFTA is the key factor in their ability to operate and develop as artists, and to make a living from their work.

LFTA enables artists to create saleable products, greetings cards, art prints, calendars and gift wrap, at cost price, so that they can sell these things at retail price and earn the full margin for their effort.

Artists starting out on their commercial enterprise are helped enormously by the very low minimum quantities of product they can buy through their LFTA membership, which enables them, in turn, to develop new business without high risk or large investment.

Shops subscribing to LFTA also benefit from our low minimum quantities – as low as just ten cards of any mix of designs they desire. This helps everyone by opening the fantastic LFTA content to even the smallest shops to stock, and by allowing shops to ‘test the water’ with small amounts of work they might not otherwise have tried out on their customers.

LFTA is a community company, serving an invited community of artist contributors. It is not and does not offer a ‘printing service’ and its creative facilities are solely for the use of its members. LFTA is a programme you should consider if you are a visual artist, illustrator or photographer and you are serious about developing your commercial presence through print based products.

Welcome to Wild Thoughts, a stylish wedding and event florist based in the South West of England. We create romantic, elegant and wonky floral designs with a wild streak, bringing the beauty of nature inside in a natural and eco-conscious way. Providing wedding flowers in the Cotswold, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Devon and beyond. Lottie will be demonstrating a couple of arrangements using garden flowers and talking about her sustainable floristry business.

Will Dyke - Profile

I studied illustration and printmaking at Harrow College, University of Westminster. After an early career in bookselling, I became a full time printmaker and tutor.

I specialise in woodcut prints; I create limited edition prints, and greetings cards. Much of my work is inspired by rural life and history. My background in illustration continues to guide my design method. I also teach regular print workshops, and give demo's and talks.

A Sussex based artist; regular tutor for the Weald & Downland Living Museum. I have taught for the National Trust, Pallant House Gallery, West Horsley Place, and for art groups and societies across the South.

Subject and materials will follow

Demonstration: Nature journaling is the act of creatively recording your relationship with nature. In this demo, nature journaling artist Alex Boon will show you through 8 years of nature journals and sketchbooks and describe how he started this rewarding activity. He will also explain his techniques for sketchbooking in coloured pencil and painting in Derwent Inktense, including some Inktense demonstrations.

In this one-day introduction to nature journaling, Alex will show you some fundamentals of nature journaling with fun prompts and exercises that are suitable for any artistic/naturalist/writing skill level. We will begin with a simple sketchbook and pencil with some time sketching  and writing outdoors (weather permitting). After lunch, we will return to the studio to work the morning’s observations into a page (or more!) of paintings and writing. A pool of art materials will be available for you to use, though you are welcome to bring your own. Tuition will focus on the use of Derwent Inktense pencils (provided for you to try).